Top Japanese promotion teams with leading Thai brand
If it’s true you can judge a person by the company they keep, you might also say the same of wrestling promotions.
In which case, SETUP Thailand Pro Wrestling can consider itself truly validated by its partnership with Dragon Gate, one of Japan’s leading promotions, for its latest – and potentially best – event.
While SETUP has enjoyed startling growth and momentum since pandemic restrictions were limited, Dragon Gate is a firmly established and thoroughly respected brand with a successful track record of more than 20 years in arguably wrestling’s most competitive market.
Now, Dragon Gate brings its fast-paced, high-flying brand to SETUP’s home of Circus Studio in Bangkok for another action-packed, international affair from the Thai leader in sports entertainment.
Diesel faces challengers from home and away
Headlining SETUP Episode 9: Open the Thailand Gate is one of Dragon Gate’s standout competitors, Jacky ‘Funky’ Kamei, as he challenges for the biggest prize in the kingdom: the SETUP Openweight Championship.
The belt is held by arguably Thailand’s premier grappler, Terry Diesel, who faces a huge challenge in retaining the belt, as he faces not only Kamei but also his no.1 contender, Monomoth.
Even so, Diesel will be confident of victory, having begun this second reign by triumphing in a similar triple threat scenario at Ep.6.
But in Kamei – or ‘JFK’, as Japanese fans chant his name – he meets a challenger blessed with youth, speed, agility, endurance and the confidence born of being a champion in his own right, having lifted the Twin Gate title just three weeks ago in Kobe, alongside his tag partner Jason Lee.
Kamei is a fine exponent of the Dragon Gate style, which is typified by high-flying, fast-paced and crowd-pleasing wrestling.
Yet that is a description that could also fit Monomoth, who embodies such cruiserweight qualities and is rapidly growing into his role as one of most promising members of the SETUP roster.
He earned his mandatory contender position with a final eliminator win over Sunny Z at Ep. 5, and while he hasn’t until now cashed in on that, he has won and lost the 24/7 belt and also put in an incredible effort for Shivam’s AWGC crown. While unsuccessful, his astonishing display had many marking him down as a champ of the future.
Whoever triumphs on Saturday night, it could be a win-win situation for SETUP. Either the ‘Bangkok Rockstar’ Diesel retains, confirming him as one of the leading talents in Asia, or Monomoth fulfills his potential and puts the brand’s future in safe hands, or Kamei carried the belt back to Dragon Gate and Japan, thus further extending SETUP’s reputation and visibility.
What is guaranteed is a fascinating and exciting clash of characters and styles that Thai wrestling fans will be highly advised to attend.
WWE alumnus Ho Ho Lun challenges Shivam
The coronavirus pandemic upset a lot of plans, and the wrestling industry was no exception.
While some promotions, like SETUP, bravely battled on without few or no fans in attendance, others understandably felt it was both safer and more financially viable to pause operations.
Hong Kong Pro Wrestling Federation (HKWF) was among the latter, but it also wanted to keep its titles active, and so allowed SETUP to take control of its flagship AWGC Jr. Heavyweight Championship.
Jonathon Johnson lifted the gold after a hotly contested tournament in Bangkok, becoming the youngest-ever holder of the belt. And then, at Ep. 5, he clashed with then-SETUP Champion Shivam, with both titles on the line.
Shivam triumphed after an epic battle, becoming the first Thai wrestler to hold two titles simultaneously. And while he would lose the SETUP strap to Terry Diesel at Ep.6, he has proudly held on to his AWGC honours ever since.
Now, HKWF want their belt back – with co-founder and former AWGC king Ho Ho Lun sent in from Hong Kong to retrieve it.
Lun is also now a member of Dragon Gate, though international fans might best remember him as a member of WWE in 2016-17, when he competed in the Cruiserweight Classic, 205 Live and NXT.
This makes him by far the most globally recognisable star to grace the SETUP ring, as well as the most formidable opponent of Shivam’s career.
Will the AWGC title be going home after the dust has settled? Or will it remain comfortable in its adoptive home – around Shivam’s waist?
Paksa defends his hardcore domain
For someone who claims to not like hardcore wrestling, Paksa sure is good at it.
The co-founder of SETUP has been through all manner of street fights and matches with no-DQ stipulations, and last time out not only took part in the first licensed hardcore wrestling title match, but walked away from Ep.8 with a belt.
Perversely, Paksa’s Wrestle Square Hardcore Championship win was aimed at slowing this trend towards ultra-violence. By winning the belt, and by virtue of his seniority in the company, Paksa has determined the only hardcore wrestling he will permit in SETUP will be his title defences.
Essentially, Paksa is defending not only his reign and reputation, but also the safety of his stablemates.
