Tribalism

Baked Studio in Makati City, PH, home of Filipino Pro Wrestling

 

Fairly recently, this blogger has been reading as well as watching videos on Tribalism In Pro Wrestling.

 

This topic is nothing new to this blogger, wrestling fans, wrestlers, promoters, writers and the like.

 

Growing up during the Territory Era (late 1960s when I first started watching), if you lived in a large area like I did in the San Francisco Bay Area,  we wouldn't have known that it happened.  There was no internet, computers, cell phones and social media groups.

 

It wasn't until the early 1970s when I learned about promotions other than the National Wrestling Alliance.  A the time, wrestling fans in North America had the NWA, AWA and WWWF (now WWE).  Local television never showed the other promotions.  It was through a wrestling magazine on newsstands called The Wrestler.

 

Times have certainly changed.  Communication is much broader than 50-60 years ago.  And so is tribalism.

 

This fan loves pro wrestling.  Not only do I watch it on television or streaming here in America, but I follow NJPW as well as Southeast Asian Pro Wrestling.

 

Early this morning on Facebook, I saw a post on this topic from several of my friends in the Philippines.  Right away, I went on to the You Tube Channel and checked out a page called Forever Youngboys.

 

Gabriel has done a great job with the vlog and the page he's put together.  He may not remember, but I took a photo of The Yolo Twins following a Filipino Pro Wrestling show back in August 2023.  The Yolo Twins are very entertaining, very athletic and, in this fan's opinion, are the best tag team in Southeast Asia.  

 

Hopefully, Gabriel won't mind this but this fan wants to give a shoutout to him, his vlog, Filipino Pro Wrestling and all of the wrestling promotions in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.  

 

In closing, all of us who are wrestling fans, undoubtedly have a favorite promotion(s).  However, tribalism is NOT in this blogger's dictionary nor it should be in any wrestling fans either.  The industry itself needs to be supported and not being torn down.  That's my opinion and I'll leave it at that for now.

 

Here's the link to the Forever Youngboys page and please subscribe.  Thanks everyone!

              https://www.youtube.com/@Forever_Youngboys/videos   

Malaysia Pro Wrestling Update

Hello everyone.

 

This blogger hasn't written about Malaysia Pro Wrestling lately.  

 

However, want to share with the readers several announcements.

 

The Wonderboy and Poppy will appear at the SPW show, SPW Clash At The Club 3 show at the ION Club on Friday, March 28th in Singapore.

 

Also, Carlo Cannon, the MYPW World Champion, has challenged Da Butcherman for his SPW SEA Title at the SPW Mayhem show in May.

 

In the meantime, MYPW has released the Champion's Quest video in it's entirety on their You Tube channel.  Please check them out and subscribe to them.  The link to the show is listed below.  Thank you.

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUyd5P4E7mU

Grapplemax / MYPW You Tube

Hello everyone.

 

Just want to remind the Grapplemax Pro Wrestling Singapore and the Malaysia Pro Wrestling fans of the following information.

 

It appears that most, if not all of the matches from the recent Causeway Jam are now out on You Tube.  Please check them out!  Whether you are a Grapplemax, Malaysia Pro Wrestling, or fans of both, please check them out and subscribe to their channel(s).

 

Also, please be patient.  Both promotions will share their next shows in the near future.  Please check either/or both the Grapplemax Pro Wrestling Singapore and/or the Malaysia Pro Wrestling Facebook pages for more.  Thank you.

The Main Maxx Era Has Begun

  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHJOX08i4ks

 

Hello everyone.

 

This blogger just finished watching some Pinoy wresting history on You Tube.  PUSO Wrestling, the newest wrestling promotion in Southeast Asia just released a video.  It was for the inaugural Pusong Pinoy Wrestling Championship between Main Maxx and Aaron Liwanag.  This fan wasn't there for the show.  However, he has seen some video clips, photos, etc.  Getting to see it on video was great.  PUSO Wrestling has made some great strides since last June's announcement as a new promotion.  

 

Since December 2022, I've had a chance, off and on, to see both wrestlers live.  Hopefully, this post will be an appreciation of what both wrestlers have done since their start in the squared circle.   

 

At my first Southeast Asia wrestling show at the PETA Theater in Quezon City, Aaron Liwanag was in the very first match.  This giant wrestler is the real deal with an intimidating presence in the ring.  His choke slam will shake up any wrestler, not just in the Philippines, but all of Southeast Asia.  It doesn't hurt that he has a stable in Serafin Liwanag and Solomon Liwanag in his corner watching.  He's young, big and strong.  

