RAW

Monday Night Raw Recap 12/19/16

Raw opens with a promo featuring Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, and Mick Foley. Mick Foley tells Jericho he will be suspended in a cage above the ring at The Royal Rumble, Foley shows Jericho the safety of the cage, “inadvertently” (yeah right) locking him into the cage, then “mistakenly” calls for it to be lifted off the ground, leaving Jericho begging for his life out of fear of heights.

Big Cass vs Rusev, Rusev wins by DQ.  Meh… Best part of the match was the entrance.

Backstage, Jericho has gotten out of the cage, and Kevin Owens is trying to console him, while he is still in the midst of a full fledged panic attack from being suspended above the ring. I feel your pain bro.

Sasha Banks comes out to the ring on one crutch with a brace on her left knee, She cuts a promo about giving it her all, tapping out twice and almost getting her leg broken, going to war with Charlotte, and them making history in women’s wrestling. She says while she hurts from losing the belt, but the better woman won, asks Charlotte to come out so she can look her in the eyes and congratulate her. Silence for 30 seconds, then Nia Jax music hits, she comes to ringside staring down Sasha banks the whole way, entering the ring to look at Sasha, then cuts a promo, saying “she may be a boss of the sheep out there, but would never be the boss of her,… shes week, wounded and a nothing but a little girl”, then kicks the crutch out from under Sasha, then attacks the hurt knee of the former women’s champion. Damn.

 

Mick Foley does a backstage promo with Cesaro and Sheamus, about being proud of them, presents them with new raw tag team titles… as soon as they get the new titles they start arguing… Foley is called away to deal with Braun Strowman throwing refs and tables around, looking for Sami Zayn. Mick Foley asks Braun to take the night off, he threatens hes wants Sami or else.

Cedric Alexander  vs Noam Dar starts, and immediately goes to commercial break. All I have learned thus far is they have heat from something that happened on the new cruiserweight show 205 Live which is exclusive to the WWE Network. This match is fast paced, Alicia Foxx is at ringside as Cedric’s girlfriend. Cedric takes control early in the match, and easily picks up the win. Bonus: Austin Aries on commentary

Noam Dar breathlessly cuts a promo from ringside, saying he wants Alicia. Ewww creepy.

So far, way more talking than wrestling…

Can’t fast forward through terrible commercials, despite pausing dvr, BOOOO

The New Day makes their first entrance to RAW without the tag belts. Cuts a positive promo about losing just means they can win again, as they get into the ring Cesaro’s music hits, followed by Sheamus’s music, they cut a promo before making their way to the ring, where of course they are arguing again…  New Day Shames Sheamus for thinking they were congratulating him, they were thanking Cesaro. Sheamus doesn’t care what anyone thinks… Sheamus thinks he can hold the titles for 20 years… lol The New day has the POP (Power of Positivity) Anderson and Gallows come to the ring… Then the Shining Stars… Then a brawl breaks out, finally some fighting.
When we come back from commercial there is a spontaneous 4 team tag match with two teams on each side, The New Day, and the New Tag Champs Team Up, and Anderson and Gallows are with the Shining Stars, too much to follow to write about. I hate commercial breaks in the middle of matches too. Match ends with a spin and a sharpshooter from Cesaro on one of the Shining Stars.

Big Cass and Enzo talking in the locker room, Enzo gets a letter, He is required to go to mandatory sensitivity training tonight for “exposing himself in the workplace” on November 21st. (seriously???)

Neville comes to to the ring to cut a promo about destroying all the cruiserweights, as we totally needed to see ANOTHER promo on this episode of RAW. He says hes going to 205 live to obliterate the division. Rich Swan comes out, tells Neville he used to look up to him. Neville demands respect as “the True King of The cruiserweights” (wtf) Then Brian Kendrick comes out, cutting more promos, seriously, can you people all shut up and fight already? Kendrick and Neville team up on Rich Swan, TJP comes out to save Swan and gets his ass beat too.

Sensitivity training, Enzo, Jinder Mahal and others were sitting in a circle with a therapist. Hell I think I need one after all these promos. Does anyone fight on this show anymore?

Sin Cara vs Titus O’Neil, No contest as in the first 40 seconds Braun Strowman comes out and destroys them both. Mick Foley comes out pleading for Strowman to stop, Strowman threw Sin Cara through a tree and the pile of gifts, then knocked over the Christmas display.

