Fight Like A Girl: Alpha Female
Alpha Female is in demand. Having just completed an extended trip of Japan which saw her capture the World Of Stardom Championship, the mammoth German is getting right back on the cycle in Europe.
In this half-hour interview, Alpha compares her two matches with Nanae Takahashi, how angry fans were with her (teamed with how scared they were of her), and how her tattoos caused problems for her in Japan. She also discusses the friendships she struck up with the likes of Dark Angel, Jenny Rose and Kellie Skater (with the Rate Tank getting some serious love) and what it was like wrestling at Sumo Hall for the Ryogoku Cinderella show where she lost the title to Io Shirai. She also talks about her upcoming British dates – most notably Pro Wrestling: EVE‘s Queen of the Ring show next Saturday as well as her debut for Bellatrix next month. Check it out.
(left click on picture to stream, right click and “save as” to download)
Io Shirai, Dark Angel win major titles and Yuzuki Aikawa retires at historic “Ryogoku Cinderella” event
It was a historic day today at the fabled Ryogoku Kokugikan (Sumo Hall) in Tokyo as Stardom presented Ryogoku Cinderella – their most ambitious card to date – in the hallowed building, and it was a day of change, as three of the promotion’s titles changed hands while the curtain came down on the career of Yuzuki Aikawa. Attendance was announced at 5,500, though it seems from live reports that the actual attendance was quite a bit smaller than that (inflated attendances are fairly common in wrestling worldwide, but especially in Japan – although reports last week suggested 3,000 tickets had been sold), which while impressive for a joshi crowd in 2013 appears disappointing given the size of the venue and the hopes/expectations Stardom had to have had for the event.
In title changes, Io Shirai won the World of Stardom Title (aka “The Red Belt”) from Alpha Female, who drops the title that she won last month from inaugural champion Nanae Takahashi. Alpha’s transitional run lasted just 43 days, but you have to imagine Shirai is now going to be considered Stardom’s “ace” going forward. It was a bad day for Monster-Gun, as the recently dominant stable lost the Goddesses of Stardom (Tag) Titles also, as Kyoko Kimura & Hailey Hatred fell to the team of Hoshow Tennyo (Kairi Hojo and Natsumi Showzuki) when Hojo upset Hatred. The other new champion in Stardom is Dark Angel (aka Sarah Stock), who won the decision match against Act Yasukawa to determine only the second ever Wonder of Stardom champion. That title had been vacated earlier this month by inaugural champion Yuzuki Aikawa ahead of her retirement.
Speaking of Aikawa, she fought one of her toughest rivals one last time – finally losing to Yoshiko in her farewell. During her retirement ceremony, the ring was bathed in yellow streamers. The win for Yoshiko sets her up as the first challenger for Io Shirai’s World of Stardom title – with that match announced for Stardom’s June 2nd show back at Korakuen Hall. Click through for full results. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (26 February 2013) – wrestling’s equivalent of Ronda Rousey, Girls Night Out 8 and more
Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche delivered in spades on Saturday as part of the main event of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s UFC 157 pay-per-view. While PPV buyrates are only an estimate – though expected to be around the 400,000 mark – the other numbers are amazing.
With those two headlining the show, the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA drew 15,525 fans with a gate of $1.4 million and reportedly fewer comps than usual. It’s the highest attendance for a UFC show in the building, which includes UFC 121 with Cain Velasquez against Brock Lesnar. Admittedly, both Rousey and Carmouche hail from the state, which means that both had a relative hometown crowd, but it’s evidence that women can headline male-dominated shows, given the right booking, promotion and hype. Additionally, the fact that it outdrew Velasquez v Lesnar is even more astounding considering it’s a Hispanic market which would be behind Cain, and Brock is one of the UFC’s biggest draws in its history. (more…)
Ringbelles Retro: Adiós Sarita, viva Dark Angel
Last month, it became apparent that Sarita (Sarah Stock) had parted ways with TNA. She hadn’t been seen for some time in the promotion, but had been keeping busy by wrestling for her home promotion of CMLL in Mexico under her Dark Angel character, as well as spending a little time in Japan last summer, wrestling with Stardom.
However, as we noted in the Roundup yesterday, the 33-year old adopted luchadora is preparing to compete in the US for the vacant Pro Wrestling Revolution Women’s Championship. She’ll wrestle Cheerleader Melissa in San Francisco, CA on Saturday in what is essentially a decider between the two – Stock won their first encounter on SHIMMER volume 11, with Melissa evening the score on volume 18. Since then, both have enjoyed success – Melissa won the SHIMMER Championship in 2011, while Stock enjoyed two reigns as TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion. For today’s Retro, we go back before the pair faced each other in the ring, with Dark Angel challenging for the vacant CMLL World Women’s Championship.
