FPW Astig October Show Update #2

Hello everyone!

 

A day or so ago, this blogger mentioned about the main event for the FPW Astig's October show.  That would be the FPW Championship match between current champion, Mike Madrigal and New Japan Pro Wrestling's, Jeff Cobb.

 

For those wondering on when the show will take place, it is on Sunday, October 20th, 2pm at Baked Studios in Makati City, Philippines.

 

One additional match has already been announced and is very important for all three wrestlers.

 

A Triple Threat match between Chino Guinto, Ralph Imabayashi and Duke Ortega is one match that in this blogger's opinion, is a Main Event anywhere in Southeast Asia.

 

Starting with Chino Guinto, every upcoming match for him is like an elimination game in the NBA Playoffs.  Win and continue wrestling.  Lose and retire.  Chino has done his best wrestling, according to sources, and has aspirations towards an FPW Championship Title shot in the future.

 

Ralph Imabayashi wants to continue to prove, not only to himself, but to the fans, that he's the best grappler.  He has proven that throughout his career wrestling in the Philippines.  With a win, he could definitely be just that, and very likely, another FPW title shot! 

 

Duke Ortega wants to make a point.  He has improved since the day Filipino Pro Wrestling began.  He has done very well in numerous matches that he has taken part in.  He may be overlooked by some fans, but in a triple threat match, anything can happen.  This blogger doesn't sell him short.

 

For more information, including tickets, please visit the FPW - Filipino Pro Wrestling Facebook page.  Thank you.

A New Stable In Town (Part 2)

The MSG stable from left to right, Dabid Ravena, Chelsea Marie, Mr. Sy and Kurt Jiminez.  Photo courtesy of Delight 37:4.

 

Hello everyone!

 

In Part One of A New Stable In Town, this blogger shared the formation of a new stable with Filipino Pro Wrestling.  That would be LegenDarius and Jason Rex.  The duo joined forces at the July FPW Astig show.  Things became official a couple of months later at the FPW Unfinished Business show following the match.

 

Fast forward one week later, another stable has been formed, this time with PUSO Wrestling.  This is what happened per sources since this blogger wasn't there to witness the action.

 

Following a grueling and banger of a match between Dabid Ravena and Danny Zamora, Mr. Sy came into the ring.  The last time pinoy wrestling fans saw Mr. Sy was at the final Manila Wrestling Federation show when he was the manager of the successful group known as Oro Plata Mata.  Ravena was part of the group at the time.

 

Mr Sy mentioned to those in attendance that "there has to be change" while attending to Ravena.  Kurt Jiminez, a wrestler on the mend with PUSO Wrestling was there as well.

 

Following the Main Event match between Chelsea Marie and Joya, it was revealed that a new stable known as MSG was formed.

 

Chelsea Marie would be joined by Dabid Ravena, Mr. Sy and Kurt Jiminez to become the latest stable.  It will be interesting to see how this group turns out.  Certainly, OPM worked out well in the previous promotion.  There's reason to believe that MSG will do just as well if not better!

FPW Astig October Show Update

Next week, this blogger will update readers on Filipino Pro Wrestling Astig's October show with the updated lineup of events.  The next show will be held at Baked Studios, Makati City on Sunday, October 20th beginning at 2pm.

 

Headlining this show will be a huge main event for the FPW Championship.  Mike Madrigal, the current FPW Champion, will have his toughest test to date.  His opponent is someone that is well known throughout Japan and in North America.  Jeff Cobb is his name and is currently the NJPW Television Champion.

 

This blogger has seen Jeff Cobb twice.  I saw him in a local promotion back in 2017 at an All Pro Wrestling show that was held in the Cow Palace in Daly City.  He won a four way match for APW's Universal Title.  A year later, at my first ever NJPW show, also at the Cow Palace, he fell short to Hiroshi Goto for the NJPW Never Openweight Title.

 

Cobb has wrestled in the Philippines once before to my understanding.  He faced Chris Panzer and Quatro in a three way match for the PWR Title in which Panzer won in 2019.

