Philippine Wrestling Revolution (PWR) made its long awaited return to the iAcademy Auditorium last month with PWR Wrevolution X 2018! The last time we saw the PWR crew perform at the iAcademy was way back in Wrevolution X 2016.
Pre-Show
McKata (w/ Brad Cruz) vs. Kapitan PWR
M-C-Kata is back at ya
And Brad was his back up
Kap lost more weight this time
Made me wanna ask if his diet was all ketchup
It was a back and forth brawl in the auditorium
But when Kapitan PWR tried to get the pinfall
Brad distracted the referee
We kinda get what’s gonna happen next, y’all
One low blow and a finisher later, McKata got the victory
This is the end of the first pre-show story
I might be wasting time
Cause you know it’s too hard
Finding another rhyme…
…..ugh…f***…so hard
*frustrated mic drop*
(Joseph Vivian) Quatro vs. Trabajador Supremo
This was the conclusion we have been waiting for! Quatro faced off the revitalized Trabajador Supremo! Supremo’s entrance did remind me a bit of Rederick Mahaba’s. But instead of a ‘heart’, he made an ‘S’ for, SHADOW… (SHADOW)!!! His “show me some god-damned…SHADOW” was also similar to Mahaba’s clubbing blow. There’s a good chance these two are long lost twins with Supremo being sent into the shadows (SHADOW!).
Quatro tried his might, but he was overpowered by the bigger competitor. Supremo ripped Quatro’s mask off to expose to the world the face of one Joseph Vivian Quatro. Trabajador Supremo used the power of the shadow to darken the ringside area and was poised to win it all! That is…until a mysterious voice spurred Quatro to rise up and fight back. Quatro’s light was burning and he quatro’d up before he took down the bigger opponent with the Destino. He pinned Trabajador Supremo 1–2–3!!! Icarus flies onwards! The power of Quatro’s light has blinded the absolute darkness of the shadow (SHADOW!)
After the match, Supremo told Quatro that maybe the prophecy of the trabajadors was true after all. That one will send the council to new heights. He added that while Quatro grows, Supremo will be relegated as his shadow. Before he left, Supremo gave his blessings to Quatro to go forth and send the council to new heights!
~*~*~*~*MAIN SHOW*~*~*~*
PWR Tag Team Title Match: Punk Dolls (Martivo & Robynn) vs. Crystal & John Sebastian©
From the entrance alone, John Sebastian and Crystal were already playing mind games on their challengers. Sebastian was the bigger culprit by going ala HBK back in Survivor Series 1997 with that rainbow flag.
John Sebastian with an early fake-out tags in Crystal at the start of the match. Crystal pulled Martivo’s hair to send him to the mat. Martivo rallied back with the “Pak/Ganern” chops on the corner and the twerkface on Crystal. John Sebastian and Robynn are tagged in and the latter hit a Thez Press on the former PWR Champion. John Sebastian and Crystal retreated to the outside, but Martivo was grabbed them both. Robynn took off on the top rope for the “Bahala na si Batman” dive.
Crystal and John Sebastian hit the Superkick-to-Styles Clash on Robynn. They isolate Robynn at their corner. Martivo got the hot tag and went down town on both John Sebastian and Crystal. However, it was short lived as the tag team champs blocked Martivo and Robynn’s finishers. They set their sights on the Man Doll and finished him with the Solemate-Killshot combo for the 1–2–3.
Dax Xaviera vs SANDATA
Dax and SANDATA put on a hard hitting match. Dax was primed to go 3–0 at Wrevolution X from the get go. He trapped his masked opponent with a very unique sbumission move in the middle of the ring. Dax channeled the spirit of Joey Bax with a trio of slingblades on SANDATA. Dax caught SANDATA off a pabasag and powerbombed his opponent to the mat!
Dax delivered the Balete driver and almost had SANDATA beat. SANDATA pulled out all the stops and delivered the Kidlat 3 successive times on the former Delerium member. He sent Dax to dream land with his Garrote submission hold and claimed his very first Wrevolution X win.
