Amidst Storm Signal #1, Dexcon held Dekada, a celebration of the 10 years of modern pro wrestling in the Philippines. The event was held at the Brawl Pit Bulusan in Quezon City, with a card highlighted by a dream match between Mr. Philippine Wrestling Jake de Leon and The Best Technical Wrestler in the World, New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Zack Sabre Jr.

The day prior, fans were greeted with a chance to meet the participating wrestlers for Dekada at the Collective Base at the Promenade in Greenhills. The event was also attended by the event’s sponsors and partners, allowing fans and media to score merchandise prior to the main event.

Here are the results for Dexcon Dekada:

MATCH 1: The Horrors (Dr. Gore and Da Butcherman) defeated R O M E O and Robin Sane to retain the Singapore Pro Wrestling Southeast Asian Tag Team Championships

The first match of the evening saw the team of R O M E O and Robin Sane take on the current SPW Southeast Asian Tag Team Champions, Dr. Gore and Da Butcherman of The Horrors. Despite only being in his second match back from a hiatus from professional wrestling, R O M E O started strong against Dr. Gore. However, The Horrors’ longer experience as a tag team proved to be the deciding factor as despite R O M E O and Robin Sane’s best efforts, they were not able to overcome The Horrors.

After the match, Robin Sane encouraged R O M E O to continue on the comeback trail and not let this match be his last match.

MATCH 2: Danger Rex Lawin defeated Afam Steve and Razael

Despite some early cooperation between Afam Steve and Razael, Danger Rex Lawin was still able to easily overcome the numbers game, scoring the win over Afam Steve. At the end of the match, Afam Steve and Razael treated the fans to a dance by Jumbo Hotdog (of The Masculados).

MATCH 3: Main Maxx defeated David Rabena

Both wrestlers made callbacks to their previous wrestling promotions during their entrance, with David Rabena wearing Art of War Wrestling merch, and Main Maxx wearing Philippine Wrestling Revolution merch. The match was a back-and-forth affair between the two veterans of the local pro wrestling scene. Ultimately Main Maxx secures the hard-fought win over Rabena. After the match, Main Maxx acknowledges Rabena and comments that despite not being sure how much longer he has for the sport, he will continue to be with his friends in the pro wrestling scene.

MATCH 4: Chelsea Marie defeated Kanto Terror

Chelsea Marie arrived at Dexcon Dekada looking for a fight. Afam Steve offers to give Chelsea Marie all he has, but she quickly reminds Afam Steve that she has beaten him before, and he also just got beat in an earlier match. Afam Steve refutes that he will not be the one that Chelsea will be fighting, and introduces Kanto Terror. Chelsea makes quick work of Kanto Terror though, even with Matchmaker Linus providing Kanto Terror with a power-up mid-match.

MATCH 5: Jomar defeated Fabio Makisig

In a match between two students of former ECW and WWE stalwart TAJIRI, Jomar and Fabio Makisig showed the crowd the skills that earned them an invite to train at TAJIRI’s current home promotion, Kyushu Pro Wrestling. With Jomar teasing the Poison Mist (a signature TAJIRI move that TAJIRI passed down to Jomar) early on in the match, Fabio approached the match with caution and awareness that the Mist can come from anywhere. While Fabio gave a valiant effort, he was not successful in beating Jomar that night. After a show of respect from both competitors, Jomar and Fabio addressed the fans on their future and asked the fans to continue supporting them in their endeavors.

MATCH 6: Turn Zero Kill (Saint John Martin and Ken Cifer) defeats The Pinoy Bulldog and Zera to retain the World Underground Wrestling International Tag Team championships

In the second title match of the night, Turn Zero Kill faced their master The Pinoy Bulldog and Zera for WUW’s International Tag Team Championships. In a match that saw multiple different pro wrestling styles converge, all competitors worked hard to try and get a competitive advantage. An opportunity saw Zera attempt a show-stealing senton from Brawl Pit Bulusan’s rafters, however, it was not enough to make Turn Zero Kill lose their titles. After the match, both SJM and Cifer gave respect to their mentor, and addressed the fans on the future of modern Pinoy Wrestling. Razael and Kanto Terror then make use of this chance to challenge the champs to a Tornado Tag Hardcore Match for an upcoming WUW show, a match that Turn Zero Kill seemingly accepts.

MATCH 7: Jake de Leon and Zack Sabre Jr. end on a time-limit draw

Before the main event, Mr. Sy, another modern Pinoy Wrestling veteran figure, quickly addresses the crowd as he is in Dexcon Dekada as a ring announcer and not in his usual gimmick. Brawl Pit Bulusan popped huge for both JDL and ZSJ, adding to an already electric atmosphere. The Frontman of TMDK was in control for the majority of the match, showing the local fans why he is indeed The Best Technical Wrestler in the world. Despite the skill and experience difference, JDL was able to keep in step with ZSJ, even scoring a couple of near-falls in the process. ZSJ was not able to put JDL away though, with JDL surviving two Zack Drivers at different points in the match. The final few minutes saw a scramble for a submission victory until the time ran out. Post-match, ZSJ mentioned that he wished he was able to do these Asian country visits a little earlier in the decade, alongside mentioning that he told NJPW officials that they should look into other Asian countries for talent. ZSJ also expressed his impressions of JDL, casually telling the fans to enjoy more of JDL locally for a few more months, hinting at a possible excursion for Mr. Philippine Wrestling. JDL then went on to close the show alongside all the talents and staff in the ring.

All in all, Dexcon Dekada had a very solid card from top to bottom. While this writer has not been able to attend the local pro wrestling events as of late, this same writer has managed to try and keep tabs on the local scene. We’ve seen promotions come and go, yet the local pro wrestling scene (and when I say scene this includes the workers, staff and fans) has managed to keep the fire alive. And just like how Dexcon Dekada pushed on despite Storm Signal #1, Pinoy Wrestling will still survive in one form or another despite the storms that come their way. Here’s to a few more decades of Pinoy Wrestling!

Event coverage by Adrian Amorato