VPW - The Rumble - Magazine Review (Re Upload)

With Vietnam Pro Wrestling's next event fast approaching, we've taken our show review out of the magazine and put it into web format for those who might have missed it. If you would like to read it in its graphical glory, then you can read the magazine online for free or even purchase a copy.

Credit to Aurelien Foucault @wrestlographer IG for photos

On August 16, Vietnam Pro Wrestling returned from its usual summer break (not counting the Asia Wrestling Summit in Da Nang) with its annual tradition — the Rumble — now in its fourth year. It’s almost cliché to say this, but this year’s outing was undoubtedly the best Rumble yet and possibly the promotion’s greatest show to date.

The card was shorter this time, trimmed to make room for the extended main event, but every undercard match felt big enough to headline. Notable changes were evident even before the first bell. Most obvious was the venue adjustment — still VAIB Studios, but this time the White Studio instead of the larger XL space. While some facilities were more limited, the smaller space created a more intimate vibe, and the new entrance setup gave wrestlers more visibility to sell merchandise. Personally, I preferred the original space but wouldn’t mind if this continues. Also notable? Xavier Patricks’ new, undeniably snazzy shoes — worthy of a mention on their own.

The night opened with the first of two international dream matches: Da Butcherman vs. Sid Nguyen. Butcher, back in a heel role, leaned into his demonic aura, intimidating the audience before the bell even rang. Fans were firmly behind Sid as the two opened with a feeling-out process before the violence kicked in.

Sid gained momentum early, landing nine punches in the corner before the SEA Champion chopped him in the face — yes, the face — and threw him outside for even more punishment, including chops on a chair right in front of us, followed by a vicious bite.

In desperation, Sid landed his first cutter of the night to regain control. The second attempt, however, ended with Butcherman knocking him out of the air and hitting a brutal spear through the ropes. After Sid missed his Coup de Grâce stomp, Butcherman hit a disturbingly stiff German suplex for the shocking victory.

The chemistry between these two was undeniable, and this was easily Sid Nguyen’s best match of the year. He thrives when paired with opponents who contrast his style and size, and this match proved it.

Next up was the emotional highlight of the evening: Billy and Bobby of The Classic Night challenging Vortex Rebellion for the tag team championships. The crowd erupted for the challengers, who have remained consistently over for more than two years.

The match started slow before building into a dramatic sprint. Kira and Xumin isolated Bobby, cutting off every attempted comeback. When Billy finally got the hot tag, he exploded with clotheslines and a cartwheel splash that nearly blew the roof off. But the heels regained control, this time isolating Billy as Xumin showcased his signature lucha-influenced offense, including a jaw-dropping suplex.

The tide turned after a ref bump allowed D. Austin to interfere, but An D made the save, clearing the ring. The challengers rallied with Dusty elbows, a pop-up powerbomb from Bobby, and a big frog splash from Billy to finally capture the gold.

The eruption from the crowd — and the tears in Xavier Patricks’ eyes — said it all. While it didn’t quite match the emotional high of their previous clash with VTX, it was a fantastic, cathartic moment for the VPW faithful.

The final match before the Rumble was a long-anticipated showdown for this writer: VPW Openweight Champion Ares vs. Jake De Leon of Puso Wrestling.

Much like Butcherman earlier, it took time for the crowd to warm to JDL. While many recognized his name from online buzz, VPW’s in-house crowd often needs a moment to connect with international stars. The chicken mask certainly helped bridge that gap.

The opening exchanges were a feeling-out process, with Ares overpowering JDL early. The first big spot came when JDL’s chop attempt on a running Ares left his own hand stinging, followed by a thunderous powerslam and elbow drop combo.

A comedy chase around the ring gave JDL an opening, and once he regained control, he slowed the pace, leaning into catch wrestling and joint manipulation to wear down the champ. The crowd quieted, reminded of Ares’ history of failed title defenses.

Momentum swung again when JDL made the mistake of trading strikes with the powerhouse and ate a spinebuster. A flurry followed: JDL’s Rooster’s Wings combo, a rolling thunder, and a tight wing clipper. But Ares dug deep, landed an F5 for a close two, then — after Nam snatched the belt away from JDL — hit a spear and the Godbreaker to retain.

This was world-class wrestling. The chemistry between Ares and JDL was exceptional, perhaps the best I’ve seen from Ares against an international opponent. A rematch on a future Dexcon card would be a no-brainer.

The night closed with the match everyone had been waiting for — the fourth annual VPW Rumble. After a quick rundown of the rules and the mandatory “let’s get ready to rumble” from Xavier Patricks, the atmosphere was electric.

Number one entrant… wait, it’s the ref?

If you follow VPW, you know the referees are usually trainees biding their time before stepping into the ring, and this was The Meteor Kid’s official debut. Under the stripes was a sharp, Dragon Gate–style flyer look, and the confidence to match. By the time his run was over, it was clear: Meteor Kid isn’t just a novelty — he’s the next big flyer in VPW.

Number two was another Academy debutant, Ronnie, decked out in a sharp, mystic luchador outfit. My only gripe? The name — “Ronnie” doesn’t scream mysterious masked man. But the fans didn’t care; they went wild when he hit the ring. The two went all out, with Ronnie hitting a crisp hurricanrana and Meteor answering with sharp knees. Ronnie missed a big moonsault attempt, Meteor launched him out, and just like that, the opening sprint was over — short but electric. Honestly, give these two five to seven minutes in an opener, and you’ve got a show-stealer.