Another backstage promo with Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho, sigh…

Charlotte Flair the new RAW Women’s Champion comes to the ring, hey its another promo! Bailey’s music hits, she comes out dancing. Charlotte is mad at being interrupted, Bailey just wants to congratulate her. Charlotte tells her to join the audience she should be paying for a ticket, Bailey declares she wants to begin a rivalry with Charlotte. Bailey challenges Charlotte to a fight after Charlotte says she isn’t good enough. Charlotte accepts, and calls for a ref. Finally wrestling… after this commercial break. Charlotte controls the first part of the match Bailey gains steam, another commercial break. these breaks really ruin the momentum of matches. We come back from break Charlotte is in control. Bailey finely comes back, Charlotte cuts her off regains control, but is cut short when Bailey pins her in this non championship bout.

More sensitivity training… sigh. Another commercial, Sensitivity training graduation ending with Rusev and Jinder beating the shit out of Enzo and putting him through a table.

Main Event, Seth Rollins and US Champion Roman Reigns vs Universal Champion Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho I’m exhausted from all the talking so it’s hard to pay attention and write. As much as I like the guys in the ring, I could care less about this match, so honestly its a little boring. How many times are we going to watch these guys wrestle before the rumble? This is why WWE needs to bring back jobbers, instead of jobbing regular talent. Braun Strowman ran out and attacked Roman Reigns just as the match was getting interesting, bell was rung, match is over. Boooo

While it is better than it was at times in the past, RAW still has a lot to work on, seriously 75% of this show is talking, I’d like to see them cut down on that tremendously in 2017, its really annoying.

So that was it, I don’t always watch RAW, and usually just catch PPV’s these days, but I figured since I had the opportunity I would recap it here for you!

 

Women of Honor : Hania VS Mandy Leon

Ring Of Honor -Baltimore Maryland

There are several ways to #WatchROH

1). Every weekend on your local Sinclair Broadcast Group station

2). Monday nights at 7pm Est on FITE TV (www.FITE.TV)

3). Tuesday nights at 10pm Est on the Fight Network in Canada (www.FightNetwork.com)

4). Wednesdays @ Midnight (EST & PST) and 11pm (CST & Mountain) on COMET TV. For more info visit http://www.CometTV.com

5). ROHWRESTLING.com

To find out when RING OF HONOR airs in your area visit http://www.rohwrestling.com/content/R…

Find out when RING OF HONOR will be in your area http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/upco…

Robbie E. (aka Rob Eckos) & Alere vs. Velvet Sky (aka Talia Madison) & Doink

Todays Video Of The day comes from Smart Mark Video, who has one of the biggest independent wrestling collections available on the market. Here is a throwback before Robbie E and Velvet Sky made it big!

Liz Savage Has Arrived!

The Champion of A.W.E.S.O.M.E “Fallah” and I in 2008, photo by Robert Payes, Stiffshots Photography

So maybe you’ve heard of me, maybe you haven’t. Either way, here is a little introduction to the madness.

I grew up in a small town in New York. From as long as I can remember I was a professional wrestling fan, as my grandfather was a huge fan, and it was always a must watch in my house. I remember begging to see the very first Wrestlemania, as my grandparents friends were getting it on closed circuit TV. They told me it was an adult party, however after much begging, they gave in.

Wrestlemania was what solidified my idea to be a professional wrestler, at 5 years old, I already knew one day, I’d step into the squared circle myself. Watching Wendy Richter vs Leilani Kai was the epitome of awesome, to see women who were just as talented in the ring as thier male counterparts.

From there I watched wrestling for almost 20 years before I gained my own opportunity to get in the ring. When I was 24, I discovered the wacky and somewhat elusive world of independent pro wrestling as a regular listener of the “No Holds Barred” wrestling radio show hosted by Jason Barrett and George “The Animal” Farmer on WPDH. They decided to do a calender girl contest, which my friends decided for me, I was going to enter. When JB called me, I honestly thought it was a joke, really me??!!

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With Bobby “The Brain” Heenan at a wrestling convention in NJ circa 2004

After the calender was published, I started traveling with them and doing promotions. We went to indy events, fan signings, and even WWE Shows. I was hooked and wanted a piece of the action.

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2004 Mid Hudson Civic Center WWE House show with The Dudleys photo by No Holds Barred

NHB was in regular contact with Tony Devito, of the ECW tag team “Da Baldies”. Tony was running a wrestling school in Newburgh, NY at the time, and had been putting the fans of the show through tryouts. As of that time, not one had been able to pass Tony’s tests. So the hosts of the show, sent me down to Tony’s to see if I had it in me.

When I arrived at the school, I was the only woman there. Tony put me right to work, showing me front bumps, back bumps, and forward flip bumps. It felt like I did at least 100 bumps in the ring, then he asked me if I was ready for body slams. I said “Sure” and took 10. After that he let me rest and told me if I wanted in, I was in. Sadly at the time, I was barely scraping by, working multiple part time jobs, with very little income, so I could not afford to train right then. By the time I was ready to go, he had closed that particular venue.

