Tengkwa: Meeting a masked wrestler from Amsterdam

Pro wrestling is a controversial type of entertainment. Some people get really excited by watching flamboyantly dressed people battling it out in a ring, executing flips and dives from the top rope. Others look at it with contempt, considering it childish and fake. I spoke with Amsterdam’s own, Tengkwa (real identity classified), a pro wrestler who has been fighting around Europe for 15 years, to learn more about his life as a competitor and the career he decided to follow.

 Upon entering his house, the first thing I noticed is that it’s decorated like a small pro wrestling shrine. Everywhere I looked, I could see wrestling pictures, action figures and vintage wrestling accessories. On the wall, there is a large portrait of himself, drawn by a friend. We approach his library, which is full of wrestling biographies and photo albums. He pulls out a few albums  and shows me some of his newest acquisitions.

”These belonged to a guy who’s been collecting pro wrestling magazines, programmes and photos in the ‘70s” he says to me. In these albums, there are some very rare pictures of well-known wrestlers, like the iconic Hulk Hogan, and some less known ones. “That guy died and a friend of his sold me these albums”. Then I noticed a mask placed upon a corner of his room. “That was the mask I was wearing when I wrestled Sabu” he explains. “He tore it up with a spike” he adds.

After hearing all that, I was very eager to get to know him better, and get a good understanding on what he does.

Aris: Who is Tengkwa?

Tengkwa: I am a wrestler in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. I wrestle under a mask. That’s who I am.

A:How would you describe what you do in a few words?

T: I can describe it in one word: entertainment.

A: Is it dangerous?

T: For sure. There is a high risk in everything in the ring. People who do this are well trained and have a good understanding of what they are doing in the ring. It takes a lot of training and dedication to do that.

A: Is it real? This is a question people are always asking about pro wrestling.

T: We are all real people, human beings. We are making real connections and hits with each other. The ring is real and takes an impact on your body when you take a bump. If you ask me whether this is legit fighting, this is another question. When you see me, you see a person wearing a mask, doing flips, making jokes and being interactive with the crowd. It’s not like a combat sport, but it’s real anyway. My knees and elbows are messed up, I’ve lost teeth, I got scars, I dislocated my shoulder, I had concussions.

A: Then, is it sports or entertainment?

T: It’s a bit of both. It has all the elements of sports, as far as the impact, the action and the athleticism. But it also has aspects of entertainment: the show, the characters, the drama. It’s theatrical athletic. If you already know that it’s entertainment, then why ask? It is obvious that part of it is theatrical.

“I can describe it in one word: entertainment”

A: Why do you wrestle?

T: I fell in love with it while I was young. I wanted so much to do all that stuff I was seeing on television. I always wanted to be Spider-Man, and wrestling felt like being in a super hero world.

A: How did you start doing this?

T: There was a school in Limburg, ran by Bas van Kunder, which was four hours away from where I used to live. It was not far for someone that wanted to make it.

Then I joined an organization, DWF (Dutch Wrestling Federation), that featured a bunch of nice guys, which eventually helped me break in. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to do what I am doing now.

A: What is your most memorable experience from pro wrestling?

T: Oh, I’ve had so many. I have met and became friends with so many people which I admired while growing up, and also got to wrestle a few of them. I have had some up and downs throughout my career, but looking back, I am happy of what I have achieved.

A: What is the biggest lesson you took from pro wrestling?

T: Probably still taking one. You never stop learning. If I could do it all over again, one thing I would change would be me being less ignorant. When I started I wanted to stay true to the business. I think I should have stayed true to myself instead.

A: What do you mean by that?

T: In the beginning, I was working pretty stiff, taking lots of unnecessary bumps. I wasn’t being careful with my body. I have this dumb thing that every time I get hurt, I am telling the referee that I am OK instead. In 2013 I had a match, and after that I had a huge headache. When I got home, I couldn’t sleep and I got out for drinks, while I should have gone to the hospital. Then I started having headaches and black spots. It was so stupid. Sometimes, I still suffer from that.

