In Video: A few words for Allison Danger…
A week ago, Allison Danger announced her retirement from in-ring competition during the taping of SHIMMER Vol 57 in an emotional moment that didn’t leave a dry eye in the house.
Of course she’s not leaving wrestling for good – she’ll continue in a backstage role at SHIMMER – and while everybody there that weekend was fortunate enough to be able to say their own personal thanks to the woman herself, we kinda figured that Danger deserved something more. So, without her knowledge, we started recording video messages across the weekend with the idea of putting them together as a lasting tribute to someone who has meant so much to so many.
Now that the woman herself has had a chance to see the video, we happily share our video with the Ringbelles readers. Some messages are heartfelt, some are funny… some are, well, you’ll see… (more…)
SHINE 9 results: Eagles vs Havok steals the show, plus Leva finally commits Kimberly to Arkham Asylum
SHINE Wrestling returns to iPPV this evening with what is without doubt the most stacked card in company history – featuring, as it does, a Steel Cage Match main event to (presumably) cap off the long standing rivalry between Leva Bates & Kimberly, which currently stands at 2-2 after four matches (Bates won at SHINE 3, then after Kimberly turned heel at SHINE 5, she won their rematch at SHINE 6. On SHINE 7, Leva won a Last Woman Standing match, only to see Kimberly win the Fans Bring The Weapons/I Quit match at SHINE 8).
The show also sees the first Qualifying round of the SHINE Title tournament, which takes place at SHINE 11 in July – with eight hopefuls looking to advance to the single elimination tournament. In a first time ever dream match, Madison Eagles takes on Jessicka Havok, while Sweet Saraya Knight battles Su Yung. VALKYRIE stable members Rain & Ivelisse Velez will also see tournament action, against Jazz & Angelina Love respectively. And that’s not even all. Jump through after the page break to follow results as they come in from the Orpheum in Ybor City, FL. (more…)
SHIMMER Volumes 56 & 57 DVD taping results (now updated with thoughts and photos)
After the events of yesterday, SHIMMER returns for its DVD tapings for volumes 56 and 57.
Expected to continue on from yesterday’s tapings include the quest by the Global Green Gangsters to secure another Tag Team Title shot at the Canadian Ninjas; Saraya Knight‘s reign of terror is being curbed by the officials; meanwhile, Jessicka Havok wants to leave more bodies in her wake, and Cheerleader Melissa is looking to retain the SHIMMER Championship. Also, these tapings mark the final matches for Allison Danger, who retires from the ring on volume 57.
As with yesterday, we will bring you results after the jump, along with pictures on thoughts on the show in due course. For now, click into the results and enjoy. (more…)
SHIMMER Volumes 54 & 55 DVD taping results (now updated with live thoughts and photos)
It’s the kickoff to SHIMMER’s Vols 54-57 tapings in Berwyn, IL at the Eagles Club with Vols 54 & 55 being recorded today. We’ve got a big preview of the Vol 54 taping up already, and we’ll be updating this page with results after the conclusion of both of today’s volumes. As noted in the preview, we’ll be back with thoughts and pictures from the event at some point thereafter. Enjoy!
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Ringbelles Roundup (2 April 2013) – Femmes Fatales XI, SHIMMER Volume 53, WrestleMania XXIX & more
Last week, I repeated my previous assertion that two championships would change hands at NCW Femmes Fatales XI in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on Saturday. Lo and behold, that’s what happened – with the Bellatrix World Championship and the Femmes Fatales International Titles being won by Courtney Rush and Mercedes Martinez respectively.
Martinez’s victory over Kalamity is only part of her story in the show. She continued her cross-promotion feud with LuFisto following her defeat to the Super Hardcore Anime at Women Superstars Uncensored’s An Ultraviolent Affair in February by attacking her foe during LuFisto’s challenge for the SHIMMER title against Saraya Knight. The steel chair attack to LuFisto’s head was enough for Knight to lock in the Bridal Rocking Horse for the stoppage and retain the belt, meaning that no matter what happened with Mercedes’ challenge to Kalamity, the Martinez/LuFisto programme would continue.
