Alright, Jeks. Anytime.
What was the question again?
I was just scrolling in Facebook.
I was looking for groups or sites where I can discuss wrestling.
Until I saw this group called...
Philippine Wrestling Revolution
I don't know if a lot of people know this story about
how I looked at PWR before.
I think it was FWR at that time.
Not to drop names but this guy deserves the recognition.
Coz it was Frankie Thurteen of MWF (Manila Wrestling Federation)
I think he created or one of the creators
I know he created the group.
From my knowledge, he created the group.
Then I remember making fun of it. Coz' we were in the same High School.
This group were looking for like minded people to start their own promotion here
in the Philippines.
So, I joined.
I didn't know if I was going to be a wrestler.
All I wanted was to support. I wanted to be part of the revival of
Professional Wrestling in the Philippines.
During those time, Professional Wrestling was cancelled in the local networks.
Before we get to watch it on TV or they go here live...
But it was rare.
What is that? We're imitating WWE? Corny!
He was the one who would push me to watch Indie Wrestling.
For me, no! Through and through I'm a WWE guy.
I never thought that... umm what is that term?
Not naive... but I never considered that the wrestlers from WWE, not all...
Came from the independent wrestling scene. The indie circuit, if you will.
In the late 80s We have Pinoy Wrestling from RJ TV Network.
But it was cancelled after three years.
So the goal of PWR at that point in time
was to build a homegrown promotion.
Smokey Mountain brothers. Accompanied by their manager Mr. Fred Moe!
Being an office worker. I wasn't doing much.
I was a bit young.
I was thinking... I'm going to support.
I really wanted to be a wrestler
But even if I didn't become one I wanted to show my support even through
marketing. So I signed up.
I applied or I went there to be a referee.
But to be a referee in Pro Wrestling you have to understand.
You have to know how to bump.
Or how to break your fall for the casual viewers.
So I still bumped.
When I bumped, I said to myself... I already bumped. Why just be a referee?
Then I saw the rolls I saw what they were doing...
I think I can do this. You know what I mean?
So we decided to just meet.
We didn't know who each other was.
But when we met each other for the first time...
it seems like we already knew each other for more than five years or so.
Because each and everyone were big wrestling fans
So that's when it started. We introduced ourselves...
We went to a really dilapidated gym. The ring was really bad for the back.
It was hard as hell. There was no give.
I'm not saying there was a give on wrestling ring.
But in a boxing ring, it's not really bouncy.
Our basics came from a single instructional DVD.
Owned by one of the members, Bombay Suarez.
Basically he was... He was the "father" of everyone.
He was our very first trainer. in Philippine Wrestling Revolution.
So everything came from that one DVD.
We do this every week. Once a week.
Always every Sunday. Always the same place.
Same time. We do all the conditioning. All the stretching.
Making sure that we don't hurt ourselves too much.
Yah. Every week. Ever since...
Wow! Umm... Ever since March or April of 2014.
We've been here every week. Every Sunday.
I'm hoping more will come today.
We're having a new set of Bootcampers joining us this week.
And we are hoping that a lot of them would show up. Especially women.
Because we would really like a Women's Division soon.
But yeah. But as all wrestlers do.
We don't hope too much. We just wait what happens.
We don't want to raise our expectations
then feel bad about it.
I've been watching PWR just the start of the year.
But I've know of them for quite a while.
I never had the chance to watch last year because nobody would accompany me.
Anyway, so when I saw one the shows I said to myself...
I think I'd like to do that. I like what they're doing.
And I think there should be more girls as well.
I know there were other girls who also signed up before.
I want to be one of them.
I've been a fan since I was young.
I thought I would out grow it but
when I found out there was a local wrestling here in the Philippines
I thought, why not make the initiative of joining it.
At least be a part of it. I wanted to extend my support.
I think it would be great if wrestling become mainstream in the Philippines.
So what you do is bend over and touch your feet.
and then squat down.
Hold your feet. Then open up. Don't worry.
And then lift your arms up.
And then slowly work your way up.
There. And then we do that five more times.
[DRANZ] Right now. Just trying to focus on the fundamentals.
Which is the most important thing at this point.
[GEORGE] For me is, what ever is there. That's where I should focus.
One step at a time. [DRANZ] Yeah, it's just step by step.
[MARK] Right.
You guys know where your right is, right?
