WORLD Wrestling Entertainment has always been big in the Philippines. Apart from being the number one reason for broken furniture and schoolyard scuffles, Filipinos have idolized wrestlers since the time they wore tights until they sported denim shorts. Even the young generation loves these matmen.
So when the WWE announced the dates for the live event in Manila, Pinoy fans immediately dusted off the merchandise from the last time shirtless hulking men visited the country.
WWE Live is a unique blend of sport and entertainment, combining ring action with dramatic entertainment. It bursts with all the drama and energy of a rock concert, in a fun, lively and exciting environment, making it the ultimate in family entertainment.
The sport needs fan engagement, and a rowdy Filipino crowd provided a connection with the men in the ring that gave more reason as to why it’s the only WWE live event in the region.
And why wouldn’t scores of wrestling fans troop to the Mall Of Asia Arena amid growing security concerns in the past week?
It took seven years before their idols came back and it was just fitting that the WWE superstars be greeted with such a pompous embrace from the local fans, and the wrestling warriors did not disappoint.
Right off the bat, fans were served with an energizing showcase from Cesaro and former WWE champ Sheamus, while the near-sold-out arena booed Strowman after his submission of Goldust.
In the next match, Neville defied gravity after finishing his fight with Bo Dallas via his signature move Red Arrow, while New Day got the crowd into their triple threat match during the defense of their tag team championship belt.
Then the crowd went berserk.
Even from the upperbox section, fans were still in awe of the sheer size of Big Show, but when the bell rang marking his fight with the ‘Man Who Can’t Be Seen,’ the crowd was treated with a more gargantuan affair.
The crowd was partisan but loyal to the industry norm, and Show willingly or not, produced an impeccable heel performance, while John Cena came out with a vintage display, which this part of the world came to love and adore.
Obviously, we know who would win this tight-rope-breaking match and the way it would end, but boy, seeing someone carry and slam down 450 pounds of human anatomy in one fell motion is just pure awesome.
More awesome though, was the women’s wrestling bout that featured a championship match between Sasha Banks and current champ Charlotte, but the latter needed some help from the ropes to retain her crown, amid the boos of the fans.
The main event, of course being the main event, was just hands down tumultuously orchestrated. The wrestling entertainment business still stayed true to the form, coaxing fans to suspend their disbeliefs before handing down the coup de grace.
A triple threat match was already in the offing, but if you throw in the WWE Universal Championship at the pot, then expect fans to just loose it.
It was vintage WWE all right. Bodies were flying everywhere, and the drama was scintillating. You know you’re in for a treat as near falls were expected, but the manner by which the turns came was just delicious to digest.
In the end, Kevin Owens finalized the list of champions that night that didn’t relinquished their belts. Come on, you should have expected that, if he didn’t win then that would mess up the WWE storyline. Good and safe move, fellas.
But the fight of the night just have to be the the match-up between Roman Reigns and Chris Jericho, which saw the 45-year-old Jericho delivering a tour de force of a heel performance.
Although fans greeted him with chants of “Y2J”, Jericho still managed to maneuver the crowd to support his opponent, and in one of the most hilarious sequences during the whole event, he turned to some who called him ‘gago’ to which he responded.
“Listen man, I don’t know what a gago is, but if you’re calling me a gago, it must be a good thing,” said Jericho. “I guess I’m the biggest gago you’ve ever seen.”
From then on, the crowd let out shouts of “Let’s go gago” in between, with Jericho eventually finding out the meaning of the word when he asked the referee before the start of the match, which led to his uproarious reaction.
In between the chants of “DU30” and “This is Awesome,” kids were busy pacifying their rabid older relatives during the match. Reigns came out victorious, but the real triumph was Jericho’s unwavering master class.
In the seven years that separated WWE’s last live event here in the country, much has changed but seemingly things that made the franchise standout, are still the same in nature.
The wrestlers and events may differ, but one thing remains: They still don’t seem to sweat.