 

Regarding Mike Madrigal, he has taken on all comers since winning the title in 2023.  He won a three-way to win the title, traveled to Malaysia in 2024, and won a four way match to retain the title there and recently, as Team Madrigal, won a five on five match at the last FPW Astig show in September.  

 

Some people may think that Mike Madrigal may be over his head in this matchup against a more experienced wrestler who has wrestled over 1000 matches, and since 2009.

 

However,  this blogger believes that the best is yet to come for the FPW Champion.  As Ric Flair once said, "to be the best, you have to beat the best!"  This could very well be a match that elevates Madrigal like never before!

 

For more information, including tickets, please visit the FPW - Filipino Pro Wrestling Facebook page.  Thank you.    

Jam Of The Joshis Update #2

Hello everyone!

 

A huge match has been added for Dexcon's Jam Of The Joshi's show.  The event takes place at Brawl Pit Bulusan, Saturday, October 13th beginning at 6pm in Quezon City.

 

The Horrors (Da Butcherman and Dr. Gore) will put the SPW Southeast Asian Tag Team Championship on the line against PUSO Wrestling's Super Friends (Super P and El Kapitunero).  

 

The Horrors are definitely a well known tag team wrestling, not only in Singapore, but in numerous countries throughout Southeast Asia.  They are definitely a team to be reckoned with.

 

Super Friends are no slouch either.  Both Super P and El Kapitunero have teamed up several times as well as in singles competition.  It will, undoubtedly, be their biggest test, and match, to date.

 

For more, including tickets, please visit the Dexcon Facebook page.  Thank you.       

A New Stable In Town (Part One)

Filipino Pro Wrestling's Jason Rex with LegenDarius with the mic after defeating Dax Xaviera at the September FPW Astig show.  Great photo courtesy of Luis Del Rosario!

 

 

Over the years, pro wrestling has had something called "stables".  For those new to pro wrestling, a stable is a group of one or more wrestlers that have a manager or an advisor.

 

Some of the first stables included groups led by the late and great Bobby Heenan of AWA and the WWF.  Heenan had some greats in his stable such as Nick Bockwinkel, Ray Stevens, Andre The Giant, Mr. Perfect, Paul Orndorff and even Ric Flair!  In a match, you would never know what Heenan was up to.  At times, he would even wrestle as part of a tag team and the fans would love it whether he got his butt kicked or assist in a victory.

 

Part One of a new stable is about Filipino Pro Wrestling in the Philippines.  For those who haven't been to their shows ever or recently, a new stable has been formed.

 

Jason Rex, formerly another wrestler (Brad Cruz) in the days of Philippine Wrestling Revolution, has returned to the ring, and in a huge way.  Advised and/or managed by LegenDarius, he is a force to be reckoned with.

 

Whether the FPW wrestling fans like thia duo or not, this is a fresh approach and a feel good story for pro wrestling.  In fact, you could say that this story is very similar to Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine from the Star Wars series!

 

After Rex's latest win over Dax Xaviera at the September FPW Astig show, this blogger has been told that the fans received an introduction of sorts.  And it didn't come soon enough for those watching at Baked Studios.  

LegenDarius got on the mic following the victory.  The fans were told that this duo has not only arrived, but will create punishment.  LegenDarius scolded Dax Xaviera for overlooking the two before, during, and after the match!  The monologue continued until AB3, a FPW wrestler came out from the locker room.  LegenDarius and the undefeated, Jason Rex left the ring and returned to the locker room.

 

It will be interesting what the future holds for both Jason Rex and LegenDarius.  This wrestling blogger senses that it will be a bright future for them and for Filipino Pro Wrestling.

Middle Kingdom Wrestling Championship Supercard Results

Hello everyone!

 

Apologize for the late post.  Here are the results from the MKW Championship Supercard show held on September 14th in Shanghai.  Thank you to Adrian Gomez, the MWF Facebook page and Cagematch for the results.  It was definitely a successful and exciting show!

 

Wade Massen d. Coldray.

