WWE in New Zealand

WWE (formerly World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment), an American professional wrestling promotion based in Stamford, Connecticut in the United States owned by the McMahon family, has been promoting events in New Zealand since 2006.

WWE in New Zealand
Created byVince McMahon
Promotion(s)WWE
Brand(s)Raw
SmackDown

History

WWE held their first live event tour in New Zealand on March 4, 2006, at the Westpac Stadium. This was the WWE Smackdown Road to WrestleMania 22 Tour, which featured a main event triple threat match between Kurt Angle, Undertaker and Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship. This event drew 23,875 people.

The following two years, WWE returned to New Zealand for a pair of SmackDown and ECW co-branded shows. In 2009 and 2011 the Raw brand did a one night show in New Zealand, with SmackDown doing a show in 2010. The WWE then took a long break between shows in New Zealand and did not return until 2016. At the 2016 show, WWE announced NXT would be doing a show as part of their Oceania tour,[1] however it was eventually canceled.[2] The Raw brand returned to New Zealand in 2017[3] and will return again in 2021[4]

Events in New Zealand
DateName BrandVenueCityMain event
March 4, 2006WWE SmackDown Road to WrestleMania 22 Tour SmackDownWestpac StadiumWellingtonKurt Angle vs. Mark Henry vs. The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship
February 23, 2007WWE SmackDown Road to WrestleMania 23 Tour SmackDown & ECW Westpac CentreChristchurchBatista vs. Mr. Kennedy for the World Heavyweight Championship[5]
February 24, 2007 Western Springs StadiumAuckland
June 11, 2008WWE Smackdown ECW Tour SmackDown & ECW Vector ArenaAucklandEdge vs. Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship[6]
June 12, 2008 Westpac CentreChristchurchMatt Hardy, Batista & The Undertaker vs. Edge, Montel Vontavious Porter and Mark Henry[7]
July 3, 2009WWE Raw Live Tour Raw Vector ArenaAucklandRandy Orton & Big Show vs. John Cena & Triple H[8]
August 5, 2010WWE SmackDown Live 2010 SmackDown Vector ArenaAucklandKane vs. Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship[9]
July 6, 2011WWE World Tour Raw Vector ArenaAucklandJohn Cena vs. R-Truth for the WWE Championship[10]
August 10, 2016WWE Live: New Zealand UnbrandedVector ArenaAucklandRoman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins[11]
September 13, 2017WWE Live: New Zealand Raw Horncastle ArenaChristchurchRoman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman in a Street Fight[12]

WWE Road to WrestleMania 22 Tour
WWE SmackDown Road to WrestleMania 22 Tour
Promotional poster featuring Batista
PromotionWorld Wrestling Entertainment
Brand(s)SmackDown!
DateMarch 4, 2006
CityWellington, New Zealand
VenueWestpac Stadium
Attendance23,875 [13]

The WWE SmackDown Road to WrestleMania 22 Tour was the first WWE event held in New Zealand and took place at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand, on March 4, 2006. The event was recorded by WWE and was televised on WWE 24/7 in the United States. Michael Cole and Tazz recorded the commentary from WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.

The event was attended by 23,875.[13] WWE talent and management were impressed with the reactions and excitement by the audience, and also the large size of the stadium. “Holy Cow, this is a coliseum, not an arena,” was one of the WWE wrestler's remarks when entering inside New Zealand's second-largest stadium.[14]

Results
No. Results Stipulations Times
1D Gregory Helms defeated Jamie Noble and Kid Kash[15] Triple Threat match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship N/A
2D Funaki defeated Sylvain Singles match N/A
3D MNM (Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro) (c) defeated Paul London and Brian Kendrick Tag Team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship N/A
4 Road Warrior Animal defeated Matt Hardy Singles match 5:30
5 Bobby Lashley defeated Finlay Singles match 8:31
6 The Boogeyman defeated Orlando Jordan Singles match 3:50
7 Chris Benoit (c) defeated Booker T by submission Singles match for the WWE United States Championship 11:06
8 Rey Mysterio defeated Randy Orton Singles match 13:34
9 Kurt Angle (c) defeated Mark Henry (with Daivari) and The Undertaker by disqualification Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship 14:32
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
  • D – indicates the match was a dark match

Other on-screen personnel
The setup in the Westpac Stadium before the event.

Broadcast

The WWE and Sky have had an agreement to carry WWE programming in New Zealand since the late 1990s.[16]

In August 2014, WWE Network launched in New Zealand.[17]

ProgrammingNotes
WWE pay-per-views Broadcast live on Sky Arena.[18]
WWE Raw Broadcast live on Sky 5. A one-hour version is also broadcast on Prime.[18]
WWE SmackDown Broadcast live on Sky 5. A one-hour version is also broadcast on Prime.[18]
WWE Main Event Broadcast exclusively on Sky 5.[18]

References
  1. "NXT Live Australia". TEG DAINTY. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  2. "WWE Cancel NXT New Zealand Tour And Make Big Changes To Their Australian Tour". WrestlingNewsSource. 2016-11-07. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  3. "WWE Live Event Results From New Zealand (9/13): Reigns Vs Strowman, Battle Royal, Kurt Angle Appears 2". Wrestling Inc. 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  4. "WWE Live Events return to Australia and New Zealand". wwe.com.
  5. "WWE (Smackdown! & ECW) @ Christchurch, New Zealand - Westpac Stadium - February 23, 2007 (9,000; sell out)". The History of WWE. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  6. "WWE (Smackdown! & ECW) @ Auckland, New Zealand - Vector Arena - June 11, 2008 (8,500)". The History of WWE. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  7. "WWE (Smackdown! & ECW) @ Christchurch, New Zealand - Westpac Arena - June 12, 2008". The History of WWE. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  8. "WWE (Raw) @ Auckland, New Zealand - Vector Arena - July 3, 2009". The History of WWE. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  9. "WWE (Smackdown!) @ Auckland, New Zealand - Vector Arena - August 5, 2010". The History of WWE. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  10. "WWE (Raw) @ Auckland, New Zealand - Vector Arena - July 6, 2011 (6,100)". The History of WWE. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  11. "WWE Live Event Results From New Zealand (8/10): Roman Reigns Headlines, Finn Balor Vs. Chris Jericho". Wrestling Inc. 2016-08-10. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  12. "WWE Live Event Results From New Zealand (9/13): Reigns Vs Strowman, Battle Royal, Kurt Angle Appears". Wrestling Inc. 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  13. Westpac Stadium (2006). "Westpac Stadium Wellington WWE: Road to Wrestlemania Smackdown 22". Westpac Stadium. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  14. Dion McCracken (2006). "Westpac Stadium gives thanks to crowd and NZPWI". NZPWI. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  15. Dion McCracken (2006). "Angle retains WHC in Wellington". NZPWI. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  16. "Here's Why World Wrestling (WWE) is a Hot Investment Pick". NASDAQ.com. 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
  17. Dunn, David. "WWE Network available in New Zealand – NZPWI". Retrieved 2019-05-21.
  18. WWE (17 December 2018). "WWE and SKY extend long-standing partnership in New Zealand". Retrieved 28 December 2018.

Notes
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