The Rundown Slam: PWR Wrevolution X 2018

05/22/2018 01:03:37 AM

The Philippines' premier wrestling promotion just have their fourth season ended with a bang, and that's of course the biggest show they have to offer called Wrevolution X. Ten matches are scheduled for Sunday's gig, with most of them comprised of stories that has been driving PWR for nearly an entire year.

But the question: did they deliver the goods after weeks of months of buildups and breakdowns?

I can barely attest a “yes” to that. In fact, last Sunday's Wrevolution X is the craziest show so far for this year, with so many stakes and interesting stories on the line and has paid big-time dividends. Certainly, staying glued to your seats for five hours and watch them square off inside and outside the squared circle hasn't been dragging unlike (ehem!) WrestleMania. 

It was so crazy that the iAcademy Auditorium turned into a near-sweltering hot during that All Out War Championship match. Interesting note, though: How will James “Idol” Martinez respond soon as he has yet to hold a singles title in The Network. But moreover, how will the tales surrounding him roll considering a controversial act he had done during the match?

Also, it's somewhat interesting to have the tag team champions/authority figures kick us off in the main program and display how despicable John Sebastian is as a homophobic heel against The Punk Dolls. It was more than enough to sympathize Robynn and Martivo and let these two unleash the fury against him and Crystal. One noticeable thing, though: is how the Queen of Philippine Wrestling comes to bending rules and make the match referrer suffer at the hands of the Revonation with those “DO YOUR JOB” chants.

Obviously, the kickoff match between Brad Cruz vs. Kapitan PWR did an a-okay job for hyping everyone; but the real interesting tale for the 2018 has concluded: QU4TRO's rise from the shadows was always been an attention-getter during PWR's latest shows. I quite loved how they develop this match to end this feud in a very, very convincing fashion (yes, even if obviously, Supremo has been one of the two characters portrayed by one wrestler there). This should be the match of the night candidate as well as for the feud of the year. Interesting how will Joseph Vivien take it from here, now with Supremo admitting the truth about the prophecy regarding the Council of Trabajadores.

Speaking of revelations and evolution, props to Kapitan Tutan for standing up and even piloting fellow naughty boys Trian Dela Torre and Evan Carleaux into a victory – all in his sudden-debut as a wrestler in the PWR ring. Certainly sharing the stage as a debutante against MWF's Robin Sane isn't an easy one, especially with the latter receiving a somewhat hostile treatment from his tag team partners. Safe to say that Mark D. Manalo isn't finish yet with the YOLO Twins, though.

Sandata has once again won, leaving Dax Xaviera chalking another line in his loss column. Sure, there's no love lost between the two, but aside from numerous sling blades, knee strikes, and eventually a submission maneuver, what else do we got here? Chris Panzer and Rederick Mahaba match has gotten a similar pace with the previous-mentioned match: they both slowed down the event's momentum as they head into the much bigger ones during their respective times. However, with Panzer-Mahaba, though, it was Chris' kiss that sealed the fate of the King of Schlong Style as the Panzer Army's head honcho break away from the bear hug and hits the bicycle kick kown Panzercheck and tower above him with the Eagle Splash and put this feud away for good.

The PHX Championship is another stellar showing, with Ken Warren channeling his inner resilient self en route to his victory – his 2nd PHX title. Clearly, he conquered the path of resurgence towards gold, glory, and back to his coveted singles title. Mike Madrigal has been a very effective as a heel. It's no easy to show no remorse and make it as genuine as it is. He has been showing capabilities very funny and despicable at the same time. But safe to say this one isn't over, with The Kakaibros joining the fray and The Walking Death invoking his rematch clause anytime soon.

It was a bitter farewell for Miguel Rosales as he lost his championship match against the defending titlist Ralph Imabayashi. And with the stipulation of the loss, the former Fighter 4 Hire is leaving PWR. But certainly he didn't went down without a fight by taking matters in his own hands outside the ring and exchanging finishers with the Purest Filipino Wrestler. It was almost a dragging one as the crowd went almost-silent for the early goings with momentum slowly kicking in the latter half of this 20+minute match. 

That said, we didn't see a typical ending: as the event draws to a close, so is the ongoing kayfabe between them (well, momentarily) as Ralph commemorate his enemy's efforts to be in the promotion for four years. And certainly seeing him go isn't an easy one for anyone out there. I suddenly have a heavy heart upon seeing the curtain call.

But above them all: the match between “Senyorito” Jake de Leon and Zayden Trudeau has been a game-long highlight reel. Despite the loss, JDL proved why he is indeed Mr. Philippine Wrestling, and why the Canadian wrestler has been astonishing with his athleticism. Sure, it may have not main-evented the entire program, but make no mistake about it: this match was an instant spot fest aside from Wrevo X's show-stealer which turns out to be the All Out War. 

Overall, with a stacked card, very few number of blunders (script and off-script), and a full-house on its homecoming to iACADEMY Auditorium, Wrevolution X isn't established as the Philippine Wrestling Revolution's flagship event for nothing. They bounced back from a lacking-of-needed-presentation gig called TRAPIK and step their game up once again. 

The Verdict: 8.1

Author: slickmaster | © 2018 The SlickMaster's Files