Fabio Makisig busts down the ropes that he needed to cross to be the next MWF champ
When Professional Filipino wrestler Fabio Makisig—Christian Fabon in real life—first got into wrestling, he told himself that “it is interesting.”
He remembers seeing a Facebook video from the now-defunct Philippine Wrestling Revolution (PWR), which made him decide and sign up as an athlete. “Nakita ko lang sa [Facebook] yung video ng PWR noon. ‘Tapos, naisip kong ‘Uy, kaya ko ‘to ah!’ So, I joined. Sobrang weird ng paraan, pero ganun lang talaga ang nangyari.”
Admittedly, it was weird for him but, in his own words, “That’s just the way it is.”
Yet, no one ever thought that he will be brawling in major title fights, even facing his main idol Tajiri and eventually snagging the main belt of the Manila Wrestling Federation (MWF).
In an interview with FreebieMNL, he mentions that his interest for wrestling just started as a bonding habit with his father. “Mahilig kami sa action movies, kaya pasok na pasok ang pro wrestling sa taste namin.”
Watching professional wrestling also provided a way to discover his main influence, Tajiri. Makisig just adores how Tajiri combines his martial-arts-style kicks, which made him fall in love with Japanese wrestling. Aside from Tajiri, Makisig also idolizes Hayabusa and Jushin Thunder Liger. These days, his influences are Kiyoshi Tamura and Minoru Tanaka.
“I loved watching Tajiri and the cruiser weights noong early 2000s. That’s when I fell in love with pro wrestling,” Makisig narrates.
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Fabio Makisig throwing in the towel?
Fabio dubs himself as “Batasan Bully.” He caters the tagline “Walang kasing lupit, walang kasing astig.”
But in real life, he’s just like the rest—entering odd jobs for survival. “Depende sa raket, e,” Makisig says.
At times, Makisig is a martial arts and fitness coach, and sometimes, an English teacher. As of the moment, copywriting is what he does.
But admittedly, Fabio almost threw in the towel numerous times. While he may be reaching numerous achievements in his career, financial constraints also loomed. He says that there were more expenses than profits in his chosen path.
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Yet, passion just kept on igniting for Makisig: he works out every day, lifts weights every other day, and when he’s not bodybuilding, he does traditional pro-wrestling workouts.
How Does It Feel To Be A Champ?
Even though breakdowns do happen, Fabio did not fret and turned his back from the challenges.
Inside the ring, he managed to battle against the best wrestlers—not just from the Philippines, but from around the world. Some of his favorite matches include a brawl with Jomar Liwanag back in MWF 3, as well as a duel with Bitman and Michael Su at their Chinatown show.
One of his bests was, of course, with his major influence, Tajiri—a match where his wrestling hero became his foe for a night.
Some of Fabio’s milestones in his wrestling career are MWF’s reach and engagement, as well as TV guesting and appearances.
How does it feel to be a wrestling champ? “Really happy and validating,” Fabio answers.
Banner Image Paulo Correa
Photos Aram Lascano
Special Thanks Manila Wrestling Federation, William Elvin Manzano, and Toots Tolentino
