"In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity."
War is coming.
Six months after Art of War Wrestling burst quietly onto the Philippine scene with a recruitment call for talent, the feisty start-up helmed by ECW alumnus Chilly Willy has finally declared a formal date for its launch show.
Aptly called Genesis, this debut show is happening some time in March 2018 at a venue yet to be announced.
The show, should it push through, will formally establish AoWW as the third active pro wrestling promotion in the Philippines, following in the footsteps of the flagship Philippine Wrestling Revolution and the scrappy Manila Wrestling Federation.
The company remains steadfast in its pitch of presenting the most legitimate form of sports entertainment in the country, hinged largely on the "hard style" training being instilled by Chilly Willy.
"What's gonna set Art of War Wrestling apart is that we will not be a comic wrestling organization," he told Smark Henry in an exclusive interview a few months back. "We will be legit in every way possible."
The company even likes to trumpet the supportive words sent by such global stars as Kurt Angle and Rhyno to Chilly Willy on his latest endeavor.
But warm messages of encouragement aside, the success of the company will hinge largely on the talents behind the matches. As early as now, AoWW has already amassed an impressive collection of talent that seems to dwarf that of MWF, and could be comparable in size to the Year Two roster of PWR.
Roster Reveal: A Work in Progress
First up is an enigmatic barroom brawler known as "The Godkiller" Dabid Rabena, who describes himself as "an over-achiever born with a silver spoon in his mouth."
The unhinged, deranged Queen Rogue also looks to make waves as the company's initial woman wrestler, and is on a mission to spread some trauma to spill some blood—preferably not hers.
The gargantuan Machine, who may be a familiar presence to long-time fans of local wrestling, will also be reborn with AoWW.
Tondo-bred street fighter-cum-mercenary Razael will also be looking to make a splash with his determination and killer instincts honed by a lifetime around the gangs of Manila.
The silent mayhem of the disgraced prizefighter Hybrid should also be on display, and we'd love to see how much destruction he can unleash with his baseball bat.
The ticking time bomb called Nuke may be a family man at heart, but don't let that fool you; he's got the intensity and passion to rock the ring and could be a major force to contend with. With "The Belle of the Brawl" Ava Lord by his side, who knows how brightly his star could shine?
To catch what should be a unique perspective on the wild and woolly world of pro rasslin', make sure to follow Art of War Wrestling on their official Facebook page for up-to-the-minute news and updates, including behind-the-scenes peeks at the intensive training the talent goes through at a local fitness facility located along Taft Avenue in Manila.
(Yes, that's "Classical" Bryan Leo at the end, and if you need an introduction to the two-time local wrestling champion, then you probably haven't been following the scene all that long.)
If there's one thing you don't want to talk about though, it's the fracturing of the Philippine wrestling scene. With crossovers galore happening between both PWR and MWF, we imagine it's just a matter of time before we see this third player dipping its toes into one unified Southeast Asian industry.
"I really hope someday we can all work together and bring Philippine wrestling to the forefront," Willy says in closing. "We need to let the world know pro wrestling is alive here in the Philippines."
*****
Photos courtesy of Art of War Wrestling.
Disclosure: Smark Henry is independently run and managed by a group of Filipino wrestling fans, but includes members affiliated with competing promotions and sponsors.