Honwan, Sky and Sunny Z d. Andruew Tang and The Regnant Stable (Big Sam & Uncle Money) (w/Chairman Al and Lady Marie).

Wang Tao (c) d. Benji, Gao Yuan and Shaheen to retain the MKW Belt And Road Title.

Sino Brothers (Wang Xinxuan & Zhao Junjie) (c) d. Ho Ho Lun and Zombie Dragon to retain the MKW Tag Team Title.

The Slam (c) d. Chen Wenbin to retain the MKW World Title.

Yuki Kamifuku (c) d. Crystal (w/Chairman Al) to retain the SPW Queen Of Asia Title.

Dexcon Event Update #1

Next month, on October 12th and 13th, Dexcon will be putting on a two day show.  Both events will take place at the Brawl Pit Bulusan in Quezon City.

 

On Saturday, Dexcon and Dr. Gore will present Graveyard Shift beginning at 7pm.  

 

On Sunday, Jam Of the Joshis will take place at 6pm.

 

Two women's matches will take place on the Sunday show so far.

 

Yuki Kamifuku, the SPW Queen Of Asia Champion, will take on PUSO Wrestling's, Chelsea Marie, the main event winner in the recent Heart-2-Heart show!  Also, Yuki recently won the Vietnam Pro Wrestling women's inaugural title last month in Ho Chi Minh City and will be bringing the belt as well. 

 

Also, Alexis Lee, the CWE Vixen's Champion will take on Puso's Joya in an International Dream Match.

 

More matches will be added as the month of October nears.  For more information including tickets, please visit the Dexcon Facebook page.  Thank you.

PUSO Wrestling Heart-2-Heart Results

Hello everyone!  My apologies, but am late on this.

 

Here are the results from PUSO Wrestling's Heart-2-Heart show.  The event was held last Saturday, September 21st at Brawl Pit Bulusan in Quezon City before another great crowd!

 

Chelsea Marie d. Joya and will headline Dexcon's Jam Of The Joshis.

Main Maxx d. Nigel San Jose to reach the finals of the Pusong Pinoy Wrestling Championship Tournament.

Aaron Liwanag d. Super P and will face Main Maxx in the finals of the Pusong Pinoy Wrestling Championship Tournament.

El Katipunero won the Wheyl Wumble: Pinoy Wrestling Gauntlet Match.

Jomar and Crystal d. Isaiah Valencia and Patricia Ligaia.     

Interview #16 - LegenDarius

The next interview is involving someone who made his introduction at the July Filipino Pro Wrestling FPW Astig show.  His name is  LegenDarius.

 

Fans who were at the event feel that he is a manager to a new wrestler on the roster by the name of Jason Rex.  However, instead of going further on this, this blogger will let LegenDarius  share what happened at the July show.  Since this blogger wasn't in attendance, I found out bits and pieces of what transpired that day.  Thank you to LegenDarius in agreeing to this interview.  Here we go.

 

Wayne:  What led you to becoming a manager? 

 

LegenDarius:  I'll be showing the real me in this interview, so apologies in advance. I just recently learned what a "wrestling gimmick" is, and now I understand that I've been playing this gimmick persona of being a super nice wrestling fan. It feels amazing to finally be able to be myself.

 

To be clear, I don't mind being called a manager, but I'm more of a mentor—a strategist. Nothing led me to the position I am in today. I've planned everything from the start. In terms of how we started planning this, it was actually my apprentice, Jason Rex, who put pro wrestling on my radar. I had to get involved in the industry to ensure the success of one of my students, and it then evolved into a bigger mission.

 

"Amateurs seek the sun. Get eaten. Power stays in the shadows." — Lewis Strauss.

 

I had nothing to do with Philippine wrestling until about two years ago. Then, suddenly, my research team successfully made people believe I was this super fan attending FPW and MWF shows. I even gaslighted some fans into thinking I was with them at events years before, even though my first time ever watching a wrestling show was at FPW's first shows. I'm sorry, guys, but I've never actually been to "PWR Homecoming". And to be clear, I didn't lie; my team tricked you. 

