Month: July 2020

In the golden days of pro wrestling, managers were just as popular as the men and women they represented. Colorful characters like Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan, Captain Lou Albano, Jimmy Hart, Slick, Miss Elizabeth, and ‘Classy’ Freddie Blassie were all the rage.

Today, the classic manager is all but gone. Sure, we have Paul Heyman and Zelina Vega, among others, but even they aren’t billed as managers. Titles like advocate and representative have replaced the manager moniker, but there is still some big-time star power playing that coveted, albeit evolved role.

Look no further than WOW, the all-women’s wrestling production run by GLOW creator David McLane. Along with dozens of exceptionally talented wrestlers, WOW also features Sophia Lopez, The Greatest Attorney In The World. Lopez is the modern-day manager extraordinaire, but also a lawyer, so she is able to help her wrestlers get out of jams in and out of the ring. The talented Leslie Garza brings Lopez to life and the character is reason enough to tune in to WOW as much as possible.

The dynamic Garza does it all. She’s a CPA, actress, teacher, businesswoman, and a mom, but she’s known in the wrestling world as Sophia Lopez, the mastermind behind many storylines. She’s now one of the most popular WOW Superheroes, but her big breakthrough into the wrestling world was pure serendipity.

“I went to an audition, they were looking for outgoing girls that like sports and dance and perform,” Garza told Breitbart Sports. “They didn’t mention wrestling, so when I showed up and I realized it was about women’s wrestling, I wanted to run away, but David McLane and Selina Majors (WOW wrestler) talked to me and they explained what it was about and they asked me to give it a try, so I did. I was scared, but I fell in love with the wrestling world and I became Sophia Lopez, The Greatest Attorney In The World.”

After the initial trepidation, Garza became hooked on wrestling. WOW was the perfect fit. “At the beginning, I was very concerned about getting hurt,” Garza said. “My daughter London, who we now call ‘Mini Lopez’ was only one year old and I kept thinking I can’t afford an injury. If something happens to me who is going to change her diaper or rock her to sleep or feed her? But little by little, I realized that I couldn’t live without wrestling. It’s amazing. It’s an addiction, so much adrenaline. When you are inside that ring you are free. You become a different person and that is priceless.”

Sophia Lopez is a priceless cog in the WOW machine.

“I am a lawyer, but not just any lawyer, actually ‘The World’s Greatest Attorney’, said Garza. “I am a manager and I am extremely influential. I make the impossible, possible.”

She sells with Ziggleresque believability and enthusiasm. But in her unique position, it’s the wrestlers she represents that she really puts over. “I love my role because I realized that the wrestlers needed an extra voice to get to the next level, someone who believes in them and will do everything for them to succeed,” Garza said. “I fight with strategies, while my clients fight inside the ring.”

Right now, loyal WOW fans are missing their beloved Superheroes. Everything is on hold due to the Chinese coronavirus. It’s too bad, because the weekly series was red hot this past season.

“I think WOW has done amazing,” Garza said. “People out there have no idea what we’ve been through. When you think everything is ready, something happens, like now with the pandemic. We had plans on touring, filming more episodes, and doing live shows, but we need to wait and pull through this. We will never give up because we are fighters. We are WOW Superheroes.”

Weekly WOW episodes are filmed in California, but public demand led to the idea of a tour through multiple cities. That plan is still in the works, but details are delayed due to quarantine life.

While WOW features high-flying athletes, there is also that classic GLOW element to the product. Each wrestler is a larger than life character. Basically, the in-ring work is more 2020, while the presentation has a wonderful old school flair. No matter the era, fighting puts people in the seats and eyes on the screen. The difference is, those eyes are now on women.

“If we start with the gladiators back in the days, we realized that there was no way a woman could have that role,” said Garza. “Nowadays we are holding titles and that is incredible. Personally, I think it goes beyond the muscles and the strength. It’s perseverance, discipline, and sacrifice. I love men and I respect them so much. I don’t like to compare us to men, but I can say that we earned a place in the arena, in the ring, in history, and I am so proud of it.”

Her family is proud too. Each member shows it in their own way.