 

Mark my words regarding Aaron Liwanag......with a little more experience, he will, no doubt, be a champion.  It could be the Pusong Pinoy Singles Championship, or a tag team championship down the line.

 

Main Maxx is a seasoned veteran wrestler.  He made his wrestling debut in 2015 with Philippine Wrestling Revolution.  He won the PHX Championship in his second year as a pro and was the final PWR Tag Team Title Holders with SANDATA known as MSG.  MSG defeated the KakaBros for the titles and defeated them in a rematch.  Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the eventual closing of PWR, MSG would hold and retire the titles for 187 days.

 

Main Maxx has definitely good moments and some unfortunate ones.  In December 2023, he would lose to Jake De Leon in an eight man elimination tag team match for the Manila Wrestling Federation title.  He would suffer a leg injury in the match.

 

However, there would be the comeback, not only with him but Pinoy Wrestling with a new promotion.  In June 2024, Main Maxx, as well as Aaron Liwanag, would be a significant part of the opening of PUSO Wrestling in what was called PUSO Pinoy Wrestling night.  The event took place at the Brawl Pit Bulusan in Quezon City.

 

In August 2024, PUSO Wrestling would have their first of three remaining shows of the year.  A Pusong Pinoy Wrestling Championship Tournament would decide the inaugural winner over the next four months.

 

Aaron Liwanag would defeat Joya and Super P. to get to the final.

 

Main Maxx would defeat El Kapitunero and Nigel San Jose to get to the final.

 

Most of you already know who won but instead of mentioning it, if you haven't already, please watch it.  There are definitely some great and unpredictable moments in the encounter.  The Brawl Pit Bulusan crowd was, just as this fan expected, electric!  Sonny Go and Romeo Moran, the commentators, had their A game that night calling the action.  You could feel the energy of the match as this fan was watching.  And yes, there would be a new champion in a new era of Pinoy wrestling.

You Tube Videos on SETUP's Channel

Hello everyone.

 

SETUP Thailand's next show, EP21: Double Cross -  Thai Wrestling Battle of the Month of March' will take place on Saturday, March 22nd at The Circus Studio.

 

Since, it's early, and there is a lot of speculation regarding matches (and there are many possibilities!), fans will have a chance to see some new videos.

 

A few of the matches from January's show, Bangkok Navigation are now on You Tube.  If you were not at The Circus Studio last month (such as this blogger), or you want to see it again, you now have a chance to see them for yourself.

 

Before closing, tickets for the March show are available in all categories as of this post.  However, please visit the SETUP Thailand Pro Wrestling Facebook page for any updated information.

 

Thank you SETUP Thailand, the staff, wrestlers and fans for showing what was a great and memorable show last month!

PUSO Wrestling's Livestream III

Hello everyone.

 

PUSO Wrestling's Livestream III event will be returning to the Brawl Pit Bulusan this coming Sunday, February 9th at 7pm.  It will be live streamed on PUSO Wrestling's You Tube channel.  Please subscribe to their YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@pusowrestling

 

The featured Main Event match for the livestream will be Fabio Makisig and Joya teaming up against Super Friends, El Kapitunero and Super P.

 

As always, for more information regarding PUSO Wrestling, please visit PUSO Wrestling's Facebook page.  The Philippines' promotion can also be seen on various social media channels such as Instagram and. as mentioned earlier, You Tube.  Thank you.

Filipino Pro Wrestling On You Tube

 

Hello everyone!

 

Wanted to remind everyone that Filipino Pro Wrestling's Astig series is on You Tube for the second straight year.

 

The latest video that they are showing is from August 2023 and the name of the video is FPW Season 2 - Double Header.  The one hour plus video had two of the better matches that year.

 

Please visit their You Tube page and subscribe.  Here is the page url so you can directly click to the page.  Thank you.

 

 https://www.youtube.com/@filprowrestling/videos

My One Southeast Asia Wrestling Show In 2024

Hello everyone!

 

This blogger, other than seeing one New Japan Pro Wrestling, one WWE and one AEW house show in my area in 2024, got to see the first PUSO Wrestling (Philippines) event last August.

 

The show, for this blogger, the fans, sponsors, staff and wrestlers was a very historical and emotional evening at the Brawl Pit Bulusan in Quezon City.

