For those who are interested in reading past pro wrestling history where I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, I have a surprise.
The SF Bay Area Wrestling blog has just launched. It will be about pro wrestling past and present in the Bay Area. This blogger will have stories and more on every promotion that has hit the area.
It is in its very early stages. Here is the link for those that are interested. I have a link on the side of this blog as well.
The other day, when I saw The Rock in the Wrestlemania 40 segment on WWE Smackdown, I couldn't help but thinking of the past. The "Soulman" Rocky Johnson, The Rock's dad, was one of my favorite wrestlers growing up.
During the Territory Era, Rocky was a huge draw in Northern California. He was part of the huge names such as Ray Stevens, Pat Patterson, Pepper Gomez, Peter Maivia, Kenji Shibuya and Mr. Saito. It was a great time for this blogger as a wrestling fan.
Rocky Johnson could certainly wrestle. It didn't matter if it was singles competition or tag team wrestling. He, and a couple of partners in Pepper Gomez and Pat Patterson, held the San Francisco version of the NWA Tag Team belts. Johnson was not only athletic, but he had one of the best drop kicks ever (then and now). The timing of every one of the dropkicks was perfect!
Rocky didn't have to say a lot in the interviews we saw. He let his wrestling do the talking for him.
I remembered when the NWA and later, the AWA left out area. By then, Rocky Johnson along with Pat Patterson hooked on with the WWF (WWE today). I still enjoyed both wrestlers, but the feeling was different than before. They were in a different company than what the NWA did for me.
His son, The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) is definitely an icon in the business. Certainly, there's been a lot of attention with him and the upcoming Wrestlemania 40 show in Philadelphia. I'm actually excited to see his latest project in the United Football League turns out.
Here are the results from last Saturday's Grapplemax Battle At The Barracks. The event was held at the The Southern Depot.
Julian d. Nathaniel.
Prabu and Ming Rui d. Ships Ahoy (Christian and Sarah).
Ban Sachak and Shawn Phang d. Kelvin and Shaun P. Diddy.
The next Grapplemax Pro Wrestling Singapore show - Amplify, will take place at the Grapplemax Studios on Saturday, March 23. Show begins at 8pm with the doors opening at 7pm!
The recent visits to the Philippines have shown that pro wrestling is popular as well. As of right now, three wrestling promotions in the country will be having shows over the next six to seven weeks. All over Southeast Asia, wrestling shows are selling out big time!
Here is the answer to the initial question at the beginning of the post. Being skinny like this blogger is, there ended up being another direction. My first sport in high school was wrestling for the school. I did it for one year and it was fun. Sometimes, I won and sometimes I didn't. The experience was great though.
However, I ended up participating in another sport in high school.....track and field. It's something that I still do today. When healthy, getting a training run in feels good.
However, following pro wrestling as a fan, and now as a blogger, was. and still is, an important thing. I began watching on television in 1968 and still watch it on TV and live today! Today, pro wrestling is better than ever!
The recent article by ABS-CBN News in the Philippines (above photo courtesy of ABS-CBN) needs to be recognized. FPW Pro Wrestling Academy reopened on March 3rd. The promotion has had three Academy batches now going back to late 2022 when the promotion began. The current one has trimmed down to 12 aspirants.
The training is led by FPW Champion, Mike Madrigal with pro wrestlers, Cali Nueva, Quatro, James "Idol" Martinez and Duke Ortega serving as coaches.
I know one aspirant well in Darius, and in the latest group with Naj. This blogger believes they have what it takes to make the main roster. They have a "never give up" attitude and both have followed the sport for a few years now. Possibly by the time I see an FPW show again this summer, maybe they will both be in one of the matches!
Though this post may have focused on the FPW Pro Wrestling Factory, other promotions in Southeast Asia are focusing as well. The future of the industry is important and right now, it has never looked brighter.
Over the previous few weeks, the Manila Wrestling Federation Factory with MWF Pinoy Wrestling Champion, Jake De Leon, had a factory session at the Brawl Pit Bulusan.
This was the same with Malaysia Pro Wrestling, Ring Of Rebirth Singapore, Grapplemax Pro Wrestling Singapore, and with Pro Wrestling Society (PWS Korea). All the promotions here see the vision of growth and wanting to be better.
It is important for this fan to, also note, that women are needed in sports entertainment right now. Hopefully, we will see an increase of talent in the near future!
All the best to Raj, Darius and those who are fulfilling their dreams everywhere. This blogger and fan is in your corner always.
Just a few hours ago, it has been announced by Pumi of SETUP Thailand and match maker, Linus Santos of Wrestle Storm that a major announcement has been made.
The main event between the Calamari Drunken Kings, Chris Brookes and Masahiro Takanashi, and Oro Plata Mata's, Jake De Leon and Dabid Ravena is NOW going to be for the IWA Japan Setup World Tag Team Championship!!!
Fans, if you have not bought tickets for the Meet And Greet on Saturday, March 23rd beginning at 12 noon, the show on March 24th at 6pm, or both, NOW is the time!
Get your tickets today at https://dexcon.helixpay.ph/ Thank you!
This is definitely good news. Personally, I don't know how much the UP Film Institute Media Center holds for a pro wrestling event. From seeing photos, it definitely looks more than the PMC Spotlight Theater and the PETA Center. This coming summer when visiting, I hope to get a chance to see it prior to seeing the MWF Road To Fate show in August.
