Edingwe’s son clashes with one of the few wrestlers to beat his father in catch fetiche bout in front of big stadium crowd
When it comes to pro wrestling in the Congo, especially the Congolese voodoo wrestling style of catch fetiche, there is one name that fans should be familiar with. Edingwe.
Edingwe is considered by many to be the Hulk Hogan of pro wrestling in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He helped to bring the sport to new heights in the Congo by helping to make the Congolese variation of pro wrestling distinctly Congolese by introducing the voodoo wrestling style to the ring. The style combines traditional mystic Congolese voodoo practices along with pro wrestling moves, using either magic and curses to harm your opponent, or the usual pro wrestling moves fans are accustomed to seeing in the ring. The catch fetiche style has grown in popularity among fans and wrestlers alike in the DRC, the neighboring Republic of the Congo and even Angola.
During Edingwe’s career, he was nearly untouchable in the ring, winning a great deal more of his matches than he lost. However, one of those rare losses came in the Congolese city of Mbuji-Maui at Kashala Bonzola Stadium against the powerful masked opponent, Elephant. That bout featured a huge crowd and is a legendary match between two of Congolese wrestling’s biggest stars. You can watch it below.
Edingwe has since retired from active competition but Elephant is still active in the ring. Edingwe’s son, Makidiba, however is currently wrestling. Makidiba, who is also sometimes referred to as Dieu Edingwe or even Little Edingwe (not in size though, he stands at about 6’6”), had been living and wrestling in Europe until recently. Upon his return to the DRC, Makidiba has been billed as the “champion of Europe” and as part of his return, he wanted to avenge his father’s loss against Elephant. Makidiba issued a challenge to Elephant which can be seen below.
The challenge was accepted by Elephant and a series of interviews followed. First from Elephant.
Then Makidiba would speak up about his upcoming match with Elephant.
Soon, the time would come for Makidiba to head to Mbuji-Mayi where the match between the two would take place. But upon his arrival in the city, Makidiba’s crew and Elephant’s crew had a face-off in the streets with each side exchanging blows and catch fetiche magic attacks in an attempt to take out their opponents. You can check out their face-off below.
Makidiba would then give an interview from the streets of Mbuji-Mayi after his arrival.
And another sit down interview with Mardoche Catch while in Mbuji-Mayi ahead of the stadium show.
Mardoche Catch then also caught up with Elephant for a sit down in Mbuji-Mayi ahead of the beginning of the week long stadium wrestling gala at Kashala Bonzola Stadium.
Mardoche Catch then had an opportunity to catch up with the legend himself, Edingwe, ahead of his son’s big bout in Mbuji-Mayi. Edingwe would be present at the stadium and was expected to be in his son’s corner.
Then Makidiba would wrestle his first match of the nearly week long event. The bout would be a handicap match and one that Makidiba won rather easily. Following the match, several confrontations between the wrestlers present at the stadium that day were captured.
Elephant would then wrestle his first match of the gala. When Elephant’s opponent fled the ring mid-match, Elephant seemingly used a spell of some sort to force an entire group of wrestlers and spectators that had been gathered at ringside to walk toward, and then appear to be crucified on, a cross. That’s when Makidiba appeared, confronting Elephant and breaking the spell that was placed on those that were frozen in place to a great reaction from the crowd. As for the match, it appears as if Elephant won after forcing his opponent to be counted out as they were frozen in time and stuck to the group that was under a spell to be crucified.
Makidiba would then wrestle another match during the gala. This is not uncommon. Usually, the galas will run for several days with each wrestler competing in multiple matches but then in the final match, the main attractions will wrestle in the main event. In this match, Makidiba would be forced to fight off several of Elephant’s crew members who had gathered around the ring, using his magical abilities. Elephant would then appear, using the same spell that he did in the previous encounter between the two but this time using it on Makidiba. Elephant was nearly successful, forcing Makidiba to March toward the cross and even placing himself in the crucifix position for a moment before being able to break free from the spell. Makidiba and Elephant would then exchange attacks that would leave both wrestlers on the ground but saw Makidiba leave as the one still standing.
Then came time for the big finale. The main attraction bout between Makidiba and Elephant with Makidiba attempting to avenge his father’s loss while Edingwe stood outside the ring in his son’s corner. The stadium was packed full of paying customers, which is something that we’re happy to report on. Often times, wrestling events in the Congo are attended by fans for free and wrestlers don’t get paid in many situations. However, this time around, there was a charge to enter the stadium with the price range spanning from 1000fc ($0.50 US) to 5000fc ($2.50 US) for the most expensive ticket. With the event lasting over the course of just about a week and good sized crowds being on hand each day, hopefully that resulted in a good pay day for the wrestlers and organizers. There has been a lot of talk about the Congolese wrestling scene declining for several reasons ranging from economic hardship to pressure put on the voodoo wrestlers and fans by the Christian church in the DRC. But hopefully this stadium show and the solid turnout can serve as a catalyst for a turnaround for the pro wrestling industry in the country.
The biggest crowd of the event was on hand for the final and Edingwe was in his son’s corner. Edingwe and Elephant exchanged some catch fetiche as well as traditional pro wrestling offense throughout the bout. However, the match’s ending created more questions than it answered. Elephant covered Makidiba for what appeared to be a three count but the so-called Champion of Europe’s shoulders were not pinned to the mat. Confusion ensued with the referee appearing to be unsure about his own three count and possibly considering to restart the match. Elephant then fled the ring in victory, leaving a stunned Makidiba in the ring and his father Edingwe irate outside of it. With Elephant hailing from Mbuji-Mayi, is it possible that the referee acted on his own to give the hometown wrestler the win? Either way, we may have just witnessed the Mbuji-Mayi Screwjob!
We had a chance to speak with some fans that attended the gala final at Kashala Bonzola and have heard some differing opinions about the end of the match. Some have shared that Elephant is considered the winner after the pinfall. Others believe that Elephant fled the ring too quickly and in an act of cowardice, escaped, therefore avoiding the possibility of having to continue the match. They feel for that reason that Elephant is considered the loser of the bout. Another school of thought that has emerged is that Elephant committed an unthinkable act and should be considered the loser for stealing the match and having the referee in his pocket.
Despite the official result, hopefully this can lead to a rematch that will have even more hype behind it than the original did. And hopefully we’ll get another big stadium show out of it!
