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MWF 2 Maki-Wrestling, ’Wag Matakot review and MWF 3 Republika brackets
Manila Wrestling Federation's second show since the reboot, Maki-Wrestling, 'Wag Matakot brought a new level of excitement to the UP Bahay ng Alumni as it kicked off a year-long tournament for the MWF Championship.
Pamantasang Hirang
The UP Bahay ng Alumni may not have been as jam-packed as it perhaps should be, but MWF 2 was a good stress test for the venue as a site for a wrestling show.
From the lights to the big screen, to the wide berth given the seats and the aisle, to the AC and separate area for merch and food, MWF utilized the venue to full and great effect.
Commuting to and from the venue is also made easier by UP's jeeps and its landmark status.
Perhaps in later shows, MWF will see a fuller venue and figure out a use for the second and third levels of the Bahay ng Alumni.
Pre-Show: RG vs. Coach Gus Queens
Queens' in-ring debut, the conceited coach from Taft came out with a drum squad and gear that made him look like an unwanted lovechild between the Green Arrow and DLSU's Green Archer logo.
His status as an unwanted child extended to being an alumnus of La Salle as he would put the school to shame by perpetuating the stereotype of DLSU alumni looking down at UP graduates as mere employees.
Fortunately, RG the graduating student from the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance came out to defend his school and the DLSU alumni who did not share Queen's sentiment before starting their match.
What attempts at a match these two had quickly devolved into a brawl that spilled out of the ring and across UP itself, shown in short bursts of live reports that saw them exchanging blows at famous UP-Diliman landmarks such as the Oblation and the torched Shopping Center.
The interrupted match was followed by a rendering of Lupang Hinirang that would not send the National Historical Commission into fits, and an OBB styled after Iskul Bukol to drive home the point that yes, MWF wants you to enjoy wrestling without fear.
Match 1: Morgan Vaughn & Ninja Ryujin vs. The Bae-Wolves (Aldrin Richards & Hanzhello Shilva)
The difference between a forced connection, as with Vaughn and Ryujin, and a real partnership, i.e. Richards and Shilva, exhibited by the double team moves each team employed in this quick and entertaining fight.
While Vaughn and Ryujin's moves were flashy, and the kick to meteora cool, the Bae-wolves' team offense fit their individual styles and had a bigger impact despite the longer set-ups.
The Bae-wolves will undoubtedly be in the running as the division's first tag champions—should such a belt make an appearance—yet it would almost be a shame if Richards and Shilva were made to focus on their tag careers exclusively since they can more than hold up on their own.
Individually, Vaughn stood out; the Glitch-afflicted made up for uncharacteristically sloppy moves with terrific if sluggish sequences with Richards that teased at a great match between them in the future.
Vaughn also served as the key to his team's victory, as he interrupted the Bae-wolves' finisher after a Golden?Buzzsaw (wrist-lock double kick), allowing Ryujin to hit a standing shiranui for the pin.
WINNER: Ninja Ryujin & Morgan Vaughn via pinfall
Richards was blindsided by Vaughn as he checked on his partner after the bell with an Ultima Coda (single knee facebuster), signalling that their little tiff was not over and leaving interesting implications for the championship tournament.
It was followed by a backstage segment featured a determined Robin Sane who, still shaken by ex-WWE star Ho Ho Lun's words about his lack of success, vowed to defeat his friend Mr. Lucha, win the tournament, and become the first MWF Champion.
Match 2, Pillow Fight: Ashura vs. Kyle Sison
Initially met with derision, this pillow fight turned out to be a PG hardcore match owing to Ashura and Sison's brutal use of their fluffy implements.
Ashura ensured early on that the fight would not be a joke through judicious application of teddy bear to Sison's face and dragging the man around even with an injured leg.
Her determination, moreso than her first unwhispered words—in Japanese, of course—finally gave her a concrete personality that would surely be fleshed out in the future.
Sison, meanwhile, is only matched by Lawin as MWF's biggest bad guy. The reasons for hating them may be different, but the fact remains that this hypebeast got the crowd to react to everything he did. It was almost beautiful how unrelentingly unpleasant he was and how appropriately hostile the crowd was to him.
His nastiness made up for the lulls in the match and made Ashura more sympathetic. It also hammered home how much the two hate each other, and how entertaining a heel can be when they annoy by just breathing.
Sison committed to his grossness until the end, where he retrieved unusually heavy pillows from the ring and used them to hit Ashura in her injured leg and the face to end the match.
WINNER: Kyle Sison via pinfall
The ominous thud from the pillow was revealed to have been from rocks stuffed in foils inside its stuffing after Sison showered Ashura's fallen body with their dusty remains.
The dirty win and the illegally modified pillows were poorly received by their mentor Mr. Lucha, who gave Sison a mighty slap for the act.
