PWR Re5peto: Full results and review

Season 5 of PWR kicked off with a solid show at 500 Shaw Zentrum that featured entertaining tournament matches, surprising returns, and a jaw-dropping main event.

Show him some respect

Rederick Mahaba made quick work of The Ninjas, a new breed of pre-show fodder who were about as tough as the Trabajadores, via Alab ng Puso (elevated reverse DDT) before ending the surprisingly-efficient Samoan Papa with the same move.

What made the pre-show valuable was Mahaba's promo at the end, when he declared that he will get the "goddamn respect" he deserves this year—and judging by his actions at the end of the show, he may just get it.

Match 1, PWR Championship #1 Contender's Tournament: John Sebastian vs. The Apocalypse (segment by Nicolo Parungo)

The first match of Re5peto was a solid, if uneventful affair that had Apocalypse defeat John Sebastian to advance in the eight-man tournament to determine champion Ralph Imabayashi’s next challenger.

Sebastian did a good job getting the crowd involved; he was a one-man show since most people in attendance didn’t have particularly strong feelings for Apocalypse.

Admittedly, that might be selling the monster short since the audience did love singing along to his theme song, and he performed admirable enough for a convincing win via Six Feet Under (diving double foot stomp).

It wasn’t the flashiest match but it did get the crowd pumped for the show, which is what all opening matches should do.

WINNER: The Apocalypse via pinfall

Match 2, PWR Championship #1 Contender's Tournament: Crystal vs. Main Maxx w/ Mr. Sy

Whether it's due to the excuses Mr. Sy accused Crystal of giving, or Maxx's knee acting up, this match was bafflingly slow given that Crystal and Maxx showed no problems keeping up with their opponents at Wrevolution X.

Individual moments from the match, including Crystal reversing Maxx's big move to a float-around octopus stretch, were fun and felt like they would accelerate the pace of the match.

The momentum from these moments quickly petered off however, leaving the match with a sluggish tempo.

It ended a little past the 10 minute mark when Maxx reversed Crystal's Solemate to a powerbomb and Boston crab for his first victory since returning to active competition.

WINNER: Main Maxx via pinfall

Maxx and Apocalypse winning avoided two scenarios that would have emerged if either Crystal and Sebastian advanced: 1) a stale Maxx-Apocalypse confrontation without added stakes; and 2) Crystal and Sebastian fighting each other on the same night they're supposed to defend their titles.

It still seems odd for Sebastian and Crystal to lose their momentum from Wrevolution X like this, but perhaps their best work going forward for now is reserved for preserving their hold on the Tag Team Championship.

Match 3, Battle Royale for #1 Contendership of the PWR Tag Team Titles: Brad Cruz & Makata vs. Punk Dolls (Robynn & Martivo) vs. KakaiBros (Mh4rkie & Kh3ndrick) vs. The Naughty Boys (Evan Carleaux & Trian dela Torre) vs. Logan Ollores & RevoRanger vs. Camus & Kapitan Tutan

This true-blue melee featured back-to-back moves from nearly every competitor; that being said, the best spot of the match was undoubtedly the slingblade party that Logan strangely dedicated to the still-suspended Joey Bax.

Next to this, the long-awaited debut of GrabCamus earned the loudest cheer from the audience. Though his debut was a blip in terms of length, GrabCamus' big offensive moves provided the Naughty Boys some much-needed power until his elimination.

While he didn't make it to the end, his boss Carleaux did and clinched the win with a superkick to Kh3ndrick after eliminating Mh4rckie.

Carleaux and the Kakaibros, along with the Punk Dolls and Logan, had well-deserved singles spots in the latter half of the match.

Robynn and Logan in particular may have more singles time in the future after Robynn jumped back into the ring to remove Logan from the match as revenge for his successful elimination of her.

WINNER: The Naughty Boys (Evan Carleaux & Trian Dela Torre)

Carleaux securing The Naughty Boys' nth title shot earned its cheers, but the crowd reaction to the KakaiBros made it clear that the boys from the street securing their second (2th?) win here wouldn't have been a bad alternative.

