Before we start this off: professional wresting is real. It might be scripted, but what their bodies goes through during practice and during the match is real. Now that that’s out there, we can go back to regular programming.
I checked and it seems that When In Manila has been posting about Philippine Wrestling Revolution events for years now. As a professional wrestling fan, I was like, “Carlo, where the F have you been?”. I can’t believe I missed all of those posts and that we had an independent scene here (I am familiar with “Pinoy Wrestling” from years ago).
PWR recently staged an event called “Path of Gold” with a capacity crowd at Circuit Makati. It was the first time in a long time since I was able to watch live professional wrestling (including “Pinoy Wrestling”). It had the feeling of “Indie” written all over it, and I loved every minute it.
It was four hours of great fun and here are some of the most memorable matches of the event:
Chris Panzer vs. “Dynomite Soul” Eric Walker for all the high flying and text book top rope frog splash executed by Chris Panzer to win the match.
Jake De Leon & Vlad Sinnsyk vs. Masa Takanashi & DJ Nira (of DDT Pro Wrestling). A lot of high flying and high risk moves from JDL, the knife edge chops that made everybody go “WOOOOOOOOOO” ala Ric Flair, the heel antics of Masa Takanashi & DJ Nira, and what surprised me the most is the Kinniku Buster/Muscle Buster executed by Vlad Sinnsyk that won the match.
ALL OUT WAR Championship: Dax Xaviera vs. Robynn, which was basically a mixed hardcore match so anything goes including somebody going through a table. Dax retained his title after a grueling match after Robyn clearly gave it her all.
Crystal vs. Emi Sakura (from Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling). This is easily the most intense and technically executed match of PWR: Path of Gold. From the back and forth exchange submissions: Boston Crab, Single Leg Boston Crab, Octopus Hold; and to the high impact maneuvers; Tilt-a-whirl back breaker, delayed lifting double underhook to back breaker, and to a top rope moonsault executed by Emi Sakura to win the match to the applause of the fans who chanted “Please come back”.
PWR Championship: Rederick Mahaba vs. Ralph Imabayashi. I have to confess, I am not fully aware of the narrative of the match between Rederick Mahaba and Ralph Imabayashi, but it seems like they were very close friends at one point in time – probably until Rederick became the number 1 contender for the top spot in PWR. I instantly became a fan of Rederick Mahaba not just because of the character he portrays, but also because of his entrance theme. Look it up on YouTube and you’ll understand what I mean.
I really liked the story that was unfolding during the match: Rederick wanting to became the PWR Champion, and Ralph Imabayashi being a heel and the current champion holding on to his title defense and his longest title run until it became apparent that Ralph Imabayashi had the upper hand and was reluctant to finish off Rederick until he applied a crippler crossface submission and transitioned to crossface with a scissored armbar to win the match thus becoming the longest reigning champion with 11 defenses and the 421 days title run.
And then it was the main event: the Path of Gold. This is PWR’s take on the Royal Rumble ala Elimination Chamber where one can only be eliminated by pin fall or submission. Two competitors will start the match, a new competitor will be added every 90 seconds, and the last man standing gains the right to challenge any sitting champion for their title.
It is very difficult to describe how things went due to all of the chaos, but what left an impression on me was not the wrestlers or the ongoing match, but the fans that cheered and accompanied each and every entrance. These are true fans of PWR and more importantly true fans of professional wrestling. After all the chaos for the past hour, it was the fan favorite Quatro who sealed the deal with a Destino finisher. Of course, he challenged the encumbent champion Ralph Imabayashi for the PWR Championship.
The next event will be PWR Live: Destino this coming April 28, 2019 at the Power Mac Center Spotlight in Circuit Makati! Hopefully PWR gains more support as they are doing something special here. Ticket prices are as follows:
– Earlybird Tickets (until April 27th) – Php399 each
– Barkada Bundle (until April 27th) – Php1,099 for three (3) tickets
– Regular Tickets (April 28th, at the venue) – Php450 each
A quick write-up and some photos do not do the event justice. You really have to be there to fully enjoy the craziness of it all. It is absolutely worth it. Not only is it a fun-filled four hours of entertainment and fury; you’ll also enjoy the audience participation, the hard work, and the production. The Philippine wrestling scene has definitely come a long way.
Philippine Wrestling Revolution
https://www.facebook.com/PHWrestlingRevo
