Hello everyone.
As some of the viewers of this blog may already know, Ring Of Rebirth Singapore and the SEA Wrestling community have been sharing the passing of Joshua Au (known as Mr. Geylang).
This blogger first watched Mr. Geylang on You Tube back at ROR's first wrestling show, Press Start, back in the summer of 2022. From watching him in a tag team match, the fans saw right away that he had the charisma and a unique character. The match was memorable as was the interview, before and after, the encounter. This is very important for anyone in the sports entertainment arena needs to order to succeed. Along with the promotion, both Mr. Geylang and ROR have grown very well together as a cornerstone for what was to happen up to the present day.
This blogger that has done Southeast Asia wrestling promotion posts for a couple of years now. Having a Mr. Geylang on a roster was definitely "a breath of fresh air." Getting to watch several videos of him wrestling, one knew that he wanted to be a part of sports entertainment. He wasn't afraid of the risks and jumped at an opportunity to perform. Though this fan wasn't at his wrestling workouts, there was no question that Mr. Geylang worked hard at his craft.
Unfortunately, a very serious knee injury in training would, eventually, end his career despite an attempted comeback. It certainly wasn't because of a lack of trying. His doctors advised him not to continue wrestling.
I found out about Mr. Geylang's passing from one of his teammates a few days ago. Like his teammates and friends at Ring Of Rebirth, as well as his co-workers, it's difficult to put words together, even as this is being posted.
Back in November 2023, this blogger did an interview with Mr. Geylang. Though not knowing him, thanks to my friend, The Eurasian Dragon, Mr. Geylang was, more than willing, to do it. He was very appreciative that someone, whom he didn't know, would think of interviewing him. He was very open with the questions asked. Several times, he went out of his way to thank this fan. It helped create an immediate friendship and trust that is never to be forgotten here.
Joshua definitely appreciated the posts written about ROR and SEA Wrestling in general. A couple of times, despite a long and busy day, he would message and thank me for doing a post. Wrestlers with ROR and with the different promotions in Southeast Asia have done this as well. It's always more than appreciated here and it's not taken for granted or forgotten.
Like all the interviews that have been done on this blog, this fan, as well as those reading, learned more about him. In fact, it was, more than enjoyable, to share it with the viewers whether it was ROR or in the Southeast Asia wrestling community.
I shared the experiences of having a similar knee injury with Joshua during an exchange of messages. In fact, the exchange may have helped and motivated him in his attempted comeback to the ring. Like all the wrestlers I've come across in the SEA Wrestling scene, Joshua (Mr. Geylang) was appreciative of Ring Of Rebirth, his teammates and the SEA Wrestling scene.
On behalf of Pro Wrestling Today, my thoughts, prayers and condolences to Joshua's family, friends, co-workers as well as the Ring Of Rebirth family and fans. Certainly, Mr. Geylang will be missed, but definitely not forgotten with everyone who knew him in and out of the squared circle. May he rest in peace.
In closing, this blogger wanted to repost the interview from November 2023 with Mr. Geylang in its entirety.
Wayne: When did you decide to get into pro wrestling?
Mr. Geylang: I remembered attending a live event by Singapore Pro Wrestling (SPW) when Pete Dunne first came down to perform. I was amazed with all the matches and had a blast. Since then I decided to embark on my journey and try out pro wrestling.
Wayne: Who was your favorite wrestler that you followed when you first started watching?
Mr Geylang: My most favourite wrestler would have to be Randy Orton.
Wayne: Do you fave a favorite promotion that you follow? It can be local, international or both.
Mr. Geylang: As I mostly watch WWE, that would have to be my most favourite promotion. However since I started my pro wrestling journey, I have branched out to watching other promotions to study and learn more about the craft to see if I can add it into my matches.
Wayne: In the short time you've wrestled, what was the most important match you were involved in?
Mr. Geylang: The most important match to me would have to be when I vs BJG to a public caning match. As BGJ and I started out our pro wrestling journey around the same time back in SPW as trainee and became friends. That match might be short but it was brutal mainly due to the caning at the end which pushed my pain tolerance to a whole new level. Seeing the fans enjoying the caning and doing it with one of my friends makes it an important match to me.
Wayne: How would you like to see Ring Of Rebirth grow as a company?
Mr Geylang: I would like to see ROR grow to the point where we can sustain having
live event out of the training Center and more fans coming to enjoy
themselves.
Wayne: Would you like to wrestle for ROR at another promotions show in Singapore and/or another Southeast Asia country?
Mr. Geylang: I would love the opportunity to perform for SPW as well as other promotions around the region and eventually in the USA. I just hope to wrestle as many matches I can especially with my surgically repaired knee due to an injured from wrestling training.