“You never stop learning”

A: What is the biggest hardship a pro wrestler has to go through?

T: The dedication you need to put into it. I had so many moments when I said “I don’t want to do this anymore”. You have to want it really bad. If you are thinking “Hey, I am going to do it for a week or two”, it’s not going to work.

I feel very guilty when I go to family days, because I have been absent from them since I was 15. I would be away almost every weekend, so my family would rarely see me. I missed the last years of my grandmother and my uncle. I was never there. Sometimes, I don’t even see my mother for months. It’s a huge sacrifice.

A: Would you advise other people to do that?

T: Only if it’s your passion, you are sure that you can be dedicated to it and willing to make sacrifices. If you truly want, you should do it.

A: Is Tengkwa just a character in the ring or do you identify with him in other aspects too?

T: Yes, there is another person behind the mask. I am not Tengkwa 24/7.  Someone is playing that character.

A: What does that someone do?

T: Sometimes I work most of the day, just like anybody else. I also have to do the groceries or take my cat for a walk. I’m a real person.

A: And what are the aspects of the “Tengkwa” role you are playing?

T: Tengkwa is very social, kind, very energetic, but also righteous.

Tengkwa performing a flip on his opponent

Tengkwa is not just a wrestler. He also runs a local wrestling promotion, to whose shows I have been on a few occasions.

Α: Tell us a few words about your promotion, Pro Wrestling Holland.

Τ: It’s a pro wrestling school, that holds shows regularly. We started as a bunch of small groups of people that trained together, but we managed to keep going for 10 years now.

Α: How often do you hold shows?

Τ: We are trying to do about six shows per year.

Only a part of Tengkwa’s huge collection of pro wrestling souvenirs

Α: What does the interaction with the crowd mean to you?

Τ: It’s the whole key of wrestling, without interaction there is no pro wrestling. There has to be a connection with the crowd.

A: Do people in the Netherlands like pro wrestling or is it a cult thing?

T: I think there are enough people, but like big time. It’s getting bigger though. Some people only like big promotions, like WWE, but they don’t understand that everybody started as we did, in the local promotions.

“Without interaction there is no pro wrestling”

One of the things someone notices instantly on him is the mask. This is something not all pro wrestler wear, and certainly something not many Dutch wrestlers have.

A: Why do you wear the mask?

T: I was inspired by super heroes and other masked wrestlers. A masked wrestler appealed to me more than a non-masked one.

A: What does the mask mean for you?

T: I always liked skulls; I also liked the band “Misfits” a lot (they have a skull as their logo). It might seem simple, but it works for me a lot. The skull on my mask is my own design.

A: How does it feel when you meet people who know you as Tengkwa, but they do not realize who you are without the mask?

T: It’s funny. Once I met a guy in the tram that knew me as Tengkwa, and I tried saying “Hi” to him, but he looked at me like thinking “Who are you?” and gave me the stink-eye.

“It’s not like a combat sport, but it’s real anyway”

Since the interview is done for the “People of Amsterdam” section, it makes sense to talk a bit about Amsterdam as well.

A: What is the best characteristic in Amsterdam? What is the worst?

T: I like the city’s vibe. I like everything about Amsterdam. I don’t like all the Nutella stores that are everywhere. I don’t see the point of having them in every corner.

A: Is it truly a city of freedom?

T: Yeah, you can do anything you want. But what’s freedom nowadays? No one is actually free.

A: What is your favourite place in the city?

T: I like the east side of the city. I can chill out there.

A: Name a thing that you couldn’t do without in Amsterdam.

T: I couldn’t do without Amsterdam in general. I love this city.

“Ι love this city”

You can learn more about Tengkwa and check what he does at his official Facebook page.

You can also visit the page of his promotion, Pro Wrestling Holland, to keep yourself updated about future shows.