#sumo torri | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

saigontimestravel · 1 month

Text

Cổng Torri – Nét văn hóa đặc trưng của xứ Phù Tang

Truyền thuyết cổng Torri

Trong tiếng Nhật, Torii đọc theo biểu tự Hán Việt là Điểu Cư – nơi cư trú của loài chim, gắn liền với truyền thuyết về nữ thần mặt trời Amaterasu của Thần đạo.

Theo truyền thuyết cổ của Nhật truyền thuyết bắt đầu từ việc vị thần bão tố – Susanoo no Mikoto đã tàn phá mùa màng, kênh mương, giết hại gia súc và người hầu gái trong một cơn say. Tức giận về những hành động của em trai mình, thần Amaterasu đã quyết định ẩn mình vào hang đá Amanoiwato.

Từ đó, thế giới không được chiếu rọi bởi ánh sáng của mặt trời dần rơi vào bóng tối. Các sự sống dần bị suy yếu và tai ương xảy ra ở khắp nơi. Người dân lo sợ rằng nếu như mặt trời không trở lại thì tất cả bọn họ sẽ chết.

Vì vậy, theo lời khuyên của một người đàn ông già thông thái trong làng, họ đã dựng lên một cái sào bằng gỗ và thả cho tất cả gà trống trong làng đậu trên đó cho chúng gáy thật to. Những điều này đã làm nữ thần tò mò và hé mắt nhìn ra bên ngoài hang động.

Lúc đó tảng đá tạo ra một vết nứt và một đô vật sumo to lớn từ trong làng chạy đến đẩy hòn đá đi, giải thoát mặt trời. Cành cây cho chim đậu ấy chính là cánh cổng Torii đầu tiên. Từ đó trở đi, Torii là biểu tượng của sự thịnh vượng và sung túc.

Ý nghĩa của cổng Torri đối với văn hóa của xứ Phù Tang

Cổng Torii tại Nhật Bản mang theo nó nhiều ý nghĩa tâm linh và văn hóa và được coi như một biểu tượng được người dân tôn vinh.

Kết nối giữa thế giới thường và thế giới siêu nhiên: Trong đạo Shinto, cổng Torii thường được coi là cổng kết nối giữa thế giới thường và thế giới siêu nhiên. Khi đi qua cổng Torii, người ta thường cảm nhận sự chuyển động từ thế giới vật lý sang không gian linh thiêng.

Tôn vinh thần linh: Cổng Torii thường đặt tại các đền thờ Shinto để tôn vinh thần linh. Thường là thần linh của nông nghiệp, thương mại, hay các thần thể hiện các khía cạnh khác của cuộc sống.

Biểu tượng của hành trình và cống hiến: Hàng nghìn cổng Torii được xem như biểu tượng cho hành trình cuộc sống và sự cống hiến. Đi qua từng cổng được coi như việc đi qua các giai đoạn khác nhau của cuộc sống và nỗ lực cống hiến.

May mắn và bảo vệ: Có niềm tin rằng việc tài trợ cổng Torii mang lại may mắn và bảo vệ cho người tài trợ và gia đình họ. Các biểu tượng và chữ ký trên cổng thường được coi là cầu nguyện và mong muốn điều tốt lành.

Văn Hóa và Du Lịch: Cổng Torii đã trở thành một biểu tượng quan trọng của văn hóa Nhật Bản và là điểm du lịch nổi tiếng thu hút người thập phương. Du khách thường đến để trải nghiệm không khí tâm linh và ngắm nhìn vẻ đẹp của hàng nghìn cổng Torii.

Tất cả những ý nghĩa trên đều thể hiện sự phong phú và sâu sắc của truyền thống tâm linh và văn hóa tại Nhật Bản.

Kiến trúc cổng Torri

Cổng Torii được tùy vào phong cách của nó (shinmei hay myojin) mà có nhiều cấu trúc khác nhau. Cấu trúc cơ bản gồm có 2 cột (柱 – hashira), kasagi (笠木), 2 thanh ngang đóng sát nhau ở trên đỉnh lần lượt là 笠木(kasaghi) và 島木(shimaghi), phía dưới nữa là 1 thanh ngang 貫 (nuki).

