Here is an interview I did with Rowen Camacho, a pro wrestling fan from the Philippines. Rowen, is an intern a co host of The Wrestling-Wrestling Podcast in the Metro Manila area. His knowledge of the local and international wrestling is enormous.
This blogger had a chance to meet him while vacationing in the Philippines. We met back in December 2022 before the MWF Noche Buena Show and formally after the 2023 Road To Fate show in August.
Here is the interview. Thank you Rowen for having a copy of the interview.
Wayne: Rowen, when did you begin following wrestling? -
Rowen: My wrestling fandom started all the way back in 2010. Yes, I’m a PG era kid, but it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t played the SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 video game on my cousin’s PSP back in 2009. I fell in love since then. I was so amused with WWE that I asked my parents for a wrestling playset for Christmas ’09. What I received isn’t exactly authentic because it has 3 WWE figures and a TNA Impact Six-Sided Ring with a weird and fake WWE logo on it, but I’m still happy enough to receive it. The action figures I received were: Mickey from The Spirit Squad, Chris Benoit, and John Cena. My wrestling fandom grew bigger and bigger through the years and I had the opportunity to watch my first international wrestling event on February 4th, 2012 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum which was World Wrestling Fan Xperience (WWFX), a non-WWE show filled with former WWE mid-card wrestlers, and featured a main event spectacle of John Hennigan (Morrison) vs Shelton Benjamin to crown the inaugural WWFX Heavyweight Champion. - For Philippine wrestling on the other hand, I first heard of the revival of the local scene around 2014 after seeing a WhenInManila article talking about Philippine Wrestling Revolution (PWR). I had my first show on August 15, 2015, as a birthday gift for myself, the show was PWR LIVE 1 at the Makati Cinema Square Arena, which was headlined by guys like Chris Panzer, SANDATA (MWF Commentator Romeo Moran), Ken Warren, and Jake De Leon. The Philippine wrestling scene and its wrestlers were young and admittedly didn’t share the same level and quality as WWE, but I didn’t stop supporting them because I knew they would improve eventually and as a Filipino, I just wanted to apply what I learned and that is “Suportahan ang sariling atin.” or “Support local.”
Wayne: Was there a favorite wrestler or wrestlers that you followed early? -
Rowen: I mostly followed the main eventers and mid-carders from 2010 like John Cena, Edge, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio, CM Punk, Wade Barrett, Kofi Kingston, The Miz, Daniel Bryan, Kane, and The Undertaker. Looking at them gave me the impression that everyone is unique, they have their own stories and personalities, and those qualities of every wrestler got me hooked even more. - For Philippine wrestling, it’s “The Social Media Sinister”, “The Digital Demon” Ken Warren. I love Ken Warren because of the way he presents himself and the way he interacts with the fans on social media, fulfilling his Social Media Sinister heel persona. I myself was called a #WarrenWannabe by him. Comparing him to the wrestlers during the younger years of Philippine wrestling, I’d say his character has a lot of thought put into it. It was special when I saw him perform on the first local show I attended, and it was special to see his last match in Philippine wrestling in Jake De Leon’s 100th match at the MWF Kasaysayan taping. For Ken Warren, it has come full circle for him and JDL as he had his first match with him and last match (for now) with him. I can relate to that since Ken Warren performed at the first local show that I attended, and I was there at his last match.
Wayne: Do you have a favorite promotion or promotions today?
Rowen: Yes, I watch promotions like WWE, AEW, and the local MWF. As a podcast show host intern of The Wrestling-Wrestling Podcast, it is a requirement to watch the weekly WWE, AEW shows in order to talk about current events in the wrestling world. However, due to my busy schedule as a college student, my mentors were kind enough to let me give me time to prioritize my studies.
Wayne: What is your favorite wrestling moment or moments of all time?
Rowen: The year 2010 means a lot to me, so I’m picking the Nexus debut. It was awesome to see them all the time! Whenever they show up, it’s gonna be chaos. They were so disruptive that their debut on Raw was them interrupting a match and attacking CM Punk, John Cena, and everyone at ringside, destroying the ring, and ruining the main event of the show. Another one will be Seth Rollins successfully cashing-in Money In The Bank Contract at WrestleMania 31 and becomes the WWE Champion. It was the first time they applied a cash-in midway into the match and made it an impromptu Triple Threat Match. And lastly, CM Punk returning to wrestling for the first time in 7 years in AEW. It was a dream come true because everyone asked for it and Tony Khan made it happen. It’s just a shame that Punk’s dirty mouth and bad temper got the best out of him at All Out 2022, it really turned me off as a fan. - For Philippine wrestling, it would be Fabio Makisig winning the MWF Championship from Jake De Leon in an entertaining Main Event Manila Rules Match because of how they performed in the match and the story the match and the wrestlers told. The second would be witnessing Robin Sane perform the 450 Splash for the first time in real life at Road to Fate 2023, though he didn’t hit Fabio, it was still a thing of beauty. Next would be Quatro ending the 490-day reign of Ralph Imabayashi to become the new PWR Champion in a 2-out-of-3 falls match at Wrevolution X 2019. And lastly, Bro. Jomar Liwanag cutting a promo at Mandala Park for Gigil at Romansa, when the thunder roared after he delivered a line from his promo. It was perfect timing and it makes me believe now that the Liwanags have powers.
Wayne: Your thoughts on pro wrestling in the Philippines now and it's future?
Rowen: To this day, I believe pro wrestling in the Philippines is still young, but it has heavily improved from what I saw first in 2015. The production, presentation, and venues have leveled up, and are a huge improvement from 2015. Everyone got older and wiser and is handling the storytelling and the behind-the-scenes pretty well. MWF now has a TV deal and is a big win for MWF and the Philippine wrestling scene because it can make wrestling mainstream in the country again. All I wish in the future is for Filipinos to not only talk about international wrestling, but talk about modern-day Pinoy Wrestling as they become aware of it and to further establish Philippine wrestling into something big that even the future generation will become a fan and aspire to become a wrestler and a champion.