IPW heavyweight champion Mr Burns about to be slammed to the mat by Ben Mana during the main event of IPW Whanganui Warfare on Saturday night.
IPW heavyweight champion Mr Burns about to be slammed to the mat by Ben Mana during the main event of IPW Whanganui Warfare on Saturday night.
Whanganui's Ben Mana was unable to win the IPW New Zealand Heavyweight title at Whanganui Warfare on Saturday night at the racecourse, but it is safe to say he left his mark on the battered champion Mr Burns.
The inaugural show in Whanganui for the Auckland-based Impact Pro Wrestling wasa success with over 230 fans taking their seats in the Eulogy Lounge for an eight-match card that packed in plenty of action.
Preparations are now underway to bring the show back next year.
In the main event, the Whanganui Prison corrections officer Ben Mana, aka Benjamin Thorpe, had to deal with not only the devious Mr Burns, aka David Gerbault, but all three members of champion's group 'The Young Nats', who were interfering from ringside.
Trying everything from a poor rendition of a haka – which Mana and his Maori supporters in the crowd immediately countered with a fiery rendition of their own – to an attempted attack with a glass-covered photo of Mr Burns and John Key, the Young Nats riled up the crowd with their blatant cheating.
Mana overcame an early injury to his shoulder, which Mr Burns attacked constantly, to recover and deliver multiple devastating slams to the champion.
However, every time the referee tried to count Mana's pinfall on the dazed Mr Burns, the Young Nats members 'JB Bennett' and 'Oliver Griffin' pulled the official out of the ring, leading to them being ejected from ringside.
While the referee was distracted in the chaos, the newest Young Nats member, the imposing 'Mr Tagataese', snuck into the ring and delivered a low blow to Mana, before slamming him to the mat, allowing Mr Burns to drape over the local challenger to get the three count.
Mr Burns celebrated with his cronies, but it was short-lived as Mana cleared them from the ring and then tricked the cowering champion into accepting a congratulatory handshake, before promptly dropping him with a slam and delivering a running body splash.
Ben Mana throws out interfering members of The Young Nats during the main event.
"It has been an absolute honour and a privilege to stand in this ring, in the main event, representing each and every single one of you here tonight," Mana said on the house microphone.
He joked that while he had not fulfilled his first promise to become Whanganui's New Zealand heavyweight champion, judging by the smell following his giant splash, he had still delivered on his second vow that Mr Burns would make a mess in his trousers.
"The awesome crowd that has turned up here tonight is a testament to how awesome Whanganui is," Mana said.
"And after this amazing turnout, I promise you, I gonna make this Whanganui Warfare happen at least once every single year."
Mana had already showed the crowd how tough he was when he came out earlier in the night to assist Whanganui's other wrestler on the show in Bradical, aka Brad Fisher.
Bradical had answered an open challenge to wrestle from IPW's veteran Liger, aka Michel Mulipola.
The youngster held his own for a time with Liger, but was eventually pinned.
When Liger continued to attack his beaten opponent after the bell, stretching him in a dangerous hold, Mana entered the ring and blasted Liger over the top rope, before raising Bradical's hand to the delight of the home crowd.
Other results Kingi defeated Falcon Kid by pinfall; The Young Nats won a 6-man tag team match by pinfall; Short & Sweet defeated Privileged in a tag team match by pinfall; CTRL retained the IPW Tag Team Championship by pinfall in a triple threat match against James Shaw/Jukebox Hero and Paul Sayers/Chad Howard; Liam Fury defeated Vinny Dunn in a 2/3 falls match; Candy Lee retained the IPW Women's Championship by pinfall against Misty.