Third out was Singaporean journeyman John Day, who immediately took it to Meteor, dropping a brutal package piledriver and setting the crowd off. Meteor fought back, showing surprising strength with a big swing, before sending Day tumbling over the top — a short but fun cameo that hinted at Day being a player if he returns for a singles match

The tone shifted when D. Austin hit at number four. The veteran still carries that intimidating aura, and while Meteor fought back, he was simply overpowered and dumped to the floor.

Then chaos: Phuong Nam, Ares’ manager-slash-comedian, came out next but refused to enter, hanging around ringside until Xavier Patricks showed up in his own merch gear. The two old friends tried a comedy double-team on Austin — pink belly and all — but Austin flattened them, sending both scrambling to the outside in fear.

Things heated up again when An D entered and went straight for Austin. The crowd roared, but Austin cut him off with a massive chokeslam. An errant big boot crotched Austin on the ropes, allowing An D to dump him — a huge elimination — but there was no time to celebrate as Kira hit the ring. The two traded stiff shots, with fans rallying behind An D until Xumin Long joined the fray. The double-teams wore An D down, and the tide turned ugly.

Rensho then arrived with a kendo stick but refused to get in the ring, instead hiding underneath it. Relief came when KPY stormed in, looking stronger and more confident than ever. The crowd quickly warmed up to his offense — that double underhook suplex got the “KPY” chants rolling — though, but, the jorts still need to go.

The ring started filling: Damien entered and immediately lit things up with a German suplex. Henry and Khoa followed, briefly teaming up before hilariously eliminating each other in a powerbomb mishap that screamed “future feud.” It looked like they had cross words but I couldn’t see clearly. Damien got too creative as well, eliminating himself and KPY in a wild suplex spill to the floor.

The Billy entered the ring, letting his guard down for a second as he had no opponent, only for Rensho to rush the ring and attack with the kendo stick. Bobby would enter for a brief reprieve but the numbers would be equalized with Dokuga’s entrance. This ended up seeing the twins throw the champs out, setting up a future tag title match.

From there, the foreign invasion began. Miles Karu entered to a mixed reaction but started hot. Then Da Butcherman hit, and the atmosphere shifted as they eliminated Venom Shank. When Jake De Leon joined them, the three SEA outsiders united, stomping the VPW logo into the mat to a deafening chorus of boos. The heat was unreal.

The next opponent out for this triad of SEA Wrestling evil? Phong Tran who on his own was not going to stand much of chance. After a swift throw out of the ring spilling his boba tea, the overseas heels start beating on him with a kendo stick only to be stopped in their tracks by a big time return.

The relief came in the form of Fugo Fugo Yumeji. The returning Sensei — a cornerstone of VPW’s early days — which brought the house down. Fans exploded for his surprise entrance, singing along as Fugo and WUW Tag Championship partner Sansyu held up their banners. He lit up De Leon and Karu with stiff shots and even nailed a crawling headbutt before the heel trio regrouped and, after a spirited flurry, dumped him out. It was short, but it reminded everyone why Fugo is still so beloved.

Ares hit next like a freight train, spearing everything in sight until Butcherman stopped him with a low blow. The star power escalated when Jimmy AG, making his long awaited return, strutted out in retro ’80s shades, baiting De Leon with a “gift” chicken before ambushing him. The place erupted when Sid Nguyen entered, charging straight for Butcherman as fans chanted “VPW!” — two originals standing tall for the home team.

Finally, at number 20, Rocky Huynh, the founder, hit the ring, to a chorus of boos from the fans which escalated as he grabbed a chair and sat down for a bit.

From there, the ring turned into chaos: Ares tried to spear Butcherman and got dumped. Sid eliminated Butcherman who then began a heated brawl with Ares on the outside — a dream singles match waiting to happen.

Jimmy countered JDL to toss him out, then booted Karu to the floor. But Rocky, ever the opportunist, snuck in and dumped Sid, much to the crowd’s fury.

That left an unlikely final two: now-babyface Jimmy AG versus Rocky Huynh. The fans despised Rocky, rallying behind AG for a heated five-minute showdown. But experience won out — Rocky, opportunistic and clinical, tossed AG to claim the 2025 Rumble as the building shook with boos.

The Rumble was, as stated at the beginning, possibly my favorite VPW show of all time. It felt like a huge event with new stars getting a memorable debut, up and comers getting to shine, shocking returns and a meaningful array of regional talent being used to elevate the local guys as defending heroes (something hugely important in Vietnam’s culture). While some fans might be disappointed with the promotion running a few more heel endings, it has clearly built up a lot more anticipation again for the shows with The Rumble being an absolute sell out.

We now look ahead to the last two shows of the year (as of writing) with Brawl Hallow’s Eve being the next stop and then what could be a big year ender in Immortal Glory. Some interesting potential matches have been potentially set up for those two shows including An D & KPY vs Vortex Rebellion, The Classic Night Vs Venom Shank, Khoa Truong Vs Henry and of course Da Butcherman Vs Ares.

Of course we now know in correction to some of the rumored matches the full, spooktacular card is as follows.

VPW Openweight Championship - Ares (C) Vs Da Butcherman

Khoa Truong & Henry Vs The Rocky Horror Show

VPW Tag Team Championship - The Classic Night Vs Venom Shank

An D Vs Xumin Long

KPY Vs Kira

Bubble Tea Brawl - Miles Karu Vs Despicable Damien Wolfe

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