 

Just wanted to let everyone know that PUSO Wrestling can now be found on You Tube.  Many of the matches from the first show, if not all of them, are there for viewing.  Please subscribe to PUSO Wrestling!

 

Also, in the last show this past November, a three way match involving Mr. Philippine Wrestling, Jake De Leon, Shaheen from Dubai and Shigehiro Irie from Japan is on the playlist.  This blogger found it to be a really good match.  Please don't take my word for it, however.  Below this paragraph is the link to the match.  Hope you enjoy it!

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ezcH4lDgoQ 

The Next Title Defense

It is about three months away from Manila Wrestling Federation's next event.  The event will be Kasaysayan on Sunday, April 14th.  It will take place at the UP Film Institute in Quezon City.

 

With Jake De Leon now as the two time - MWF Pinoy Wrestling Champion, this fan has been asked who his first opponent will be for the title.

 

I'm not a matchmaker here.  This blogger can say that "Danger" Rex Lawin did win the Number One Contenders match against Ho Ho Lun at Noche Buena.  Normally, that would be the next match.

 

Fabio Makisig deserves a return match for the belt.  I say this especially since he wasn't pinned by Jake De Leon.  He was pinned by Oro Plata Mata teammate, Main Maxx.

 

Main Maxx, being in the final pairing against Jake De Leon, deserves a title shot as well, especially how the match concluded.  For those that haven't seen it, the match, in its entirety is on You Tube.   Please check the Manila Wrestling Federation page, and more important, please subscribe!  There are close to 5,000 subscribers!

 

There are more wrestlers in line such as Dabid Ravena, Nigel San Jose, Kurt Jiminez, Robin Sane and more wanting to get a shot at the title.  When one is a champion, you are more likely to be hunted than being the hunter!

 

Back to Fabio and to Main Maxx for a moment, both have interesting situations going forward.  

 

Fabio likely has Danny Zamora on his mind.  Is Danny out of the stable after what happened at Noche Buena? 

 

With Main Maxx, it's perhaps more than one wrestler since he was a part of Oro Plata Mata.

 

However, recently, Main Maxx is reuniting with R O M E O as part of a tag team known as The Gemini Kings.  They will be wrestling in an event sponsored by Dexcon called Wrestle Storm in March.  Their opponents will be the WUW International Tag Team Champions in Saint John Martin and Ken Cifer.  Will one or both teams be a part of MWF going forward in 2024?

 

We will learn more in the next few weeks.

Final Thoughts On FPW Astig

This blogger and wrestling fan has some final thoughts in 2023 on Filipino Pro Wrestling, one of three wrestling promotions in the Philippines.

 

To begin with, the company began operations in October 2022 with a few wrestlers who had performed with Philippine Wrestling Revolution, a company whom was founded in late 2013.  The company, because of the pandemic, closed in September 2022.

 

Because this fan loves wrestling, and this is a Southeast Asia wrestling blog, FPW deserves more posts than it has been getting.  Moving forward, the company began with their first show on October 16.  It turned out to be the beginning of a series of shows called FPW Astig.  The first show was called FPW: Unfinished Business.

 

Red Ollero, in my opinion, has done a great job with getting Filipino Pro Wrestling off the ground. The promotion is starting cautiously and slowly, but most everyone feels this is the correct way.

 

Back to FPW Astig, the shows from October 2022 through the August show in 2023, were held at the PMC Spotlight Theater in Circuit Makati.  Following the Unfinished Business show and another in November, there were seven FPW: Astig shows.  Several of the shows would have a tournament to see who would be the first FPW Champion.  That turned out to be Mike Madrigal.

 

Madrigal won a three way final on April 22nd by defeating Cali Nueva and "The Best Pure Wrestler"- Ralph Imabayashi, certainly two deserving wrestlers, to win the belt.  Madrigal has successfully defended the belt twice against Cali Nueva and Duke Ortega.

 

This fan was curiously wondering why results were hard to come by.  Well, I found out the reason.

 

While on vacation in the Philippines in August, on Sunday, August 27th, I attended my first Filipino Pro Wrestling show.  Following one of the matches, Red Ollero announced that the FPW Astig series would be aired on You Tube beginning on Thursday, September 14th.  There would be two matches each week for 10 weeks with the FPW Championship Match as the final match of the series.

 

Right now, this fan is assuming that there will be more video from the July and August shows on You Tube sometime in the future.  Certainly from the show I saw in August, it was a highlight in itself with some great matches that took place.