It's unknown if RevoRanger is still obligated by the contract Logan had him sign to help him in place of the ailing Yohann for the next show, given the superhero's actions in a later match.

Match 4, PWR Championship #1 Contender's Tournament Jake de Leon vs. Alexander Belmonte III

ABIII's coming-out party as a singles wrestler, the new All Out War Champion went toe-to-toe with the former two-time PWR Champion in a solid 10-minute match that earned the only "this is awesome" chant for the night.

The big man's newfound confidence was palpable in his offense and in the ease with which he tossed JDL around. It's refreshing to see him move unfettered in a singles match, and it was clear that the RevoNation wanted to see more of the self-dubbed Warlord.

Unfortunately for ABIII, his momentum was stopped by a ring-savvy JDL, who concentrated attacks on his left arm to hamper ABIII's strength and rolled him up with an Oklahoma roll to get one step closer to the PWR Championship.

WINNER: Jake de Leon via pinfall

At the end, JDL shook ABIII's hand, indicating that ABIII passed JDL's standard and that De Leon intends to continue his crusade for excellence despite his loss to Trudeau at Wrevolution X.

Match 5 Jan Evander & Vintendo & Bolt vs. SANDATA & Quatro & Dax Xaviera

Months of being treated as an afterthought—and being bumped off the apron by his allies multiple times in this match—finally caused Xaviera to turn on SANDATA in this even-paced six-man tag.

Xaviera's attack finally made the RevoNation react to him with feelings other than polite applause, which was more than Bolt could say in the few times he was allowed in the ring by his rather selfish teammates.

Unusual, but interesting pairings also emerged from the match: namely, SANDATA & Quatro and Vintendo & Evander. If these aren't permanent alliances, their team offense at least hinted at good chemistry that should be explored in the future.

Though Xaviera nearly sabotaged the match for his teammates, Vintendo's dogged desire to keep Bolt lead to an opening that Quatro took advantage of to end Bolt with an elevated powerbomb.

WINNER: Quatro via pinfall

SANDATA and Xaviera will inevitably meet in the ring again, though time can only tell if Xaviera's newfound attitude will net him a better reaction and performance.

RevoRanger coming out to rescue Bolt from an enraged Vintendo could be the kick in the pants the Anime-zing Fighter needs to get back into the groove he was in when he had lauded matches with Trudeau in 2017.

Special note must also be given to Evander, who helped play up Vintendo's strength and had delightful gestures such as whipping at his opponents with his turtleneck every time they came close to his corner.

Match 6, PWR Championship #1 Contender's Tournament: Vlad Sinnsyk vs. Chris Panzer

Sinnsyk and Panzer proved to be a surprisingly good match that put the two on an even ground.

Though he's rightfully known for his All Out War matches, Sinnsyk at points looked like he would advance to the semi-finals of the tournament through well-timed counters and powerful strikes.

Sticking him to singles action like this in the foreseeable may be for the best, as he's shown here that he could do more than take an untold amount of thumbtacks in his back.

Panzer, meanwhile, continued to excel in affecting little gestures that not everyone may be able to see, but gave an added value to those who could catch them.

A particular high point was his slick transitions from a modified surfboard stretch, a welcome addition to his arsenal, and the look of confusion he shot at Sinnsyk before fully collapsing from a powerbomb.

After slipping through a musclebuster and a moonsault, Panzer secured his place in the semi-finals of the tournament with a Panzerschreck (running bicycle kick) and Eagle Splash.

WINNER: Chris Panzer via pinfall

JDL, who watched the match with other participants in the tournament, was justified when he angrily stormed off upon Panzer's victory.

Sinnsyk would've been a challenge, but since JDL and Panzer are two of the literal handful of PWR and MWF talents who had matches abroad since their last encounter, their impending bout will undoubtedly have a next-level feel to it.

Losing in the semi-finals wouldn't really hurt either men, but winning will give Panzer direction again and bring JDL one step closer to fulfilling his wish of becoming PWR's first three-time Kampyeon ng Pilipinas.

Match 7, PWR Championship: Ralph Imabayashi (C) vs. Zayden Trudeau

One of Imabayashi's more mobile matches, the champion was forced to keep up with Trudeau's hectic style instead of indulging in his tendency to swap between hard strikes and slow submissions.