Speaking of MWF Kaysaysan, this definitely is a star studded show. Hopefully, if any wrestling fan hasn't bought a ticket or tickets yet, please do so! It's never a great idea in waiting until the last minute. The last show I went to in December, there were a few people that, nearly, didn't get tickets! The show was sold out!
Just to remind everyone, the MWF Kasaysayan show in on Sunday, April 14th, 4:30pm, at the UP Film Institute Media Center.
Following the show, there will be a Meet And Greet. You MUST have a ticket to be at the Meet And Greet!
The Meet And Greet is on Saturday, March 23rd beginning at 12 noon.
Here are the results from Malaysia Pro Wrestling's event, New Breed 2. The event was held last weekend. Thank you to Malaysia Pro Wrestling for the results!
MWF was among the first several promotions that this blogger started following around 2019 in the Southeast Asia region. The group, as well as the promotion, have always been communicative in the time doing this blog.
Communication is always important when promoting a product and the Manila Wrestling Federation has done just that. All the best to MWF going forward.
There has been another match added to the Filipino Pro Wrestling show, FPW Astig this coming April 14th. The event will be at 2pm at the PMC Spotlight Blackbox Theater in Circuit Makati.
"The Gym Bro", Thiago will take on "The Mad Doctor, Jan Evander in a singles match as one of several matches lined up on the show.
Will the powerful and muscular, Thiago have his way or will the quick, high flying and unpredictable offense of Jan Evander be the story?
Also, here's an update of the other matches on the show so far....
Mike Madrigal (C) vs. Robynn for the FPW Championship.
Duke Ortega vs. Ralph Imabayashi.
The Yolo Twins and Good Guy Quatro vs. Evan Carleaux, Cali Nueva and James "Idol" Martinez in a Six Man Tag Match.
For more information, including tickets, please visit the FPW- Filipino Pro Wrestling page as well as the ticket2me.net website. Thank you.
Since the last post, there have been two matches added for the upcoming FPW Astig show. The date is Sunday, April 14th at 2pm at the PMC Spotlight Blackbox Theater.
Mike Madrigal, the current Filipino Pro Wrestling Champion, will face Robynn in the main event of the show. Mike has been undefeated since the beginning of FPW and it appears that no one will take the title from him.
However, Robynn may have something to say about that. This fan had the chance of seeing her live last August. She defeated Thiago in a match that woke up some fans at the PMC Theater that day. Robynn has done well in matches during the past year and deserves a title shot!
In the other match that has been made so far, the long awaited rematch between Duke Ortega and Ralph Imabayashi will take place. The last time the two faced each other was a technical wrestling showcase and this one should be no exception!
For more information, including tickets, please visit the ticket2me.net website and/or visit the FPW - Filipino Pro Wrestling page on Facebook.
AFAM Steve will be making his wrestling debut at Wrestle Storm. His opponent has yet to be named as of this post. However, the event will take place on the weekend of March 23-24th. On the 23rd, there will be the Meet And Greet that will take place at Unbox Greenhills beginning at 12 noon. On Sunday, the show will be at Brawl Pit Bulusan, Quezon City beginning at 6pm.
The first thing I though when seeing the video was Mick Foley of WWE and the different characters that he portrayed. I'm not saying that AFAM Steve is trying to be Mick Foley. However, this fan really liked him as Steve The Teacher, especially with the wrestler-fan interaction!
Word has it that after his loss to Ken Cifer at the WUW event last August, the artist known as Steve The Teacher, felt he needed a change. After a few minutes of soul searching, he feels he found a new purpose in life.
This blogger has followed him on You Tube going back to the time of the pandemic. Steve has had quite a career in both the United States and in China. His debut last August at the Brawl Pit Bulusan may have not been what he was hoping for, which was a victory. However, he came back after a two year absence. A number of us who watched the match that night thought that Steve didn't miss a step. It was also cool that day meeting an international wrestler who wrestled in several countries. This was on top of wrestlers that I met from Southeast Asia.
Now, following him on Facebook, he appears to be in great shape and am sure, he's looking forward to his match, no matter who it will be. In the days ahead, this fan is looking forward, as all of us, to whom his opponent will be!
There have been two matches added to Grapplemax's upcoming show. The event is called Battle At The Barracks. It will take place at The Southern Depot, Saturday, March 9th beginning at 8:30pm. The address of The Southern Depot is 43 And 47 Malan Road in Singapore.
One of the matches will feature the team of Ships Ahoy (Christian and Sarah) versus Prabu and Ming Rui in an intergender tag team match.
The other match, also a tag team match will be Showtime Incs., Shaun R. Diddy and Kelvin against Ban Sachak and Shawn Phang.
For more information on the show, including tickets, please check the Grapplemax Pro Wrestling Singapore page on Facebook. Thank you.
There has been an update for Manila Wrestling Federation's show, MWF Kasaysayan. The show will take place on Sunday, April 14th at 4:30pm at the UP Film Institute Media Center, UP Dillman.
Isaiah Valencia, a rising star with MWF will face Mentai Kid with Kyushu Pro Wrestling in Japan. Mentai Kid is a former Kyushu Pro Wrestling Champion with the promotion.
For more information on the show, please check the Manila Wrestling Federation - MWF page on Facebook. For tickets, please check the ticket2me.net website. Thank you.