With the newly announced PWR Tag Team Championship Tournament commencing in PWR Live: Mainit, six teams have confirmed their participation. MTNH, composed of Rederick Mahaba and Ralph Imabayashi, was originally slated to compete, but the injuries suffered by the former in the hands of The Apocalypse have forced them out of contention for now.
Nevertheless, we still have 6 amazing tag teams that are sure to fire up the Bayanihan Center in Pasig with high-flying, back breaking, and jaw dropping action. Each team has something to bring to the table. Be it experience, youthful energy, or sheer brutality, these wrestlers are definitely going to be giving their all when the bell rings. It's what they do best.
Here is our in-depth analysis on the various strengths and weaknesses that each team possesses and their keys to victory to claim their spot at the top of the PWR tag team division.
The resident tito and kuya of the PWR hold the distinction of being the only remaining active tag team from the first Wrevolution X back in 2015. Although they were the first team to be eliminated then, they've continued to hone their craft by taking on tough competition. They've won, not just against a who's who of contenders and newcomers alike, but over the crowd as well. They're currently feuding against The Deadly Sinns, which started when Mike Madrigal decided to make a statement by attacking Bax after losing to the veteran wrestler. The two have locked horns multiple times since then, with their respective partners joining the fray. This tournament serves to prove who truly is the better tag team between the bitter rivals.
Tito's already the most relaxed in the ring, though
Given their tenure in the PWR, there's no questioning the amount of experience that these two wrestlers possess. In fact, none of the current members of any of the other tag teams have been in the company longer than these two have. From being despised for their underhanded ways to being beloved titos, the Fighters 4 Hire have definitely gone through quite a change.
Their core strength lies in their difference in styles. To borrow from one of the ultimate tito movies, The Godfather, Joey Bax is the Rapier, while Miguel Rosales is the Club.
Not this Club, but I can see why you would think so.
Bax has the finesse to wear down his opponent, applying the constant pressure and inflicting damage all through out the match. He's methodical, playing the mind games that will mentally exhaust and frustrate whoever is unlucky enough to be across from him. Rosales, on the other hand, is blunt force trauma personified. The tanod of Barangay Suplex is ready to dish out his signature move to any and all unwilling recipients. In Tagalog, lalamugin ka niya. Explosive suplex after explosive suplex and his opponents are left dazed and confused. There's definitely no escaping these two unharmed.
Smark Henry Fearless Forecast: Fighters 4 Hire will make it to the finals.
Smark Henry Fearless Forecast: Fighters 4 Hire will make it to the finals.
Dax Xaviera and Dan Ericson are part of The New Breed that made their debut after Wrevolution X. As fate would have had it, the duo went up against another tag team now vying for the tag titles, The Network. During that Shawdown match, they faced a much weaker version of the lineup that they could potentially clash heads with this Sunday. Despite their best efforts and the assistance of the Fighting Gamer, Vintendo, they still fell short against The Network.
Clearly, they're not #FansOfChino
Fast forward to today, and they still have yet to win as a tag team, Only Dax Xaviera was able to obtain a win, and this was at the expense of his teammate, Dan Ericson. It's not that these two faced mediocre opposition. Quite the opposite, really. They've gone toe to toe against some of the toughest competition in the PWR roster. However, unless they can secure a win, all that effort is for naught.
Smark Henry Fearless Forecast: Delirium needs to dig deep to get their first win, as well as a lucky draw.
Yohann and Logan Ollores are a very interesting pair. With Yohann debuting earlier than his twin, the two wasted no time establishing their mark when Logan finally appeared during PWR: Live Shawdown. Defeating the crowd favourites, Beer Promdi, they cemented their status as the new guard when they broke Mark D. Manalo's leg and put him out of commission. The twins are currently on a 2-1 record, losing against The Punk Dolls, but recovering against another veteran group, the Fighters 4 Hire.
No, they're not X-men. Superkicks =/= superpowers.
Being twins play quite a role in the strength of the Ollores brothers. Their blood bond makes them less prone to politics or petty squabbles that have plagued some of the other teams, current and past. Their communication is likewise impeccable, flowing from one attack to the next with deadly precision. What these two lack in raw power, they make up for in speed, agility, and above all, cunning. They could definitely go far in the tag team division, and they've only just begun.
Smark Henry Fearless Forecast: The YoLo Twins have a solid chance of earning the tag team belts. There's stiff competition out there, but the two have the right tools to bring the belts back home to Daddy Ollores.
Let it be known, however, that whatever predictions we have here can just as well be proven wrong. The tag teams vying for the title belts are in the running for a reason. They know that the tournament is there to prove who the top teams are in the deep PWR roster. And on Sunday, at PWR Live: Mainit, we'll get to see just how good they really are.
Photo credits go to Philippine Wrestling Revolution and Hub "Namiss ka namin nung PoG" Pacheco
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PWR Live: Mainit is happening on Sunday, March 19, at the Unilab Bayanihan Center. Gates open at 2 PM.
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George Pastor writes our weekly #WTFWednesday column as well as all things MMA-related. He got into judo because it was the closest sport available where it was perfectly fine to slam someone without getting expelled.
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