That is an astronomical truth, and while it is also true that the sun actually rises over the rest of the East just the same, it is unarguable that the wrestling sun truly shines down on Japan. It is the seat of professional wrestling in the Pacific, as Greece and Rome were the seat of not only classical Western civilization but as well as true wrestling, as North America is the throne of professional wrestling in the West. Japan is a wrestling empire.
However, the Asian landscape may be in store for a change this year. A couple of new players, one much bigger than the other, are emerging in Asia right around this time. Japan’s wrestling imperialism won’t be facing any serious threats just yet, but given enough good fortune, these two new fiefdoms sprouting in the region may become much welcome mainstays.
First and more integral to the picture is TNA’s satellite promotion in India, called Ring Ka King. If you haven’t seen it yet (it’s pretty well-publicized), it’s a beautifully-produced local promotion with a mix of current TNA talents, local Indian talents, and more than a handful of ex-WWE talents, mostly midcarders, complete with all the Indian flavor for the masses to accept.
Some people might be wondering why TNA chose India, of all places, to set up a new promotion. India has always been a culture with wrestling both folk and professional, and has always given the West at least a couple of stars (Gama Singh, Tiger Jeet Singh). The country that has produced wrestling luminaries such as the Great Khali and Jinder Mahal pretty much has untapped potential as a wrestling market, evidenced by the fact that they were able to export talent in the first place. Judging from the roster on paper alone, TNA seems to have sent some very solid workers to help cultivate the Indian scene further.
The other contender is one that is more important to me, but is more of an anomaly. You should know about World Wrestling Fan Xperience (WWFX) just by reading Ro is War alone, but some of its promotional material has ended up on the news section of the main page. For the unfamiliar, this promotion is more of a tour completely made up of ex-WWE wrestlers going by their slightly tweaked WWE names and gimmicks (mostly to unintentional hilarity).
One question I would like to have answered is: why Manila? WWFX is billing itself as a tour, but Manila is the only destination so far; not only that, but it’s the first destination. These guys could have gotten back together, put on a show in any smarky American city and would have definitely drawn decently, at the very least. So why begin in the Philippines?
I’m going to try and get an answer to that this weekend, but for now, here are the facts. The Philippines is a young, dare I say immature, wrestling market. The WWE does have brand recognition here, with Manila being a major satellite of American culture, but I also daresay that most, if not some, Filipino fans aren’t quite sophisticated enough to look for anything beyond it. Case in point: I’ve seen some people online who’ve decided not to go to the show just because guys like John Cena, Randy Orton, and Jeff Hardy – who obviously isn’t with the WWE anymore, but you get the point - weren’t in it. Luckily, the card still had enough name power to be a good draw.
But above all else, the Philippines is still a market. We’ve had two WWE live events in the past decade (mainly thanks to Batista, however), and we have actually tried our hand in pushing our own brand of pro wrestling. This is what interests me most with the WWFX venture. Perhaps it’s my fanboyish optimism talking, but I’m thinking that having Manila as a first and currently only stop is an experiment to determine whether the Philippines could be either WWFX’s future base or one of its frequent stops.
I’m predicting a future for WWFX because of two things. First, they have a championship belt. For a new promotion, a championship is not just a title; it’s an investment. It’s both a financial investment and a storyline investment. It’s a financial because what looks and sounds like a one-time tour doesn’t need to have a title, but they do. It’s a storyline investment because a championship is a prop, and a prop is a plot device; Chekov didn’t show you a gun for nothing.
The other reason for WWFX’s possible sustainability is that some of the workers’ presence in Asia will be reliant not only on their local drawing power on Saturday, but as well as on Ring Ka King’s success; from the looks of it, the Indian promotion is getting more than a warm welcome. While the only common worker between the two is Chris Masters, I wouldn’t be surprised if RKK chooses to tap more ex-WWE workers and WWFX solicits the services of some of the ex-WWE workers in RKK (i.e. Eugene, Scott Steiner, Chavo Guerrero) next time they come along.
If this does happen and we see talented former WWE workers constantly shuttling between India, the Philippines, and Japan, then you can bet that a new Asian scene could truly emerge, built on the backs of more than capable American wrestlers. And not only could we have actual wrestling on our soil again, but a continued veteran presence in Manila might result in, say, a pro wrestling school being opened here. From there, we could then finally cultivate a Philippine pro wrestling scene. (MMA has actually beaten wrestling to it, though, and India has beaten us to it as well.)
For now, however, this is pure speculation, borne out of the giddiness of a wrestling show coming to town combined with the peculiarities of its setup. For all we know, this could end up really just being a one-time thing. In all honestly, I should stop speculating – my recent track record has been bad, if not so-so, and even then I still find myself constantly being surprised. I am going to meet Shelton and Masters on Friday, and I am going to watch the show on Saturday.
I am going to enjoy, because for one day only, the wrestling sun shines down on Manila.
***
Stan took this photo.
Just before an emotional Melina and Jillian Hall were set to go out for the token women’s match of the evening, Chris Masters found them backstage.
“Just like old times, huh?” he said to the ladies.