As it turns out, the programme will likely feature the International Championship, as the Latina Sensation used a Fisherman Buster onto a steel chair to gain the pinfall and bring The Oncoming Storm’s 17-month reign to an end. (more…)
NCW: Femmes Fatales XI – Two new champions crowned; LuFisto/Martinez feud heats up further
History is being made at the Centre St-Barthelemy in Montreal, Quebec tonight as NCW: Femmes Fatales offers up a card with international implications – putting three of the world’s female wrestling championships on the line. In the main event, Femmes Fatales International Champion Kalamity defends her title for the seventeenth time against longtime rival Mercedes Martinez.
In addition, Sweet Saraya Knight defends the SHIMMER Championship against LuFisto, just one week before stepping into a steel cage with Cheerleader Melissa at SHIMMER Vol 53, while Bellatrix World Champion Allison Danger returns to Femmes Fatales to put her title on the line against the suplex master Courtney Rush. Cheerleader Melissa, who was planning on a shot at Jessicka Havok‘s WSU World Title on this show will instead have her hands full with Allysin Kay.
Click through after the page break for live results as they come in, direct from Montreal. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (26 March 2013) – Bellatrix growth, Femmes Fatales XI, WrestleMania
Not making it to Bellatrix 5 in Norwich, England on Sunday may have been unfortunate, but it did provide me the opportunity to utilise the option to watch the show on iPPV. Considering a lot of the changes from Bellatrix 4 last November were being done because of this one being broadcast live, it was interesting to be able to assess if those changes were successful.
They were.
Improvements to aesthetics like giant wall hangings of the roster, an improved entranceway, ringside barriers and more attention paid to start and running times were coupled with the venue being a purpose-built TV studio with full-scale lights and sound systems, the Epic Studios in Norwich looked vastly different to 5 months ago. The benefit of it being a proper studio also made it easier for the show to be streamed online, as the facilities to broadcast were all there, and had been tried and tested with previous unrelated shows. As a result, Bellatrix 5 was one of the slickest women’s wrestling iPPVs produced to date. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (22 January 2013) – Mia Yim, TNA’s reality hits and misses, and more
There are many interesting prospects in North America. One which has been simmering for a while is Mia Yim, who has been honing her skills and gaining more experience by partaking in a number of extended trips to Japan to wrestle for REINA x World. Domestically, she has had some interesting matches which have been of a good quality, and was a beneficiary when one of her kicks broke Allysin Kay’s nose last January leading to a number of well-received matches between the two with greater stipulations reflecting the development of the programme, culminating in a cage match at Absolute Intense Wrestling’s Girls Night Out 7. She had a fine outing against Jessicka Havok at SHINE 3 last September, and also enjoyed outings against the likes of Kana and Yumi Ohka in SHIMMER in 2011.
However, there is one major sticking point when it comes to her work in the US – barring the original nose-breaking match against Kay at GNO5, Yim has lost most of those high-profile outings.
Despite that, she has the opportunity to claim a really big scalp at SHIMMER volume 53 in Secaucus, NJ on April 6, and spoil the homecoming of one of its biggest stars at the same time. (more…)
Multiple women vying for your TNA Gut Check vote
The TNA Gut Check series isn’t just played out on TV. The promotion has spent the last two years travelling the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland offering sessions to wrestlers looking to make an impact (pun intended). That means that it’s not just winner Taeler Hendrix who has been involved in the process – and as we mentioned last June, both LuFisto and Courtney Rush were involved in the Gut Check which took place in Oshawa, ON, Canada. However now, TNA has thrown the selection process for who gets a shot on Impact Wrestling out to us, the fans. We will have our say in who we want to step into the ring in Orlando, FL.
To do this, TNA has listed every single person who has participated in any one of the sessions since the first one took place in September 2010 in Rahway, NJ. As stated in the press release – from tomorrow evening, we have the chance to go via the promotion’s website and vote in the Gut Check Challenge, described as “an interactive experience by letting fans decide the one previous “TNA Gut Check” participant who is most deserving of appearing on IMPACT WRESTLING’s “TNA Gut Check” segment on Spike TV.” There will be rounds – 16 brackets in all – until all the wrestlers are whittled down to one.
