Savaka
We fall so that we may learn to rise again
6’ 1” – 220 lbs | 14 Years of Experience
|Birth Name |Jean Francois Mpolondo
|Hails From | » New York City
» January 3rd, 1982 (35)
|Fighting Style |» Savaka is a technical wrestler through and through. He has spent most of his career wrestling for a shoot-style promotion that emphasized realism and grappling, giving him strong matwork skills. Expect lots of chain wrestling and reversals in his matches, along with a wide variety of submission holds and quick pinfall attempts. With his current gimmick, he especially likes to wear down the arm of his opponent to set up for his finisher, which gives him the opportunity to show off his various wristlocks and armbars. He uses the big slams and suplexs more conservatively than most wrestlers, often waiting until the match is well underway and using less flashy moves to get things to the ground, such as arm drags or judo style throws and trips. As part of his current gimmick, he does not use strikes, but does have a few kicks and stomps and stomps that look good if that were to change, his punches and forearms blows are not as polished. He has virtually no high-flying moves, because they are not part of the style he is used to and because he prefers not to take risks.
|Signature Moves |» Cross Armbreaker
»
Hammerlock Suplex» Small Package Pin
» Cross Kneelock
|Finisher |» Tripitaka Lock (Omoplata, poses as though he is meditating once it is locked in)
» Kalachakra(
Granby Roll)
|Theme |»
youtube.com/watch?v=DOtoIBrBAYE|Gimmick |» Jean portrays the character Savaka, a monk following a new age religion called the Way of Peace. Initially brought in as the bodyguard to another character with spiritual guru gimmick, he has kept the gimmick because creative has had little direction for him. The character is stoic and seldom speaks, and has sworn a vow of nonviolence that prevents him from using strikes, leaving him to rely on submission holds and throws in the ring. Savaka is lodged solidly in the midcard, collecting some wins but never building momentum and frequently putting over other wrestlers headed on to greater heights. When he does get time on the mic he uses and exaggeratedly calm voice and relies on generic new age phrases about enlightenment and mindfulness. Savaka also will pose like he’s meditating or praying frequently, and displays an unnatural tranquility when caught in submission holds. He dresses in something close to the stereotypical
Shaolin monk outfit, orange and yellow robes with one sleeve.|Face or Heel |» Face
|Backstage Rep |» Jean came from a family of Congolese immigrants, and always felt a little awkward in school. He loved sports but never really cared about winning or losing, which meant he never really felt like he fit in with the rest of the jocks at school. After getting a degree in English he went to Japan to teach, hoping to see more of the world. As a regular at the local gym he befriended some pro wrestlers and began training with them. It was not an easy process, even with a background in amateur wrestling, but he put in the effort and debuted with Combaticon, a shoot style promotion. There he built a solid career and honed his skills, even though he was never the top star he still had several classic matches and developed a reputation as a safe and reliable worker.
Combaticon would run into financial difficulties as time went on. The older wrestlers bodies began to break down from the stress, and the rising popularity of MMA started to cut into their market, and the owner made several questionable decisions. Seeing the writing on the wall, Jean left for AWE. AWE likes the fact that he is a safe worker who can get a good match out of almost anyone, but they quickly discovered that he was almost devoid of charisma. Coupled with his less flashy style of wrestling, the company has pegged him as a guy to help build up newer talent, letting them learn and collect wins. Jean doesn’t mind this, but he is looking for ways to increase his earnings; he knows that he will have to retire eventually and is trying to make sure he earns enough to keep his family financially stable for as long as possible.
Off camera Jean is relaxed and doesn’t feel the need get involved in drama. He doesn’t like to go out drinking or enjoy the nightlife, preferring instead to spend his time with a good book. He does not have much clout in backstage politics because he is fairly new to AWE, but is always happy to help out newer wrestlers if they ask for advice. He knows that there are many good people in the industry, but he is always put off by stories of some the shadier business that goes on.
|Other |» Unlike his character, Jean is a devout Roman Catholic
» Face Claim is Jack Johnson