Main Maxx and the Apocalypse vs. the Kakaibr0s
This match was not just a tag team match, it was a tarp match. I still went for the Kakaibr0s in that department. Mr. Sy’s Avengers themed tarp was good, but…Kakaibr0s always got their tarp game on. Soundz Lyk Gud? SOUNDS LYK GUD!
Main Maxx and the Apocalypse used their size and strength in the early goings. Mr. Sy climbed up the top rope to deliver a splash on the Kakaibr0s and their ever growing Jeje Crew. Main Maxx and Apocalypse looked like they would win the match after Maxx hit the Blitzkreig. However, Apocalypse was stopped on the corner as Mh4rckie messed up his mask. Near the end of the match, Mr. Sy was bumped by Main Maxx from the apron due to a little miscommunication between them. Mh4rcki3, with Kh3ndrick’s assistance, rolled up Maxx for the pinfall victory!
THE KAKAIBR0S GOT THEIR 1TH WIN! WOOOOOOOOOOOO!
The Jeje crew did a victory lap around a fallen Mr. Sy after the match.
All Out War Championship Match: Vlad Sinnsyk © vs. Vintendo vs. James “Idol” Martinez vs. Alexander Belmonte III vs. Revo Ranger vs. Peter Versoza
The action was everywhere and it was brutal! There were DVD players, Sitaws, Dore the Explorer tables, Gauntlets, and even a diving Idol on fire were in play here in this match (more on the last part, later).
At one point, AB3 got triple powerbombed on a wooden table that I thought he was broken in half! There was also this great spot wherein Revo-Ranger was in the middle of the ring and did his pose, with his opponents flopping on the floor. Revo-Ranger also delivered the Revo-Kick on Vlad, who woudl stumble onto the thumbtacks. I was entertained at that reenactment of Avengers Infinity War featuring Vintendo and a couple of the dudes.
Alexander Belmonte III became the All Out War Champion number three after he delivered the Belmonte Driver (Michinoku Driver from a Fireman’s Carry position) on Peter Versoza.
6-Man Tag: The YOLO Twins (Yohann and Logan Ollores) and Robin Sane vs. Trian Dela Torre, Evan Carleaux and Mark D. Manalo
2 wrestlers in this match would make their long-awaited return to PWR. One was Mark D. Manalo who has yet to compete since being injured at Renaissance 2016 by the YOLO Twins. MWF’s Robin Sane would make his PWR return since PWR Renaissance 2014. Mark D. Manalo was attacked by the twins moments before the match, making it a 3-on-2.
Robin Sane delivered a hurricanrana on ECX outside the ring. He would help his team as he broke the Darkest Noir, but his partners admonished him and sent him to their corner. Sane got himself in with a blind tag and had a great wrestling sequence with Trian and Evan. Logan would blind tag himself in to hold Sane back at their corner. Eventually it would be a 3-on-3 once Officer Tutan stripped and revealed his ring gear. He delivered some very innovative crotch-centric offense that evened up the odds.
One awry splash sent everyone down save the YOLO Twins and Naughty Boys intern Jhemherlhynn. They corner her inside the ring and some bad things might be happening soon! One twin tried to kiss her, but she dodged and it led to the twins kissing each other by accident. OH MY!
Ok. Back to the match. Trian and Evan pinned Logan Ollores with a double team move for the victory. The Naughty Boys and Kapitan Tutan get the Victory!
Now with an all-star calibre team of Robin Sane and the YOLO Twins, most fans would assume that they’d win over Trian, Evan, and whoever they’d have as a 3rd man. However, most of us forgot that Trianverse has something they don’t…THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP!!!
Yes. I totally stole that picture above from some Fither video (check out their channel for more Persona-related videos). So yes. Just like in Persona, Trianverse’s Power of Friendship is at the SSSSS level while their opponents at WrevoX were at level A at best. Eat your heart out, Nyarlathotep!!!
Yohann and Logan berated Robin Sane after the match. At long last, Robin Sane snapped and took down the twins with a Spider Driver. He thanked PWR and the Revo-Nation for his return to PWR since his last match in 2014. Robin Sane plugged his upcoming event, MWF 2, where he would face his friend Mr. Lucha. (Spoilers: He won!)
