WWE: many names to watch at the Bell Center

Original article

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) will arrive at the Bell Center next week to broadcast for the first time in Montreal two programs in as many days and it will be an opportunity for the maniacs struggle to reconnect with their favorites, some not having have not been to Quebec for a long time.

In anticipation of the RAW and SmackDown Live galas scheduled for Monday and Tuesday respectively, Agence QMI is offering a short presentation of the figures to watch in the Montreal arena. Moreover, these two evenings promise to be fertile in emotions, according to the historian of struggle and descriptor to the TVA Sports channel, Patric Laprade.

According to him, the fact that the programs precede the Backlash event, which will take place on May 6, will enhance the action between the cables. "These will be go-home shows for Backlash, the first pay TV gala jointly organized by the two WWE brands for a long time. In a way, Montreal will set the table," he said.

-Kevin Owens
The Quebecois will probably be the one to receive the most applause, especially since many of his followers have been following his exploits for many years, at the WWE and previously, on the Quebec independent wrestling scene. "This will be Kevin's first time in Montreal to participate in a live WWE event. He will have the biggest reaction of the evening, "predicted Laprade.

-Sami Zayn
Another representative of the Belle Province, Lavallois Sami Zayn, should be entitled to a good reception from the public. Present for a "RAW" Gala in 2015, however, he hopes a different outcome, because at the time, he had suffered a shoulder injury shortly before a fight against John Cena.

-Seth Rollins
The WWE Intercontinental Champion will defend his title on May 6 against The Miz, which he defeated in a "Triple Threat" duel at WrestleMania 34. Very athletic, Seth Rollins also kept his belt in a competitive fight at the Greatest Royal Rumble, Friday. He is a safe bet at WWE for years to come.

-Ronda Rousey
The former champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship has quickly become popular by winning her team match with Kurt Angle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 34. And it looks like she will stay busy for several weeks.
"She's an international star and she's currently competing with Mickie James. It will continue, especially as the two are expected to fight each other in Europe soon," explained Laprade.

Kurt Angle
On the screen, Angle assumes the role of general manager of RAW, but one must not forget his qualities of wrestler. The Montreal crowd has not seen him in action since he left for TNA (now Impact! Wrestling) in 2006. The 49-year-old has returned to WWE in early 2017.

SmackDown Live

-The Miz
The American may not be a Quebecois, but he is part of the family of wrestling here, in a way." We must expect a good reaction because of his relationship with his wife Maryse Ouellet and it will change the data. In addition, he is a villain and Montreal often reacts to the opposite of crowds elsewhere," said Laprade, evoking at the same time the name of the Montreal wrestler sharing her life with The Miz.

-Daniel Bryan
Highly appreciated wherever he goes, Daniel Bryan will be in Montreal for the first time since his return to action this spring. Having obtained the required medical clearance to retake the collar in the arena after a few years of concussion-related absence, he defeated the Owens-Zayn duo with Shane McMahon's companion at WrestleMania.

-A.J. Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura
Both men are among the most agile and talented wrestlers in the federation. They know each other very well, because they have often climbed the ring together, whether in Japan or the United States. At WrestleMania 34, A.J. Styles got the upper hand, but Shinsuke Nakamura hit him below the belt after the fight and the rivalry continued. Another WWE Championship duel is scheduled at Backlash.

Samoa Joe
The Californian has already wrestled on the Montreal independent scene and people have not forgotten it, according to Laprade. Samoa Joe is intimidating and unfriendly to his opponents, which makes him quite credible to fight fans. Recently moved to SmackDown Live, the former TNA star has an appointment with Reigns on May 6th.

Other figures to watch for:

Braun Strowman
The winner of the Greatest Royal Rumble scares by his physical strength and it remains to be seen how it will manifest on Monday. The 385-pound behemoth is currently out of the backlash schedule.

Natalya
The Canadian, daughter of former wrestler Jim Neidhart and niece of Bret Hart should be welcomed at the Bell Center on Monday. Like her uncle, she uses the "Sharpshooter" as a finishing touch, which reminds the public of good memories.

Kevin Owens: The Quebecois Star

Original article at Journal de Montreal

Please enjoy my copious comments following...please, I beg you. Let something come out of this that isn't pain and strife.