Garza breaks it down like this:

My mom- “You are crazy, you are going to get hurt.”
My hubby- “So proud of you baby.”
My kids- “It’s so cool mom.”
Siblings, cousins, and the rest of the family- “You are so brave”, “Only you “, “How can you do it?”, “We love it”.

GLOW wrestlers brought us the first all-women wrestling show in the 1980s. They were the pioneers that opened the door for WOW. “To start, David McLane was the creator of GLOW and also he is the creator of WOW,” Garza said. “The core of these projects in my point of view is the diversity. He brought the best of each wrestler, background, and at the same time he has broken stereotypes, and I love it.”

If you meet any WOW Superheroes you learn quickly that these women aren’t only talented, but some of the nicest athletes in the world. WOW wrestlers seem to always stop for fans, young and old. They truly appreciate the support of the fan base, and it shows. When it comes to The Greatest Attorney In The World there’s a reason for that genuine attitude.

“I would say that it is because I have Jesus in my heart,” Garza said. “He said love one another and I am trying to never forget that. In a different way, Selina Majors, during training taught me the same thing with different words. She said if you make your partner look good, you look good, and I have done it. I try to put others before me, because we are all important.”

Garza has mucho respect for wrestlers of the past as well as current stars. “I grew up in Mexico, so my favorite wrestlers of all-time were El Santo and Blue Demon,” she said. Now, it’s so hard to say because we have so many great wrestlers and I enjoy watching them all. Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch, Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns. We have great talent today.”

While Sophia Lopez, The Dagger, Tessa Blanchard, and the entire WOW roster inspire women everywhere, these athletes are well aware that little girls are watching too. Some will be the stars of tomorrow. Garza tells them to go for it.

“Don’t wait, start young,” she said. “Gymnastics are great and helpful. If this is your dream, be ready for many sacrifices, but never give up. If life changes your destiny, proudly you would be able to say, it wasn’t on me. I did my best, no regrets.”

Valuable, pro bono advice from The Greatest Attorney In The World.

Follow Kevin Scholla on Twitter @kevinscholla

Harkening back to the rhetoric of Mao Zedong during the Cultural Revolution, China’s ambassador in London has called on Chinese university students studying in the United Kingdom to “serve your motherland”, amid growing concern about the influence of Beijing on Western campuses.

In recently unearthed comments made to the Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad, Ambassador Liu Xiaoming said: “I hope you will carry on the glorious tradition of patriotism. I hope you will always live your personal dreams in the greater cause of striving for the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.”

“I hope with what you have learned here and now, you could serve your motherland and people in the future. And I hope your youthful vigour will drive you on as you work harder to realize your dream,” Liu added.

In response to the comments, Professor Christopher Hughes of the London School of Economics told The Times: “The idea of patriotism, in the Chinese context, means supporting the Communist Party. It means wanting unification with Taiwan. It means completely crushing Tibetan aspirations for autonomy. It means crushing Hong Kong. It challenges a lot of our principles of academic freedom.”

“The more Chinese students there are, the more they are controlled and used by the Chinese embassy. There are various groups that are set up to monitor their behaviour. So they don’t feel secure. That means you get creeping self-censorship.”

Currently, there are an estimated 120,000 Chinese students in the United Kingdom. In November, the Foreign Affairs Committee found that students from China are actively engaged in a propaganda effort on campuses to push a pro-CCP narrative and to stifle free speech on sensitive issues for the party such as Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The efforts made by some Chinese students are often organised by university branches of the Confucius Institute, which claims to be merely a vehicle to spread Chinese language and culture, but is in fact a subsidiary of the Chinese Ministry of Education which is under the supervision of the Communist Party’s central propaganda department. There are at present 29 Confucius Institutes throughout Britain, second only to the United States.

Chinese Confucius Institute officials have been accused in Britain of confiscating papers that mention Taiwan as well as shutting down campus events which focused on Taiwan or Tibet.

The statements from the Chinese ambassador likely came in response to a growing row with the United States, after President Donal Trump announced in May that his administration would be placing restrictions on visas for Chinese graduate students amidst concern over intellectual espionage.

“For years, the government of China has conducted elicit espionage to steal our industrial secrets, of which there are many,” President Trump said in making the announcement.