Đeo ngang trên hai cột trụ của Torii thường là các sợi thừng bện từ rơm rất khéo léo, tinh tế, chi tiết đó được gọi là Shimenawa (Chú liên thừng). Cổng Torii được dựng từ gỗ hoặc đá và sơn mài đỏ son. Người ta tin rằng khi ném đá, nếu hòn đá đậu lại trên Torii thì mọi ước nguyện đều trở thành sự thật.

Những chiếc cổng trời Torri nổi tiếng nhất tại Nhật Bản

Đền Fushimi Inari Taisha – Kyoto

Fushimi Inari Taisha là một trong những Taisha (đại đền) được nhiều du khách trong và ngoài nước ghé thăm nhất hiện nay vì ngôi đền này rất nổi tiếng với 1000 chiếc cổng Torii xếp thành dãy dài.

Khi đến tham quan đền Fushimi Inari Taisha bạn cũng có thể khám phá du lịch Kyoto sẽ dẫn bạn bước chân đến miền ký ức, đây cũng là một trải nghiệm thú vị và nhất định không thể bỏ lỡ.

Đền Hakone Jinza – Kanagawa

Khi trời quang đãng, nếu du ngoạn bằng thuyền trên mặt hồ, bạn có thể nhìn rõ khung cảnh ấn tượng với chiếc cổng đỏ thẫm ngay dưới núi tuyết trắng Fuji và những áng mây bồng bềnh.

Ngôi đền đặc biệt nổi tiếng linh nghiệm trong các vấn đề hôn nhân, tình duyên. Đây sẽ là trải nghiệm tuyệt vời đối với tất cả mọi người để cảm nhận hết vẻ uy nghiệm tại đây.

Đền Itsukushima – Hiroshima

Mặc dù đã được xây dựng lại cách đây hơn 140 năm, nhưng lý do để Torii này đứng vững tại đây mà không hề có nền móng trong lòng đất vẫn còn là một ẩn số.

Một số lưu ý khi tham quan cổng Torri Nhật Bản

Khi đi dưới cổng Torii, hãy rửa tay thật sạch và súc sạch miệng. Hành động này thể hiện sự thanh sạch của bạn trước khi cầu nguyện các vị thần linh.

Khi thăm cổng Torri tại các đền, bạn nên mặc trang phục lịch sự và tôn trọng. Tránh mặc quá gợi cảm hay quá lôi cuốn để không làm phiền người khác.

Tránh gây ồn ào hay làm phiền người khác khi bạn đang thăm quan. Điều này giúp du khách và người dân địa phương cùng nhau tận hưởng không gian linh thiêng.

Khi đứng trước cổng Torii hãy dừng lại và cúi đầu để thể hiện sự tôn kính.

Trên khắp xứ Phù Tang có rất nhiều những chiếc cổng Torri, nếu bạn đang muốn tìm hiểu về nét đẹp tâm linh này thì có thể đi du lịch Nhật Bản ngay bây giờ. Mong rằng những chia sẻ mà Saigontimes Travel tổng hợp được sẽ giúp ích cho bạn trong việc lựa chọn địa điểm du lịch. Đất nước mặt trời mọc còn nhiều điều thú vị đang chờ bạn tới khám phá đó nha.

#saigontimes travel #du lịch nhật bản #bản #cổng trời nhật bản #cổng torri #tour nhật bản

0 notes

panamaloading379 · 2 years

Text

Espn Body Issue 2013

Espn Body Issue 2013 Espn Body Issue

Espn Body Issue 2013

Espn Body Issue 2013 Uncensored

Espn Body Issue 2013

The Body Issue

Best-selling of six alternative covers of ESPN The Magazine's original Body Issue in 2009 featuring Serena Williams

FrequencyYearlyFirst issueOctober 19, 2009Final issueSeptember 6, 2019CompanyESPNCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishWebsiteESPN The Magazine

ESPN Show More Show Less 2 of 12 Courtney Force, a Funny Car drag racer in ESPN The Magazine's 2013 'Body Issue.' ESPN Show More Show Less 3 of 12 4 of 12 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick on the. The Body Issue differs greatly from SI's Swimsuit issue because it focuses on athletes and not The 32 Best Photos Ever From ESPN's The Body Issue. By Frank Hagler. July 11, 2013 Updated: July 11, 2013 10:18 a.m. ESPN The Body Issue from ESPN the Magazine hits newsstands on Friday, July 12. But don't worry, in this slideshow you can get a look at some of the. The ESPN Body Issue was started in 2009 and just seems to get more and more popular. The general public has had a keen interest in ESPN's venture and each ye. The Body Issue is an edition of ESPN The Magazine that features dozens of athletes in nude and semi-nude photographs, which is intended to rival the annual Swimsuit Issue from Sports Illustrated. The first issue debuted on October 19, 2009.