When the question is asked, it usually gets a response that is limited to two names. Who is the Quebec athlete still active who is the best known around the world?

If we consider that Georges St-Pierre is still pursuing his career, he is one of two names. The other is obviously Lance Stroll.

But there's an athlete and actor from Marieville who was in St. Louis on Monday night, in Saudi Arabia Thursday, and will be tomorrow at the Bell Center, who is more famous than all the others. Two weeks ago, he was working at the New Orleans Superdome in front of 78,133 viewers and millions of viewers around the world.

His good bearded face* is sold on t-shirts, beer glasses, figurines, pennants, pillows, blankets and anything else you can imagine from merchandise.

And Kevin Owens, whose real name is Kevin Steen, born in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and raised in Marieville, travels the planet while remaining faithful to the man he was 10 years ago. Before everything explodes!

And it's probably the real feat ...

The story of Obelix**

Kevin Owens is Obelix. Round and strong like the character, except that he was not born in the magic potion, he discovered it at 11 years old: "I was at RadioShack with my father. He wanted to rent a movie. But instead of choosing a movie, he rented a tape from Wrestlemania XI and we both sat down to watch it. After two hours, I fell in love with it. I knew what I wanted to do in life. Our family was of average class. We did not miss anything, but we had to count the money. The grand finale was between Lawrence Taylor and Bam Bam Bigelow, but the one that made me fall in love was Shawn Michael, who was fighting against Diezel. I was very small at age 11 and Shawn Michael was the smallest of the wrestlers on the tape. It encouraged me in my dream, "says Owens, lying on his bed in a St. Louis hotel room.

The kid continued to play hockey and soccer, but wrestling completely and totally took over his mind: "The moment I discovered wrestling, it was settled. I was watching wrestling shows at RDS and laying a mattress in my room to wrestle with my pillows, who were my opponents," he says.

At the age of 14, he discovered Serge Jodoin's wrestling school and learned the basics of the sport-show***.

Enter Jacques Rougeau

He was in high school during an introductory computer course when he took the next step. He could browse the internet, a privilege in 1999. He discovered at the Assumption a company, International Wrestling 2000, property of Jacques Rougeau. He asked the teacher for permission to call his mother for an emergency. She was a good sport and met Jacques Rougeau at his school. This is a new stage for the 16-year-old. He continues his apprenticeship, but above all, he participates in four or five galas a year organized by Rougeau.

But that's not enough and Owens, still calling himself Steen at the time, chooses the independent circuit of small promotions. He wrestles in church basements, in bars, in school gyms in front of 100 or 200 people. Sometimes you pay for it. Often, he is entitled to a bottle of water. But a devouring fire consumes.

When he completed his CEGEP in 2005, he found a little job**** at a gas station. The owner is a nice person who frees Kevin on weekends to fight in Philadelphia or New Jersey: "I lived with my parents, I lived with my salary at the gas station."
Already, he shares the road with his faithful friend Sami Zayn. The same Zayn with whom he worked in front of 78,000 people two weeks ago. The two kids run the little galas and end up making themselves known and respected: "Maybe because we were two and maybe because the other wrestlers felt our passion for sport, we always felt respected, "he says.

But he did not have a cent. Nothing. Nada. And [impenetrable colloquialism], he becomes madly in love with Karina: "When I met her, I had nothing, absolutely nothing. But she never stopped me from pursuing my dream. We had two kids, my 11 year old kid, Owen, in honor of Owen Hart, and Elodie. I found myself a more lucrative job at Staples, but I continued to climb the ladder in the indies. You can make a living in these wrestling circuits. Former stars come to revive their career and earn their salary. I was fighting five nights and I was coming to Karina and the children two nights. Then, I signed with bigger companies like Ring of Honor, where Paul Lévesque, known as Triple H*****, discovered me. I signed a contract with NXT, the WWE developmental brand, and moved to Orlando, Florida," says the Quebec native******.

The dream was waiting for him.

