''Off the Ropes'' was a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

for Kiwi Pro Wrestling (KPW). The show debuted on Prime TV in New Zealand on 15 November 2009.

Show history

In October 2009, KPW announced the launch of a flagship TV show on its website and that the show was to be named ''Off the Ropes''. Later that month, the commencement date and transmission time of the show were announced. KPW management made the decision to name the show ''Off the Ropes'' so that the title format would be similar to

Steve Rickard Sydney Mervin "Merv" Batt (3 September 1929 – 5 April 2015), best known by his ring name Steve Rickard, was a New Zealand professional wrestler, trainer and promoter. As a wrestler, he traveled throughout the world during the 1960s and 1970s, ...

's famous New Zealand professional wrestling TV programme '' On The Mat'', broadcast some 25 years earlier.John Mancer, Steve Rickard's Life on the Mat, Rugby Press 1979; The show is significant in New Zealand professional wrestling history in that ''Off the Ropes'' is the first show featuring New Zealand professional wrestling show to be broadcast on a nationally available free-to-air television channel since ''On The Mat'' ceased transmission by South Pacific Pictures circa 1984. ''Off the Ropes'' began transmission of its 13-episode first season on Sunday 15 November 2009.

Show format

The show aired every Sunday at 1:30 pm – 2:00pm on Prime Television New Zealand, a free-to air national television network. Each episode was approximately 24 minutes in length (produced for a 30-minute time-slot) and featured usually two matches (two singles matches, or one singles match and one tag team match), wrestler interviews in the ''Backstage Pass'' segment hosted by KPW staff membe
Ilex Bell
and backstage vignettes that reveal more of the wrestlers' personality and motivations.

On-air performers

Champions

KPW Heavyweight Championship

KPW Tag Team Championship

Authority figures

* KPW CEO

Rip Morgan Michael Morgan (born August 20, 1957) is a former professional wrestler from New Zealand who competed in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling and World Class Championship Wrestling best known as Rip Morgan. Best known as ...

* KPW G
Terry the Golden Greek

Mr Rumble

Referees

* Head Refere
Daniel Martins

Mark Freemantle

Commentators

Blair the Flair

The Wonderful Wilba Force

Recurring segments

''Backstage Pass'', host b
Ilex Bell

Appearances in other media

Print and other media

''Off the Ropes'' was previewed and promoted in the National Business Review on 25 September 2009, the Otago Daily Times on 6 October 2009 and also on 13 October 2009, the New Zealand TV Guide on 5 November 2009,Media Monitors Ref: 59607276 the

Truth Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth 2005 In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as belie ...

on 13 November 2009,Media Monitors Ref: 60068208 the

Herald A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms. Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen to ...

on 14 November 2009Media Monitors Ref: 60089457 and also on and 25 September 2009, the New Zealand Listener on 14 November 2009,"The Return of Pro Wrestling", NZ Listener, 14 Nov 2009
/ref>

The Sunday Star-Times The ''Sunday Star-Times'' is a New Zealand newspaper published each weekend in Auckland. It covers both national and international news, and is a member of the New Zealand Press Association and Newspaper Publishers Association of New Zealand. ...

on 15 November 2009Media Monitors Ref: 60132654 and the ''Sunday News'' on 15 November 2009.Media Monitors Ref: 60133015 ''Off the Ropes'' was also promoted on the New Zealand websit
Throng
on 25 September 2009"Kiwi Wrestling Returns to TV After 25 Years"
/ref> and on 15 November 2009.Throng article on "Off the Ropes" premiere
/ref>

Wrestlers' interviews

KPW mainstay H-Flame was also the subject of a cover story for the internationally distributed ''Fire & Rescue'', the official New Zealand Fire service magazine,Fire and Rescue, issue no. 53, October 2009 and was also featured in the

Wanganui Chronicle ''The Whanganui Chronicle'' is New Zealand's oldest newspaper. Based in Whanganui, it celebrated 160 years of publishing in September 2016. It is the main daily paper for the Whanganui, Ruapehu and Rangitīkei regions, including the towns of Patea ...

on 6 November 2009,Wanganui Chronicle, 6 Nov 2009
/ref> and the

New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...

on 2 November 2009. KPW wrestle
the Technician
was interviewed by the

Waikato Times The ''Waikato Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Hamilton, New Zealand and owned by media business Stuff Ltd. It has a circulation to the greater Waikato region and became a tabloid paper in 2018. The newspaper has won the title of Ne ...

on 11 November 2009. KPW wrestle
Jade Diamond
was interviewed by

The Northern Advocate ''The Northern Advocate'' is the regional daily paper for the city of Whangārei and the Northland Region in New Zealand. History ''The Whangarei Comet and Northern Advertiser'' was founded in 1875 as a weekly paper by George Alderton and, desp ...

on 3 November 2009.Media Monitors Ref: 59602186

References

External links

Facebook KPW fansite

Kiwi Pro Wrestling official website
* {{Professional wrestling in New Zealand 2009 New Zealand television series debuts 2010 New Zealand television series endings New Zealand professional wrestling promotions New Zealand professional wrestling television series Prime (New Zealand TV channel) original programming