“Today I will issue a proclamation to better secure our nation’s vital university research and to suspend the entry of certain foreign nationals from China who we have identified as potential security risks,” the president added.

In June, the Justice Department announced that one of the leading chemists in America, the former chair of the Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department at Harvard University, Dr Charles Lieber, had been indicted on two counts of making false statements about his relationship with China’s Thousand Talents Program (TTP). The programme is believed by officials to be a key plank of the CCP’s efforts to steal intellectual property from the West.

Tensions have also been rising between the United Kingdom and the communist regime in Beijing, who warned that Britain will “bear all the consequences” of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to open a path to citizenship for up to 3 million Hong Kongers, following the introduction of a draconian national security law on the city that will serve to stamp out the freedom and autonomy promised to Hong Kong in the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

“China strongly condemns this and reserves the right to take further measures. The British side will bear all the consequences,” said foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday.

Ambassador Liu added in a statement: “We firmly oppose this and reserve the right to take corresponding measures. We urge the British side to view objectively and fairly the national security legislation for Hong Kong, respect China’s position and concerns, refrain from interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any way.”

Follow Kurt on Twitter at @KurtZindulka

An American flag was removed from a construction site in Richmond, Virginia, on Friday after officials claimed it was a potential target for protesters.

“Over the past month we’ve seen buildings and structures around Capitol Square vandalized and flags, dumpsters, a bus and other items set ablaze during demonstrations around the city,” spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of General Services Dena Potter said in an email, according to the Hill.

“When we saw the flag, we were concerned that it could become a target, so we told the contractor to remove it,” she continued.

However, the decision reportedly angered a subcontractor whose fireproofing company made the approximately one-story tall flag out of tarps, according to NBC 12.

In a Facebook post Thursday, Eric Winston of American Coatings Corp. shared a picture of the flag and said, “the straw just broke the camels back!”:

“This is the flag that our company made out of tarps we use on buildings,” he explained in the caption.

Winston continued:

We thought it would be a good idea to hang it, which we did this morning at the new General assembly job, downtown Richmond. Early on it got great reviews by all, and thank you to the GC for allowing us to do it… BUT the GC got a call and we now have to remove it. It seems the “State” deems it a target this weekend for protestors. Since when is this flag, on this weekend, IN THIS COUNTRY, a Target!! Let me guess, if I had a black lives matter flag it would be “ok”!?

“The American Flag is a symbol of Freedom! Many men and women died to maintain this freedom, many more fought and still fight to keep this freedom, and you make us remove it??” he stated.

However, Potter said there was no problem with the standard-sized American flag flying on a crane above the object, but the bigger flag that hung a few stories above the ground was easier to reach and could potentially be a target.

“They were very responsive when we asked them to remove it,” she said of the Gilbane Building Company, adding that the worker’s safety was their top priority and also preventing the flag from being damaged.

Amid a new outbreak of the coronavirus, California’s Gavin Newsom was adamant that no firework celebrations be done on the Fourth of July, because the public simply could not be trusted to socially distance.

If you’re looking for fireworks, the governor said he believes counties should consider canceling shows.

Addressing the counties on California’s watchlist, he explained, “We have worked with those counties, the 19 counties that are mandatory closure lists and we have made it clear privately- now we’re making it more abundantly clear publicly- that we believe that they should consider canceling some of their fireworks shows and presentations. By the way, a number of cities have done just that, LA in San Francisco.”

Cancellation is the case for most of the Bay Area, except for the City of Gilroy.

They’ve asked that people view the show from the safety of their own home.

It’s likely it was more than a suggestion. Newsom has, after all, conditioned state aid on cities and counties following his orders, and set up ‘strike forces‘ to go after people not wearing masks as well as small businesses operating in contravention to his shutdown orders.

And much to his surprise, he got this:

Here’s economically battered Fresno, from a scold of a reporter looking to see those tickets issued:

There were a lot more – the entire state was lit up with illegal fireworks.

Surfers in their dozens ignored the no-surfing orders, too, and this time, no lawmen went into the water to chase after them to issue tickets.

It goes to show that when the state overreaches, and puts out an unreasonable demand, widespread disobedience is going to be the result. Irish democracy, as Instapundit puts it.