 

From what is on the blog, several wrestlers were accommodating on doing interviews with this blogger.  Though right now, it is a quiet time of the year due to the Christmas holidays, am sure that training is going on to get ready for the 2024 season.  

 

Am told as of right now that Filipino Pro Wrestling's next show will likely take place in February and at the PMC Spotlight Theater once again.  With what has been happening with World Underground Wrestling - Philippines and the Manila Wrestling Federation in 2023, the 2024 season will be a successful year for all three promotions.

 

And why not!       

Next ROR Wrestling #2 On Sunday!

Looking forward to watching the next Ring Of Rebirth show on You Tube.  It will be shown this coming Sunday, November 5th at 8pm Singapore time.

 

Please look out for it!

Pinoy Wrestling And The Direction

As a fan of pro wrestling in Southeast Asia and Pinoy Wrestling in the Philippines, I will quickly share my thoughts on all three wrestling promotions in the country.

 

The Manila Wrestling Federation has been tremendous in getting the word out throughout the Philippines, and for that matter, the world.  This fan has seen it over the past year but the seeds were planted before this. 

 

There are some Southeast Asia countries right now that are using streaming systems like the promotion's own, Premier Streaming Network and others.  There is also You Tube that some promotions use as well.  The tools are definitely there.

 

Not everyone is taking advantage of this though.  Hopefully, one day, iy will change.  It is up to the promotion to promote and communicate with its fans.  This includes everything from promoting a show all the way through providing results (even if they are delayed due to promoting a show on television, You Tube and/or another streaming service). When there are no results at all, and no desire to share it to its fan base and wrestling fans what happened, then, in my opinion, the promotion is not successful to its wrestling fans!  Just saying here.

 

Back to the Manila Wrestling Federation, ever since becoming a blogger, and more important, a fan of the promotion, they have been great.  This fan abides by holding up results until all the shows are televised and wrestling fans get a chance to see the product.  This has never been an issue.  I see the bigger issue and that is more fans seeing something that they didn't know about.

 

Because of Rock Of Manila TV, I believe somewhere in the neighborhood of around 90 million or more people can see an MWF show that was live just within the last month.  That is huge compared to the promotion's start in 2014 and relaunch in 2018.

 

This blogger believes that the last several shows were sellouts, if not close to it.  The 2022 Noche Buena show was nearly a sellout, and the first show I saw outside of America.

 

Also, a shoutout to Filipino Pro Wrestling.  They had a series of shows beginning in February called FPW: Astig.  Going back about six weeks ago as of this post, the promotion began putting their shows on You Tube for fans to view.  The product has been good.  This fan has seen the numbers and is encouraged with their direction.

 

The wrestlers with FPW have, each week, encouraged fans to watch the upcoming show.  Since this is a post, each new episode can be viewed every Thursday at 4pm Philippines time.

 

Each episode has two matches and they run approxiamtely 35-45 minutes in length.  Definitely not too short and not too long.

 

When seeing the last FPW Astig show in August, the fans were boisterous as they are at an MWF and a WUW - Philippines show.  Filipino Pro Wrestling believes that this is the correct way in going forward with their product.  There is no reason to question the direction they are going.     

 

I want to mention World Underground Wrestling - Philippines as well.  WUW - Philippines is a small promotion that has the makings to rise.  Though they are likely on a very small budget, the recent August show at the Brawl Pit Bulusan was definitely successful.

 

There were wrestlers, not from just the Philippines, but Singapore, and I believe Malaysia that were there.

 

The Meet And Greet, a sport collectors exhibit, a coffee shop named S. Brewed Cafe and a wrestling show, all in the same day last August was worth the price of admission to this fan.  It was quite an experience and something that hopefully will happen again soon.

 

As 2023 closes and 2024 is on the horizon, Pinoy Wrestling is definitely on the rise.  No question here!          

Filipino Pro Wrestling's Astig Series

 

I've been watching the Filipino Pro Wrestling Astig series on You Tube over the past six weeks.  Though this fan has seen most of the wrestlers at least once live and on You Tube, there are some surprises that come along the way.

The tag team that came from Australia to appear in one of the shows was cool.  

 

However, more important were some matches over the course of 2023 that were really good matches.

 

The series has gone through six weeks now and is about to even get better.  There will be the eventual match to see who becomes the FPW Champion.

 

In the meantime, if you haven't been watching, a new show appears each Thursday at 4pm local time in the Philippines.  Please check it out on You Tube under the Filipino Pro Wrestling page.