Revenge for ‘Bangkok Rockstar’ reshuffles deck for Ep.7
As if SETUP Openweight Champion Shivam didn’t already have enough on his plate with defending his belt in a rematch against fierce rival Terry Diesel, just a few short days before SETUP Thailand Pro Wrestling Ep.6: King of Wrestling, the fates conspired against him.
When Jonathan Johnson was ruled out of his own crunch bout against Andruew Tang after falling ill with coronavirus, SETUP HQ ensured Tang’s journey over from Singapore would not be in vain, and added him to the main event title equation. Shivam would now have to face two opponents instead of one.
The defending champion put up a great fight, but the added numbers and late shift in strategy proved too much. Diesel, already highly motivated for revenge and in the form of his life since dropping the strap to Shivam at Ep.2, pounced, taking Shivam down with a Falling Sanctuary for the three count at 23:52.
‘The Statement’ seeks to save face after post-fight fright
This result changes the career path of both men, though the most serious fallout from Ep.6 involved Tang.
With his win, ‘Bangkok Rockstar’ Diesel becomes the first two-time SETUP champion. The historic win also came on his 10th anniversary as an active competitor.
Shivam, though, still has two reasons to cheer – first, he remains AWGC Jr. Heavyweight king, and he already holds the record for longest SETUP reign. In ceding the latter belt on June 18, Shivam’s title run totalled 610 days.
But for Tang, there was very little to celebrate. A former SETUP champion himself, he failed to capitalise on this rare opportunity and has been sent tumbling down the rankings as a result.
But that’s not the worst of it.
Already demoralised by defeat, Tang was a sitting duck when the venue was invaded by the villanous UMA Corporation from Japan.
Quite why they were in Bangkok, and how they had breached security to get into Circus Studio, remains unknown, but Tang was the target as UMA’s very own monster, Kappa Kozo, entered the ring and attacked ‘The Statement’… with cucumbers!
The damage was perhaps more mental than physical, as Tang’s tough-guy image took a direct hit as he cowered in fear at the site of the fearsome Kozo.
In an attempt to save face, Tang later challenged Kozo to a match. Stay tuned…
Rebranded and better than ever – Matcha upsets Alexis Lee
Another Singaporean to come swaggering into Bangkok was also sent back licking her wounds, as Alexis Lee found pride came before a fall.
The ‘Lion City Hit Girl’ had already proclaimed herself “the best female wrestler Thailand has never had” and threw out an open challenge for Ep.6 – that she would fight and beat any woman on the SETUP roster.
This followed the abrupt retirement in May of Blue Lotus, the history-making first ever female Thai pro wrestler. Lee obviously felt that with Blue Lotus out of the equation, she was due an easy win.
Lee was happy with the arrangement that her opponent’s identity would not be revealed until the match began. SETUP had announced this would be the debut of a new signing. Lee, one of Southeast Asia’s most experienced wrestlers, against a newcomer? Sounds like a sure thing…
As the curtain parted, a hooded figure named Matcha made her way to the ring. Neither Lee nor we had ever heard of her. But then the lights came on and the hood came down, and suddenly Lee realised she’d been outsmarted – Matcha was none other than the former Blue Lotus, debuting under a new guise.
It turns out Blue Lotus’ retirement “for personal reasons” was so the athlete could rededicate herself to the sport, shed her previous persona and emerge with a different one that represents renewed focus.
The results were immediate, with Matcha pinning Lee after a Saito Suplex at 9:59 and teaching the arrogant visitor a lesson she will be well advised to heed.
SaySci makes influence felt as 24/7 division continues chaotic ways
Monomoth thought, for a few glorious moments, that he would be leaving Circus Studio as a champion.
He also though he would be carrying his own gold into Ayutthaya, where he is set to challenge Shivam for AWGC honours at Ep. 7.
The good news was he’d won the SETUP 24/7 Championship. The bad news was… he’d won the 24/7 Championship.
The stipulations of this title mean it is on the line at all times, against anyone who dares to challenge for it.
Perhaps in the euphoria of winning his first belt, Monomoth forgot about this.
As he paraded around the ring celebrating his win over defending titlist P’Suchart in standard singles competition, he was taken by surprise as TikTok influencer SaySci jumped into the ring, rolled up Monomoth for a three count and escaped with the belt.
One moment SaySci was a mere spectator; the next he was a champion. Such is the unpredictable nature of the 24/7 division.
Hasdin triumphs after Hyde spoils an instant classic
The show opened with a keenly fought triple threat match between Bital Hasdin, Paksa and Hyde which showed off the best of all three men – until Hyde abruptly curtailed matters.
With the outcome still in the balance, Hyde suddenly struck both opponents with a strap and abandoned the match. His wits still about him, Hasdin covered Paksa for the win, but questions remain.
Why did Hyde do what he did? As the least experienced of the competitors, he was the underdog, but had performed with credit to that point.
Perhaps this will be answered at Ep.7, when he goes one-on-one with Hasdin. Paksa, meanwhile, will challenge Diesel for the SETUP gold in a street fight. This match had already been contracted prior to Ep.6, so goes ahead with the title on the line following Diesel’s main event win.
LINKS
Ex-champ or next champ? Terry Diesel guns for revenge (Ep.6 preview)
Ep.6 event page
SETUP Thailand Pro Wrestling company page
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