After a quick update on RG and Gus, Rex Lawin was shown backstage looking for the coach in green and white for his "celebration of greatness" before beating a crew member who informed him of Gus' whereabouts.
In-ring, Commissioner Mike Shannon came out to hype the crowd up for the first MWF Championship tournament, citing that MWF will surely bring out the best wrestling in the Philippines.
UP alumnus and PWR-affiliated manager Mr. Sy came out the back at this point to congratulate Shannon and MWF, before telling his fellow alumni that he came prepared with a new talent to help show off "the best" in their alma mater.
This talent turned out to be a maroon-clad SANDATA who, with wrist tape bearing the words "UP Fight," was ready to face Shannon's contender.
But Shannon was starved for choices by Lawin after he charged into the ring, ready to take out his frustration on the masked warrior.
Match 3: Rex Lawin vs. SANDATA
SANDATA's performance against Lawin was more enjoyable than his performance the previous week at Wrevolution X, perhaps due to his technical style finding a match against the striker-grappler.
Apart from landing his signature moves, SANDATA also had a sense of urgency that powered every forearm and single-leg dropkicks he let loose. His momentum made for some high-energy comeback spots, demonstrated by a John Woo kick followed up by a Ipo-Ipo (armdrag headscissors).
But Lawin's brute strength broke through SANDATA's technicality in more than one occasion. SANDATA's comebacks came in bursts for a reason: every time the masked man came out with dizzying spots, Lawin was not far off to catch him and throw him over his shoulder like he weighed nothing.
Lawin's strength proved to be the key for his victory, as he was able to catch SANDATA mid-Kidlat (running knee strike) before subjecting him to five Rex Triggers (ripcord superkick).
Mr. Sy stopped an impending sixth by throwing in the towel—the same white towel Lawin threw at him at the start of the match.
WINNER: Rex Lawin via technical knockout
As an exhibition, the two delivered on the promise of worlds colliding and allowed Lawin to continue his path of destruction in a convincing manner.
Lawin attempted to continue his beating of SANDATA, and even Mr. Sy, after the match but a still-injured Frankie Thurteen stopped him before the masked warrior's arm was broken the same way Lawin broke his.
Thurteen then told Lawin that he only cared and fought for himself, whereas the Grunge Grappler fought for his supporters, the KapaFeds, and his lady Angel.
That, he said, was what made him stronger than Lawin, whom he chased to the back as SANDATA and Sy made their own retreat.
It should be pointed out that despite being a family-friendly show with a number of children in attendance, a disturbing amount of catcalling was directed towards SANDATA well after his acknowledgement of the initial jokes about his gear.
While the crowd was encouraged to chant whatever they wished at the start of the show, catcalling and the various chanting distracted from what was otherwise a solid card and made it feel unsafe for performers and audience alike.
MWF Championship Brackets
MWF revealed the brackets for their MWF Championship tournament, which had its opening match in the main event of Maki-Wrestling.
Block A matches include:
- Fabio Makisig v ???
- Jomar Liwanag v Gigz Stryker
- Aldrin Richards v Kyle Sison
- Morgan Vaughn v RG
Their counterparts in Block B are:
- Robin Sane v Mr. Lucha
- Ninja Ryujin v Hanzhello Shilva
- Rex Lawin v ???
Frankie Thurteen v Ashura
The way the pairings were arranged made the tournament seem predictable to a fault, but there's no telling if stories hinted at in Maki-Wrestling will seal the fate of these matches.
Sagot Kita 2
The noir sequel to Sagot Kita, Misyon Aksyon showed the 90's action hero Gigz Stryker opened with a widow consulting with him regarding the whereabouts of a missing person while he grappled with his women-shaped feelings.
Stryker's quest to find said person took him to a dark alley, where he nearly came to blows with Fabio Makisig as the latter sought the identity of the mystery woman who appeared when he opened Jomar Liwanag's holy book.
Their mutual search took them to a room with an actual video tape, a VHS player, and a TV; but before its contents could be viewed, the movie paused for:
Match 4: Fabio Makisig & Gigz Stryker vs. Brother Jomar & ...Friend (Jorelle)
Stryker ended up being Makisig's saving throw in more ways than one as Makisig, for all his bluster, refused to get in the ring the moment Liwanag and his... Friend—later revealed to be Jorelle—entered the ring to the glorious strings of Bach.
Jorelle had perhaps one of the most memorable, if not the best, debuts in Philippine wrestling. From her look to her moves and physicality, she embodied a creature from the dark, like a hybrid of the Undead Bride Su Yung and Demon Finn Bálor.
She displayed natural athleticism in the lightning-quick strikes and throws she threw at both Stryker and Makisig, and great showmanship to antagonize the boys whenever she wasn't in action.
There's definitely room for refinement, but Jorelle has already shown potential to be one of MWF's breakout stars.