The Body Issue is an edition of ESPN The Magazine that features dozens of athletes in nude and semi-nude photographs, which is intended to rival the annual Swimsuit Issue from Sports Illustrated. The first issue debuted on October 19, 2009.(1)

The 2009 edition had six alternative covers featuring Serena Williams (tennis), Carl Edwards (NASCAR), Adrian Peterson (NFL), Dwight Howard (NBA), Gina Carano (mixed martial arts) and Sarah Reinertsen (triathlons).(2) The Serena Williams edition sold the most copies.(3) The 2009 issue was a financial success, achieving double the normal edition sales, greater sales than any bi-weekly issue in over two years and 35 percent more ad sales than comparable issues, which led to plans for extended marketing of the 2010 edition.(3)

The edition included the regular sports coverage. In the bodies section athletes were featured on and off the field. Even a picture during a knee surgery was included. The 'Bodies We Want' section was a feature of the best bodies in the world of sports all posed nude but with strategic coverage of private parts.(4) Another section showed the damage done to the human body in athletics such as Laird Hamilton's cracked heel and Torry Holt's crooked middle finger.(5) One action photo captured six members of Major League Soccer's D.C. United simulating a free kick defensive wall while covering their genitalia.(6)

The 2019 issue was announced as also being the final print edition of the magazine.(7)

2009(edit)

Some of the 2009 covers were revealed on shows such Monday Night Football and Good Morning America. The 2009 edition included the following:(4)

Baseball: Joba Chamberlain, Nelson Cruz, Iván Rodríguez

Basketball: Dwight Howard, Cappie Pondexter

Beach volleyball: Carol Hamilton, Greg Hunter, Noah Kaiser, Eddie Matz, Michele Rauter, Tim Struby(8)

Boxing: Manny Pacquiao

Figure skating: Johnny Weir

Football: Casey Hampton, Torry Holt, Adrian Peterson

Golf: Sandra Gal, Anna Grzebien, Christina Kim

Gymnastics: Shawn Johnson

Horse racing: Alex Solis

Ice hockey: Zdeno Chára, Bill Guerin, Chris Higgins, Mike Komisarek, Sheldon Souray

MMA: Gina Carano, Randy Couture

Rock climbing: Steph Davis

Rowing: Susan Francia

Short-track speed skating: Allison Baver

Skiing: Kristi Leskinen, Julia Mancuso

Soccer: Natasha Kai, Bryan Namoff, Oguchi Onyewu, Chris Pontius (soccer), Clyde Simms

Softball: Jessica Mendoza

Stock car racing: Carl Edwards, Mark Martin

Sumo wrestling: Byambajav Ulambayaryn

Surfing: Claire Bevilacqua, Laird Hamilton

Swimming: Ryan Lochte

Table tennis: Biljana 'Biba' Golić

Tennis: James Blake, Serena Williams

Track and field: Michelle Carter, Lolo Jones, Sarah Reinertsen

Weightlifting: Cheryl Haworth

2010(edit)

The 2010 edition included the following:

Alpine skiing: Julia Mancuso

Archery: Erika Anschutz

Basketball: Amar'e Stoudemire, Diana Taurasi

Billiards: Jeanette Lee

Bobsledding: Steven Holcomb

Figure skating: Evan Lysacek

Football: Patrick Willis

Football/Mixed Martial Artist: Herschel Walker

Golf: Camilo Villegas

Javelin Thrower: Rachel Yurkovich

Mixed Martial Arts: Cristiane Justino, Evangelista Santos

Soccer: Tim Howard

Surfer: Kelly Slater

Swimmer: Jeff Farrell

Track runner: Philipa Raschker

Volleyball: Kim Glass

Wheelchair tennis: Esther Vergeer

2011(edit)

The 2011 edition included the following:

Baseball: José Reyes

Basketball: Blake Griffin, Sylvia Fowles

Bowling: Kelly Kulick

Boxing: Sergio Martínez

Football: Steven Jackson

Golf: Belen Mozo

Gymnastics: Alicia Sacramone

Ice hockey: Julie Chu, Ryan Kesler

Indy Car Driver: Hélio Castroneves

Mixed Martial Arts: Jon 'Bones' Jones

NHRA: John Force

Para-athletics: Jeremy Campbell

Roller derby: Suzy Hotrod

Runner: Ryan Hall

Skater: Apolo Ohno

Snowboarding: Gretchen Bleiler, Louie Vito

Soccer: Hope Solo(9)