Both she and Marcela won a Torneo cibernetico elimination match on September 9, 2005 to earn their way into competing for the belt, which was vacated after champion La Diabólica left the promotion – ironically she’s also the woman who was stripped of the PWR belt that Melissa and Dark Angel are fighting over this weekend. The following week, the pair squared off for the title, and you can watch the match after the jump.
Incidentally, Dark Angel is finally on Twitter with the handle @SSDarkAngel. Follow her and keep up with her goings-on. (more…)
Sarita gone from TNA? (Update: AND Rosita?)
What do you mean, you thought Sarita already had left?
Well, Lords Of Pain pointed out this morning that the 33-year old Canadian’s profile has been removed from the TNA roster page, though this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody.
Considering she hasn’t been on the Impact Wrestling show since April 19 last year where she, Rosita, Gail Kim and Madison Rayne lost to Mickie James, Miss Tessmacher, Tara and Velvet Sky, it would have been a fair bet that she had left. However, she wrestled one more match on TV after that – a loss to Velvet Sky which was broadcast on Xplosion on May 2 – and also competed at a BaseBrawl show on June 14. After that – nothing. (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…)
Is Dark Angel done with CMLL?
An interesting riddle is arising surrounding the future of CMLL‘s Dark Angel, Sarah Stock (also known as Sarita in TNA) as a result of her current tour of Japan for the STARDOM promotion. Apparently CMLL executives are intensely unhappy at Dark Angel for booking herself for an extended tour of Japan off her own back when CMLL’s chosen business partners at REINA x World have been unable to secure dates on the Canadian. Not only that, but by securing her own deal with Stardom, CMLL are missing out financially on the booking fee they would otherwise command from REINA (or any other international promotion looking to book her).
Dark Angel last worked for STARDOM back in March for a couple of dates, to help celebrate Io Shirai‘s 5th anniversary in wrestling, and to be presented with flowers and a plaque to commemorate her own ten year anniversary. However, since agreeing to go back over there for the an extended STARDOM tour (including the currently running 5*Star GP), CMLL have continued to advertise Dark Angel for shows in Mexico while apparently *in full knowledge* that she will be unable to make the bookings. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (7 August 2012) – Wrestlers Rescue, Dawn Marie, BLOW & more
Former WWE and ECW personality Dawn Marie seems to have a good heart. Setting up Wrestlers Rescue in 2008 (and the subsequent Pro Wrestlers Relief) in 2009, her goal was to make life easier for wrestlers with medical issues to help them pay their bills – a common problem for wrestlers outside of WWE who may not be able to secure the proper insurance needed to cover their ailments.
In the last week or so, her charity has received a battering from James “Kamala” Harris, who has had both of his legs amputated due to complications stemming from diabetes and high blood pressure. He claims that Wrestlers Rescue and Boston-based independent wrestling promotion the Millennium Wrestling Federation promised to help him out financially, and never did so, calling Dawn Marie “no good” and accusing her of keeping the money that was raised for him.
Wrestlers Rescue has not had the best of reputations in its short existence, but following this high-profile attack on her work, Dawn Marie decided to go public with all the details. (more…)
In Video: Ten Woman Cage Match! ‘Nuff Said!
Several weeks ago, the luchadoras of CMLL competed in an Infierno en el Ring match – what’s that? A high stakes “escape the cage” match with ten competitors with the absolute biggest price to pay for the loser. Last one out loses their mask or their hair! The competitors for the match include tecnicas (babyfaces) Dark Angel (aka TNA‘s Sarita – not that you’d know), Estrellita, Goya Kong, Dalis La Caribena and CMLL World Womens Champion Marcela and rudas (heels) Amapola, Princesa Blanca, Tiffany, La Seductora & Lady Apache.
Goya Kong and La Seductora (who are the only two women in the cage with masks) started the issue that directly built to the match several weeks prior, but the interconnected rivalries grew to include almost all the regular luchadoras. Estrellita has been one of the stronger pushed luchadoras, feuding with Amapola and Tiffany. Lady Apache has recently turned to the ruda side – and is feuding with Dark Angel, while Blanca is recently feuding with Dalis. The match is historic as it is the first time ever that a women’s match has headlined a major show in Arena Mexico… (more…)
Ringbelles TV Review (30 January – 5 February)
Big news for TV wrestling this week, as females actually get to headline one of WWE’s two top branded shows, battling over the World Heavyweight Title (albeit in mixed tag action), the Knockouts go for knockouts, and someone, somewhere thinks that Tamina vs Melina would be a good match…
TV match of the week is an easy one, with the Smackdown main event of Edge & Kelly Kelly vs Dolph Ziggler & Laycool (in a handicap mixed tag match with Edge’s World Title on the line) taking top honours, thanks in large part to the performance of one Kelly Kelly…
Interact!