Left.
Down.
Jump.
Switch. Switch.
Down.
What brings me here is what everybody is here for.
To chase something that I wanted.
To chase a dream. Might as well try it.
I think I'm gonna be under a lot of pain.
More than I can imagine.
This one is scaring me but I'm already here. So...
[Mark] Push yourselves, guys.
Go beyond your limits.
Right. Switch. Other side.
Ready...
A lot of the older Bootcampers are coming in later because they don't have to
do the basics anymore. So technically, think of it like an advance class.
Where you don't have to repeat everything.
There's one of them right there. Who just came in.
But these ones are the newbies where we have to be with all the time.
One. Two.
Three. Four.
Five. Six.
Seven. Eight.
This is really me guessing who my first match is...
I think it was Mark. It was JDL. If I remember correctly.
One of our OGs. Ever since 2014. Been training with us also.
Same as me. Batch one.
The ones who are stupid enough to bump around in that boxing ring.
That was just cement, and tarp, and wood.
School? Yes it did affect my school at some point.
There are time that I excel in school.
But whenever that happens, my wrestling is bad.
But when I excel in wrestling, my school performance are affected.
It happened to the point where I was about to take my thesis in 2016...
It was my last appearance in PWR for a while.
Because I had to decide.
As you can see. You witness first hand how training is working.
It's really killing me right now.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
This guy is Koto Hiro. He wrestles in L.A.
He wrestles mainly in California. So that is great experience for us.
He's half Filipino. He came back here to do a show.
And then, we're gonna be learning some stuff from him that he learned from
other wrestlers. This is how we up our game, and polish our skills.
Right? So if your eye gets scratched...
you're not suppose to be fine.
Let's say around a good thirty seconds you should be blinded.
Aside from the physical activities... we also like for you to be a holistically
great wrestler. So we also teach you wrestling psychology.
How to be a good wrestler How to be a good showman.
We also have that in the Bootcamp.
Once you go advance, those are the things we try to teach you.
Not so much on the basics anymore. We want you to get better also.
Injuries are really commonplace in wrestling.
One example of an injury would be Main Maxx
He just came back from a displaced patella Torn MCL.
He was out for a year.
He just made his return this year actually.
And now he's made his way back to challenge the champion on our next show.
One of girls, Crystal.
It's tough for her. Wrestling is mostly male dominated.
Everyone in her Bootcamp are all men.
We try to foster a sense of equality.
So we aren't gonna give you hand-outs.
But being a girl, she's always going to be challenged more.
We were thankful that she kept strong. Despite being injured also.
She stayed around.
Eventually, she blossomed into her own character.
Her own strong wrestling individual.
To the point where she was booked in Singapore. She was booked in Malaysia.
She is one of our first wrestlers who were booked abroad.
[CRYSTAL] Like when you are doing this. When you're falling down.
[MURPHY] Ok. Split second thing. Yeah.
This new Bootcamp batch. Some are really showing some promise.
Some of them are gifted.
The thing I like about this batch is all of them are wrestling fans.
All of them are enjoying.
That makes my job easier. Knowing that they enjoy wrestling.
As long as they keep going, its gonna be better.
I'm really not that athletic. When it comes to coordination
with my body. And mind. It's not there.
So yeah. I think it will be more difficult for me.
[MARK] You don't have to walk like that every time.
Tiring and painful. Excruciating.
Still fun though. I'm happy to do that. So fun.
We signed up for this.
Painful. [MURPHY] We wanted this.
We're fine.
Some are different.
They can get it.
It's how it is.
We're all different.
I guess for me it'll take a few more sessions before I get it.
[CROWD] Something broke.
Does it hurt?
You really can't say that wrestling is dangerous. Well, yes it is dangerous.
But the injuries comes from everyday stuff and not the wrestling moves itself.
That is why every training, we make sure to practice every move.
On how to do it safely.
Does it hurt?
[MURPHY] Yeah a little bit.
unintelligible
[MURPHY] Ok. What do I need to do?
[MARK] We have to go to the hospital.
[MURPHY] Ok
That is what's scary about wrestling.
More often than not, you won't get hurt on the big wrestling moves.
It's the small movements that can hurt you.
[INTERVIEWER] How was it? How was the second day of Bootcamp?
It was better. Smoother.
Except for that one little spill.