It was in fact an unreasonable request. Fireworks are the highlight of the premier summer holiday, the Fourth of July, as well as an expression of patriotic sentiment, something Newsom’s Democrats haven’t placed a lot of value on of late.

There were also all those families, something Democrats have never been too fond of either, and all that demon rum they might ingest together, so:

In his address, Newsom said family gatherings have contributed to the state’s recent increase in transmission — and that it’s an understandable impulse to want to get together, especially over a long holiday weekend.

“Patriotism in a COVID-19 environment can be expressed in a little bit different way,” Newsom said, asking people to reconsider attending gatherings with those who are not in their immediate household.

Also, holidays mean celebration, and that often means alcohol. The governor said people may start off a gathering with good intentions, wearing face masks, but after a drink or two, might let their guard (as well as their masks) down — and begin to mix in ways that increase the transmission of COVID-19.

They’re something little kids look forward to, little cooped up kids even more so, and parents of little cooped up kids most of all. 

They’re also free, and in a state devastated by massive unemployment due to all of Newsom’s previous shutdowns, a rare something the newly impoverished can enjoy, too. 

Yet even on science grounds, Newsom’s call for no fireworks were dubious. Firework shows are all outdoor shows and outdoor affairs are easiest to socially distance – even some pockets of unregulated protest, such as New York, showed few new cases. Some of the Indian casinos in California hosted firework shows with all the protocols of social distancing, too, but large cities such as Los Angeles with millions of firework fans were all told no. COVID in fact is spread by indoor affairs with a lot of shouting – such as nursing homes and prisons – where the worst COVID results have been seen. Newsom emptied the prisons on this ground, but ordered COVID patients into the nursing homes, where no one could get out. 

Now, it’s better to have state-regulated large displays everyone can watch than the small, do-it-yourself displays often put on as a result of easy access to fireworks for purchase over the Mexican border.  Numerous fires came of the shows not put on by the pros, which is sure to become a scolding point. But in the absence of a state-regulated public show which everyone can watch and go to, small displays are going to be the natural result. It’s like pot smoking – people are going to get it one way or another, so an arguably better approach is to allow regulated sales. Somehow that logic never occurred to Newsom.

All that mattered was that he be able to put out an order and watch the descamisados fall into line.

So he got what he wanted with the shutdown of public displays, making a lot of people unhappy, but instead of compliance, got a massive repudiation of his utterly unreasonable order. And a big celebration of freedom instead, highly appropriate on America’s national holiday. Maybe he can take the sentiment of the people and the verdict of science into consideration next time he wants to flex his state muscle and work on his lethal nursing home policy instead.

Image credit: Twitter screen shot

Amid a new outbreak of the coronavirus, California’s Gavin Newsom was adamant that no firework celebrations be done on the Fourth of July, because the public simply could not be trusted to socially distance.

If you’re looking for fireworks, the governor said he believes counties should consider canceling shows.

Addressing the counties on California’s watchlist, he explained, “We have worked with those counties, the 19 counties that are mandatory closure lists and we have made it clear privately- now we’re making it more abundantly clear publicly- that we believe that they should consider canceling some of their fireworks shows and presentations. By the way, a number of cities have done just that, LA in San Francisco.”

Cancellation is the case for most of the Bay Area, except for the City of Gilroy.

They’ve asked that people view the show from the safety of their own home.

It’s likely it was more than a suggestion. Newsom has, after all, conditioned state aid on cities and counties following his orders, and set up ‘strike forces‘ to go after people not wearing masks as well as small businesses operating in contravention to his shutdown orders.

And much to his surprise, he got this:

Here’s economically battered Fresno, from a scold of a reporter looking to see those tickets issued:

There were a lot more – the entire state was lit up with illegal fireworks.

Surfers in their dozens ignored the no-surfing orders, too, and this time, no lawmen went into the water to chase after them to issue tickets.

It goes to show that when the state overreaches, and puts out an unreasonable demand, widespread disobedience is going to be the result. Irish democracy, as Instapundit puts it.

