Maria Ozawa chats about Manila Wrestling Federation and '90s action film-style short film

Imagine two goons picking on a UP student in a dark corner of UP Diliman. Now, imagine the two goons leaving the student to steal the bag of a passing woman, and the woman happened to be actor-model Maria Ozawa.

That was exactly what happened in the short movie that premiered at Manila Wrestling Federation’s (MWFs) Kasaysayan last April 8.

Ozawa was featured as the heroine in a feature presentation by '90s action hero-inspired Gigz Stryker and UP student RG, whom Stryker took under his wing after a match in November.

While Ozawa’s appearance was relatively brief, it gave star power to the revamped MWF as it graduated from boxing rings to actual event venues.

Her appearance was the result of MWF meeting Ozawa at a taping a few years ago, and her schedule opening up for a shoot around UP Diliman’s campus.

“Finally, our schedule matched! [They asked] ‘Oh, can you please come to the wrestling match?’ I was like, 'oh, I’m interested'," said the Japanese actor, who has been residing in Manila for a couple of years already.

She continued: "I’ve seen a couple of WWE [matches], and I was like, oh, it’s like the Filipino version. I said, okay, I’ll go."

As far as first impressions went, the show at Elements in Centris amused the actress greatly with its unique twist on pro wrestling.

“It’s funny! They make it more comical, so it’s really fun to watch. You don’t get—it’s not draggy,” Ozawa quipped. 

Whether this is Ozawa’s last stint in MWF or not, her appearance in the squared circle is proof of the expanding appeal of the rebirthed promotion. — LA, GMA News