Philippine Wrestling Revolution
Philippine Wrestling Revolution was an independent professional wrestling promotion based in the Philippines. PWR was founded in December 2013, and closed on September 14, 2022.
History
Professional wrestling in the Philippines started in 1989 through the short-lived show called "Pinoy Wrestling". It aired on national television via PTV-4, with character actor Johnny Revilla as host and ringside reporter comedian Jimmy Fabregas. Its roster consisted of locally trained wrestlers such as Joe Pogi, King Cobra, Macho Franco, Caloy Bakal, and Max Buwaya. There were also tag teams such as The Smoky Mountain Brothers, The Bakal Boys, and Dr. Q's henchmen The Brusko Brothers, Kamikaze Kid and Roboto. Women wrestlers like Aerobica and Pinay Wonder and midgets such as The Mikrobyos and The Tureritos were also featured. Other wrestlers include Juan Duwag, Waway The Wild Man, Turko Turero, Pinoy Ranger, Sultan Bato, Iggy Igorot, Lawin and Zorro. The show was discontinued in the early part of 1990.In 2012, the idea of forming PWR was born in a Facebook group. Wrestling fans from different parts of the country linked up and were added to the group to establish a wrestling company, discuss fantasy bookings, and conceptualize characters and gimmicks. This came about despite pro wrestling not being as popular in the Philippines since the end of the WWF Attitude Era in the late 1990s and early 2000s as well as the exposure of kayfabe. The upstart promotion got an assist from veteran American pro wrestler Joe E. Legend, who helped them in the preparations.
Sometime between late 2013 and early 2014, the group was contacted by a Japanese promoter Ankei Tamashiro doing a show in the Philippines for WNC-Reina, where two of the main attractions were former WWE and ECW superstar Tajiri and half-Filipina triple crown champion Shuri Kondo. The Japanese promoter's representative in Manila found PWR's Facebook page and asked the group to assist them in setting up and promoting the show in the country. These events further encouraged the group to pursue the idea of setting up the first-ever wrestling promotion in the country.
The pioneer batch of aspiring professional wrestlers were officially trained by an American pro wrestler Josh Bauserman, whom they met in Manila during the early stages of planning. The founders credit Bauserman for teaching them everything about pro wrestling, from in-ring maneuvers to backstage activities.
In recent years, PWR has expanded its reach, with international wrestlers such as Billy Suede and Koto Hiro performing for circuit while its own roster of wrestlers participates in inter-promotional matches abroad.
In 2017, WWE officials were in attendance during PWR Live: Bagong Yugto solidifying PWR's presence in the international community.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Like many sports promotions affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, PWR cancelled their planned live events for the rest of 2020, for the safety of their performers, staff, and crew, as well as that of the "Revo-Nation". As of March 2021, it has yet to hold a live event due to ongoing restrictions on public gatherings in the Philippines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.On March 12, 2020, PWR announced that the Path of Gold event, originally scheduled for March 22, will not push through. Their performance at the intermission of that year's Rakrakan Festival eventually did not take place as well. PWR's flagship event Wrevolution X was likewise cancelled. PWR President Red Ollero, in an episode of the promotion's "Wrestle From Home" Facebook show, said that Wrevolution X was supposed to be held on May 31, 2020.
In a separate interview in an episode of the Wrestling-Wrestling Podcast, Ollero said that he had considered holding shows without a crowd in an undisclosed location, but that hasn't really come to fruition yet due to the country's quarantine protocols.
PWR also originally planned in 2020 a sequel to the PWR Special: Homecoming event. Ollero revealed in the October 5 pilot episode of PWR's Philippine Wrestling Podcast that "Homecoming 2" was supposed to happen at the SM SkyDome.
While it wasn't able to hold live events yet, PWR sought to continue connecting with their fans online through the "Wrestle From Home" Facebook show from March to June 2020 and the Philippine Wrestling Podcast from October to December 2020. PWR also made available the PWR Special: Homecoming event for streaming through the virtual events space Stream from May 31 to July 31, 2020.
