Interview #14 - Robynn

 

Continuing with the blog interviews, this one is way overdue and the first with a woman wrestler.

 

Robynn is one of the early pioneers of women's wrestling in the Philippines.  Along with Crystal, whom this fan has the utmost respect for as well, Ashura and Starling from this blogger's memory, Robynn is one that I first watched on You Tube when first watching the Philippine Wrestling Revolution.

 

The match this blogger saw was the Wrevolution X2017 show with Robynn and Crystal one-on-one. I believe the match, in its entirety, is still on You Tube today.

 

What I remembered from the match was how good both wrestlers were and still are today!  Robynn can take punishment and can give it out as well.  She is as tough as nails!     

 

I had the opportunity to see her live when Filipino Pro Wrestling had their final show in August called Astig.  On that show, Robynn faced Thiago in a singles match.  The match will be on You Tube in the future so watch out for it.  

 

Speaking of You Tube, just this past week, Robynn was in a singles match against FPW's, Dax Xaviera.  It is the Astig Episode 7 version.  Please check out this match and all the episodes thus far!

 

Recently, this blogger did an interview with Robynn.  She was, more than gracious, in wanting to do this.  Being a wrestling fan, I'm sometimes a bit shy asking because of wanting to give performers their space.  However,  this fan is grateful for her doing this.  Robynn, thank you so much.  Hopefully, this will be an inspiration for women to try out for wrestling at a wrestling academy locally.  In Southeast Asia, there are a shortage of women in wrestling.  Hopefully, the trend will change very soon.

 

Here is the interview.  Hope everyone enjoys it.       

 

Wayne:  Other than the pandemic time, when did you begin in pro wrestling?

Robynn:  I started training in 2015 with PWR and debut in 2016.

 

Wayne:  Was there a woman wrestler that inspired you or that you followed when you began to watch it?

 

Robynn:  I wouldn't really say "inspired" me and I "followed", but I did like watching Lita and Trish Stratus back then.

 

Wayne:  Is there a favorite promotion(s) that you follow today?  It could be local, international or both.  

 

Robynn:  Of course FPW is my favorite local promotion. HAHAHA. As for an international promotion, as much as Ralph and I can, we watch AEW every week.

 

Wayne:  Do you enjoy participating in singles, tag team matches or both?

 

Robynn:  I enjoy participating in both singles and tag team matches. Although, if I'm gonna go back to tag team matches, I only want it to be with Martivo.

 

Wayne:  In your time as a pro wrestler, what do you believe was your most memorable match that you were in? 

 

Robynn:  This is a hard question. Hahahaha. But I would say the 8-man tag house show in Eastwood called Unfather's Day. The reason is kinda personal to me. Hahahaha.  

 

Wayne:  I'm a big believer that there should be a Women's World Cup championship in Southeast Asia.  There are several titles such as the Queen Of Asia, APAC Women's and a couple more.  Would this be a good idea?  I feel there should be more titles. 

 

Robynn:  For someone who wrestled men almost her entire wrestling career, I feel like women could also go one on one with men for championships and titles.

 

Wayne:  What are your thoughts on pro wrestling in the Philippines now, and its future?

 

Robynn:  Pro Wrestling in the Philippines is looking bright. We're just getting started. One day, it will be huge, and no one can stop us.

Interview #4 - Ralph Imabatashi (FPW)

Ralph Imabayashi is known today as "The Best Pure Wrestler."  For wrestling fans who have seen him live at an event in Circuit Makati or elsewhere, you'll know what I mean.

 

This blogger first saw Ralph on You Tube several years ago during the pandemic times.  There were several matches that really inspired this wrestling fan.

 

At the last FPW: Astig wrestling event of 2023 in August, Ralph and Robbie Eagles put on one of the best wrestling matches seen in a few years.

 

Recently, I did the interview with Ralph.  This fan was a little shy and timid but Ralph wanted to do this.  Thank you again and will look forward to seeing you in action in 2024!  

 

Wayne:  Ralph, how long, other than the pandemic time, have you been wrestling?

 

Ralph:  If we exclude the pandemic time then I've only been doing this for 5 years, it feels weird cause a lot has happened but I still feel new and fresh with still lots to learn. I haven't had a lot of opportunities to face opponents with the same caliber as Robbie Eagles, who I learned a lot from through wrestling him as well as seminars. I wish to have more of that and have more learning experiences in my career.

