As a kid, I enjoyed seeing its early beginnings, idolizing legends and immortals in the industry such as Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, and The Undertaker, and my cousins and I would go cheer on as they'd take on the likes of Andre The Giant, The Big Bossman, and Rowdy Roddy Piper. When the 90's rolled along and ushered in the "Attitude Era", what was known as "Sports Entertainment" took on a new form and focused more on storylines that centered on "realism" and putting the hurt on each other by "extreme means" (aka WCW, ECW, WWE, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and DX). Those were the two sides of wrestling I grew up with, and despite alterations made to tone down the sport due to its risky and controversial nature over the years, it still remains a beloved staple for fans looking to be entertained, and there in lied the basis of the visit of one new promotion that visited my shores last weekend: The World Wrestling Fan Xperience Showcase Tour 2012!
It may fall on the independent circuit, but I very much enjoyed what the WWFX Experience had to offer on the night of Saturday, February 4th over at the SMART Araneta Coliseum! Featuring the likes of former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) talents like John Morrison, Carlito, Snitsky, Shelton Benjamin, M.V.P, Luke Gallows, Rhino, Daivari, Chris Masters, Hurricane Helms, Jimmy Yang, Billy Gun, Colt Cobana, and Divas Melina and Jillian Hall, this tour was packed with professional and awesome talent that did what they do best: entertain and bless the fans with some creative and top-of-the-world wrestling!
I was fortunate to be invited by my friend and fellow Geekmatic pal Mark (who also managed to attend the Presscon, as detailed here), and together with buddies Vince, Roy, and Billy, we found ourselves pretty much at ringside distance, as we got patron seats that took us right close to the action!
The matches were pretty much what you'd expect of an event of this caliber - Babyface (or the good guys) take on Heels (wrestling slang for baddies) in matches that saw the best coming out of each wrestler/ diva. Colt Cobana provided ring announcing duties for the tour, and WWFX started things off with bang, with matches like Jimmy Yang facing Billy Gun (Mr. Ass!), Hurricane Helms squaring off against Daivari, Melina taking on fellow diva Jillian Hall, and Rhino challenging the huge Luke Gallows!
The show then took a halftime break, and when it came back, "Mr. Caribbean Cool" himself Carlito came out and took on the intimidating heel Snitsky! That fight broke out to the crowd, and while it wasn't exactly a "wrestling match", it provided the interaction and craziness fans were expecting out of the show! Heck, my pal Billy took a stab at videoing some of the action from that fight, and you can view it here!
The final two cards of the event were pretty intense - M.V.P went up against Chris Masters, and the championship gold was decided in a match between high-flyers Shelton Benjamin and John Morrison! The M.V.P and Chris Masters fight went down with so much intensity, chops, and sweat that it made the show more impressive than ever! When the time came for the final match, everything was about ending the night with all the craziness and wrestling entertainment Morrison and Benjamin could muster, and they delivered pure gold when all was said and done! John Morrison became the first WWFX Champ, and the event wrapped up to the crowds and cheers of those in attendance!
Once we exited the arena, the entire roster went out to meet and greets fans and sign autographs. Despite the long line and not getting the chance to meet the talents personally, the boys and I left content, knowing that these guys still had what it takes to put up quite a show! In past few years since I saw the WWE tour Manila, this show ranks up alongside it in giving wrestling fans what they needed and appreciate: sports entertainment excellence and goodness. Heck, there were some die-hard fans in attendance too, and they showed their support by wearing wrestling shirts, apparel, and even dishing out sign boards like the one you see here, LOL!
Hopefully I'll be fortunate enough to attend another show of this magnitude, but in the meantime, I feel quite satisfied and humbled by the experience! Thanks WWFX, and come back again soon!;)
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