Acronym | SPW |
---|---|
Founded | 2015 |
Headquarters | Invercargill, New Zealand |
Founder(s) | Troy Crosbie Marc Perry |
Website | spwrestling.co.nz |
Southern Pro Wrestling (SPW) is a New Zealand professional wrestling promotion. Since the promotion's formation in 2015, it has promoted regular live events throughout the country predominantly in Invercargill and Queenstown[1] In 2018, SPW held the biggest live independent wrestling show seen in New Zealand for over 27 years, the 2018 Southern Rumble, which was held at ILT Stadium in Invercargill in front of 1,200+ in attendance.[2] SPW has led to a resurgence of the popularity and mainstream media coverage of professional wrestling in New Zealand.[3] The 2019 Southern Rumble event was held again in ILT Stadium, with similar attendance numbers.[4] SPW currently has over 30 full-time employees.[5] In March 2019, SPW signed a deal with New Zealand's largest free-to-air broadcaster, TVNZ with an audience of 2 million people.[6] 22 June 2019, marked the return of New Zealand pro-wrestling on TVNZ for the first time since On the Mat ended 35 years prior.[7][8][9][10] On 24 August 2019, the 2019 Southern Rumble event aired on TVNZ Duke and was viewed by over 40,000 people.[11]