[INTERVIEWER] Are you gonna go back for another session?
Yeah sure.
As long as nothing bad happens. Like I don't have a fever or something.
Most likely, yes.
[INTERVIEWER] Are you looking forward to your first match?
I've been looking forward towards my first match for the past, I don't know...
Fifteen years?
This just makes it faster.
You've been taught protocol. Shake everyone's hands.
Be nice. Don't be a piece of shit.
See, that holds here as well.
We are here at Power Mac Center Spotlight. Ready for our show.
We're setting up the ring.
We just finished putting up the mats, posts...
Now we are just putting on the finishing touches.
I also test the ring most of the time.
I make sure the ropes are tight enough for our high flyers.
Or no one will fall once they hit the ropes.
Basically it hurts to run the ropes because its tough.
Check this out.
See? It's so tight, it doesn't move much.
I'm excited for the show.
Hopefully you enjoy it as well.
Now, what "young boy" entails is more on listen, listen...
Do as you're told. As suppose to ask questions and questions.
What happened to the PWR is we became a collective.
We help each other. I'm just the president.
We have a board of directors.
A mixed of wrestlers, referees, officers and backstage people.
That group decides on what happens in the show.
And make sure that PWR runs smoothly.
When does the show start?
[OFF CAM] When the lights are on?
No.
What time does the show start?
Hasn't it started yet?
Yes.
The second that these cameras are following us.
We are suppose to be thinking about what is going on here in the structure.
Ok. Next.
Up, two. Down, one.
My name is Javier Ortega. I am the Lighting Designer slash
Technical Director slash wrestler for PWR.
The whole deal really is.
The show has already started. Technically for us.
We are on the clock.
We are suppose to be working as much as possible.
Those guys, they may look like just chatting.
But the thing is, in between. Every time someone shows up with merch,
they have to manually encode all of the merch that has been turned over.
At the end of the day, they will turn over money in sales.
Then return the shirts that have been left.
There will be an accounting.
These things are part and process of our work.
And the show hasn't even started.
When we started out we can't even pay our wrestlers.
It was all a passion project.
Right now, we are in a good place where we actually able to pay the wrestlers.
It's not really a big amount of money. But at least they are getting something
out of it.
We also collaborate a lot with our wrestlers.
Our staff.
So, even though we can say that there is a group that spearheads PWR,
PWR itself serves as a group and acts like a family...
to make sure we bring the best brand forward.
The following contest is scheduled for One Fall!
[CROWD] One fall!
You can't really practice the craft.
You can't really immerse yourself with the wrestling scenery if you will...
inside the ring. When nobody's watching you.
I get that wrestling is scripted.
But an audience reaction is nothing you can fake.
That's one of the realest thing. Their reception to you.
You don't get a Spongebob. You don't get Catdog
You don't get this WWE mic.
You don't get this Luchador earphones when you win POG.
However, you do get this.
Path of Gold tournament trophy.
Sorry, remove the other merch inside.
[INTERVIEWER] How many wrestler you have to compete with to win that?
Nineteen other wrestlers.
And hah! Funny you should mention.
I beat, the last two of us... the final two.
Me and Jake De Leon.
And look who came out the victor.
The following contest is scheduled for One Fall, and is for the PHX Championship
Wrestling!
The first reaction of my family on wrestling is, well, they are against it.
It's violent. It shouldn't be viewed by children.
Especially when you're four years old. They know we'll imitate them.
Canadian Destroyer!
Here's your winner, Mainstream Mahaba!
We're the first to admit, we are not properly trained.
Unlike some other famous wrestlers who started that way.
But, you have to start somewhere. Right?
To see if it's for you.
With a crowd.
It was a great show. I'm the champ now.
Everything went off great.
I hope everyone enjoyed.
And yeah. We are just having a good time right now.
After the show we meet the fans and...
We just talk to them.
That's what wrestling is. We are a community.
We want everyone to have fun.
And that's why we are here.
This is how I love wrestling in general. Not just WWE.
If I have to do two weird jobs. Odd jobs.
To sustain my being a wrestler. I will. If I have to.
I just do freelance now. But if I have to do a regular job, fine.
By all means.
It just goes to show you that whoever you are.
Be a man or woman or whatever.
It doesn't matter what you're going through.
If you fight hard enough for your dreams,
your dreams will fight for you too.