Darius with Mike Madrigal of Filipino Pro Wrestling.
Hello everyone! Being a fairly recent fan of the Filipino Pro Wrestling scene, I came across something that is very inspiring!
There is no doubt in my mind that Darius Guerrero is a huge wrestling fan both worldwide and on the local scene.
Watching the vlog interview he did with Filipino Pro Wrestling star, Ralph Imabayashi, it was impressive getting to know more about Ralph, the wrestler, and Darius, the interviewer and fan.
I remembered making a positive comment regarding the interview with Darius. He was great in responding back.
Eventually, Darius became friends with me on Facebook. I believe he has enjoyed the blog posts regarding wrestling in the Philippines (which I enjoy more and more which each passing day). There is a lot of history that this fan wants to know and Darius has been gracious in sharing it.
His vlog titled Darius The Greatest is on You Tube. It is refreshing seeing this and when this blogger found out, quickly became a subscriber! I really recommend subscribing to this as he has a lot to share!
Recently, I sent some questions to Darius and he was gracious in answering. Believe me, there are things that are new to me about Pinoy Wrestling afterwards.
Thank you Darius for doing this. I'm looking forward in seeing you in a couple of weeks. Am sure there will be a lot of things wrestling-wise to talk about! Here is the interview!
Wayne: When did you start following wrestling?
Darius: I'm a Ruthless Aggression fan! The first match I remember watching bell to bell was Eddie Guerrero vs Brock Lesnar in 2004, I then watched occasionally after that. I got back to it after watching JBL fight John Cena in a brutal I Quit Match in Judgment Day 2005, and then Triple H and Batista had outstanding matches that year as well. WrestleMania 22 soon happened, and I have never stopped watching since.
Wayne: Who was your favorite wrestler that you followed early as a fan?
Darius: Shawn Michaels. I didn't get the "showstopper" gimmick at first. I only ever started rooting for him because he was the underdog in a feud with the boss at the time, Mr. McMahon. When Shawn did an elbow drop off of a 20-foot ladder to the chairperson of WWE I was forever a fan. In the years after that, I began understanding why he was the "showstopper". He had an awesome main event with John Cena at WrestleMania 23, had the most emotional match against Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24, and then had the best WrestleMania matches in history against the Undertaker in WrestleMania 25 and 26.
Wayne: Who is/are your favorite wrestling promotion(s)?
Darius: I'm a WWE guy. Most of my favorites still appear there from time to time and the history of the company feels so huge and prestigious compared to other promotions. While I still watch all AEW pay-per-views, nothing comes close to the grandeur of a WrestleMania, which is why WWE will always be my favorite.
Wayne: What is/are your favorite wrestling event?
Darius: My favorite event is WrestleMania 30. The opening segment had The Rock, Stone Cold, and Hulk Hogan drinking beers. We saw Triple H use a bunch of new moves in an amazing wrestling match against Daniel Bryan. We saw John Cena remain true to himself while being seduced to the dark side by Bray Wyatt. We were in awe of Brock Lesnar beating the streak. Finally, we witnessed a boyhood dream come true again in Daniel Bryan beating Batista and Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. To this day and decades forward, the most historic night in the history of professional wrestling.
Wayne: Darius has a vlog titled Darius the Greatest on YouTube. This fan has watched a couple of episodes and has really enjoyed the content. Darius, how did the idea of a vlog begin?
Darius: I started about two months ago, but The YouTube channel isn't strictly a wrestling-only hub, it's just a place for me to express myself. I did my first interview with a holistic wellness coach trying to pick his brain and understand his views on health. I also posted a couple of life updates on the channel. However, the emergence of FPW made me think a lot about pro wrestling in the Philippines recently and for a time I wanted to expres only that. It was that reason my three latest uploads were all about that wrestling. I also made it a point to keep my vlogs kayefabe. I want my vlogs to be a means of blending reality and kayefabe, and hopefully, more storylines will be told through the platform I provide.
Wayne: What are your thoughts on pro wrestling in the Philippines now and its future?
Darius: Pro wrestling in the Philippines has a great future, no pun intended. But before we talk about what's to come, let's discuss a bit about where it is now.
I believe the past seven or eight years were Philippine wrestling finding its identity. The country used to have one promotion, but circumstances dictated it had to become three: FPW, MWF, and WUW.
It's no secret that I'm a big fan of FPW, but not many people know that I have been to the recent MWF taping as well. I was very curious about what makes the current MWF different from FPW. I had to see what the wrestlers at MWF and WUW were like. Well, I have met some of the PWR wrestlers there about seven years ago, but anyone in their 20s would be drastically different seven years later. I learned that they're still kind to fans, and in the ring, they didn't skip a beat.
Now let's talk about what makes each promotion special. In my point of view, World Underground Wrestling (WUW) feels like the ECW of the Philippines. It has a grunge aesthetic. The WUW rules feel like shoot fighting, and the aura of the promotion makes it feel like we're watching a taboo underground fighting den. The fights feel real. If they could go all out on the "MMA-like" quality of the promotion, I think they could even be unique enough to be something that international fans search for online to watch.
Manila Wrestling Federation (MWF) feels like it's built for the consumption of the masses, and the unique Manila flavor it portrays in its branding gives it that unique look. The MWF rules feel like they tailored it to fit the Filipino taste for Volleyball and Basketball games, but in my point of view, it's a little convoluted. It makes a pin not feel as exciting because it can happen multiple times in a match. Aside from that, seeing wrestlers get pinned so early and often in an MWF rules match feels like it doesn't make the wrestlers look good. I would prefer that MWF rules be reserved for bigger matches and feud-enders. I also feel like some of their backstage segments and brawls feel a little bit unrealistic and could have had more effort. I love everything else, though. Their championship belt looks great and I like they established their characters well. Their storylines are also well-thought and consistent and their roster is filled with some of the most popular in the scene. They also managed to build new stars such as Razael.
Filipino Pro Wrestling (FPW) is in soft launch mode right now, but as far as presentation and potential, I feel FPW takes the cake right now. I love that they used standard pro wrestling rules, as it's much easier to follow and explain to casuals. The roster delivers bangers in the ring even though they don't have established storylines yet. They also managed to create brand new stars almost instantly, because in one segment they got Thiago and Duke Ortega over with the crowd. I can't imagine how great it would all be when they start feuds and stories and when they debut new championship titles that wrestlers could compete for. It's what gives wrestlers purpose for competing.
What does the future hold? I see that the rapid rise of FPW will force MWF and WUW to grow even more. There's potential there. Filipinos love drama and "suntukan" or fighting. We can get new fans if we get better at presenting ourselves. None of that cheesy stuff like former champions selling magical dancing offense from Dante Gulapa (a local meme) and getting pinned too! I hated that. We have to treat this industry with more respect.
It will remain a niche product until that big viral feud comes along, and then more people will get exposed to the industry and an influx of new fans can sustain the local scene. If any company gets a TV deal, a sponsor, or their online platforms get a lot of followers, I see a lot of casuals will start watching it like they did FlipTop, which is a local rap battle promotion in the Philippines. There's a way this can be done and this scenario could happen in the next few years. With everyone going all out soon, pro wrestling in the Philippines could grow exponentially, and I'll be there doing my best to contribute to this growth.
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