 

You interviewed me before, and it was one of your most-viewed interviews, and that has been by design. It's all part of the data collection process and a means to subtly and covertly win over the trust of the fans and the people involved in the industry. 

 

The next step was to get my foot in the door, so I started attending training sessions at the FPW Academy. During that time, I grew closer to rare individuals who not only shared my philosophy but were "pure" in understanding and living my concepts. Let's just say I had to learn how to become "sigma," and some people are just born with it—I'm not going to tell you exactly who they are. 

 

Then, my team said I had to make sure people felt good about me. A consultation firm created my training vignettes so more people would perceive me better. It was a risky step, as it could put off some people seeing a trainee already releasing training montages. But my analysts said this was part of how I could infiltrate more effectively, as it would make the "mark fans" in the wrestling industry relate to me more. Finally, I was able to become what they call a "Young Boy"—a sort of usher and security for FPW shows. 

 

The last show was a canon event. Jason Rex was facing someone who disrespected him in the past. It was a calculated risk, but it was the right moment to step out of the shadows and make things right. Here is a bit of footage from that show: https://www.instagram.com/p/C-4r19cvQhp/ 

 

I don't mind getting my hands dirty, so if I have to get in the ring for the sake of my mission, I will. 

 

Now we're at a point where the world can see who I really am, and we can actually influence the direction of the local wrestling industry—and eventually, hopefully, the entire world. 

 

Wayne:  Tell us more about Jason Rex. 

 

LegenDarius:  Jason Rex used to be known as Brad Cruz, the "Manila Bae" of an old defunct promotion. He was deluded by society into having dreams of becoming a star, which meant he had to be materialistic, vain, and had to pander to society's wants. 

 

But he was able to see the light—that the ladders he wanted to climb were part of a world built on fantasy, mind-controlled advertising, synthetic food made to make us feel weak and wanting to consume more, psychological warfare on social media, and propaganda news designed to distract and divide us. (Why the heck should people care about Carlos Yulo's family drama?) The world hypnotized Brad Cruz, but my secret sigma seminars woke him up from his slumber. I rechristened him and made him into Jason Rex, The Manila Beast! 

 

Wayne:  What are your thoughts on the new venue, Baked Studios? 

 

LegenDarius:  Baked Studios is the stage that will set the world of Philippine wrestling on fire. A great mix of lights, lasers, screens, and overall production creates an otherworldly, surreal atmosphere. That’s exactly the kind of environment where moments are made. It's a venue that matches the caliber of talent FPW wrestlers bring to the table. The roster thrives in places like this—especially my apprentice. 

 

Wayne:  What are your thoughts on Filipino Pro Wrestling now and its future? 

 

LegenDarius:  Filipino Pro Wrestling will keep on growing. Every show, a huge fraction of the audience is people watching wrestling for the first time. The talent here is hungry, the energy is electric, and FPW will continue to evolve and get bigger with time. 

 

But the sun will set on the current era of FPW. Jason Rex and I will use the platform of Filipino Pro Wrestling to help steer the ship of culture itself. 

 

Just so people understand, I am not Andrew Tate or Josh Mojica. I am not here to sell courses to make people rich, and I don't condone misogyny. I am here to build people up, to wake them up to the truth that we live in a dystopia that intentionally wants to harm us, make us weak, so we can be slaves and just consume. I want people to unleash the beast within them. 

 

Against my own wants, I make "relatable" short-form content so I can try to reach people outside the wrestling niche. But it's mostly so people can connect with us—the first step in waking people up. If I can transform Brad Cruz into Jason Rex, I hope to do the same for everyone else. But if they want to reach their beast self, they should follow me on socials, FPW, and Jason Rex. 

 

LegenDarius on Socials: FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/imdariusaur 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dariusaur/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dariusaur TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dariusaur 

FPW on Socials: FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/filprowrestling 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/filprowrestling/ 

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@filprowrestling 

Jason Rex on Socials: FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064183021332 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason_rex_fpw/ 

 

I want to change the world, and FPW will be the catalyst for that change. A new dawn is breaking.