His first challenger will be Jake De Leon, a decorated and versatile competitor who was named the Philippines’ wrestler of the year in 2018.
De Leon, a two-time Philippines Wrestling Revolution champion, is relishing his first fighting assignment in Thailand and believes a hardcore championship will be a handsome addition to his trophy cabinet. He vows to take the Wrestle Square strap back across the South China Sea, where it will be freed from Paksa’s restrictions.
Warren and Akaradeth to unify 24/7 Championship
It wasn’t just the AWGC title that was affected by the pandemic – SETUP’s 24/7 belt has also thrown into disarray, to such an extent that it has splintered and been shared across countries.
When Ken Warren snatched the strap four months ago, he thought he would keep it safe from would-be usurpers by spiriting it away back to his native Philippines.
Well, how right he was… Immediately, coronavirus-related travel restrictions hit, keeping Warren confined to his own country,
But SETUP didn’t want the division to stagnate, especially one as active and unpredictable as 24/7. So, while Warren stayed on the bench back home, the title was reactivated in Thailand.
Much chaos has erupted since, but perhaps the most stable feature of the 24/7 lineage has been P’Suchart, who was worn the belt three times.
His latest reign came thanks to a revenge win over Referee Akaradeth last week, the latest in a long line of title changes in Thailand while Warren has been stuck in the Philippines. Warren has watched on from afar, denouncing these tandem titleholders as fakes, and insisting he alone is the real 24/7 champion.
There’s only one way to prove it. Now that he is able to leave the Philippines again, Warren is heading to Bangkok to duel with P’Suchart and unify the two belts to proclaim SETUP’s first undisputed champion.
Kozo faces monstrous task to rebuild reputation
Once a veneer of invincibility has been broken, an athlete is rarely the same. Just look at the likes of Mike Tyson, Ronda Rousey and The Undertaker – once they had been beaten, other competitors realised they could be beaten, and the likelihood of that happening became greater.
This is the position Kappa Kozo finds itself in. The Japanese monster had cut a swath of terror through the SETUP ranks, led by the villainous UMA Corporation in its attempts to take over Southeast Asia.
And then it met Andruew ‘The Statement’ Tang at Ep.8, when the Singaporean veteran called on all his guile and skill to take down Kozo, dealing a mighty blow to both UMA’s dastardly ambitions and Kozo’s reputation as an unstoppable force.
But the best villains always come again. UMA had put its faith in Kozo, and it failed them. They have given it one more chance, and the consequences of further failure don’t bear thinking about.
Kozo, then, can be expected to back to its best against former AWGC champion Johnathon Johnson. If that is the case, then Johnson, despite being a young, fast-rising and supremely talented competitor, will find this the toughest challenge of his career to date.
From interspecies to intergender
Personal redemption is also on the mind of Bital Hasdin. The Thai strongman had been a roll, earning plaudits from fans and opponents alike. But by the time he met former sumo wrestler Hoshitango at Ep.8, he’d let it go to his head. He thought he could overpower the 300lb Argentine, but he was very wrong.
Now, he faces an undefeated wrestler as he bids to bounce back – an undefeated female wrestler.
On paper, Hasdin should be a strong favourite against Matcha, given his size and strength advantage. But if he hasn’t learned his lessons from his dance with Hoshitango, another upset may be on the cards.
And Matcha is no stranger to defying the odds. She has already done the unthinkable three times, beating Alexis Lee and Tokiko Kirihara, and even earning a DQ win over Kappa Kozo.
With regards to the latter, an intergender match shouldn’t faze her since she’s even come through an interspecies one!
And finally…
Just four days before the first bell, SETUP announced a battle royale with “The Ultimate Championship Opportunity” up for grabs. The winner will have one year to request a shot at any singles title available across five promotions – SETUP, SPW, HKWF, MWF and Wrestle Square.
With each representing a different country, with a selection of active belts and a wide-ranging roster, there can be no bigger incentive for winning wrestling’s most entertaining format.
Like so much of this card, it’s a fascinating and unpredictable proposition. SETUP and Dragon Gate are opening the Thailand gate… but to what, we can only guess.
Sponsors Hong Kong Pro Wrestling Federation / Siamdol
MATCH CARD
Terry Diesel v Monomoth v Jacky ‘Funky’ Kamei SETUP Openweight Championship
Shivam v Ho Ho Lun AWGC Jr. Heavyweight Championship
Paksa v Jake De Leon Wrestle Square Hardcore Championship
P’Suchart v Ken Warren Undisputed 24/7 Championship
Ultimate Championship Opportunity battle royal
Johnathon Johnson v Kappa Kozo
Matcha v Bital Hasdin
NEWS AND FEATURES
Event page
SETUP Thailand Pro Wrestling company page
Tag titles remain an Asia Dream as CDK retain at SETUP Ep.8
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