It's an Imabayashi that hasn't been seen in a long time, one who unhesitatingly grabs at his opponent instead of forcing them to move at his sometimes glacial pace.

Imabayashi's match against Miguel Rosales in the last show was special for a few reasons, but it's irrefutable that Trudeau brought out something in him that kept people on the edge of their seats the whole time.

Trudeau proved to be a spitfire against Imabayashi, even when the match-long assault on his arm caused him to drop from a springboard.

Yet for all of his ability to hasten Imabayashi, Trudeau's high-flying moves felt off at crucial moments.

His two consecutive standing shooting star presses in particular looked like it hurt both men—and on the second, Trudeau actually hit Imabayashi square in the face with a knee—while his sudden 630 senton did not deliver him the win.

Eventually, Imabayashi's patient assault on Trudeau's arm paid off and allowed him to lock in a Fujiwara armbar to make the Canadian Dragon tap out.

WINNER: Ralph Imabayashi via submission

Imabayashi gave Trudeau props while the challenger was rolled out of the ring with a severe cramp on his upper right thigh. The compliments were quickly turned to an open challenge for Imabayashi's next challenger before the winner of the PWR Championship Tournament.

To the Revonation and Imabayashi's surprise, Wrevolution X 2017 debutante Nina came out to apparently challenge the champ, who seemingly considered her his best friend to the chagrin of a newly-arrived Mahaba.

As it turned out, however, Nina's ban from wrestling was still in effect. Instead of paying back the emotional beatdown he received from her, Imabayashi will face her boyfriend, the returning Koto Hiro, who sought to "stop [him] from the injustice" he has been causing.

Match 8, Three Stages of Death for the PHX Championship: Ken Warren (C) vs. Mike Madrigal

The PHX division was originally envisioned as the marriage of "the different styles of wrestling that we Filipinos have been exposed to."

Whether or not it has achieved its goal, Madrigal and Warren knit their clashing styles with a satisfying execution of hardcore elements in this truly hybridized match that took everyone in 500 Shaw Zentrum for a ride.

Madrigal and Warren's determination to go the distance played a huge part in making this feel like a proper war.

Never mind the blood gushing from Warren's forehead, or the tacks stuck to Madrigal's back and arm; what mattered was the Social Media Sinister being pushed to his physical limits and the Walking Dead doing everything to end the man who took his title and pushed him over the edge of madness.

Warren's concussed look and ability to look like a ragdoll was properly concerning and made his eventual victory all the more worth it, while Madrigal lived up to his nickname by escalating the violence with each weapon he brought out.

The two made it feel just how important this match was for them, and in turn made the PHX Championship feel like the don of all titles in PWR—moreso than the main title itself.

The ending of the match also happened to be one of its crowning moments, and involved Warren feeding Madrigal thumbtacks before hitting a PHX title-assisted Wi-Fi (superkick to the back of the head) to remain the owner of the glinting white belt.

WINNER: Ken Warren via pinfall

It must be noted that Warren managed to hit a fan with a superkick near the beginning of the match. Uncharacteristically, footage of the accident was uploaded on PWR's main page:

Grievous injuries couldn't stop either men from walking out on their own power, though Warren only got as far as standing on coltish legs before he had to watch Mahaba walk to the ring in disbelief.

To ensure that 2018 would be the year of Mahaba, the Intimate Warrior revealed that he cashed in the favor he had from the Wrestling Lord and Savior from Vendetta for a shot at the PHX Championship at the next show.

Mahaba's show of respect to Warren inevitably turned out to be a fluke as he slammed the battered champion with an Alab ng Puso to drive home the point that, unlike armchair critics who write online about something they don't know about, he was willing to do everything to get what he wants.

His victory against Warren in the next show may not be as rock-solid as his determination, nor his claim of being PWR's biggest star, but what is for certain is that Mahaba has and will shine wherever he is placed on the card as he had claimed.

And come Way of the Champion, the next PWR event on July 22 at Power Mac Center Spotlight, Makati, Mahaba has his shot at ensuring that he will always belong in the main event.

— BM, GMA News