 

 

Wayne:  Was there a moment or time when you knew that you wanted to become a pro wrestler?

 

 

Ralph:  I always wanted to be one. Everyday at school when I was a young kid, I would day dream almost every day about being a wrestler. I vicariously lived through the Smackdown vs Raw games pretending I was really in WWE and I wanted my dad to bring me to Japan ASAP because I thought I could start my wrestling career there. The moment I got a chance here I did not waste my time I immediately took it.

 

 

 

Wayne: Do you remember your first pro wrestling match?

 

Ralph:  I clearly do. It was a bad match. I had no idea what I was doing and neither did my opponent. It was a miracle how I came through. It was also in a boxing ring bumping there sucked it probably took years off my life. I had no idea who or what I was as a wrestler and my opponent was just copying popular Japanese wrestlers he watched. Thing is the first step in being great at something is sucking at it. I was clearly not a good wrestler but I wouldn't be able to achieve my dreams if I didn't start at all.

 

 

Wayne:  Do you have a favorite promotion outside of FPW?  It can be local, international or both.

 

 

 

Ralph:  I love AEW, I watch both Collision and Dynamite every week. The match that solidified my fandom for the promotion was Cody Rhodes vs Dustin Rhodes at Double or Nothing 2019, it just kept escalating until it became something special. Of course it sucks Cody is no longer All Elite but he has achieved great success in WWE even becoming one of their biggest draws. The main events in recent PPVs have mostly felt special too like Orange Cassidy vs Jon Moxley, MJF vs Adam Cole, MJF vs Bryan Danielson, Bryan Danielson vs Kazuchika Okada - all big fight feel matches that future generations will look back to.

 

 

Wayne:  Do you have a favorite wrestler that you follow today?  It can be local, international or both.  

 

 

 

Ralph:  Bryan Danielson has been a long time favorite of mine and probably inspired me a lot as a pro wrestler. When he won the Undisputed WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the main event of Wrestlemania XXX it felt like a strong message towards little guys like me. If someone like him can achieve great things then I can too, it was prolly the catalyst for me to take my dreams seriously and join a local wrestling promotion. I watched him in person back in WWE Live Manila 2019 and I was close to tears I didn't expect to see him at all after his retirement in 2016. This man inspired me to start wrestling and he continues to inspire me today. Fight for your dreams and your dreams will fight for you.

 

 

Wayne:  Ralph, your thoughts on pro wrestling in the Philippines, now and it's future?

 

 

Ralph:  With the release of the FPW: Astig episodes I think its about to be special, it's on Youtube so it's accessible to audiences worldwide. We've put so much into this, the wrestlers, the production, and the marketing team of Filipino Pro Wrestling all worked in tandem to give you guys this beautiful finished product of guaranteed great pro wrestling. This was honestly the most fun I've ever had in my pro wrestling career, everything just works and clicks. The eyes of the world can now see how great Philippine Wrestling can be. We're starting out really small and slow taking careful steps into the next level while thinking things through instead of rushing to get big like how we used to be. There's no where to go but up from here and I'm every excited to see where it goes.

Interview #7 - Chino Guinto (FPW)

Chino Guinto is one of the first wrestlers from the Philippines that I watched back around 2020 on You Tube during the pandemic times.  You could see from his matches, that he is a popular wrestler in this area.

 

He has wrestled for both Philippine Wrestling Revolution and the current Filipino Wrestling Revolution.  This fan was fortunate to see him in action.  In August, at the Astig show in Circuit Makati, he faced another one of my favorite wrestlers in Bolt.

 

Am grateful that Chino wanted to do this.  A few weeks ago, he answered some questions.  Here is how the interview went. 

 

Wayne:  How long, other than the pandemic time, have you been wrestling?

 

Chino:  I started training with PWR mid 2015 and was debuted as a talent mid 2016.

 

Wayne: What moment in time did you feel that you wanted to become a professional wrestler?

 

Chino:  I’ve always wanted to be a wrestler. But the reality was, there wasn’t an avenue to become one here in the country when I was younger. I did quite a bit of sports as a student athlete with football and basketball, among other things, and even then I’ve always felt that I wasn’t able to fulfill my full talent and skill potential. When the opportunity did present itself to become a wrestler, I was still hesitant if this was something that I wanted to do. But it was clear after my first bump that I was meant to be a wrestler.

