Philippine Wrestling Revolution (PWR) introduced handful of new faces to the Revo-nation during PWR Live 2. However, they also gave us a new superstar unlike any other and his name is James “Idol” Martinez of The Network.
James “Idol” Martinez (Right) with his ‘downline’ Bruno Bernardo
Idol burst into the PWR scene with a huge win against “The Senyorito” Jake De Leon in his debut match. While most of the PWR fans and Mr. De Leon thought his win came from dubious means (a.k.a. an assist from the Royal Flush’s Main Maxx), there is no denying that James “Idol” Martinez has already made a big impact during his PWR debut. Wheninmanila.com had an EXCLUSIVE pre-show interview with the man in green and we’re here to give you a small glimpse into one of PWR’s up and coming talent. Here’s our mini interview with The Network’s Idol!
Q: We need to know, first and foremost, why did you chose the name “Idol”?
Idol: Yun ang bagay na itatanong ko sana, bakit “Idol”? Sorry kung inunahan mo ako pero ayoko maunahan. Wag nyo ako papaunahan, please. I’m sorry pag medyo bastos pero pag may mapapagyabang…medyo mapapabastos ka diba? (That is something I’d like to ask myself. Why the name “Idol”? I apologize if you got to ask first, but please don’t start before I do. I’m sorry if I come off a bit rude, but when you have a lot to brag about…you may slightly be a bit rude, right?)
Q: Blessed, kumbaga? (Blessed, in other words?)
Idol: Tama. Why Idol? Hindi ko din alam eh. Since I was a kid, medyo physically frail ako…or maliit. Pero matalino ako, un ang asset ko. So sinabi ko sa sarili ko na kahit maliit ako, hindi ako mabubully. So sinabi ko sa mga bullies ‘may assignment ba kayo? ako bahala sa assignment nyo. Basta maging tropya nyo ako’. Sa kanila, ok lang so..parang libre assignment, basta kasama ko sila. And then as years went by, ok itong lifestyle na ito…kung ano ang kulang ko, kukunin ko sa kanila. Pero pupunan ko yung kulang nila. And finally…ako dapat sa gitna kasi ako ang Idol nilang lahat. Parang I have followers, kumbaga. (Right. But, why Idol? I don’t know honestly. Since I was a kid, I was physically frail/small. However, my intelligence was my asset. I told myself that no matter how small I was, I won’t be bullied. So I offered to the bullies at school to do their assignments so long as I can join their group. They were ok with it since they get to have free assignments done while I join them. As the years went by, I found this lifestyle to be just good. Whatever I lack, I find it to the others. Whatever the others lack, I fill it up. And finally, I feel like I should ALWAYS be at the middle of things since I’m the IDOL of everyone. Like, I have followers.)
Q: So how did you start The Network?
Idol: I started the Network dahil booming ang network industry dito. So natry ko yun once, meron na akong isang downline. His name is Bruno [Bernardo]. He was once a lost kid, but now, he’s my first downline. You can see him later. He’s not a lost kid anymore. (I started the Network since the network industry was booming. So I tried it once, and now I have a downline).
Bruno Bernardo (left) and Idol (top right) staredown JDL
Q: We heard he’s a big kid
Idol: Oo, hindi naman ako hahanap ng masmaliit sa akin. Yun ang hinahanap ko….for obvious reasons. (Yes. I won’t find anyone that’s smaller than me. That’s what I’m looking for…for obvious reasons.).
Q: What are the move-set that we will see Idol bring to the PWR ring?
Idol: Meron akong finisher na tinatawag ko na “Pay-In”. Masaya lahat pag nakakatangap sila ng pay-in. Inverted DDT Elbow Drop. (I have a finisher that I call the “Pay-In”. Everybody is happy when they receive their Pay In. It’s an Inverted DDT-Elbow Drop).
Q: What products does The Network sell?
IDOL: Main products ba o specialty? Hindi ako magiging succesful pag isa lang produkto ko. Pero pag nasa-ring ako, I usually have my ‘facial products’. Makikita niyo later pag madedebut ko ang move ko na facial products. Kung sa labas ng ring, kasi normal networker ako, meron akong…Idol Supplements. Ano itong Idol Supplements? Ito ang reason kung bakit ako ay naging successful. Later, i-dedebut ko sya. Hindi ko na i-eexplain kasi medyo mahaba pero kayo na bahalang humusga. Hindi ko sasabihin pag 100% effective ito. Kayo na maghusga. (Main products or specialty products? I won’t be successful if there’s just one product. But when I’m in the ring, I usually have my ‘facial products’. You will see it later when I debut . When I’m outside the ring, I have my Idol Supplements. What are these Idol Supplements? This is the reason why I am successful. I’ll debu them later. I don’t need to explain because it’s going to be a long story but it’s up to you to decide. I won’t tell you if it’s 100% effective. It’s up to you to decide.)
Q: Who are you targeting in the PWR as possible downlines for The Network?
Idol: Ako yung may pangalan kaya kung sino man iyan [sa PWR locker room], ayus lang, ako yung Idol kaya lahat sila yung ‘lesser’ sa akin. Ang hinahanap ko lang ay kung sino ang mas-malaki sa akin. Yun ang no. 1 criteria ko. (I’m the one witht he name so whoever from the PWR is that, it’s alright, I’m the Idol and all of them are lesser.
What I’m looking for is who is bigger than me in size.
That’s my no. 1 criteria).
Q: Any parting words for the Revo-Nation?
Idol: Meron akong tanong sa inyo, guys, open minded ba kayo magkapera? (I have a question for you guys. Are you open minded to get some money?)
We sure did see his Idol Supplements and facial products in full effect that night and it led him to victory. We would like to thank PWR and James “Idol” Martinez of The Network for giving us their time for this short interview.
Catch more PWR related content here at wheninmanila.com as the road to PWR Terminus continues.
Interview conducted by: Martin Vicencio and Jonathan Guillermo.
