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The pandemic forced many businesses to close down and even sports entertainment companies like the Manila Wrestling Federation (MWF) had to shut its doors due to COVID-19. But after more than two years, MWF is back.

“Because of the pandemic, MWF had to shut down for around two and a half years. I think it was a very good thing for us because the local wrestling scene and the local wrestling industry was moving really fast. We needed that moment to take a step back and think about ourselves and think about what is important for us and consider where we want to be and where we want to be, moving forward,” explained Veronica Littion, MWF president in a recent media conference.

Unknown to younger generations, Pinoy wrestling was quite popular from the late '80s to the early '90s. After years of not having a local professional wrestling federation, a group decided to bring the glory days of Pinoy wrestling back.

Founded in 2015, MWF is touted as the fastest rising sports entertainment company in the Philippines. The group has done several shows since then including mall tours and their own MWF Aksyonovela TV uploaded on Facebook.

MWF takes pride in its Filipino roots and that's what they showcase in their pro wrestling matches featuring all-Filipino wrestlers like Fabio Makisig, Crystal, Robin Sane, Bro Jomar Liwanag, and Nigel San Jose, just to name a few.

“We promote professional wrestling here in the Philippines using characters and storylines that are uniquely Filipino. This has always been one of the most important things for us in the MWF,” Veronica stressed.

This year, MWF is back in the ring and continues to entertain Filipino wrestling fans. Last May 11, the MWF Aksyonovela TV started its weekly episodic program on streaming service Gank. And on June 5, it will hold its first and biggest live event since the pandemic, the MWF Republika, which will be held at the Doreen Black Box theater in Arete Ateneo in Quezon City.

MWF is happy to be back performing before a live audience, which they say is one of the most important aspects in professional wrestling.

“The most important component in pro wrestling is the live audience because the wrestlers themselves feed off from the energy of the crowd. Not being able to have a live crowd watching our matches is a gigantic challenge because we need that real-time feedback,” said MWF commissioner Sonny Go.

The ultimate goal for MWF is to be the best wrestling federation in Southeast Asia.

“The real goal of MWF now is to really promote professional wrestling as one of the biggest sports and entertainment events you can go to in the Philippines. We are really at the beginning stages of propelling that forward. For us we want to ensure that within the next five to 10 years, our professional wrestlers aren't just seen as professional wrestlers but they're seen as superstars. This is where we want to pivot, we want to be number one, we want to be the best, and we want to be the biggest in Southeast Asia,” Veronica shared.

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