Her opponents also had notable character moments: Makisig finally found an opponent who could not be defeated with his overconfidence, while Stryker was forced to put aside his machismo to fight Jorelle and give his team a winning chance.
Makisig's bluff was called out in full when he was chased out of the ring by Jorelle when she spider-crawled towards him with blood dripping from her mouth. The distraction was enough for Liwanag to capitalize on the situation and claim the victory.
WINNER: Brother Jomar & ...Friend (Jorelle) via pinfall
Sagot Kita 2 resumed after the match, revealing how Jorelle was brought by Jomar to his disappeared mentor Brother Moises Liwanag.
Her demonic appearance was explained by Liwanag imbuing her with the darkness and power of death, in order to bring meaning to their light.
Stryker was then seen seeking out Menudo Girl who, in a stinger after the credits, was seen tied up in a dark room, calling out for the hero as a shadowy figure approached.
MWF Foundation
MWF creative director and UP alumnus William Elvin announced the formation of the MWF Foundation, the charitable arm of the company that aims to give back to the community after three years of support from the KapaFeds.
For its first act, Elvin announced that it will contribute to the rebuilding efforts for the UP Shopping Center.
William Elvin, #MWF creative director, announced the formation of the MWF Foundation. For its first act, it will aim to contribute to the rebuilding of the UP Shopping Center. #MakiWrestlingWagMatakot pic.twitter.com/dbGOgLrJSd
— Rie Takumi (@rie_takumi) May 27, 2018
Match 5, MWF Championship qualifying round: Mr. Lucha vs. Robin Sane
A top contender for match of the year in the country, this 30-minute or so match had all the elements to remind even the most jaded wrestling fan of how good of a storytelling medium wrestling can be.
It's safe to say that this was Lucha's best performance to date. Apart from making it through this marathon of a match while maintaining the impact of big moves, he conveyed his character here better than he ever had.
He was a determinator, a hero who does his best remain fair and give his opponent a fighting chance, and in the moments where he stopped to advise Sane to quit, he seemed like a mentor who doesn't want his best pupil to fail.
Sane equally delivered; he was a great foil to Lucha in terms of style, size, and goals, calling back to his goal of being more than MWF's heart. Yet, as remarked later, his sense of self was maintained by gestures small and huge.
The biggest example was him hesitating on the top rope amid chants for his 450 Splash, not knowing if he wanted victory over friendship more, and opting for a swanton instead.
Character was visible down to the smallest gestures, like Sane beating his own head after the swanton serve, telling himself off for not taking the plunge, Mr. Lucha giving each backbreaker and powerbomb an extra kick despite looking like he's breathing his last, and the punching exchange that ended with the two just hugging it out.
And it's this determination by both parties, notably by Lucha, that made this match great: neither men have their character down pat, nor are they the smoothest, or even have the "look" or endurance of a typical wrestler.
But both understand that wrestling runs on emotions, that pretty kicks and technical sequences must serve a purpose—this purpose being a captivating story that elevates all participants—and Sane and Lucha more than exceeded expectations on these points.
It was obvious to everyone in attendance, but most importantly, the children who shouted and watched every part of the match in awe.
It's heartening to see wrestling stories that resonate with kids, and not exclusionary adults who have the emotional capacity of a teaspoon and whose only contribution to society is to quip like Deadpool without any class nor a good writing team to back them up.
All good things, however, must come to an end, and this first round match ended with Sane wriggling out of a powerbomb to get the roll-up win, something which Lucha and Sane himself could not believe at first.
WINNER: Robin Sane via pinfall
Sane and Lucha's show of friendship after the bell was proof that a compelling match between friends does not have to end in betrayal, nor the chase to be a history-maker end up corrupting heroes.
The show didn't end there, however, as Sane was sent a message by his ex-tag team partner and now rival Ho Ho Lun.
Lun spoke briefly but made his message clear: Come July 8 at MWF 3: Republika right there at the UP Bahay ng Alumni, he and the daredevil will settle their grudges in what promises to be a Manila classic.
The rest of matches for the qualifying round of the MWF Championship tournament will also take place at the July 8 event.
Post-Show: RG vs. Coach Gus Queens
RG and Queens ran back inside the ring before the crowd left to end their match once and for all, with Queens initially gaining the upper hand through unsavory means.
Pageantry once again made Queens, who aped several familiar moves to less effect with the exception of the Rainmaker (Queenmaker?) as it produced green confetti out of nowhere to shower the crowd and a downed RG with.
Before Queens can take home the accolade, however, RG fought back and managed to have the crowd go home happy by hitting a Franchiser (shoulder jaw breaker) for the pinfall victory. — BM, GMA News
Videos by Ardelle Costuna and Meanne Bruan, gifs by Rie Takumi. An audio review for Maki-Wrestling, 'Wag Matakot is available via the Smark-Gilas Pilipinas podcast.