Events
The promotion held its inaugural event called Renaissance on September 27, 2014, at the Makati Cinema Square Arena, Makati.PWR then held subsequent events to complete its calendar: Terminus, Vendetta, Path of Gold, and Wrevolution X, which is considered to be PWR's WrestleMania equivalent.
On August 15, 2015, PWR held an event called PWR Live, still at the Makati Cinema Square Arena. Multiple events named PWR Live have been staged since.
To date, 2 PWR shows have been aired on television via TV5: Terminus and PWR Live
On February 5, 2016, PWR held a house show at the LBD Sports Arena in Candelaria, Quezon, its first outside Metro Manila.
Championships and accomplishments
| Championship | Final champion | Reign | Date won | Days held | Notes |
| PWR Championship | Vacant | - | - | The title was declared vacant after Chris Panzer announced his departure from PWR. | |
| PHX Championship | Vlad Sinnsyk | 1 | + | Defeated Chino Guinto in an open challenge at Vendetta | |
| PWR Tag Team Championship | Vacant | - | - | The title was declared vacant after MSG announced their departure from PWR. | |
| All Out War Championship | Jan Evander | 1 | + | Defeated Martivo at Vendetta |
PWR Championship
In May 2017, the PWR Championship was established to be called as "Kampeon ng Pilipinas"Combined reigns
| Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns | Combined days |
| 1 | Ralph Imabayashi | 2 | 553 |
| 2 | Chris Panzer | 3 | 517 |
| 3 | Bryan Leo | 2 | 308 |
| 4 | Jake de Leon | 2 | 169 |
| 5 | John Sebastian | 1 | 168 |
| 6 | Quatro | 1 | 139 |
| 7 | Billy Suede | 1 | 42 |
Philippine Excellence (PHX) Championship
The title had been known as the Philippine Hybrid X Championship until June 2018.Combined reigns
As of,.PWR Tag Team Championship
Combined reigns
| Rank | Tag Team | No. of reigns | Combined days |
| 1 | KaKaiBr0s | 1 | 245 |
| 2 | The Naughty Boys | 1 | 203 |
| 3 | The Network | 1 | 197 |
| 4 | The YOLO Twins | 2 | 188 |
| 5 | MSG | 1 | 187 |
| 6 | John Sebastian & Crystal | 1 | 168 |
All Out War Championship
All defenses of the All Out War Championship are done under All Out War Match rules. Similar to the WWE Hardcore Championship.Combined reigns
| Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns | Combined days |
| 1 | Jan Evander, PwD | 1 | 1,025 |
| 2 | Martivo | 1 | 210 |
| 3 | Vlad Sinnsyk | 1 | 196 |
| 4 | Alexander Belmonte III | 1 | 189 |
| 5 | Dax Xaviera | 1 | 154 |
| 6 | The Apocalypse | 1 | 105 |
Roster
Male wrestlers
| Ring Name | Notes |
| Alexander Belmonte III | "The Warlord", formerly "Mr. Financially Stable"; member of The Endgame; |
| The Apocalypse | |
| Bolt | "The Animazing Fighter" |
| Bombay Suarez | "The Bitch Killer"; former head trainer; |
| Brad Cruz | "The Manila Bae" |
| Cali Nueva | "The Renaissance Man"; member of The Naughty Boys |
| Chino Guinto | "The Golden Boy", member of The Network |
| Dax Xaviera | "Ang May-Ari ng Pinakamalupit na Slingblade sa Pilipinas"; tag team with Gatilyo |
| Evan Carleaux | "The Future of PWR", member of The Naughty Boys |
| Gatilyo | "Ang Armas ng Karahasan" |
| GrabCamus | "Mr. Ubusan ng Lahi", member of The Naughty Boys |