The big time with John Cena

I pass quickly on the nights spent rolling from one city to another, ordinary pay and shared meals to save on the food. I arrive in Corpus Christi, Texas, on May 31, 2015. That evening, a big bearcub******* from Marieville faces WWE star John Cena. Win or lose, it does not matter, you all know that professional wrestlers do not fight each other, they fight each other to ignite the crowd and give a show.******** They are athletes-actors. In Corpus Christi, Kevin Owens fought for 30 minutes with John Cena. Starting from Marieville, where he was fighting in church basements, he found himself on the biggest stage of the wrestling world. He remembers with emotion: "John Cena is a great professional. We were able to work for thirty minutes, giving us a good background*********. It happened a few nights in a row that I work with him. When I took the elevator when I arrived in another city, around 2 am, I looked at myself in the elevator mirror and felt very funny. I could not realize what was happening to me, I was asking myself: what am I doing here?' he recalls.

A new wealth

It's a fabulous and exciting life. But very hard. He leaves Karina and the house on Thursday evening or Friday morning and leaves to fight everywhere in America until Wednesday morning, when it's not Japan, Europe or the Middle East. But he explains that the working conditions are very good and that the "Company", as he constantly calls the WWE, treats its wrestlers well. There are 86 under contract. The basic agreement guarantees a very generous salary for the best of the group. Often in the millions: "In addition, I get percentages on derivatives and there are even more than you can imagine. We get paid when we sign autographs or promote the Company in a city and if we have special obligations, we get bonuses," he says.

The life of the wrestlers is a star's life. They are more famous than the hockey players in America. And the temptations on the road are numerous. Cases of alcoholism, dope or violence are numerous. The dramas are heartbreaking: "I'm so obsessed with wrestling that it helps me stay normal. I do not have temptations. In fact, my biggest temptation is pizza. I have a woman I love and two beautiful children. When I'm home in Orlando, we go to Disney or Universal Studios, we live with family. On the road, after my fight, I go to my hotel, I call my wife, I watch my show or my movie on Netflix and I fall asleep. I try to train at the gym a couple of times a week and take care of myself. I know that at age 33, my body will wear out from beating and falling. I already have back pain even if it goes down, "he says.

The Undertaker, Vince McMahon and the company ...

There would be pages and pages of stories to tell. How is it facing The Undertaker? And who are the best wrestlers to work with? Those who know how to play the game: "John Cena, he's so good that sometimes fans do not realize it and are upset. I think Roman Reigns is the next John Cena. I worked with him at least 100 times and he is really very good. I do not want to forget Sami Zayn, who is a great wrestler. We are discovering his true value. We have worked together since our beginnings. There is Kurt Angle, my boss, Randy Orton, a highly respected veteran. And there's Vince McMahon... ", continued Owens.

Ah, Vince McMahon! The big boss, the billionaire who boosted WWE. Kevin Owens speaks about him with respect and almost affection. He rubs shoulders with him every week and it is with him that he negotiated his contracts. He has the right to life and death over his wrestlers. A few weeks ago, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn made a mistake in a fight in London. They apologized after the evening in the locker room, citing a misunderstanding. No pardon, the two Quebecois****** were sent home, where they dried for a week: "When I met Mr. McMahon a week later, I wanted to explain myself. He gave me his hand saying it was forgotten and to continue my good work. He is not resentful, I had the proof."

Since then, the dream continues. With, in ten days, another tour in Europe ...

Marieville will never have traveled so much.


*Look. One does one's best. Google wanted 'mullet', here.

**I have significant irritation with this comparison--irritation Kevin himself would probably not share, I imagine. It's lazy, it's reductive as hell, and it adds nothing to the conversation. To write this way about Kevin Owens, to look at this man and say, "Well, he's large, I guess. That stands out", is emblematic of the shortsightedness I associate with media from the privileged. In my not remotely humble opinion, the wrong person was chosen for this job. Not to mention the fact that only deep comics nerds still/have ever read Asterix. It's the most superficial, shallow--Reseda help me, I'm losing it. For more information, see this article on Obelix

***...I'll allow it this once, but I'd like to see you after class.

****Sic. I would never in my right mind pretend like a job at a gas station deserves a diminutive, are you kidding me?!?

*****You're here, you know who Haitch is.

******I refuse to use 'Quebecker'. It's hideous, Québécois is lovely, end of discussion.

*******Yes, he wrote bearcub. About a man who at the time was 31 years old with two children.

********Forget seeing me after class, we need to meet during office hours and have a frank discussion about your motivations in working in journalism, and why precisely you chose to make no effort to examine why so many find wrestling entrancing. Your smugness is showing, in other words--and I know, I was like that myself once, which is also how I know one can in fact change and do better.