I started looking around for other opportunities, and began working as a manager, in NJ. During this time, I discovered a school I will not name, that I thought sounded really solid. Unfortunately I did not realize at the time, they were mostly about making money. They told me I could no longer work as a manager elsewhere, after telling me I could when I signed my contract. I traveled for over an hour and a half to go to class, at least twice a week for months on end. During this time, I was forced to move out of state, and had been told this was reason to get out of my contract. After moving, the 4.5 hour trip each way, became too much of a burden, and I put in notice. 2.5 years later, the remaining partner in the school decided to sue me, and multiple others, as apparently he was failing miserably in finding new people to rip off. That was my first taste of the bullshit in the industry.

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Agreeing to do this match was pretty dumb, but I was not going to back down from a real life bully. Photo by Christine Coons 2006

After that experience I became more aware of who I worked with, and that they weren’t trying to put limitations on me, based on their financial gain. I volunteered countless hours working behind the scenes, to get the training I so desperately wanted. I designed promotional materials and logo’s, I did ring crew, I ran sound, I set up chairs, I used my skills to make sure I became an asset to any organization I worked with. When I got ring time to practice, I went full in. I learned from both men, and women. One of my best teachers, wasn’t even a coach, she was a fellow wrestler from NY, who I worked with multiple times a week for months on end, Year after year, to learn moves, to put together fun, engaging matches, that made sense.

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Photo by “Wrestlin’ Wally” May 2006

I also was honest with myself about my limitations, hence why I mainly worked as a manager. As someone who suffers from chronic pain due to fibromyalgia, I limited myself to old school style, comedy, or the occasional intergender tag team matches. I was not going to be jumping off anything, as I was afraid to get hurt too badly. I learned quickly I was not going to allow myself to be booked into things that were dangerous. I learned that you cannot trust all bookers judgement on bookings, and that not everyone in wrestling is willing to work with the movesets you want, nor are willing to “spot-check” themselves, as to whether or not the moves they wanted so badly to do, were worth the effort for the crowd, and the very real possibility of getting hurt.

 Luna Vachon legit gave me a concussion with this frying pan, as she was told I shot on a fan, Actually it was a drunken father of a worker who grabbed me, poured water on me, and was trying to pull me over the guardrail. I beat his ass, people lied to her about what happened, she beat mine. Photo by Robert Payes, 2007


Luna Vachon legit gave me a concussion with this frying pan, as she was told I shot on a fan, Actually it was a drunken father of a worker who grabbed me, poured water on me, and was trying to pull me over the guardrail. I beat his ass, people lied to her about what happened, she beat mine. Photo by Robert Payes, 2007

I spent 9 years working in professional wrestling, inside the ring, outside the ring, and hidden away in the background. I had the opportunity to work for over 30 promotions in 12 states, and be an extra for WWE. I managed over a a dozen champions. Shows I was featured on, were broadcast on television networks across the world, sold for download online, and also in DVD format, and still are. Sadly some of my best work, was seen by the least people. I learned from the opportunities I got, and I grew into the person I am today because of it. I hope my writing can educate, and inspire others to pursue their dreams, but to do it in a way that benefits them, and not just the ones who profit off workers willing to put their bodies on the line for entertainment.

 

I look forward to entertaining and engaging those who visit this site, and feel free to ask me anything! I can always be found on twitter @lizsavage 

 

NEW WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship Decided at Backlash

Smackdown has unveiled a new brand specific Women’s Championship and even though replicas are already available for pre-order, the first ever champion will not be decided until September 11 at Backlash. This event will be the first brand exclusive pay-per-view for Smackdown and will air on the WWE Network.

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While the Raw Brand has WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte, the addition of top fan favorite Bayley, and other proven talents like Paige and Sasha Banks, leading many to speculate that the Smackdown Women’s division will be destined for inferiority. Backlash will be the night 6 women attempt to prove the critics wrong and blow audiences around around the globe. The opportunity has presented itself to create a new standard for women’s wrestling and make Smackdown be can’t miss television.

A Six Pak Challenge has been set for Backlash and will feature Nikki Bella, Carmella, Naomi, Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch and Natalya. The same night this match was made Becky defeated Bliss with the disarmer and Nikki Bella was attacked in the ring by Carmella. This upcoming collision is heating up!

Following the betting odds for WWE events are very useful when it comes to predicting winners and at the moment they have not yet been released for WWE Backlash but will be very soon at 5dimes sportsbook. There is no obligation to gamble and no credit card is necessary to view the sportsbook.

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