 

LegenDarius, thank you so much for the interview.  As this is being posted, Legendarius and Jason Rex are preparing for the next FPW show, FPW Astig.  The show is on Sunday, September 15th at 2pm at Baked Studios in Makati City.

 

Jason Rex will be taking on Dax Xaviera in one of several matches that afternoon.  This match is important for both wrestlers as a victory could move one of them closer to an FPW Championship Title match down the line.

 

For tickets, please visit the FPW - Filipino Pro Wrestling Facebook page.  All the best to LegenDarius and to Jason Rex in the next show, and going forward!

Interview #15 - Miguel Navarro

Hello everyone!

 

It's been about 11 months since doing an interview on this blog.  A lot has happened in the pro wrestling world since that time.  There have been several people that suggested that one of these should be done again.  So, here we go.

 

During this blogger's last visit to the Philippines a few weeks ago, had a chance to meet Miguel Navarro.  Right away, I saw the passion and the knowledge that Miguel has as a wrestling fan both locally and internationally.  Miguel is the WUW - PH (World Underground Wrestling - Philippines Correspondent).  Just recently, he began his own podcast called Ready To Rambol.  Please check it out if you haven't already.

 

Just recently, we did this interview with several questions.  Hope you enjoy it.

 

Wayne:  When did you start following wrestling?

 

Miguel:  I started following wrestling in 2006. Although I discovered it through a video game which is Smackdown 2 Know Your Role.  I played that game most of the time I was in my grandmother's house and I used to think that wrestling is a setting that can be seen in fictional media, like superheroes with superpowers can be seen in comics, series, or movies.  It wasn't until I was finding something to watch that I saw ECW One Night Stand 06 and realizing that wrestling is real blew my mind.

 

 

Wayne:  Have you ever wrestled or just follow it as a fan?

 

 

Miguel:  Back then I thought of being a wrestler, however due to a bad injury made me not pursue it for my safety. So I decided to just be a fan, then I got into podcasting, which lead to me contributing to the local scene, and here we are.

 

 

Wayne:  Who is your favorite wrestler locally and/or internationally?

 

 

Miguel:  Locally my favorite wrestler is SJM (Saint John Martin), some will joke that I'm being bias as a WUW correspondent, but I always see SJM as a unique wrestler and attraction in wrestling shows where you rarely see him appear, but when he does, you know that you will witness one of the most intense bouts of the show.

 

 

As for international wrestler, it has to be Cody Rhodes, he's the wrestler I fully got attached to and relate with mostly because I followed him when he was still a rookie in WWE, to running the indies and AEW, to his comeback in WWE and seeing him transform to the wrestler he is now.

 

 

Wayne:  What are your thoughts on Pinoy Wrestling today and its future?

 

 

Miguel:  This is the best time to support Pinoy Wrestling. You can see that the wrestlers here are giving their all. At this point we can say we have wrestlers who can go toe to toe with guys like Tajiri, CDK (Calamari Drunken Kings), Zack Sabre Jr. and more, likes of JDL (Jake De Leon) wrestling in Kouraken Hall, Fabio and Jomar being invited by Tajiri to train, and seeing the next generation of local wrestlers being exciting to watch. I can say that Pinoy wrestling now and future shines bright.

 

 

There you have it.  Thank you Miguel for your thoughts on the pro wrestling scene.  All the best to you as the WUW PH Correspondent as well as the podcast you recently launched.  This fan will continue to tune in to future podcasts.


Very soon, another interview could be headed this way.  Please be on the lookout who it might be.....

PUSO Wrestling Heart-2-Heart Update #4

Hello everyone!

 

One match has been added for PUSO Wrestling's (Philippines) Heart-2-Heart show.  The event will take place on Saturday, September 21st.  Location is the Brawl Pit Bulusan beginning at 6pm.

 

Jomar and ?????? (partner of Jomar's choosing) will take on Isaiah Valencia and Patricia Ligaia in tag team action.  

 

For those who haven't followed how this match was made, Patricia Ligaia was the winner of the Jun Capilos Battle Royal.  She won by eliminating Jomar over the top rope to win it.