A number of women have attended the Gut Check sessions, and all of them are eligible, including the aforementioned LuFisto and Rush. After the jump, we’ll let you know which names to look out for – but first, A WARNING.
Beyond this point, we will be revealing the real names of a lot of wrestlers, as that is how their names will likely – appear on the voting form though some are just going by their wrestler persona. If you are someone who likes not knowing their true monikers, stay away. With that said, anyone who’s OK with it can jump in and see who’s vying for your vote from tomorrow evening [UPDATE: it's been bumped to Monday afternoon], as well as the links to their profiles on the Gut Check site, where available. (more…)
Flashback 2012: The Year in Podcasts
We love our podcasts here at Ringbelles. In fact, the entire site you’re looking at right now was initially founded as a new home for our flagship “Women of Wrestling Podcast”, and everything that has been built around it (from the regular website content to you, our ever expanding audience) has been constructed around the basic belief that our podcast is our core business. When we launched our first WOW Podcast over three years ago, we were of the opinion that nobody else was giving the women of the wrestling business a soapbox to tell their stories. Now, standing on the brink of our 50th edition, we can look back at the seventeen podcasts we’ve produced in 2012 (and the addition of three “Rush Hour” Podcasts), and be content that we’re delivering on our promise with quality interviews of the women in the business.
We have new listeners join us all the time, so for their benefit (as well as a nostalgic kick for our regulars), it’s time to look back at our shows in 2012, and maybe pick out a few shows you either get to listen to for the first time (or again). (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (4 December 2012) – Intergender wrestling, WWE’s most beautiful women & more
Over the years, the number of taboos in wrestling seem to have evaporated. After all, few bat an eyelid about wrestlers who have barely reached their teens stepping into the ring in Japan. Wrestlers with disabilities are given the same opportunities as anyone else, and nobody tells anyone that they are too old to lace up the boots, even though some really should be. However, the prospect of a man facing a woman in a wrestling match still seems to be something which makes some fans squirm in their seats.
I can see some of you imagining it right now.
For a long while, mixed matches seemed to be a no-no, but then it hit the mainstream with the late comic Andy Kaufman wrestling women and calling himself the Intergender Champion of the World, before Jerry Lawler piledrove him onto his head. From there, we saw the odd mixed tag team match on special occasions – WrestleMania VI with Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire against Randy Savage and Sherri Martel being a prime example – but very seldom did the women interact with the men… but times changed. (more…)
Fight Like A Girl: Cat Power
As you may well know, Canadian grappler Cat Power recently moved from Windsor, Ontario to Vancouver, BC – and as she’s kinda putting wrestling on the back-burner once again in order to focus on her new life, she requested a chance to come back on the site and talk about some of the people who have helped her in her career to date. A chance to close the book on one chapter of her life, if you like. We’d never turn down a request from Cat Power, so we duly obliged – the only thing is… Cat’s a talkative sort, so what was planned as maybe 20 minutes ended up clocking in at about 45 minutes. So, kick off your shoes, sit back in your comfy chair and let Cat Power update you on what she’s up to and lay out thanks to some of the trainers, bookers, opponents and friends who she’s met along the way.
(left click on picture to stream, right click and “save as” to download)
If you want to keep up with the hectic life of Cat Power, give her a follow on twitter
Ringbelles Retro: Power & Rush in their former guises
Over the weekend, we posted up a recent match featuring Cat Power against Kc Spinelli in Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling – but as she discussed with us on the Women Of Wrestling Podcast, Cat Power didn’t always wrestle under her real name… and yes, that is her real name.
Before debuting in SHIMMER in April 2008, Power wrestled under the name of Haley Rogers, though had to change it because the surname was already in use by a certain woman called Cindy, so it’s a good thing that her real name is so damn awesome. A month before said debut, Cat wrestled for Rock Solid Wrestling in Collingwood, ON, Canada against a young lady by the name of PJ Tyler, who we now know and love as Courtney Rush, another woman who explained her name change when we interviewed her last year.