Chris Panzer vs. Rederick Mahaba
This match was a long time coming. Panzer was looking for revenge as Mahaba has been a huge factor in him losing the PWR Championship and the rematch at Path of Gold. Rederick Mahaba stalled during the start, leaving the ring and whatnot. The two brawled outside the ring where Mahaba stretched Panzer’s back on the stage. The referee was counting them out and Mahaba made it way before the 10 count. Panzer barely made it before ‘10’, but it seemed like the referee was ‘stunned’ by Panzer’s good looks so he stopped counting and let him in instead.
Mahaba continued to focus on Panzer’s back inside the ring with some hard splashes and a bear hug. Chris Panzer did a very crafty move: he KISSED his opponent and it was super effective. Panzer delivered a Panzerschreck to Rederick Mahaba. Panzer went with an Eagle Splash from the top rope for the pinfall victory.
Jake De Leon vs. Zayden Trudeau
Zayden and Jake had a great exchange of holds and strikes to start off the match. Both men even dealt the other’s hurricanrana attempt and landed on their feet. JDL almost got Robynn’s fate from last show with an attempted apron suplex, but he blocked it. The Senyorito punished Zayden with a powerbomb on the apron. The Senyorito thought it was all over after he connected with the Alipin Drop. However, Zayden got a shoulder up before the count of 3.
Zayden delivered a breath-taking combo that started with a springboard Frankensteiner on JDL off the top turnbuckle, a standing shooting star press, and topped it off with a Phoenix Splash.
Zayden Trudeau scored a pinfall over Mr. Philippine Wrestling after he connected with the 450 Splash. The future looks bright for Trudeau after his big win over JDL at Wrevolution X. Check the video below for the FULL match c/o PWR.
At PWR Re5peto, he will face the current champion for the title!
PHX Championship Match: Mike Madrigal © vs. Ken Warren
THE Ken Warren, the 2018 Path of Gold Winner, looked to reclaim his belt from Mike Madrigal. Before the match, we got one rockin’ entrance for Mike Madrigal, complete with a live band performance.
The Revo-Nation was on Madrigal’s case early on with a “Princess Kupal” chant started by KenWa. The PHX champ delivered a cheap shot early on to take control of the match. Madrigal delivered a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and a powerbomb on the top turnbuckle for a 2 count. Ken Warren fought back and surprised everyone with a GTS on the PHX Champion! Mike Madrigal powerbombed Ken Warren off the corner after Warren tried to deliver a hurricanrana.
Ken Warren’s head was Madrigal’s target through the rest of the match to get the win. At one point Ken Warren accidentally superkicked the referee and gave the Kakaibr0s the opening to interfere. Kh3ndrick and Mh4rcki3 tried to hit Warren with the PHX title but he dodged the attempt. Mh4rcki3 was an unfortunate recipient of a Wi-Fi before Ken Warren set his eyes back on Mike Madrigal. Madrigal connected with the GTS, but it didn’t stop Ken Warren. Mike Madrigal fetched the PHX belt and was looking to hit Warren on the head.
Ken Warren dodged the belt shot and delivered a low blow! Warren connected with 2 successive Wi-fis on the corner to get the win.
PWR Championship Match: Ralph Imabayashi © vs. Miguel Rosales (w/ Joey Bax)
Ralph’s entrance, by far, is my FAVORITE Wrevolution X entrance theme for one sole reason…his Evangelion inspired entrance video.
Both men locked horns at the start. Miguel Rosales tried to deliver an early Castigo Brutal F5 on Ralph, but the latter escaped. Ralph trapped Rosales early on with a couple of submission moves but the challenger escaped these holds eventually. Rosales stopped Ralph on the top turnbuckle and delivered a massive overhead belly to belly suplex from the corner! The PWR Champ was sent to Barangay Suplex as Rosales connected with three successive German Suplexes. Rosales tried theF5 again, but Ralph countered with a Sonic Crusher out of nowhere for a near fall.
Ralph Imabayashi accidentally hit PWR Senior Referee Matt Roxas with a hard knee strike and the referee goes down!
The brawl went to the outside and Miguel Rosales grabbed Ralph to deliver the Castigo Brutal on the entrance ramp! Both men were down momentarily while the ref was still down inside the ring. Both men re-entered the ring and Miguel Rosales countered the Senketsu attempt into a Tombstone for a near fall.
