Ben Mana will make his Warrior Wrestling debut on April 30. Photo / Supplied
Ben Mana will make his Warrior Wrestling debut on April 30. Photo / Supplied
Auckland wrestling company Warrior Wrestling is bringing its stable of fighters to town next week for the Whanganui Showdown.
For local resident Ben Mana, a 13-year veteran of the New Zealand wrestling industry, April 30 will mark his first time competing under the Warrior Wrestling banner.
"Basically, I waited untilthey [Warrior Wrestling] came onto my home turf to make my debut," Mana said.
"What's better than debuting with a top promotion in your own backyard?
"I want to show them exactly what Whanganui is made of."
Mana, aka The Modern Day Māori Warrior, said his wrestling journey began in Lower Hutt, where he watched his friend Adam Avalanche become the New Zealand heavyweight champion.
"That sparked a bit of interest, because I had been a fan of wrestling on and off since I was 5.
"Two years later I'm debuting and training for a company called NZWPW [New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling], and from 2008 onwards I've been wrestling all around the country for various promotions, including IPW [Impact Pro Wrestling] and SPW [Southern Pro Wrestling].
"There's about nine promotions in the country at this point in time, and I've wrestled for every single one of them. All except for Warrior."
Mana said it was important for wrestlers to be true to themselves when they stepped into the ring.
"The crowd knows when you're trying to portray someone or something that you don't believe in. How can they believe in you if you don't believe in yourself?
"For me, it was easy to emulate the 'Māori Warrior' gimmick, because another passion in my life is kapa haka Māori performing arts.
"I took that part of me into my wrestling, and when I go out there and do a haka and pūkana in the ring, crowds get into it.
"They know that it's a part of me and that's how I roll."
Two of the most important starting points in any wrestling career were learning how to breakfall and roll, Mana said.
"Having some co-ordination is definitely a key component as well.
"At the end of the day, you're going to get slammed and you're going to take some big falls, so if you don't know how to take the impact, you're not going to have much longevity in the ring.
"We want to prevent people getting injuries early in their careers."
One of the most famous moments in professional wrestling history came in 1996, when Hulk Hogan turned from "face" (good guy) to "heel" (bad guy) in front of a rabid crowd at WCW Bash at the Beach.
Pandemonium ensued and Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were pelted with rubbish by the crowd.
Mana, currently a "face", wasn't planning on a similar turn of events at Whanganui Showdown, but said storylines were a key aspect of every wrestling show.
"The reception I get every time I wrestle in this town is amazing, and I'd be crazy to ever consider turning my back on that.
"When Hogan did the big heel turn the whole crowd was absolutely spewing, but they wanted to come back and see if he got his comeuppance.
"He kept winning, and they kept waiting until he finally got a hiding.
"That's an awesome aspect of storylines, it's a way to keep the crowd coming back for more."
Mana's "Māori Warrior" persona is an extension of his passion for kapa haka. Photo / Supplied
Mana said he had been out of the ring for 18 months before he was approached by Warrior Wrestling.
"I'll be in a tag team match at Whanganui Showdown with Jamie Tagataese, who is probably the best wrestler in the country at the moment.
"He's got two New Zealand titles and is one of Warrior Wrestling's top players.
"We're wrestling an international tag team of Ringo Ryan and Anthony Khan, so we're not up against minor players here."
Warrior Wrestling was founded by Aaron Henare, who is currently competing overseas with New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Mana said Henare's "ultimate goal" for Warrior was to bring local wrestling up to the same standard as bigger overseas promotions.
"It's awesome to see a company have those kinds of goals and, with the work Aaron puts in, I really think they are achievable.
"I'm stoked to be a part of it, and I'm stoked to be wrestling in front of my home crowd."
Henare said while it was easy to find people to go along to wrestling trainings, it was quite difficult to get them fully prepared for shows.
"I'm not going to lie, learning the craft is hard, and that difficulty is a big reason why it's hard for regular people to get into wrestling," Henare said.
"From the conditioning aspect, to the mental aspect of being beaten down for a living, to people being 'blinded by the lights' so to speak, it takes a special type of person willing to go through that just to have a spot.
"That's something most people aren't willing to do, but at Warrior Wrestling we are all about that - pushing through, being able to withstand pain, slams, elbows to the face. It's all part of what we stand for in finding the strongest version of yourself to present to the public."
Whanganui Showdown would be the biggest independently produced wrestling show in New Zealand, Henare said.
"It will involve wrestlers who have travelled the world, and have brought everything back to New Zealand to build up the next generation of Kiwi wrestlers.
"We really see this as the start of the new age of wrestling in New Zealand, and what better way to start than at the grassroots level in Whanganui."
Mana currently runs a training programme called River City Pro Wrestling, and said members of the public were welcome to give it a go.
"For those who think that wrestling's fake, you'll never know until you step into that ring yourself.
"If you're willing to put in the hard yards to achieve your dreams, then you're more than welcome to turn up."
Whanganui Showdown is on from 6.30pm on April 30 at the War Memorial Centre.