Incidentally, we found an old PJ Tyler website as we were putting this post together. It’s an interesting look into the past of “the sweetest nerd that ever rocked out”, and shows that despite the name change, Courtney Rush’s ethos is not that different to her former moniker… (more…)
Femmes Fatales X – Thoughts and Opinions
I’ve had a few days to knock up my thoughts on NCW: Femmes Fatales X from this past Saturday at the Centre St-Barthelemy in Montreal. A few days that have given me a little distance from the show, both mentally and physically (I’m now sitting back in my home over 3,200 miles away). I’m working from memory that has already been through the jet-lag wringer, so apologies if I’m a little vague with anything I struggle to remember clearly.
This was the first time that the NCW crew had decided to run a SHIMMER-style double taping, and I think there were some definite positives and definite negatives to the decision. On a positive note, I enjoyed the shows and got to see over 20 matches featuring talents from around the world – but on the other hand, the show felt different to the one I attended in March, and I wonder how much of that was due to the raised ticket prices possibly turning off local casual fans. Yes, there were lots of travelling fans (a good few having been at SHIMMER the weekend before), but the atmosphere was certainly lacking during the first taping especially, and the audience seemed far harder to rouse. Had FFX ended after the first taping, I think I’d have been disappointed, but luckily the second half of the show redeemed the day, both by producing better matches and by the crowd finally loosening up and reacting. I’m pretty certain that this double taping was an experiment rather than the new status quo at FF, and I’m sure that’s something that management will be looking at going into 2013. (more…)
nCw Femmes Fatales X results (updated with photo gallery)
nCw Femmes Fatales celebrated its tenth show with a bumper double edition this evening in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. As well as the main event of taping #2 – a cage match between LuFisto and Mercedes Martinez – Kalamity defended the International Championship against Kellie Skater in a 2 out of 3 falls match, with the first fall being decided by pinfall; the second by submission, and the third to be a no-DQ, falls count anywhere affair. Meanwhile, whoever walked out of that match as Champion would have to face the winner of a four-way between Cheerleader Melissa, Athena, X-Cute Sweet and Angie Skye in the semi-main of the final taping.
The Ringbelles team was on hand to collate the results, so click the jump and see them all… (more…)
SHIMMER Volumes 51 & 52 DVD taping results (updated with thoughts on both Vols and photo gallery)
After a bumper day 1 yesterday which saw a number of storyline developments in both title pictures and one of the best matches in the promotion’s history, SHIMMER: Women Athletes returns for the second day of its weekend of DVD tapings.
Yesterday, Ayako Hamada and Kana competed in an epic encounter which saw the veteran gain the victory, though both women came out looking stronger than ever. In the 5-on-5 main event of volume 50, ReGeneration X and the Tag Team Champions Canadian Ninjas had hands in eliminating each other – with Allison Danger ousting Nicole Matthews before being pinned by Portia Perez – while Cheerleader Melissa pinned singles titleholder Sweet Saraya to end the match, which could see them cross paths again at some point today.
No matches have been announced for volumes 51 and 52, though if yesterday was anything to go by, fans at the Berwyn Eagles Club are in for another treat. As with yesterday, the Ringbelles team is on hand to provide results, as well as photos and thoughts later on. Click the jump to keep up with what’s going on…
SHIMMER volumes 49 & 50 DVD taping results (updated with thoughts on both Vols and photo gallery)
It’s rolled around again. More than 30 female wrestlers have gathered at the Eagles Club in Berwyn, IL for the latest round of DVD tapings for SHIMMER: Women Athletes, which includes the milestone volume 50 later today. A number of matches have been announced, but before we get to that, results from last night…
At yesterday’s AAW show, Athena defeated Nicole Matthews, Kellie Skater & Christina Von Eerie in a four way match where Matthews and Skater spent much of the contest playing a game of one-up by doing moves on Athena, but after it descended into a four way brawl, Athena nailed Nicole with the O-Face for the pinfall. Later on, Sweet Saraya retained the SHIMMER Championship by pinning MsChif following a wild, building-wide brawl which left both women with very visible battle scars. The end came when Truth Martini interfered to spit green mist into the challenger’s eyes.