The challenger connected with the Castigo Brutal F5 and almost got a 3 count. Imabyashi caught Rosales with the Senketsu but Rosales got the shoulder up before 3. The challenger was defiant as he spat on Ralph and asked if that’s all he’s got. Ralph delivered three knee strikes to Miguel Rosales. Ralph delivered a final Senketsu to finally pin Rosales and retain the belt. It was Rosales’ last stand and Ralph defeated him.
After the match, the champion got the microphone and said that Miguel Rosales got his respect. Ralph gave his challenger a hug and left the PWR belt with him temporarily as a way to send the people home happy. Miguel Rosales gave thanks and had some very heartfelt words for the PWR wrestlers and the fans as the show ended. It was a very moving promo from Rosales and mantears were shed on my part. I think I tweeted it a while back that while JDL/Trudeau stole the show..this match stole my effin heart T_T.
It was a memorable Wrevolution X for sure. So be ready as PWR hits Season 5 on June 24, 2018 for Re5peto!
Here’s the FB event link
Photos by: Tom Huang and Hub Pacheco
Notes and Other Musings
- Ralph Imabayashi is the FIRST PWR Champion to not lose his belt in Wrevolution X. The first 3 Wrevolution X had all three champions lose their belt in the main event. (2015 — Bryan Leo d. JDL/ 2016 — JDL d. Bryan Leo and Ralph/ 2017 — Chris Panzer d. John Sebastian).
- Break the streaks: SANDATA broke his losing streak and is now 1–3 in Wrevolution X while he also broke Dax Xaviera’s 2–0 streak in the same event.
- Check out my reviews on the event here (kayfabe cafe) and here (Jobber Talk).
- Renaissance return: Had Mark D. Manalo competed in the 6-man tag team match, there would’ve been TWO men who have made their PWR returns since their last appearance, which were both PWR Renaissance events. Robin Sane made his return to PWR since Renaissance 2014. MDM would’ve made his first in-ring return since Renaissance 2016.
- PHX Dos: Ken Warren becomes the very first wrestler to win the PHX title twice.
++++++++++++++++THE IDOL SPOT++++++++++++++
Let us be clear…Idol lighting himself on fire and diving to the outside was not planned by PWR and they did take action regarding that days later. While I do feel like I want to FULLY unpack my thoughts on this, but I only have a handful. But here’s all I can say for now:
- ) Acknowledging and addressing said incident is a good move by PWR.
- )Like it or not, that spot is and forever will be entrenched in Philippine Pro Wrestling history.
- ) It has gained international attention such as in whatculture or Jim Cornette’s podcast and sadly it has or may have painted the local scene into that lone spot. One one side, the attention is there, now it’s up to the players of the local scene to try and get their attention again with something better and something that will have their eyes glued here. How? Don’t look at me. After all..I’m not a wrestler, I’m just a fan.
- ) It was a very shocking scene. Hell I feel I’m still not over it by now and it’s almost a damn month since Wrevo X 2018.
- ) At the end of the day I do wish Idol is doing just fine now and is recovering well. If you’re reading this, hope you are doing a-ok.
++++++++++++++NOW, BACK TO THE BLOG!++++++++++
PWR Wrevolution X 2018 Quick Results
– Preshow match 1: McKata d. Kapitan PWR
– Preshow match 2: Quatro d. Trabajador Supremo
– Crystal and John Sebastian © defeated the Punk Dolls to retain the PWR Tag Team Titles
– SANDATA d. Dax Xaviera
– The Kakaibr0s d. Main Maxx and the Apocalypse
– Alexander Belmonte III d. Vlad Sinnsyk ©, Peter Versoza, Revo Ranger, James Idol Martinez, and Vintend0 to win the PWR All Out War Title
– Trian Dela Torre, Evan Carleaux, and Officer Tutan d. The YOLO Twins and Robin Sane
– Chris Panzer d. Rederick Mahaba
– Zayden Trudeau d. Jake De Leon
– Ken Warren d. Mike Madrigal © to win the PWR PHX Title
– Ralph Imabayashi © d. Miguel Rosales to retain the PWR Championship
