Dear Mr. Philippine Wrestling

Editor's note: Five years ago, Smark Henry was founded in the hopes of being a watering hole for wrestling fans to engage in critical discourse about our favorite sport or form of entertainment. We're celebrating our fifth anniversary this week through these feature articles to bring back that spirit, even through these troubling times.

The following piece was contributed by guest columnist, two-time Kampeon ng Pilipinas, and Philippine Wrestling OG Jake De Leon.

Dear Mr. Philippine Wrestling,

It’s been quite a journey
These past five years.
There were some good times,
Definitely some bad times.

But you’re still here.

Because you love Philippine Wrestling.

You’ve loved it since your first bump
In that God-awful boxing ring.
That first bump told you
To fall in love.

And so you did.

You’ve loved it since your first wrestling match,
No matter how much you think it sucks looking back.
That first match told you
To be proud.

And so you were.

You’ve loved it since your first PWR event
In that dingy arena in a mall.
That first event told you
To chase this dream.

And so you did.

Photo by Aeson Baldevia

You’ve chased and you’ve chased
As hard as you can,
Non-stop,
For the past five years.

Knowing this is what you love.
Knowing this is what you are proud of.
Knowing this is your biggest dream.

You couldn’t stop chasing if you wanted to.

And there were times that you wanted to.

Times like when you got stranded on an island due to mismanagement,
Times like when shit became too toxic,
Times like when your mental, physical, and emotional health took its toll

You’ve had many what-ifs in the past five years.
“What if I'm way in over my head?”
“What if I’m not cut out for this?”
“What if I just quit?”

But I’m glad the what-if you listened to was,
“What if I keep going?”

And so you did.

You kept going and helped Philippine Wrestling get to where it is now.
You kept going and you represented Philippine Wrestling in other countries.
You kept going and you represented the Philippines in a WWE tryout.
You kept going and you wrestled TJP in the biggest local professional wrestling event in the country.

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My #PWRLive: Championship Spirit opponent @ayezshaukatfonseka may be working hard at the gym but I'm no slouch either. I have been upping my wrestling skills in the best way possible under the best coaches around. Plus, @TheKenWarren is now my new training buddy. See you on July 28, Shaukat.

A post shared by Jake De Leon #PWOGs (@senyoritojdl) on Jul 19, 2019 at 6:22pm PDT

You keep going and don’t ever stop.

No matter how bleak the future may be,
No matter how rough the road will get,
No matter how hard the challenges you face...

Do not stop.

You can rest;
But don’t ever stop.

Knowing this is what you love.
Knowing this is what you are proud of.
Knowing this is your biggest dream.

You’re still here

and

You love Philippine Wrestling.

Keep going.

—Mark

***

Thank you, Smark Henry.
Happy fifth anniversary.

*****

Header image from Wrestling PH Facebook page

May 10, 2020