 

Wayne: Chino, this may be a tough question, but what do you believe was your best pro match up to now?

 

Chino:  PHX Championship match against Billy Suede, Oct 2019. It was the biggest local pro wrestling event at that time, with a wild crowd crazy for wrestling, and against someone established and helped elevate our scene—was an experience like no other.

 

Wayne: Do you have a favorite promotion or promotions that you watch outside of FPW? It can be local, international or both.

 

Chino:  The main ones: WWE, AEW, NJPW, Impact, etc. The truth is, it would be foolish to not take notes and take best practices from these successful promotions.

 

Wayne:  Do you have a favorite wrestler that you watch today?

 

Chino:  I have my usual faves but I watch a lot joshi lately as well. Local: keep your eyes on Thiago. Man’s more than just muscles.

 

Wayne:  Chino, what are your thoughts on pro wrestling in the Philippines now and its future?

 

Chino:  Brighter than ever! We recently launched FPW Astig, FPW’s flagship Youtube show and got glowing feedback. We aim to make pro wrestling as a viable entertainment platform in the country and while we acknowledge that it will take a lot more work, this is a great step towards that direction.

Interview #5 - Dax Xaviera (FPW)

The next interview is a for this blogger and fan, a long waited one. It is the first one with Filipino Pro Wrestling performer, Dax Xaviera.

 

Dax has been wrestling in the Philippines for several years now. Up until Sunday, August 27th, had only seen him take part in matches on You Tube.

 

Our first interaction was on the social media platform, Facebook, a few months. He has been great and gracious to chat with. This fan has always been grateful for the time shared with his busy schedule. Dax, besides wrestling, has a clothing brand known as Dax Clothing. This fan purchased one of his shirts prior to the visit. The size and quality was very good. If anyone has a chance, please visit the Dax Clothing page on Facebook and see for yourself.

 

Without talking further, here is the interview completed just recently. Thank you Dax for the time doing this. Am really appreciative. Hopefully, this will lead to more interviews with FPW and pinoy wrestling performers in the near future.

 

Wayne:  Dax, how long, other than the pandemic time, have you been wrestling? 

 

Dax:  I debuted May of 2016 so not counting the pandemic years, I've been wrestling for 5 years now. 

 

Wayne:  What moment made you feel that you wanted to become a professional wrestler?

 

Dax:  No moment in particular but I always loved this sport ever since I was in high school. I always imagined having wrestling events in our school gymnasium. I loved the concept of telling stories through in-ring fights. Then sometime back in 2014, during wee hours in my day job, I just randomly thought of looking for any wrestling promotion in the Philippines and that's when I learned about PWR (Philippine Wrestling Revolution) and I said to myself, once they open their tryouts I'll go.

 

Wayne:  Dax, this may be a tough question, but what was your best pro match up to now? 

 

Dax:  This is a really tough one but I'll go for my All Out War Championship match against Martivo in Wrevolution X 2019, then close second is my All Out War title defense against Robynn at Path Of Gold two months prior.

 

Wayne:  Do you have a favorite promotion that you watch outside of FPW? It can be local, international or both. 

 

Dax:  Well besides WWE and AEW, I find time to watch other promotions like New Japan, Stardom, among others. I try to watch as many as I can during my free time. 

 

Wayne:  Dax, do you have a favorite wrestler that you follow today? Local, International or both?

 

Dax:  Edge and Finn Balor comes to mind as I patterned most of my moveset to them. I also copied some moves of Cesaro/Claudio Castagnoli. For the younger ones, Anthony Bowens moves so flawlessly. I love him with Max Caster and Billy Gunn. 

 

Wayne:  Your thoughts on pro wrestling in the Philippines now and it's future?

 

Dax:  I love that it's back after the pandemic. Honestly I really miss doing this so when the time we were told that we're going to be in a new promotion (FPW), I was ecstatic though I had a hard time returning to in-ring shape after gaining lots of pounds during the 2-year halt. I love that it's slowly gaining steam especially that FPW Astig (You Tube) is just 2 weeks away as of this writing so yeah, I'm really excited about its future now that we're getting the exposure we were deprived of when pandemic hit. It's still in its infancy stage but I'm really looking forward to the next few months now that pro-wrestling here in the Philippines is slowly gaining back its lost momentum. We now have the tools we never had before, FPW has a clear vision of where it's heading, so yeah, the future is looking really bright.

