4 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (16 February - Results & Review)
1. No Translation Needed
One of the biggest (unfair) knocks against non-English-speaking wrestlers is that they “can’t cut promos,” rendering them ineffective at selling matches without a mouthpiece.
Women's World Champion Stephanie Vaquer has been somewhat slapped with that label, with her limited ability with promos in English holding her back a bit.
Monday night, however, Vaquer showed that fiery, passionate promos are universal, regardless of language. La Primera interrupted a sit-down interview with Liv Moran Monday night to plead with the Royal Rumble winner to choose her for WrestleMania 42.
Morgan had told Michael Cole that she wasn’t going to rush her decision and that she had grinded for 10 years to get to this point. That apparently was enough for Vaquer, who plopped a chair down and launched into a gripping Spanish promo that cut Liv to pieces. Dominik Mysterio, who had shown up to lend moral support, ended up playing the role of translator, with his words moving Morgan to tears.
WWE provided a video with a translation of Vaquer’s promo, and it was nothing short of fantastic, claiming WWE had provided Morgan everything, while she had come up in Chile with nothing and had to travel the world to hone her craft. Liv hides behind the Judgment Day, while Stephanie “went through Hell” to get to this point, and she would show Morgan “what a real champion is.”
Liv fled the interview in tears and was still shook later on in the clubhouse, and that’s perfectly understandable given the message from Vaquer. Absolutely tremendous stuff from everyone involved: Stephanie Vaquer for cutting a blistering promo that broke through the language barrier; Liv Morgan for selling being floored without trying to “act”; Dominik Mysterio for being the loyal boyfriend translating while defending Liv; and even Michel Cole, for sitting there and not overdoing his part.
10/10. No notes.