80s Retro: Pinoy Wrestling

Back in the 80s, we only had 1 wrestling show per week, and that was WWF All-Star wrestling, which aired on Wednesdays at 10 PM.  Wrestling fans like me, struggled to get more of this kind of action.  So aside from being contented with All-Star wrestling and at times, Betamax rentals of WWF main events like Wrestlemania, Survivor Series and Royal Rumble, we tried to find other ways of satisfying our urge for wrestling.  Kinda funny but we appreciated Pinoy Wrestling, which aired Saturdays from 5-6 PM on the former PTV4.  I remember being able to watch this show live at the carpark of SM City North EDSA back then.  See how Jologs it was!!!


Pinoy Wrestling is a local rip-off of the former WWF.  It had a roster of wrestlers with both fictitious and funny monickers which initially tickled your fantasies but on second-look would be ridiculous-looking because of all the irony and sarcasm between them and the charcaters they play. Here are some of the wrestlers and characters I remember:

1) Lawin, the Birdman - you would expect him to be like Jimmy the Superfly Snuka, but dream on!  Despite his high flying monicker, he rarely displayed acrobatic and aerial movers
2) Turko Turero - dressed like Andres Bonifacio, portraying a farmer.  He could lift a sack of rice with  his teeth.  One of his memorable match was versus Max Buwaya
3) Max Buwaya - one of the most popular villains in this show but never showed any semblance to a crocodile  After his stint in Pinoy wrestling, he was seen playing the role of a goon in local action movies.
4) Joe Pogi - Always escorted by sexy ladies who could have worked for Maalikaya.  But who the hell gave this monicker?! He ain't pogi. My foot looks better than his face.
5) Mikrobyos - Max Buwaya's midget accomplices
6) Turreritos - Turko Turero's midget accomplices.  A freak show this was!
7.) Facifica Falayfay - dressed as a Las Vegas showgirl and portraying a gay.  But later in the show's existence, he changed image and transformed into a more manly Macho Franco.

Macho Franco

8) King Cobra - would have been a rip-off Jake the Snake Roberts but not again.  He didn't bring any reptiles in the ring.  And he's fat to portray a serpent.  A more apt monicker would be King Toad.  But he's a champion.
9) Sultan Bato - he's a real deal. Dressed as a Muslim warrior, he is one of the more legit fighters in this show.  He was my favorite.
10) The Bakal Boys (Caloy and Boy) - would have passed as a rip-off of WWF's The Killer Bees.  They were one of the most prolific tag teams in the show.  But eventually, Caloy's ego grew and left Boy to fight on his own. 
11) The Smokey Mountain Brothers (Big Boy and Ting)- Dressed like Hillbilly Jim of the WWF.  And yes, they look dirty and nasty.  they were the arch-rivals of the Bakal Boys.
12) Iggy Igorot - aside from Sultan Bato, he also represented an ethnic minority. But unlike Sultan Bato, he is  more of a whipping boy.
13) Juan Duwag - as the name implied, he was a coward whipping boy of a wrestler.
14) Zorro - Need I say more! Why not throw in Leon Guerrero, Geronimo and Julio Valiente as well.  He dressed like a Luchador.
15) Pinoy Ranger - if there was a Zorro, why not a Lone Ranger Pinoy version
16) Waway the Wildman - Pinoy version of George the Animal Steele
17) Kamikaze Kid - too chubby to be a legit martial artist.
18) Roboto - with an entrance music of "Roboto" by Styx.  More funny-looking than intimadating dressed in metallic costume which even a kid would laugh at. 
19) Dr. Q - he is the Chinese-looking manager of Roboto and Kamikaze Kid.  Could have been derived from WWF's Mr. Fuji or Mr. Slick with the attitude of Bobby Heenan. He is Johnny Revilla's partner in the commentary booth.
20) Johnny Revilla as himself - the ringside commentator.  Whenever i think of Pinoy Wrestling I think of him, and whenever I saw him, I thought of Pinoy Wrestling. 

Johnny Revilla : The face of Pinoy Wrestling

They indeed had funny names, crazy choreography and a freakin plot.  But way back when wrestling shows were scarce, unlike today when you have internet and cable TV where you can watch them anytime, it filled a void in every enthusiast's longing for action.  And despite being short-lived, it was one of the Pinoy shows to remember during the 80s. 

Joe Pogi/Zorro versus Smokey Mountain Brothers

Zorro versus Pinoy Ranger