It was in fact an unreasonable request. Fireworks are the highlight of the premier summer holiday, the Fourth of July, as well as an expression of patriotic sentiment, something Newsom’s Democrats haven’t placed a lot of value on of late.

There were also all those families, something Democrats have never been too fond of either, and all that demon rum they might ingest together, so:

In his address, Newsom said family gatherings have contributed to the state’s recent increase in transmission — and that it’s an understandable impulse to want to get together, especially over a long holiday weekend.

“Patriotism in a COVID-19 environment can be expressed in a little bit different way,” Newsom said, asking people to reconsider attending gatherings with those who are not in their immediate household.

Also, holidays mean celebration, and that often means alcohol. The governor said people may start off a gathering with good intentions, wearing face masks, but after a drink or two, might let their guard (as well as their masks) down — and begin to mix in ways that increase the transmission of COVID-19.

They’re something little kids look forward to, little cooped up kids even more so, and parents of little cooped up kids most of all. 

They’re also free, and in a state devastated by massive unemployment due to all of Newsom’s previous shutdowns, a rare something the newly impoverished can enjoy, too. 

Yet even on science grounds, Newsom’s call for no fireworks were dubious. Firework shows are all outdoor shows and outdoor affairs are easiest to socially distance – even some pockets of unregulated protest, such as New York, showed few new cases. Some of the Indian casinos in California hosted firework shows with all the protocols of social distancing, too, but large cities such as Los Angeles with millions of firework fans were all told no. COVID in fact is spread by indoor affairs with a lot of shouting – such as nursing homes and prisons – where the worst COVID results have been seen. Newsom emptied the prisons on this ground, but ordered COVID patients into the nursing homes, where no one could get out. 

Now, it’s better to have state-regulated large displays everyone can watch than the small, do-it-yourself displays often put on as a result of easy access to fireworks for purchase over the Mexican border.  Numerous fires came of the shows not put on by the pros, which is sure to become a scolding point. But in the absence of a state-regulated public show which everyone can watch and go to, small displays are going to be the natural result. It’s like pot smoking – people are going to get it one way or another, so an arguably better approach is to allow regulated sales. Somehow that logic never occurred to Newsom.

All that mattered was that he be able to put out an order and watch the descamisados fall into line.

So he got what he wanted with the shutdown of public displays, making a lot of people unhappy, but instead of compliance, got a massive repudiation of his utterly unreasonable order. And a big celebration of freedom instead, highly appropriate on America’s national holiday. Maybe he can take the sentiment of the people and the verdict of science into consideration next time he wants to flex his state muscle and work on his lethal nursing home policy instead.

Image credit: Twitter screen shot

Nike has not responded to a request for comment after Colin Kaepernick, one of their leading pitchmen, called Independence Day a “celebration of white supremacy.”

On Saturday afternoon, as 4th of July festivities were getting underway across the country. Kaepernick took to Twitter and accused America of having “dehumanized, brutalized, criminalized + terrorized” black people for centuries.

Kaepernick, the NFL’s original anthem protester, has not played in the NFL since the end of the 2016 season. After a long legal battle with the NFL, in which he accused the league of “blackballing” him and fellow protester Eric Reid, the NFL eventually settled the suit with Kaepernick. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently apologized for not listening to Kaepernick and other protesters. He then went so far as to say he would “encourage” a team to sign Kaepernick.

Nike has a history of tolerating Kaepernick’s radical activism and frequent attacks on America, especially on the 4th of July. Just prior to the Independence Day holiday last year, news broke that Kaepernick had convinced Nike to ditch the “Betsy Ross Flag” sneakers that the company had produced to commemorate the nation’s founding. As it turns out, Kaepernick had reached out to Nike company officials saying that “he and others felt the Betsy Ross flag is an offensive symbol because of its connection to an era of slavery.”

Shortly following Kaepernick’s complaint, Nike asked retailers to return the shoes.

While Kaepernick is far from Nike’s #1 pitchman, the former quarterback and original anthem protester seems to have tremendous sway and influence within a company that appears to be completely unwilling to oppose him.

Breitbart Sports reached out to Nike for comment about Kaepernick’s tweet. Specifically, to find out whether the company supported or agreed with the comment.

As of the time of this writing, Nike has not responded.

Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn