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PWR Renaissance: Full results and review

By RIE TAKUMI, GMA News

Philippine Wrestling Revolution Renaissance was the rebirth needed by quite a number of locally-trained wrestlers on the roster in the event that took place in a venue that had a working air-conditioning unit.

Returning to Quezon City after "Bagong Yugto" rumble in January, PWR did a great job picking the top floor of Playland in Fisher Mall, which was accessible, had a lot of food options, and had working aircon.

The setup of the ring itself was great. Because the venue was a basketball court, the floor was more resilient to shocks, allowing the crowd to feel the impact from every move in the ring.

There was also enough room for the crowd to breathe and move around, although the gap between the ring and the crowd was not big enough as there were a few times when the action wound up on people's laps —literally.

Crowd and atmosphere

While the annoying habit of turning the two-count into “too sweet” persisted, the audience was mostly friendly and the chants were par for the course. There were more children and first-timers too, perhaps due to PWR's Un-Father's Day show at Eastwood last week.

There was also a discernible lack of hecklers, for the most part. Even when the likes of Rederick Mahaba and John Sebastian were on the mic, there was no kind of heckling that led some incensed spectators to break into the ring.

The one person who did try to get in the ring in Resbak last month was an anomaly, but the promotion and the roster were wise to this and did enough to control the crowd.

Pre-show:

A) Dax Xaviera & Bolt vs. Kakaibros (Kh3ndrick & Mh4rckie)

Kh3ndrick and Mh4rckie, the Kakaibros really leaned into their identities as street idols — to describe their gimmick kindly — in their debut. Both sported unwavering grins as they acclimatized to the ring, with Mh4rckie initiating the bulk of the offense and Kh3ndrick showing he could do more than pratfall like in his previous match.

And while The Kakaibros may not have wowed with their moves, they captured the audience attention with their backwards caps and friendship tarp with three different fonts on it.

At the other end of the ring, Dax Xaviera and Bolt impressed the crowd in their own way. Xaviera, in tights this time, was always the more impressive half of Delirium and, being senior among the four, brought the energy to give the match a satisfying end with a combination of a high kick from Bolt and a sweep kick from himself.

 But the real standout was Bolt. While Dax naturally drew the most reactions, the Anime-zing Fighter made people look with his quickness and grit. Bolt took the lessons he learned from facing Crystal in last month's Resbak to heart and continued the trend of showing visible improvement in this bout.

Xaviera and Bolt felt more like individuals than a team but whether this is a temporary alliance or not, they, like the Kakaibros, have time to grow.

Winner: Dax Xaviera & Bolt via pinfall

B) Vintendo vs. McKata

McKata, like Bolt, had a definitively better outing than his last bout. Apart from matching Vintendo in strength, McKata showed improved dexterity and greater familiarity with the ring. His mic work also showed that he's grown more familiar with his character, striking a good balance between maangas and being a people's wrestler.

Vintendo, on the other hand, let his character develop by doling out slam after slam, punctuating it with a chokeslam after McKata won via a neck snap. The iron claw in the end felt kind of silly, but it felt right at that moment to emphasize the change in Vintendo's character.

Vintendo's turn could be what revitalizes interest in the gamer gimmick and if these two continue this feud, they could get the crowd invested in their future.

Winner: McKata via pinfall

Main Card:

1) Rederick Mahaba vs. Zayden Trudeau

If it comes down to it, Mahaba and John Sebastian are the best talkers in PWR, bar none. Both believe in their characters, in their ethos, and trumpets that belief — no matter how misguided — into the crowd's faces.

What tilts this into Mahaba's favor is his rhetoric has reason, doesn't solely run off his ego, and doesn't reiterate given facts. Mahaba's infuriatingly gripping spiel during Mahabang Usapan on MTNH being the only true appreciators of pro wrestling, with Ralph's supporting interjection, also furthered their goals while making their characters more nuanced.

His match with Trudeau continued this development. Mahaba's the only man in PWR who can pull off a bear hug and he did so with gusto.

Trudeau continues to live up to his moniker of "Canadian Dragon" with stiff kicks and enzuigiris. There were moments where he showed how green he is, as seen in moments when Mahaba would wait for him and the slip on a springboard that ended his hot streak.

Mercifully, the slip allowed Mahaba to end the match with a transition from the Jackolade to a triangle choke, a nuanced choice on Mahaba's part that drove home the fact that he no longer performs for the watchers.

Winner: Rederick Mahaba via submission

2) The Deadly Sinns (Mike Madrigal and Vlad Synnsyk) vs. Punk Dolls (Martivo and Robynn)

Mike Madrigal's patience is as commendable as his mouth. As crass as he acted, he waited for Robynn throughout the match even as he and Synnsyk tested her resilience. And while this was distracting at times, it didn't take away from the Punk Dolls' energetic spots.

Robynn's story, always of pathos, ended on a good note this time when she finished the match with a surprise roll-up on Madrigal. Though she was solid, Martivo's efforts to become lighter on his feet to fit the style he favors fixed all eyes on him.

Madrigal's attempt to take the pin after Synnsyk's muscle buster to Robynn seems to bode ill for the Deadly Sinns, but sowing tension this early may be premature. There's still a lot left for the pair and it would be a shame to break them up now.

Winner: Punk Dolls via pinfall

3) John Sebastian vs. Brad Cruz

Brad Cruz has got Da Looks, and this was the same look Sebastian insulted pre-Wrevolution X with, though the self-proclaimed Wrestling Lord and Savior forgot all about their brief encounter.

Cruz wasted no time making a new impression on Sebastian as he immediately drove Sebastian to a corner, piled on a crisp ddt, and an amazing People's Elbow that almost gave him the win.

Unfortunately for the man with the cheesy '80s action movie sax, his momentum got cut down and ended with Sebastian hitting The Killshot.

Though Sebastian's pre-match speech was a must-watch, his claim of being the Messiah of Philippine Pro Wrestling wasn't new. But his frustrations fueled his post-match attack on Cruz and attempted battery of Mr. Sy, a feat he would try again later in the night.

Winner: John Sebastian via pinfall

4) Ken Warren and The YOLO Twins (Logan and Yohann Ollores) vs. The Network (James “Idol” Martinez, Alexander Belmonte III, & Chino Guinto)

It's difficult to think of this feud between The Network and the team of The YOLO Twins and Ken Warren as anything but magical. There's great chemistry in all permutations of these six men, fantastic dynamics within the teams, and The Network couldn't have progressed their story if it wasn't for the yet-unchristened team of the Ollores and Warren giving them an entertaining canvas to cast it on.

ABIII was the MVP of this match in terms of taking punishment. As he was repeatedly chopblocked by Yohann, had his leg worked over by Ken, and superkicked by Logan, Idol and Guinto argued over who got to stand in one corner and even who got to tag in to relieve ABIII, leaving the big man to sell everything like crazy.

When they do work together, they produce great tag moves like ABIII assisting Idol with his signature bronco buster and Idol saving Guinto from a twin superkick and Warren's Wi-Fi by simply walking into the ring.

Guinto obviously had the golden moves and delivered as the main man of hot tags, but Idol's blasé reactions as ABIII — an absolute trooper — and Guinto were waled on were absolute gems. From having a young boy prop up a monoblock chair for him to sit on, to shutting out chants of fans wanting him to tag in, and instructing Guinto to not talk to him, Idol gave the performance of a lifetime and he didn't even spend much time inside the ring.

All of the tension between The Network finally came to a head when Idol tagged Guinto in after the latter hit the Gold Digger on Warren to attempt the pin. This ultimate act of selfishness lead The Network to abandon Idol to Warren and The YOLO Twins' mercy.

Just when all seemed lost however, ABIII and Guinto charged back into the ring seconds before Idol was hit with a three-way WiFi (3G?) to save their nominal leader and, through quick thinking on part of ABIII, reform and set their sites on winning the PWR Tag Titles from The YOLO Twins.

Winner: Ken Warren & The YOLO Twins via pinfall

5) Peter Versoza vs. Miguel Rosales w Joey Bax

Had it not been for the main event, this would've been the match that defined the evening.

Rosales laid a solid foundation within the first half of the match with Versoza, who brought the A-game that he perhaps should've had when he challenged for the PHX title last month. The two built on that with explosive offense, with superplexes and suicide dives from Rosales that almost took out some of the audience, and rib-shattering kicks from Versoza that kept the match on an even keel.

Versoza should be commended for how pretty he falls, especially from Rosales' chain suplexes. Rosales's offense, meanwhile, was not as polished as it could be but he rose to Versoza's challenge of getting a little rude with full impact strikes and a deadly spear.

Just as Rosales was about to hit the jackhammer however, Sebastian interfered by striking him, causing the match to stop and allowing Versoza to hit the Karne Norte.

The ensuing brawl between Fighters 4 Hire and the bizarre alliance of Versoza and Sebastian spilled everywhere and on anyone unfortunate enough to be in their path. Versoza even got his hands Mr. Sy before being pulled away by the mess his new partner started.

Perhaps it shouldn't have been so surprising to see Versoza and Sebastian team up, due to their issues with Mr. Sy and bloated sense of self-importance, but unexpected or not this development answered any questions as to what these gentlemen will do after closing the books on their previous conflicts in Resbak.

Winner: Miguel Rosales via disqualification

6) Trian Dela Torre vs. The Apocalypse

Thank god The Apocalypse finally learned to counter a small package from The Little People's Champ.

Small things like this added to the second outing between this David and Goliath pairing. Trian dela Torre continues to serve as a good foil for The Apocalypse, who developed his character by wising up to Dela Torre's little tricks and almost involving The Miniature Boy's only kapre friend, an injured Evan Carleaux.

The pair's a huge hit with the audience due to Dela Torre's tiny comments and his sheer size disparity with The Apocalypse. This size advantage made Apocalypse's willing disqualification by choking Dela Torre worthy of the loud boos it got.

A third match is in order, but an All-Out-War may not be the best step forward. This match type is a little too intense for such a low-stakes rivalry that only begun recently and could wait further down the line.

Winner: Trian Dela Torre via disqualification

7) PWR Championship #1 Conteder's match: SANDATA vs. Billy Suede

Suede should think of changing his moniker from “Beautiful” to “Goldmaker” as every match he's had turned to 24-carat gold.

Just as he teased great performances from Jake De Leon and Chris Panzer, Suede did so again with SANDATA. Fantastic reactions, consistent character work, and the cleanest finishes: he's using his experience to the fullest and PWR could only benefit from it.

Suede couldn't have a great match by himself though, and SANDATA stepped up to the challenge. SANDATA channeled his intensity in all of his moves, used his agility to answer Suede's grounding tactics and signature handspring enzuigiris, and submission knowledge to dampen Suede's explosive offense.

This match, by all indications, was supposed to take place in Resbak but an unsportsman attack on Mr. Sy and a rescuing SANDATA placed Suede on temporary suspension. SANDATA's aggression against Suede is partly due to this and the #1 contendership spot that could've made up for his losing effort for the PHX title back in Wrevolution X.

Yet Suede's ongoing beef with Mr. Sy took over the end as he would render the general manager's efforts to foil his dirty pin via ropes by making SANDATA tap out with a single-leg Boston crab.

Winner: Billy Suede via pinfall

8) PWR Championship 3-way match: Chris Panzer (c) v. Ralph Imabayashi vs. Jake De Leon

On paper, this match could have solely focused on JDL and Imabayashi's growing rivalry, but Panzer is a champion for a reason and neither De Leon nor Imabayashi discounted this fact. This resulted in an amazing three-way match that kept the action going.

One of the many notable things about this match is how each competitor was presented: JDL took his time, and smartly picked his spots; Panzer, even as a hero, teetered between looking like he's hanging by a thread and effectively shutting down offense; and Imabayashi's aggression spurred urgency among his opponents.

There were so many excellent sequences in this match that it's tempting to list them all. Huge crowd-pleasers included the dual dives onto the outside after Mahaba interfered, despite Mr. Sy banning him from ringside, and the superkick to assisted powerbomb JDL and Panzer dealt to Imabayashi.

Both sequences ended with JDL catching Panzer off-guard and this lack of true alliances propelled the match forward as much as Panzer's refusal to be left out of the action did.

The match ended when Panzer took advantage of De Leon reversing Imabayashi's Sonic Crusher to an Inasal Lock by crushing them both with the Eagle Splash for the win.

There's no doubt that this was the perfect way to settle the three-way but the finish felt like it came five minutes too early. Not all classics have to be 45 minutes long, but the main event between three of PWR's finest sure could have used a few more minutes.

Winner: Chris Panzer via pinfall

Future-thinking

If Resbak cleaned up after Wrevolution X, Renaissance is the real jump-off point for the promotion's next year. It set the tone by showing improvements across the board, debuting new talent, and reminding the crowd why certain members of the roster are in the position they're in now.

Now in their fourth year, PWR looks to carry on the good streak it has had since the beginning of this year into Bakbakan Sa Bayanihan at the Unilab Bayanihan Center on July 23. —LBG, GMA News

Tags: philippinewrestlingrevolutionrenaissance, pwrrenaissance
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