Today, some matches have been announced. For volume 49, Saraya defends her title against Athena, while the Canadian Ninjas put the SHIMMER Tag Team Championships on the line against LuFisto and Kana. Elsewhere, SHIMMER Originals Mercedes Martinez and MsChif square off in a rematch from volume 20, where MsChif retained the SHIMMER Title in one of the best title defences up to that point. Also on the card, Leva Bates tangles with Kellie Skater, while nCw Femmes Fatales International Champion Kalamity faces Ayako Hamada.
Meanwhile, for volume 50, the SHIMMER Originals of Martinez, MsChif, Allison Danger and Cheerleader Melissa are involved in a 10-woman elimination match – which we are dubbing SHIM-vivor Series II, where teams of five strive to survive – and a “first time in SHIMMER singles bout” will take place, though you can let your minds run riot as to what it will be.
We will be updating results intermittently throughout the day, so keep hitting refresh for results – and after the show, we’ll upload thoughts and maybe some pictures…
Ringbelles Roundup (16 October 2012) – honouring bookings, WSU’s return & more
“SOOO who’s ready for EVEN MORE changes to Bombshell Ladies Of Wrestling ? Well heck it wouldn’t be a 24 hour day without some now would it!
“Stay tuned as we’re sure to serve up even more random stuff from the wacky world of Bombshell Ladies Of Wrestling in the morning. Perhaps we should start doing contests like Guess The Next Girl To Drop Off ? Gotta love it.
“PS – not one single change to the loaded PWS lineup on Friday.”
That was one of the posts which Pro Wrestling Syndicate posted on its official Facebook page last week ahead of the debut Bombshell Ladies Of Wrestling show on Thursday. As it happened, the show managed to fulfil its promise of presenting 8 opening round matches for its Sweet Sixteen tournament, though the lineup was a million miles away from the card which it originally posted. Reports from the show say it was a lot of fun, so it appears the fans went home from the Rahway Recreation Center in New Jersey happy, and by the sounds of the post above, the promoters of PWS breathed a sigh of relief. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (2 October 2012) – Sara Del Rey, TNA DVD ban, Alpha Female and more
“I don’t think there’s a better female wrestler in the world right now.”
Not my words – though I agree with them – but the words of WWE Champion CM Punk, who confirmed that Sara Del Rey has been employed as a trainer for the company and will be working in its developmental facilities in Florida.
We have stayed deathly quiet over Del Rey’s signing with WWE since we found out, as they notoriously hate their private business affairs being discussed openly, and would not want to jeopardise the position of anyone signing a contract with them. For that reason, we wait until the ink is dry and they appear in WWE facilities. That happened on September 28 when Bill DeMott sent out a Tout video of Joey Mercury, Norman Smiley and Del Rey in NXT trainers’ shirts offering a small pitch for wrestlers to come and try out. A photo of the trainers soon followed, and then came the confirmation from Punk at the Ohio Comic Con on September 29.
“We recently hired Sara Del Rey to train our future Divas. I know a lot of people will be like, ‘Oh, that sucks, Sara should be on television’ and maybe you’re right, but I’ve talked to her about it. This is her dream job. She gets to wrestle everyday and she gets paid for it.” (more…)
Review: AIW Girls Night Out 7 (4 August 2012)
Third time this year in AIW for Yim & Kay – this time inside a fifteen foot (pink) steel cage, while we get one more (final) war between Hailey Hatred & Sara Del Rey. Meanwhile, we witness the birth of The Social Network.
Results
1. Athena (1-0) pinned Sassy Stephie (0-3) with an O-Face.
2. Thunderkitty (1-0) pinned Trash Cassidy (0-2) after Cassidy swung a chair and it bounced back to hit her in the face.
3. “The Social Network” (Nikki St. John (1-0) & Annie Social (1-1)) bt Heidi Lovelace (0-3) & Angel Dust (1-3) when Nikki pinned Angel Dust. Post match, Lovelace joined “The Social Network”.
4. Kimber Lee (1-2) pinned Melanie Cruise (1-1) with a rollup.
5. Pondo Rules Match: Crazy Mary Dobson (3-0) pinned Lil Naughty (0-1) after a senton.
Post match, The Social Network beat down Dobson.