Surfing: Stephanie Gilmore

Tennis: Vera Zvonareva

Track and field: Natasha Hastings

2012(edit)

The 2012 issue featured the following athletes:(10)

Baseball: José Bautista

Basketball: Candace Parker, Tyson Chandler

Decathlete: Ashton Eaton

Fencer: Tim Morehouse

Football: Maurice Jones-Drew, Rob Gronkowski

Golf: Suzann Pettersen

Gymnast: Danell Leyva

Ice Hockey: Brad Richards

Jockey: Mike Smith

Mixed martial arts: Ronda Rousey

Rowing: Oksana Masters

Sailor: Anna Tunnicliffe

Soccer: Carlos Bocanegra, Abby Wambach

Surfer: Maya Gabeira

Tennis: Daniela Hantuchová

Track and field: Carmelita Jeter, Walter Dix

Volleyball: 2012 U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team (Destinee Hooker, Megan Hodge, Alisha Glass, Stacy Sykora)

2013(edit)

Espn Body Issue 2013 Espn Body Issue

The 2013 issue featured the following athletes:

Boxing: Marlen Esparza

Golf: Carly Booth, Gary Player

MLB: Giancarlo Stanton, Matt Harvey

MMA: Miesha Tate

Motocross: Tarah Gieger

NBA: John Wall, Kenneth Faried

NFL: Colin Kaepernick, Vernon Davis

NHL hockey: Joffrey Lupul

NHRA drag racing: Courtney Force

Rock Climbing: Chris Sharma, Daila Ojeda

Snowboarding: Elena Hight

Soccer: Sydney Leroux

Tennis: Agnieszka Radwańska, John Isner

Volleyball: Kerri Walsh Jennings

WNBA: Swin Cash

2014(edit)

The 2014 issue featured the following athletes (1):

Basketball: Serge Ibaka, Angel McCoughtry

BMX bike motocross: Nigel Sylvester

Bobsledding: Aja Evans

Boxing: Bernard Hopkins, Danyelle Wolf

Cliff Diving: Ginger Huber

Hockey: Hilary Knight

MLB: Prince Fielder

Motocross : Travis Pastrana

NFL: Marshawn Lynch, Larry Fitzgerald

Skateboarding: Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins

Snowboarding: Jamie Anderson, Amy Purdy

Soccer: Omar Gonzalez, Megan Rapinoe

Surfing: Coco Ho

Swimming: Michael Phelps

Tennis: Venus Williams, Tomáš Berdych

Yachting: Jimmy Spithill

2015(edit)

The 2015 issue featured the following athletes (2):

Archery: Khatuna Lorig

Baseball: Bryce Harper

Basketball: Brittney Griner, DeAndre Jordan, Kevin Love

Field Hockey: Paige Selenski

Football: Anthony Castonzo, Jack Mewhort, Odell Beckham Jr., Todd Herremans

Golf: Sadena Parks

Gymnastics: Aly Raisman

Hammer Throw: Amanda Bingson

Heptathlon: Chantae McMillan

Hockey: Tyler Seguin

Rugby: Todd Clever

Skateboarding: Leticia Bufoni

Soccer: Ali Krieger, Jermaine Jones

Surfing: Laird Hamilton

Swimming: Natalie Coughlin

Tennis: Stan Wawrinka

Volleyball: Gabrielle Reece

Wakeboarding: Dallas Friday

2016(edit)

The 2016 issue featured the following athletes (3):(11)

Baseball: Jake Arrieta

Basketball: Dwyane Wade, Elena Delle Donne

Beach Volleyball (Olympics): April Ross

Boxing (Olympics): Claressa Shields

Diving: Greg Louganis

Duathlon: Chris Mosier

Fencing (Olympics): Nzingha Prescod

Football: Antonio Brown, Von Miller, Vince Wilfork

Motocross: Ryan Dungey

Paratriathlete: Allysa Seely

Soccer: Christen Press

Steeplechase: Emma Coburn

Surfing: Courtney Conlogue

Swimming: Nathan Adrian

UFC: Conor McGregor

Wrestling: Adeline Gray

2017(edit)

