Ring of Rebirth: Comedy Wrestling Majulah — Review

Saturday 1 August, Goldpine Industrial Building, Singapore

Geylang Green vs Midnight Snack

The show opened with a battle of the masks, as Geylang Green returned to face the very odd Midnight Snack, with Kachachi as the referee. This was only Snack's second match, so he was in against a far more experienced opponent, and he dealt with that by cackling his way through it. Not laughing, cackling, and he did not stop. The two tied up carefully and Green led the offence, taking Snack apart in stages while the newcomer talked and cackled the whole way through. Snack backed off and spent a long stretch being bullied around the ring.

Out of nowhere Snack dodged a charge and grabbed a roll-up, which handed him the momentum for the first time. Green did not allow that to last and answered with a backbreaker. Snack did land one very unusual drop toe hold with a pause built into it that looked genuinely cool, but in the end a sidewalk slam from Green put the newcomer away.

Snack worked hard here. There was clear effort put into the chain wrestling, and the gimmick work was strange but strong. Where the character goes long term is anyone's guess, in my opinion, but people will remember him.

Tobias Frost vs Erfie Blackheart

Foong's comedy set was wrapping up when Tobias Frost arrived, and there is no one in Southeast Asian wrestling right now who gets under a crowd's skin more effectively. We got some cheap shots at Singapore and some posing from Raga Ngadai, who looks in better condition every time he appears, before Frost started running down both men's opponents for the evening. He then turned on the referee, Noor, who was of course also Spider-Pura. The threats did not go far, because Erfie Blackheart came out and took the fight to Frost in a spirited babyface performance.

Noor sent Raga to the back and Erfie worked Frost over until an eye rake turned things around. They traded holds, and Frost surprised me by out-wrestling Erfie into a Boston crab, though the former champion held on and reached the ropes. Another argument with the referee let Erfie sweep Frost down and finish him with a knockout slap, which conveniently removed Frost from any main event interference.

This was fine for what it was. I would like to see the two of them get another five or ten minutes together, because there is clearly more in it.

Showtime vs Fariz Bravo

This was the match I was looking forward to most, a genuine generational bout between Grapplemax's Showtime and Fariz Bravo. Showtime somehow floated backwards into the camera shot looking extremely cool, and Bravo did not look any less cool himself. Noor asked Showtime to hand over his signature bat, and the bell rang to a strong reaction.

The two tied up and exchanged wristlocks and waistlocks. Neither man is stupid, and they kept it slow and worked each other out. Showtime could not resist trying to embarrass the younger man with a hair ruffle, the holds stayed tight, and they broke clean. Bravo offered a handshake, got tricked for his trouble, and the match spilled out among the fans with Bravo left gasping for air. The humiliation continued with chops to the chest on the apron.

Stomps and punches followed, and this is the first time I can remember seeing Bravo look anything other than cocky and comfortable, with one of Singapore's most dangerous veterans steadily pulling him apart. The pace picked up with shoulder barges and a big body slam, but Showtime stayed in control throughout. Bravo then tripped his opponent out of nowhere and went to work on the leg, following with a quick DDT into a single leg Boston crab that came close to a tap out. Showtime reached the ropes, and while Bravo took his eyes off him, an eye rake and a skull crusher nearly ended it. More arguing with Noor followed, then a second skull crusher, a flying punch and a GTS finished by a kick for the three.

Really good match. Showtime has been in strong form across his two appearances, the first since his short return last summer, and Bravo did well while still having plenty to learn.

ROR World Championship: Tok Bomoh Mekong (c) vs Raga Ngadai vs The Eurasian Dragon

I have a lot of respect for Mekong, and I have time for a good ancient mystic gimmick.

All three went straight into a brawl, and Raga is simply more powerful than anyone else in ROR at the moment. He is one to watch across Southeast Asia and should be a top name in two or three years. The opening quarter stayed chaotic with nobody able to land anything significant, until Ngadai beat both opponents down with punches and kicks, slowed only briefly by chops from The Eurasian Dragon to break up a pin.

By halfway, Dragon and Mekong were double teaming Ngadai with power moves, without ever fully stopping him. Dragon then paused to fetch a blanket, which confused Mekong and me in equal measure, and the two laid it over Ngadai and dropped big legs onto it. Ngadai was thrown out of the ring and hit with a stool before the champion and Dragon made it back inside.

A Russian leg sweep from Dragon only got one. Ngadai was not down for long and came back in to drop a leg on the champion. A Samoan drop got another one count, then a big body slam got one more, which said a lot about the champion's resilience. A backbreaker from Dragon sent Mekong out of the ring. A slam from Raga on Dragon got a close two, and Dragon popped straight back up to launch Raga. The two traded blows, Raga was thrown out of the far end of the ring, and Tok Bomoh Mekong came back in with the mystic coconut to knock The Eurasian Dragon out cold for the three.

Very intense main event with a lot going on. Mekong came out of it looking more durable than ever with those one counts, while Raga looks close to unstoppable in one on one competition.

After the match - Showtime Attacks

The footage has not been uploaded yet, but after the bell Showtime came to the ring and attacked Tok Bomoh with the Showtime Inc baseball bat, leaving him unable to breathe. The Eurasian Dragon and Erfie came in and attempted CPR as part of the angle, with Tok Bomoh not responding. It is a heavy way to close a comedy show and it will need careful handling on the follow up, though it does leave the story wide open.

Overall Thoughts

Another good chapter from Ring of Rebirth, and the fans were clearly left wanting more. I am all for more Showtime, and it will be worth watching whether more Grapplemax crossovers turn up in the coming months. ROR's next event details and full show footage go up on their social media pages.