Ex-WWE star Tajiri wows crowd in Manila wrestling event

MANILA, Philippines – Pro wrestling in the Philippines took another step forward on Saturday, January 25, 2014, thanks to Joshi + Jam Manila, a live wrestling event staged by Japanese wrestling organization Universal Women’s Pro Wrestling Reina.

The event, which took place at the Ynares Sports Arena, featured a group of 10 wrestlers headlined by former WWE superstar Yoshihiro Tajiri and Filipina-Japanese wrestler Syuri, who performed in front of an intimate audience eager for the country’s first live wrestling show in two years. Called puroresu in Japanese, this style of wrestling is an alternative to the mainstream wrestling from North America, to which Filipino audiences are more accustomed.

Female wrestler Mia Yim

The main event saw Syuri successfully defending the CMLL-Reina International Championship, the Reina World Women’s Championship and the Wrestling New Classic Women’s Championship in a triple championship match against American-Korean wrestler Mia Yim.

Former WWE Superstar Yoshihiro Tajiri, the most popular wrestler to the Philippine audience in the group, squared off against Akira Nogami in the opening match. Tajiri entered the arena to his signature entrance theme from his WWE days and instantly gained the support of the crowd. Akira dominated the match by focusing on Tajiri’s left leg, but Tajiri mounted a comeback and won after his using his finishing move, the Buzzsaw Kick.

The second match on the card was a women’s tag team bout featuring Reina World Tag Team Championships Ray and Leon defeating the team of Aliya and Lady Lory. This match featured some international flair with Ray hailing from Hong Kong and Lady Lory wrestling as a gaijin (foreigner) from Germany.

Female wrestler Syuri

This was followed by a match between the high-flying Kuroshio and Osaka-based powerhouse The Bodyguard. The Filipino wrestling fans were easily won over by The Bodyguard and his hard-hitting offense. The Bodyguard made quick work of Kuroshio, and then proceeded to assault him after the match, drawing boos from the crowd. Tajiri then came out to Kuroshio’s aid, spitting his infamous green mist on the Bodyguard, followed by Akira who backed The Bodyguard up, setting the stage for an impromptu tag team match. This match featured several high spots and saw the team of The Bodyguard and Akira prevailing.

In a country where professional wrestling has largely remained a part of pop culture, it was refreshing to see alternative forms of wrestling being introduced to the Filipino audience.