 

It appeared that initially, Jomar wanted Patricia in singles competition.  However, Isaiah Valencia stepped in perhaps to face Jomar instead.  Eventually, per General Manager - Sonny Go, this will now be a tag match.  Jomar will choose a partner of his choosing against Isaiah and Patricia.

 

Also, Jake De Leon, fresh off a very successful wrestling tour of Japan, will be in action that night.

 

For more information, including tickets, please visit the PUSO Wrestling Facebook page.  Also, for sponsorship inquiries, please message PUSO Wrestling or email pusowrestling@gmail.com for more details.  Thank you.

Cross Promoting

Growing up with pro wrestling in the Territory Era in North America, there was something interesting that this blogger learned early on. 


About two years after first watching wrestling on television, this blogger first came across a wrestling magazine known as The Wrestler.  Remember everyone, back then, there was no internet! 

 

It was a shock to find out that there were actually three promotions in North America and not one!  I grew up in the National Wrestling Alliance territory and thinking it was the only one.

 

However, there were two other promotions in the American Wrestling Association (Midwest Region) and the World Wide Wrestling Federation (East Coast Region).  It would be extremely rare if a wrestler from one region back in 1968 would wrestle in another one.  The only exception I could remember early on was the WWWF's Bruno Sammartino doing a couple of shows against the NWA's Ray Stevens at the Daly City Cow Palace.

 

Things were very tight amongst the heads of the different groups back then.  Definitely, it was big business and up until the 1970s, one promotion would not "invade" another's territory.  The invasion began in 1969 when the American Wrestling Alliance invaded NWA territory with a show in the Los Angeles area (The Forum in Inglewood).  NWA was the territory back then with shows at the Olympic Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles.

 

Jumping forward a half century, in Southeast Asia, there are a few pro wrestling promotions throughout the various countries.  Unlike the days of The Territory Era in North America, pro wrestling in Southeast Asia is definitely a breath of fresh air!  The heads of the various promotions are far more receptive in a wrestler from one country visiting another.

 

This blogger has been following a recent pro wrestling tour of Japan involving Jake De Leon (PUSO Wrestling - Philippines), Shivam (SETUP - Thailand) along with Dr. Gore (SPW), Monomoth (SETUP), Chris Brookes and Masa Takanashi (SETUP, DDT Pro Wrestling, ChocoPro).  A couple of fans from abroad were able to attend the tour as well.

 

There were the Baka Gaijin and ChocoPro shows that were definitely memorable.  Then there was the legendary show at Korakuen Hall where many Japanese pro wrestling shows have taken place.  I believe the tour ends in Saitama before the wrestlers return to the respective countries.

 

Over the last few weeks, this blogger has been trying to keep up with several wrestlers.  While I was in the Philippines, Filipino Pro Wrestling's, Chino Guinto took part in a Vietnam Pro Wrestling show at the VAIB Studio.  Before this, Jake De Leon (PUSO Wrestling) and Mike Madrigal (Filipino Pro Wrestling) traveled to Malaysia for an APAC Wrestling show.  The Eurasian Dragon and a couple of other wrestlers from Ring Of Rebirth Singapore wrestled in the show as well.

Earlier in the year, Dexcon Philippines promoted a couple of shows with Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW), Chris Brookes and Masa Takanashi (SETUP, DDT, ChocoPro) appearing. 

 

In about two weeks, September 14th, the Philippines own, Crystal, will be appearing at Middle Kingdom Wrestling's Championship Supercard show in Shanghai.  She will be taking on Yuki Kamifuku for the SPW Queen Of Asia Championship.

 

The point this blogger is making is that the cross promotion of wrestling talent in Southeast Asia is a very healthy one for pro wrestling in the region. It spurs interest, grows the industry and helps the economy.  Friendships are strengthened as well.

 

There is no question in this wrestling fan's mind that the Japan visit was a success!  From what was posted in Social Media, all of the wrestlers had a great time and were receptive positively by the fans who attended.  Definitely, there are exciting times ahead for sports entertainment in the region.