*********I tried, I'm sorry. I'm...I'm so tired, at this point.

Here's to all the new fans who'll come after me: if it's up to me, you'll never have to go scouring ancient ROH forums to find that damn letter. Cheers.

The Responsibility of the Audience

Dear Wrestling,

I think a lot about my job as a wrestling fan. One of the things I love about wrestling is that it only works when everyone does their bit. A theatre audience can be mostly bored or unmoved, and the cast may still create magic for one person who is paying attention. That's nearly impossible in wrestling. The audience is vital to the performance in a way that is utterly unlike any other artform.

That very phrase, paying attention, acknowledges the relationship that must exist between a performer and the audience. Live performance is never TV, never a movie. To me, wrestling is the epitome of how intense that relationship can be.

Sunday evening I was at a PWX show. I've gone nearly every month this year, usually by myself. There was a delay getting people in, and from the start, the vibe was...strange. Just a little weird. I couldn't put my finger on it, and given that I walk around with at least a little anxiety at all times, I thought maybe that was all it was. And given that I chose front row seats for the first time, that seemed pretty likely. The sudden realization that I was going to be visible on High Spots in a day or two was paralyzingly alarming.

As the show got underway though, it was clear that the crowd was too quiet. That may sound judgmental, but again, there's a relationship here: a certain amount of noise is necessary for everything to work.

My heroes as a child were people like Batman, Wolverine, Cyrano, Athos. I swear to you this is true: as young as 8, I thought a lot about what my duty was. What do I owe, to whom, in what circumstances.

Over twenty years and a Religious Studies degree later, I have many fewer answers there than I used to, but one thing I am certain of is this: I owe these people my applause. I owe them my energy and my love and my fury. I owe them clapping when my hands hurt and my arms are tired because they are up there killing themselves for me.

That would be plenty, but this isn't a relationship with a vengeful, jealous god. It's a beautiful sublime act of creation between avatars of justice and cruelty and ambition, and us. We're mere mortals, sure, but we're also everything. We are the star stuff that the gods use to create--it's their story and their choices, but we, our emotions, are what they construct that story from and for.

We'd be nothing without them--and that goes in both directions. It's a mighty ouroboros of creation and pain and delight and madness and daring.

Which means, muffins all, that you gotta goddamn CLAP.

Love,

Autumn

And Any Other Related Task

Written by Patrick Lagacé, originally posted at https://bit.ly/2vkvf1U

In loving memory of EG Web Translate


That day, Mathieu Fauchon wore a t-shirt of Randy Savage, aka Macho Man. Who is Randy Savage? Know it for your next installment of Trivial Pursuit: Randy Macho Man Savage is one of WWE's greatest wrestlers of the 1980s.

Who is Mathieu Fauchon? The answer will not help you in any board game, but Mathieu is a special education technician at De Ramezay School (Crevier Pavilion) in Marieville, Montérégie.

That day, around the beginning of 2017-2018, Mathieu wore his t-shirt with the likeness of an old WWE wrestling glory from another time, a time that the under-12s cannot know*, to paraphrase the poet.

Except Jacob.

Jacob knows Macho Man Randy Savage because Jacob, 12 years old, is mad** for everything that touches wrestling, that of yesterday and today. No wonder he stuck to Mathieu as soon as he discovered that his T.E.S., as they say in the jargon, knew even more than him about this sport-show that is the WWE.

This is how the link between Jacob and Mathieu was created: by wrestling. They became close. Jacob was talking about Monsieur Mathieu all the time, at home. They have a special handshake. This link was useful for times when T.E.S. had to supervise Jacob, in the 6th class of Manon Métivier.

***

Excuse me, what is a T.E.S. ?

Yes, that is the name of special education workers in our schools. T.E.S. act as backup in classrooms, supporting teachers and professionals such as psychologists and remedial teachers. Like many people in schools, the T.E.S. excel in "any other related task".

There are hundreds who do work like T.E.S. in Quebec schools, in support of teachers. One example among a thousand: when a turbulent student disrupts a class, it is the T.E.S. who runs to take the student in charge ...