6. Veda Scott (2-2) pinned Courtney Rush (0-1) with an inside cradle.
7. Hailey Hatred (8-0) pinned Sara Del Rey (2-4) with a running Ligerbomb.
8. AIW Absolute Women’s Title / Steel Cage Match: Allysin Kay (c) (4-1) bt Mia Yim (1-3) via hanging gogoplata submission.
RUSH HOUR with Courtney Rush, Episode 3
RUSH HOUR with Courtney Rush, Episode 3: w/ Leva Bates
Courtney Rush returns with another edition of RUSH HOUR… and she’s joined at the wheel by fellow geek and “Queen of Cosplay” Leva Bates for an hour (or so) of banter. Amongst the topics up for discussion include a catch-up session as to what’s been going on since March with Sara Del Rey and the SHIMMER Tag Titles situation, and whether there’s any heat from Courtney that Leva appears to be jumping the queue for a shot at the Canadian NINJAs. There’s quite a bit of chat about this recent column, including female wrestling as a fetish, whether it’s OK to remark on someone being hot without being labelled a pervert, and whether we should really be against models in wrestling (which gives Leva a chance to espouse her idea of wrestling as Jambalaya.) There’s a look at some of the best (and worst) examples of models turned wrestlers, and to finish, Courtney calls out fans who blindly support *all* women’s wrestling and are scared to give negative feedback for bad matches. Note: don’t tell her that she’s “good for a girl” if you value your continued health.
(left click on picture to stream, right click and “save as” to download)
DVD Review: SHIMMER Volume 45
Cheerleader Melissa defends her newly-won SHIMMER Championship against Nicole Matthews, Athena looks to settle the score with Mercedes Martinez, and four women make their debuts.
Results
1. Courtney Rush pinned Rhia O’Reilly with a Skyward Suplex.
2. Melanie Cruise & Mena Libra defeated Shazza McKenzie & Veda Scott. Cruise got the pin following a top rope legdrop on McKenzie.
3. Sara Del Rey beat Leon following a big powerbomb.
4. Sweet Saraya made Davina Rose tap out to the Knightmare (half crab).
5. Jessie McKay beat Mia Yim with the Boyfriend Stealer.
6. Ray pinned Kellie Skater with a Phoenix Splash.
7. Hailey Hatred & Kalamity beat LuFisto & Kana. Hatred pinned LuFisto following a running powerbomb.
8. Ayumi Kurihara & Ayako Hamada retained the SHIMMER Tag Team Championship by beating ReGeneration X – Allison Danger & Leva Bates. Hamada pinned Danger with the AP Cross.
9. Athena defeated Mercedes Martinez with the O-Face.
10. SHIMMER Champion Cheerleader Melissa retained the title by beating Nicole Matthews with the Air Raid Crash. (more…)
AIW Girls Night Out 7 live coverage (Kay vs Yim III)
You’ll have seen the nose break, you’ll have watched the no holds barred rematch, you’ll have listened to Allysin Kay on the Women of Wrestling Podcast – and now the waiting is over, as Absolute Intense Wrestling presents Girls Night Out 7, headlined by a championship match in a Steel Cage, as Allysin Kay defends against Mia Yim in the match to settle their rivalry.
That’s far from all on the show, as we get a potentially show-stealing matchup between Sara Del Rey and Hailey Hatred – both rightly recognised as two of the absolute best in the world today. Courtney Rush makes her AIW debut, taking on Veda Scott – who has a history of strong performances at these GNO events, while Ohio’s own Sassy Stephie welcomes another Canadian, Leah Von Dutch – who is also making her GNO debut in singles action. Click through after the cut for live results. (more…)
Stew’s 2012 highlights
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December 31, 2012 | Categories: Commentaries | Tags: Allysin Kay, Bellatrix, Cheerleader Melissa, Courtney Rush, Kimberly, NCW:FF, Pro Wrestling: EVE, Rebecca Knox, Sara Del Rey, SHIMMER, Sweet Saraya, WAWW | Leave A Comment »