The 2017 issue featured the following athletes (4):(12)

Espn Body Issue 2013

Baseball: Javier Baez

Basketball: Isaiah Thomas, Nneka Ogwumike

Figure skating: Ashley Wagner

Football: Julian Edelman, Ezekiel Elliott, Zach Ertz

Hockey: Brent Burns, Joe Thornton

MMA Fighting: Michelle Waterson

Rugby: Malakai Fekitoa

Skiing: Gus Kenworthy

Snowboarding: Kirstie Ennis

Soccer: Julie Ertz

Softball: AJ Andrews

Tennis: Caroline Wozniacki

Track and field: Novlene Williams-Mills

US Women's National Ice Hockey Team (Brianna Decker, Kacey Bellamy, Meghan Duggan, Jocelyne Lamoureux, Monique Lamoureux, Alex Rigsby)

2018(edit)

The 2018 issue featured the following athletes (5):

Baseball : Dallas Keuchel, Yasiel Puig

Basketball: Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, Karl-Anthony Towns

Figure Skating: Adam Rippon

Football: Saquon Barkley, Jerry Rice

Golf: Greg Norman

Professional wrestling: Charlotte Flair

Skiing: Jessie Diggins

Soccer: Crystal Dunn, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Megan Rapinoe

Softball: Lauren Chamberlain

Sprinting: Tori Bowie

Espn Body Issue 2013 Uncensored

2019(edit)

The 2019 issue released on September 4, 2019 and was the final printed issue of the ESPN Magazine. It featured the following athletes (6):

Baseball: Christian Yelich

Basketball: Chris Paul, Liz Cambage, Nancy Lieberman

Crossfit: Katrín Davíðsdóttir

Football: Myles Garrett, Michael Thomas, the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line (Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, Issac Seumalo, Halapoulivaati Vaitai)

Golf: Brooks Koepka

Gymnastics: Katelyn Ohashi

Hockey: Evander Kane

Racing: James Hinchcliffe

Rock Climber: Alex Honnold

Soccer: Kelley O'Hara

Surfer: Lakey Peterson

Track & Field: Scout Bassett

UFC: Amanda Nunes

Notes(edit)

Espn Body Issue 2013

^Thomson, Katherine (2009-10-06). 'ESPN's 'Body Issue' Of Naked Athletes (PHOTOS): Serena Williams, Dwight Howard, Adrian Peterson, More Pose Nude (PICTURES)'. Huffington Post. Retrieved 2009-12-02.

^La Monica, Mark (2009-10-09). 'ESPN 'The Body Issue' magazine covers'. Newsday. Retrieved 2009-12-02.

^ abRovell, Darren (2009-11-30). 'ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue: A Financial Success'. CNBC. Retrieved 2009-12-02.

^ abMcCarthy, Michael (2009-09-30). 'First look: In ESPN's magazine, showing skin is no issue'. USA Today. Retrieved 2009-12-02.

^Clifford, Stephanie (2009-10-12). 'Special Issues a Bright Spot for Magazines'. The New York Times. p. B1. Retrieved 2009-12-03.

^Steinberg, Dan (2009-10-08). 'United's Nude Awakening'. The Washington Post Company. Retrieved 2009-12-03.

^Morris, Chris (2019-04-30). 'ESPN Is Shutting Down Its Magazine'. Fortune.com. Retrieved 2019-08-07.

^Matz, Eddie. 'No shirts, no shorts ... lots of service!'. ESPN. Retrieved 30 July 2014.

^'Galleries / The Body Issue / October 17, 2011 Hope Solo'. ESPN the Magazine. 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2011-10-05.

^'ESPN The Magazine Body Issue – ESPN'. Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2012-08-17.

^Chiari, Mike (June 21, 2016). 'ESPN Body Issue 2016: Release Date and List of Athletes Revealed'. Bleacher Report. Retrieved 7 July 2016.

^'Ezekiel Elliott, Julian Edelman among 23 athletes featured in Body Issue'. ESPN. June 25, 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.

External links(edit)

Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Body_Issue&oldid=1035283454'

2 notes · View notes

placetobenation · 6 years

Link

Victoria. Victoria, Victoria, Victoria. If you’re looking for someone to blame for this hot mess that you’re (hopefully) reading every week, look no further. Yes, this is all her fault.

Victoria taught me that in wrestling, I like my heels like I like my women: goofy, clever, and showing a whole lot of ass.