When there is a T.E.S. in school, of course.

Not all schools have T.E.S. Or have them full time.

Yet they are essential members of a school team. They do a thousand things, including "any other related task". In the case of Mathieu Fauchon, for example, he laid the foundations for a partnership between the De Ramezay school and the Marieville Pro-Health clinic.

What, a partnership between a school and a medical clinic? Yes, precisely because several students nurtured by Mathieu take medication. Medications whose dose must be adjusted periodically, depending on the child's reactions and the observations of the teachers.

This is not easy in a context where many families do not have a doctor, you bet it's a problem: no family doctor, no medication, no dosage monitoring, etc.

Mathieu therefore negotiated for months that the clinic Pro-Health Marieville allows Dr. Milad Beglari - Mathieu's family doctor and one of his high school friends - to see school students in a hurry, without an appointment according to their needs.

Mathieu takes care of all the paperwork, bridges the gap between the parents, the teachers and the doctor. A terribly effective arrangement, but atypical.

We have great success stories thanks to this excellent interdisciplinary collaboration that is rather unique. Mathieu Fauchon is committed, proactive, full of conviction. He uses these qualities for the well-being of his students with extraordinary vigor and dedication. "

- Dr. Milad Beglari

***

Jacob, then.

Jacob is a bright and cultured boy. But school has always been a kind of obstacle course for him because Jacob had undiagnosed ADHD. I say "had" because at the insistence of Mathieu and Madame Manon, Jacob was finally evaluated by a specialist this year.

Verdict: attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity. Jacob would probably find it easier to work in the classroom with medication.

There are thousands like Jacob, but Jacob has taken this diagnosis badly. It was in February. He was going through a bad patch. Motivation to zero. He did not say it, but Jacob was afraid of being judged, with this diagnosis of ADHD. His mother, Roxanne Arpin, will tell me later: "He did not want to be classified as 'different'. It was his big fear."

Mathieu capitalized on this link he had created with Jacob since the beginning of the school year. He reassured him, he told him about his own ordeals, he put a little of himself and his guts on the table to explain to Jacob that life is not limited to obstacles, but to efforts to get around them ...

Then, Mathieu had a flash.

Jacob is crazy about** WWE wrestling.

One of the current WWE stars is Kevin Owens, whose real name is Kevin Steen.

Kevin Owens is a Quebecker from Marieville. Jacob's town. He even attended De Ramezay school.

On Twitter, Mathieu sent a message to Kevin Owens asking the wrestler if he could not make a video to wish Jacob a happy birthday ...

Mathieu has 116 subscribers. Kevin has 1.6 million.

No answer.

But Mathieu insisted, insisted, sent other messages ...

"I can't stand the word 'no,'" says Mathieu.

And so a few days later, Mathieu entered Ms. Manon's classroom with a USB stick "that he had just found in the snow". He inserted the key into a computer and there, a bearded face appeared in the screen.

Jacob stood up. He did not believe it. Is ... No, it's not him ...

"THAT'S KEVIN OWENS?! "

Not only was it Kevin Owens, but Kevin Owens started the video with these words: "Hi, Jacob, it's Kevin Owens, I'm told it's your birthday today ..."

A small message of 49 seconds, a little message of happy birthday for a 12-year-old boy who was going through a bad pass, a little message that Kevin Owens may have already classified in a corner of his cortex much sought***. But for Jacob, this message was something like the happiest day of his life.

That's what he said, in any case, throwing himself into Mathieu's arms, in front of the whole class.

And that day, the day Kevin Owens spoke to Jacob, something happened. A click ? It must be like that. In any case, Jacob is better. He accepts his condition. We do not laugh at him, as he feared, because he is identified as ADHD. It's going well in class. He does not run out of a bad cotton.*** anymore.

It is said that children need models. So they have posters of ballerinas, hockey players, singers, tennis players. And sometimes, these models, we find them in a ring of the WWE.

The children also have heroes that we do not make posters, heroes who do 8 to 4 in our schools.



*reference to La Boheme
**I took a chance with this idiom, I hope this gets the idea across!
***I really tried, but I got nowhere with this phrase, I'm very sorry.