| IMABAYASHI | "The Wrestler of Shinjuku"; one-half of MTNH |
| James "Idol" Martinez | "Playtime"; Leader of The Network |
| Jan Evander, Pw.D. | "The Pro-Wrestling Doctor", Leader of The Endgame, PWR All Out War Champion |
| Kapitan Juan Tutan | Suspended for the next eight PWR Events as of July 2020 |
| Kapitan PWR | - |
| Kh3ndrick | "Pfeymusz.0ne", "D biq dawq", one-half of The KaKaiBr0s |
| Logan Ollores | One-half of The YOLO Twins |
| Martivo | "The Man-Doll"; one-half of The Punk Dolls |
| Mh4rkie | "PitmaL0rd", one-half of The KaKaiBr0s |
| Mike Madrigal | "The Walking Death" |
| Quatro | "The Lightbringer", formerly "Trabajador Quatro" |
| Rederick Mahaba | "The King of Schlong Style"; one-half of MTNH |
| Revo Ranger | |
| Sam Baltazar | Baguio City Bad Boy; member of The Network |
| SUPER Vintendø | "The Final Boss", member of The Endgame |
| Trian Dela Torre | Self-proclaimed "Midget Wrestling Federation Champion", Leader of The Naughty Boys |
| Vlad Sinnsyk | "The Hand of Judgment", PHX Champion |
| Yohann Ollores | One-half of The YOLO Twins |
| Zayden Trudeau | "The Canadian Dragon" |
Alumni
- Barry Navarro
- "Beautiful" Billy Suede
- Blackzilla
- "Big Bank” Bruno Bernardo
- ”Classical” Bryan Leo
- Chris Panzer
- The Council of Trabajadores
- Dan Ericson
- Draven Sloane
- Epitaph
- "Mr. Philippine Wrestling" Jake De Leon
- John Sebastian
- Kanto Terror
- Keivan Skull
- Ken Warren
- Lucas Hunter
- Main Maxx
- Mayhem Brannigan
- Mark D. Manalo
- McKata
- Miguel Rosales
- Mike Shannon
- Mike Vargas
- Mr. Sy
- Mr. William Melvin
- "The Machine" Mavericc Knight
- THE Nelson Borman Jr.
- Peter Versoza
- Robin Sane
- Samoan Papa
- SANDATA
- Scarlett
Visiting international wrestlers
| Name | Notes |
| Alexis Lee | Appeared in 2019 |
| Andreuw Tang | Appeared in 2018; returned in 2019 |
| Andrew Carter | Member of The Foundation, appeared in 2019 |
| Aysha | Appeared in 2018 |
| ”Beautiful“ Billy Suede | 6th [|PWR Champion], appeared in 2017, returned in 2019 |
| Blackzilla | Appeared in 2017 |
| “El Guapo” Carlos Zamora | Appeared in 2019 |
| Chris Target | Member of The Foundation, appeared in 2019 |
| Desi Derata | Appeared in 2019 |
| DJ Nira | Appeared in 2019 |
| Dr. Gore | Appeared in 2018 |
| Dr. Hertz | Member of The Regime, appeared in 2017 |
| Draven Sloane | Appeared in 2014 |
| Emi Sakura | Appeared in 2019 |
| Emman “The Kid” Noorazman | Appeared in 2018 |
| Eric Walker | Appeared in 2019 |
| Jeff Cobb | Appeared in 2019 |
| Jibzy | Appeared in 2019 |
| Julio Garcia | Member of The Foundation, appeared in 2019 |
| Killah | Member of The Foundation, appeared in 2019 |
| Koto Hiro | Appeared in 2017-2018 |
| The Ladykiller | Appeared in 2018 |
| Marco Garcia | Member of The Foundation, appeared in 2019 |
| Masa Takanashi | Appeared in 2019 |
| Nor 'Phoenix' Diana | Appeared in 2019 |
| Robbie Eagles | Appeared in 2020 |
| Riho | Appeared in 2019 |
| Shaukat | Appeared in 2019 |
| T-Hawk | Appeared in 2019 |
| TJP | Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion, winner of the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic, appeared in 2019 |
| Tengu | Member of The Regime, appeared in 2017-2018 |
| Trexxus | Appeared in 2019 |