WWFX was LIVE in Manila last night, featuring all your favorite Future Endeavored former WWE Superstars, some of whom are still legit stars in their own right.

Benjamin: "Easy paycheck for us tonight! Shall we work or should we just mess with them?" / Morrison: "Work? What's that?"

MVP, before a failed attempt at the "Ballin!" elbow drop on Chris Masters

The card was built around the main event of John Morrison (Hennigan) vs. Shelton Benjamin, while MVP and Chris Masters took on co-main event duties. These were also the true wrestling matches of the evening. MVP and Masters, in particular, both looked much better in the ring than the last time they were on WWE TV. Lots of ring psychology with Masters working on MVP’s leg, and a nice, smooth, momentum build-up to the red hot finish.

I must say, though, that Masters looked as bulked up and ripped as he did in his pre-suspension days. I hope he isn’t back to his old performance enhancement ways.

This was Carlito's finisher, the dreaded Apple spit. Yes.

Carlito vs. Snitsky was the “hardcore” match of the night, in which they brawled all over the 3000-strong, half-full Araneta Coliseum. It was ridiculous. They were punching and kicking and WALKING all over the different sections of the arena floor, with an axe handle thrown here and there. Parts of the crowd would chant “OVER HERE!”, inviting the brawlers to fight in their particular area, and they would oblige, with more punching, kicking, walking. The live-wrestling-starved Filipino crowd, of course, went nuts.

Hurricane Chokeslam, except seriously.

Hurricane Helms returned to the ring for the first time since his motorcycle accident, against Shiek Daivari. He was in pain and out of shape, and he barely took a bump, but he looked happy out there. He won the match with a chokeslam.

Other notes:

• Colt Cabana was the official WWFX Ring Announcer (he introduced himself as “Mister Colt”) and he was hilarious in his announcement of the WWFX Championship Match. The Title, apparently, was made of 24-karat solid gold, and cost over $250,000 to produce.
• Melina and Jillian Hall delivered more in-ring action than the two matches combined that preceded theirs–Billy Gunn vs. Jimmy Yang, and Hurricane vs. Daivari.
• In the most-contrived plot device of the evening, Melina celebrated her win with a winner of fan contest by sharing a beer in the ring. This prompted Luke Gallows to come out and proclaim that he was STRAIGHT EDGE and he proceeded to condemn Melina, which was Rhino‘s cue to come out and save her.
• There were “CM Punk” chants during the Gallows/Rhino match. They were fun, but I wonder how the wrestlers felt when the fans were chanting for someone who wasn’t even in the country.
• Speaking of which, there were some “Cena sucks” chants too.
• There were a bunch of kids sitting in front of us that were yelling the funniest, most ridiculous things. HE’S INVITING YOU TO HIS BED! (JoMo was goading Shelton back to the ring), WE DON’T WANT PUSSIES! (when Shelton kept feigning cowardice), AC-RO-BA-TICS! (clap, clap, clap clap clap!) at the beginning of the main event, WORST IN THE WORLD! (to Gallows, referring to his former “leader” CM Punk), and YOU SUCK! (to nobody in particular during the women’s match, which someone responded to by saying “They might indeed,” and “They actually have!” Horrible, and hilarious.)
• Because they feared infringing on WWE’s trademarks, the WWFX slightly altered the wrestlers’ former WWE names by adding an “S” or removing a letter from their monikers–Billy “Gun”, Luke “Gallow”, Chris “Master”, “Snisky”, and, most comically, “Carlitos”. Colt only very slightly pronounced the S in the end, which caused a bunch of laughs around the arena: “CARLIIIITOOOOOOOOOOOOOOsssssss”
• Everyone ignored John Morrison’s new (real name), John Hennigan. There were “Morrison” chants during the main event, everyone kept calling him “JoMo”. Shouldn’t he be JoHe now?

"Mister Colt" and the winners (all babyfaces) pose in the end to celebrate Morrison's WWFX Title win

All in all, a good card, with a hot crowd, capped off with a photo-op/autograph signing after the show, to cement the show as a true Fan Experience. Kudos to Dayly productions and Midas Entertainment for grabbing the opportunity to bring these wrestlers here, and props to the performers who bothered to give Manila a good show.

Full results:

• John Hennigan def. Shelton Benjamin to win the WWFX Title
• MVP def. Chris Master
• Carlitos def. Snisky
• Rhino def. Luke Gallow
• Melina def. Jillian Hall
• Hurricane Helms def. Shiek Daivari
• Jimmy Yang def. Billy Gun

Thanks to the Araneta Center Facebook page for the photos.