Off the Ropes

Off the Ropes is a professional wrestling television program 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'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 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 member Ilex Bell, and backstage vignettes that reveal more of the wrestlers' personality and motivations.

On-air performers

Champions

KPW Heavyweight Championship WrestlerDefeatedDatePlaceEventNotesH-FlameJonnie Juice21 July 2006Taitā, Lower HuttEruptionTournament final for the vacant championshipInfernoH-Flame13 December 2009WellingtonOff the RopesEpisode broadcast 13 Dec 2009Max DamageInferno31 January 2010WellingtonOff the RopesEpisode broadcast 31 Jan 2010The TechnicianMax Damage16 July 2010WellingtonMake Or Break

KPW Tag Team Championship TeamDefeatedDatePlaceEventNotesThe Renegades (The Technician and Kade Morgan "3G")Whetu and Jade Diamond8 May 2009Newtown, WellingtonRise of the ChampionsTournament final for the vacant championship

Authority figures KPW CEO Rip Morgan KPW GM Terry the Golden Greek Mr Rumble

Referees Head Referee Daniel Martins Mark Freemantle

Commentators Blair the Flair The Wonderful Wilba Force

Recurring segments Backstage Pass, host by 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 on 13 November 2009,Media Monitors Ref: 60068208 the Herald 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 The Sunday Star-Times 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 website Throng on 25 September 2009 and on 15 November 2009.Throng article on "Off the Ropes" premiere

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 on 6 November 2009,Wanganui Chronicle, 6 Nov 2009 and the New Zealand Herald on 2 November 2009.

KPW wrestler the Technician was interviewed by the Waikato Times on 11 November 2009.

KPW wrestler Jade Diamond was interviewed by The Northern Advocate on 3 November 2009.Media Monitors Ref: 59602186

Off the Ropes

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