*tugs collar*

OK, it’s getting awfully gay in here already so let’s rewind. We have a LOT to get through before we even get to that point.

Victoria had one of the deepest and richest careers of any Diva, working up and down the card and on both sides of the fence in a variety of roles. She was also one of the best wrestlers of any Diva, and by my count racked up more good matches along the way than any other woman of the era.

First of all, I think it’s neat that when Victoria signed with WWE they put a clause in her contract stating that she was legally obligated to have at least one (1) great match with Trish Stratus every year that they were both on the roster. I mean I can only imagine it was stipulated in her contact because no matter what they were doing in any given year, they’d always find each other and have a great match.

Of course that all started when Victoria debuted in 2002 and launched right at Trish, in a feud that broke barriers for the kinds of violence the women could get up to in WWE.

They had a wild old romp on the September 30th Raw that ended in Victoria nailing Trish with what I believe was the first ever woman on woman chairshot in WWE history. This lead to two big gimmick matches for the Women’s Title: Hardcore Rules at Survivor Series and a Chicago Street Fight on Raw in January 2003. Both are awesome plunder matches that are chock full of weapon shots and nasty brawling. They were not missing each other with these shots, let me tell you.

And even outside of the gimmicks, the nasty brawling remained; this feud was basically one big, long brawl, occasionally broken up by a ring bell or, I would hope, sleeping and eating. For months Victoria and Trish just lived to punch each other in the face.

Or, as Victoria put it, “I want to take Trish’s SOUL!”

Victoria wasn’t just stiff and nasty, she was also quite insane. I think that’s what people remember about her from back then right? Crazy Victoria. She had the creepy entrance with TaTu and the eyeballs and the twitching, she had the creepy boyfriend following her around, and she said inexplicable things like “I want to take Trish’s SOUL!” (I’m sorry, it’s such a ridiculous line and I can’t stop thinking about it.)

She has this two week feud with Stacy Keibler after winning the Women’s Title that kind of captures her in a nutshell, because in the space of two weeks Victoria beats her up, threatens to murder her and licks her face, beats her up some more, BITES THE FINGERNAILS OFF HER FINGERS, and debuts the Widow’s Peak and kills her dead. Crazy Victoria was… a LOT.

In all seriousness she really was a lot though; Victoria had to play a lot of different roles and get a lot of things done in her time in the company. Once she turned babyface in early 2004 the main thing she was getting done was wrestling, pure and simple. Victoria wasn’t as suited for the babyface role as a character, but she made up for it by working super hard in the ring and consistently delivering, having good matches with pretty much everyone in her sight.

She matched up surprisingly well with Lita in a fun babyface match at Backlash 2004. She had good matches with Trish with the roles reversed. I was sold on the idea of her against Jazz after the triple threat at Wrestlemania XIX, and a year later they finally had some matches and I was not disappointed. Victoria was working out of her skin with anyone she faced.

It’s a shame that the hair match at WrestleMania XX was probably the worst match she ever had with Molly, because they pretty much always did good work together. In fact the things they did to each other were downright scary at times – Molly ripped Victoria’s hair clear out by the roots, Victoria slammed Molly’s head so hard it bounced like basketball. One time Victoria pulled Molly’s wig off to reveal her bald head and Molly just straight up took her down and choked her until she died.

Their match at Unforgiven 2004 was their best and has some great arm selling by Victoria. Her selling in general was great in this period, actually, and it was crucial to her ability to garner sympathy as a babyface even though she was bigger and stronger than all of her opponents. Her and Gail Kim, in particular, had a lot of good limb work matches.

Victoria also had a very pleasing babyface comeback that consisted of her punching fools in the face. Hard not to love a girl with a great right hand.

But after a productive run as a working babyface, soon enough Victoria was back to living her best life – being a heel and beating people up.

Her first run as a heel was all about Crazy Victoria, this one was more… Surly Victoria. She combined with Torrie Wilson and Candice Michelle to form Vince’s Devils to take on Trish and Co. for a fun few months, and Victoria naturally worked as the heavy for that team and carried the bulk of the in ring work.

In fact, Victoria carried pretty much the entire heel side of the women’s roster in 2005-06. She really put a shift in during these years, doing everything from giving Christy Hemme a solid five minute PPV match, to working with Mickie James when she first came in, to hooking up with Trish again and inevitably having great matches. She had the ability to give new girls like Christy or Ashley everything they needed and make them look credible, and then turn on a dime and instantly look like a world beater against Trish or whoever the champion was.