Yes, it was. That single sentiment was more encompassing than Masters likely would have been aware of. No other words would have been fit to describe the entire World Wrestling Fan Xperience show last night. While the three-hour event was definitely a leap forward for the cause of pro wrestling in the Philippines, for all the wrestlers working the evening, it was a ride on the DeLorean; the only things new in all this were the promotion’s name and the championship belt John Morrison – sorry, Hennigan - is now holding. It was the WrestleReunion strictly of the 2000s WWE generation, but with a subtler name and much better production values. Most importantly, the crowd was very hot from beginning to end, from Jimmy Yang’s botched moonsault down to Hennigan’s Starship Pain for the pin and win and all the marbles.
Nothing was sacred. In order to maximize the applause via brand recognition from the crowd, mostly comprised of children, gimmicks were completely brought back (Luke Gallows remained straight-edge, Carlito, to much acclaim, had his old apple, MVP was back to his ballin’ ways, etc.), names were tweaked only to get around WWE’s trademarks (Chris Master, Luke Gallow, Billy Gun, Snisky, Carlitos), and some finishers returned from the deep recesses of their memories, where they would’ve preferred them to stay (Shelton hit Paydirt, while MVP busted out the infamous Playmaker, and Starship Pain still missed). All of this was long predicated by the tour’s promotional material.
The throwback was either a good thing, a bad thing, or not a thing at all. It’s good for those who lack quite a bit in the personality department: Shelton Benjamin was working in his late-WWE Gold Standard gimmick, which is, in theory, an upgrade to just being one-half of a veteran tag team in Ring of Honor. But it was a hindrance for people like MVP, who has already carved his own niche in Japan with his Ghetto Strong Style, and Luke Gallows, who I’m sure doesn’t really run with the straight-edge gimmick when he works elsewhere. On the other hand, it was also no big deal for guys like Jimmy Yang and Rhino, who have always run with the same character since leaving the major promotions. The only one not banking on previous fame (or lack thereof) was Colt Cabana, who was, as usual, one step ahead of the game.
Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on where you stand on the issue, the crowd didn’t care. This is narrative dilemma is purely my observation, but I was enough of a mark to not let it get in the way of my enjoyment of the show, which was definitely well worth the money. Everything and everyone, both faces and heels, received a substantial pop, from the big moves down to typical bumps, to the point that some of the heels had to go well out of their way to rile the crowd up against them. A good time was being had by all, because if you were a true fan, you would definitely feel the excitement of that surreal moment when the people you think you’d only ever see on TV – especially in a country not in the West – are right there in front of you, wrestling in real time right before your very eyes. I know I did, and that’s why I was able to enjoy myself.
Now, on the basic premise of the wrestling show - any wrestling show – which is to entertain the crowd with the action that goes on in the ring and otherwise, it’s fortunate that the crowd doesn’t mind that everything is sadly recycled. However, on the premise of the wrestlers’ and the promotion’s growth, it’s very unfortunate, and the only way they could attune the audience with any narrative and character changes is by increasing WWFX’s exposure, which is, as I said previously, a promise made by the investment of a championship.
They can make use of their WWE hallmarks, but as with all things, the practice definitely has a shelf life. It would be a waste if they continued the course of this promising promotion without having the guys grow out of their WWE identities. WWFX’s foundation is very sound, with the wrestlers being products of the WWE system in one way or another, but claiming their old gimmicks should only be the first step. Devoted wrestling fans won’t mind the fact that the people hovering around the main event (Hennigan, Benjamin, MVP, Masters) were merely upper midcarders at most back in their day, because they know they’re familiar enough names all the same.
It also goes without mentioning that there the fact that there is a literally huge pool of talented ex-WWE wrestlers they can tap; surely they’re going to capitalize on their former fame, but most of them have moved on with new characters. Without growth, this is only going to end up as primarily a WWE/TNA alumni reunion, which isn’t a good look for an organization that has enough talent and, apparently, financial capital. The man entirely behind the scenes is none other than Daivari himself, apparently channeling his inner Prince Nana.
WWFX, even at first glance, does have what it takes to become a credible force in the global wrestling scene, and perhaps be a viable alternative to WWE, TNA, and even ROH (which it seems to have better production values than), all without having to rely heavily on Vince McMahon and Co.’s creations. But at its heart, one can’t also deny that it’s for the boys’ emotional well-being. There is no denying the power of nostalgia, and this entire endeavor was an exercise in nostalgia – for both the boys in the back and the people in the crowd – as much as it was an exercise in capitalizing on former fame.
But as with all things, again, there must be balance. If Daivari and friends wish for WWFX to have some sense of purpose moving forward, it must grow. If they do it properly, then the people won’t mind. In fact, they could even garner more support than they might have expected.
There’s certainly nothing wrong in making things just like old times, but it would definitely be better if everyone could have something new to look forward to tomorrow. And in a way, that’s what we all got. So thank you, WWFX. Thank you so much for coming.
If you’re an ROH fan, then you’d do well to read my coverage of the recently re-debuted ROH television show. It comes out every week (as much as possible); sometimes it's late, but it still comes.
Also, for my fellow Filipinos, please tune in to my buddy Stan’s radio show S&M: The Morning After every weekend from 6 to 9 am (10 am on Sundays) on Mellow 94.7. If you find yourself up early on a weekend, do check it out!
