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Ex-WWE superstar HoHo Lun talks Asian wrestling scene, zeroes in on Manila Wrestling Federation
From North America to various cities across Asia, WWE alumnus Ho Ho Lun has seen it all. And with an actual wrestling ring with better trained opponents, the Godfather of Hong Kong Wrestling brought his wealth of experiences to the Philippines on April 8 at Manila Wrestling Federation’s (MWF) Kasaysayan.
The “actual wrestling ring” part is no joke: the last Philippine ring Lun performed in was a boxing ring at the now-defunct Makati Cinema Square at MWF’s Noche Buena last December.
“A boxing ring is not appropriate for a wrestler to perform [in]. [They have] a wrestling ring now. It’s up to the standard, it’s really, really good quality ring for the wrestlers, they performed better. This is the biggest improvement from the past shows,” Lun said in an interview with GMA News Online.
Lun has not been idle since December. In addition to caring for his ailing mother, the superstar has gone on to hold 17 shows in mainland China since Chinese New Year.
His grueling schedule resulted in him becoming the inaugural King of Pro Wrestling champion.
It’s the same title he displayed while tagging with MWFs Robin Sane against Mr. Lucha and the Eurasian Dragon, one-half of the current Singapore Pro Wrestling (SPW) Southeast Asian Tag Team Champions, the Mighty Dragons.
The confusing conclusion to that bout left a bitter taste in Lun’s mouth, made evident by his attack on Sane after the match.
“I hope I can come back the next time and settle this one more time,” Lun asserted.
Tensions aside, Lun believes MWF's improved production values are up to par with the rest of Asia, a region slowly waking up to the full potential of professional wrestling.
“Wrestling is not a big sport in Asia, especially for local people, even for different kinds of sports like basketball or soccer, there’s not a lot of full-time Asian people wanting to pursue a full-time (career as) athletes,” Lun noted.
“But when I see all this passion, when I see all the interest from the fans, I can feel that in the next three to five years, wrestling is gonna be big in this region,” he added. — LA, GMA News