She had one such moment in December 2006 when she had a fun mini push based on her ticking names off a checklist on her way to the Women’s Title. She won a battle royal that was basically an extended squash with her killing all the other girls, and then week by week she would just monster them one by one and tick them off, leading to a title shot against Mickie James.

Victoria was credible in any role they gave her – heel or face, goofy or serious, jobber or champion. She was a trooper.

My favorite little thing about this period was during Vince’s Devils when Victoria would look so exasperated at having to carry Candice Michelle while she was being silly, doing her dance and waving her magic wand around. Little did Surly Victoria know that she’d end up being the silliest of them all soon enough.

It was a move to Smackdown that did it. There are few things that got a wrestler in the 2000s going more than a move to Smackdown, and Victoria was no exception. And thus we enter phase three of Victoria’s heel career, the one that stole my heart: Goofy Victoria.

Goofy Victoria announced herself with a bang during the annual Divas Halloween Bullshit Dress Up Nonsense Battle Royal in 2007. Everyone else came out as a sexy this or a cute that. Victoria rolled out in a giant sumo costume, tumbling and bumbling like a boofhead.

And she just took off from there. The Smackdown women had a Diva Search-style competition in early 2008, and every week Victoria would find a way to be more and more ridiculous – stumbling through an obstacle course, hamming her way through arm wrestling (“Got a ticket to the gun show, Michelle?”) and wearing a snorkel and flippers to a water fight. It was about this time that I started to feel a strong desire to move to America and marry this woman.

They key is that she found a way to be this extra during her matches as well. It wasn’t just about dressing up and slipping in puddles, it was about booting a girl in the gut and yelling “GOOOOOOALLLLLL!” in celebration, or cutting someone off and gleefully saying “Not today!” before eating something else, or just shit talking and bragging her way through a match only to slip on a banana peel and get rolled up in the end and looking absolutely SHOCKED about it every time. The Bellas debuted doing their Twin Magic gimmick on Victoria, and she would try so hard to solve the mystery only to be foiled every single week, like the Wil E. Coyote of wrestling.

She was perfect. The comedic heel worker of all my dreams.

Victoria vs. Cherry is a match that legitimately changed my life as a wrestling fan. The easiest way to explain it is as kind of a women’s version of Razor Ramon vs 1-2-3 Kid. If you don’t remember her, Cherry was the sweet, rollerskating valet of Deuce and Domino, reluctantly participating in her first match. Victoria kicked her all around the schoolyard, talking trash and toying with her the entire time, only for Cherry to snag the win in a big upset.

This match is my happy place; four and a half minutes of the most blissful fun I have ever had with a video on the internet. I’ve probably watched this match a thousand times. It is a treat. A balm. A drug.

In less than five minutes so many aspects of my fandom were illuminated and solidified for me. My love of Victoria and her goofy heelish perfection. My love of goofy comedic heels in general, which only grew from this point on. My love of Cherry (more on her in the future). And most of all, my love of four minute Divas matches, and the infinite possibilities for entertainment they held.

I always appreciated the Divas, but by the end of 2008, for this and other reasons, I was hooked. And thus began an obssession that has somehow lead me to writing these pieces for you lovely people today. So I guess blame Victoria. Or thank her. Delete where applicable.

Glad to get that off my chest. Tune in next week for whatever I decide to write about next week, I don’t quite have an idea yet. Toss any suggestions my way if you have them.

Check it out: Trish Stratus vs. Victoria – Women’s Title (Raw, September 30th 2002) Victoria vs. Trish Stratus – Women’s Title Hardcore Rules (Survivor Series 2002) Victoria vs. Trish Stratus – Women’s Title Chicago Street Fight (Raw, January 27th 2003) Victoria vs. Trish vs. Jazz – Women’s Title (WrestleMania XIX) Victoria vs. Lita (Backlash 2004) Victoria vs. Jazz (Raw, May 31st 2004) Victoria vs. Molly Holly (Vengeance 2004) Victoria vs. Gail Kim (Heat, October 10th 2004) Trish Stratus vs. Victoria – Women’s Title (Raw, September 26th 2005) Mickie James vs. Victoria – Women’s Title (New Year’s Revolution 2007) Victoria vs. Cherry (Smackdown, April 18th 2008)

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

0 notes