Interview #3 - Mike Madrigal (FPW)

Moving on to the next interview is one that this blogger has been looking forward to for quite some time now.

 

Mike Madrigal, pictured above, is one of the top wrestling stars in the Philippines.  He currently wrestles for Filipino Pro Wrestling or FPW.

 

Prior to this fan's visit last August, there were numerous times I watched Mike on You Tube.  There were matches against the likes of Quatro, Main Maxx and SANDATA, three great wrestling stars in the Philippines.  I came away from the videos impressed with and in awe of MIke's strength, quickness and agility.

 

The match that Mike had with Duke Ortega at the Astig show had me standing at the end of the match.  What I saw in the videos was more than a carbon copy.  It was real life and it was happening in the squared circle!

 

Recently, this was the interview that took place.  Thank you Mike for wanting to do this.  Will see you guys in 2024!    

 

Wayne:  Mike, other than the pandemic years, how long have you been wrestling? 

 

Mike: I started training 2014 unfortunately did an internship abroad for a year which stopped me from training but came back the year after to get back into the game. Finally debuted 2016.

 

Wayne:  At what moment or time made you feel that you wanted to be a professional wrestler?

 

Mike:  Since I started watching it back in 1998. Like every wrestling fan I'd have matches with my friends and cousins back then. Unfortunately there wasn't a local scene for pro wrestling when I started to become a fan so the closest thing was combat sports. So I started to train Muay Thai and even competed til I found out about PWR through Bombay Suarez.

 

Wayne:  Do you have a favorite promotion that you watch outside of FPW? It could be local, international or both. 

 

Mike:  Well theres no beating the WWE for sure. It's easy to digest and keep up with. As much as I love AEW,ROH,Impact and the Indys I can't watch a whole show or PPV because theres so much happening. Not that it's a bad thing it just takes more time for me to finish so I can appreciate each match more.

 

Wayne:  Do you have a favorite wrestler that you follow today? Again, it could be local, international or both. 

 

Mike:  Kenny Omega and Kevin Owens. Both men have different styles and I enjoy watching each of them. The work rate, the character work, the way they tell their stories in the ring. Just awesome.

 

Wayne:  Mike, being in the ring for several years now, what do you think was the toughest match that you were in? 

 

Mike:  Toughest yet most rewarding match has to be with El Guapo for the DPW Championship. The guy was the best conditioned guy I've ever worked with and it felt like my gas tank was just not enough to keep up but I hung in there. By the end of the match I was gasping for every bit of air I could get but damn was that a hell of a match. We both left with bruises and I got a black eye but I live for that style of wrestling.

 

Wayne:  Mike, how do you feel about pro wrestling in the Philippines now and it's future?

 

Mike:  I think pro wrestling has a bright future in the Philippines. We have 3 promotions each doing their own thing and if I wasn't a wrestler right now I'd be a fan supporting all 3 of them. We came from literally not having any pro wrestling for years since the originals from Pinoy Wrestling to having a trio of promotions you can choose from. 

 

Now is a good time to be a Filipino wrestling fan and it's only going to get better! 

 

But we do have to acknowledge that Philippine Pro Wrestling is only going to flourish if we are backed by the fans. 

 

So to end the interview I'd like to thank everyone who's supported Philippine Pro Wrestling as a whole but also I'd like to ask everyone to keep on supporting all 3 of our local promotions: FPW, MWF, WuW cause we can't keep this scene rolling just with passion alone. Buy tickets, watch the streams, watch the tv shows, let's show investors that Philippine Pro Wrestling is worth banking on!

 

With that said please watch the first episode of FPW:Astig debuting on September 14 2023 on FPW's youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@filprowrestling

Philippine Wrestling Revolution

Philippine Wrestling Revolution was a promotion that began in December 2013 and ended on September 14, 2022 (per Wikipedia and Cagematch).

 

The idea of this came up through a group in Facebook in 2012.  By September 27, 2014, PWR would have their first show.  The event was called PWR Renaissance 2014 that took place at the Makati Square Arena in Makati.  Today, the arena is a government building.

 

PWR had four titles in its existence.  The titles and champions are mentioned under the PWR page.  You can locate it by clicking PWR at the top and to the right side of the blog page.

 

Because of COVID-19, PWR, like many promotions, would not be able to hold shows to a live audience due to protocols.  Eventually, by September 2022, the company ended its operation.