Lockdown: The Champs hold onto their titles
TNA‘s all-cage PPV goes on the road to Nashville, TN, with Gail Kim defending the Knockouts Championship against Velvet Sky, while in a “bonus match”, Knockouts Tag Team Champions (and new husband and wife) Eric Young & ODB put the belts on the line against Sarita & Rosita.
Knockouts Championship Match:
Gail Kim v Velvet Sky
The Background:
• Sky earned the title shot by winning a Knockouts Championship Challenge, defeating Mickie James, Winter, Tara, Angelina Love & Madison Rayne on the April 5 episode of Impact Wrestling.
• The match is ostensibly Sky’s rematch for the Knockouts Title – she won the belt at Bound For Glory last October, and then dropped it a month later to Kim at Turning Point in her first defence, though never got an opportunity to challenge for it again.
• Following last months match where they wrestled each other at Victory Road, Madison Rayne is now back by the side of Kim, after the champ gave Madison a tiara. What, is Rayne now Amy Farrah Fowler? (more…)
Victory Road – Rayne Eats Defeat
It snuck up on us somewhat because of women’s wrestling’s March Madness, but TNA‘s Victory Road hosted a Knockouts Title match last night, pitting (former) friends Gail Kim and Madison Rayne facing each other for Kim’s belt.
Rayne earned the shot at the title by sneaking her way to victory in a battle royal, causing her friendship with then-Knockouts Tag team Championship partner Kim to become somewhat strained, as the two began arguing and distancing themselves from each other in situations where they would have helped each other out, to the point where the pair lost their doubles straps to ODB and Eric Young on last Thursday’s Impact Wrestling. Freeing themselves of the shackles of being forced to associate with each other, the pair met last night with the singles strap at stake.
In what turned out to be a back and forth contest with no real aggressor, Kim was able to retain the championship by hitting the challenger with Eat Defeat on her second attempt for the winning pinfall, albeit with a handful of Rayne’s tights.
It was a short match, so this will be a fairly short report, but we’ll look at what was bacon, what was baloney, and what was offal… (more…)
Against All Odds: Tara falters, Gail retains
At last month’s Genesis, Mickie James deliberately disqualified herself in her TNA Knockouts Championship match against Gail Kim. That left fans wondering if she would get yet another bite at the apple, but on January 26th Tara defeated both James and Velvet Sky to become number one contender. The match was set for the next PPV, Against All Odds.
Between then and now, for some unknown reason, TNA decided to give away the PPV match for free on the February 2nd Impact show from London’s Wembley Arena, except it wasn’t for the title. Tara defeated Gail after Madison Rayne accidentally hit the titleholder. The match was good and perhaps because they were out of the Impact Zone, the crowd was into it. How would Tara fare with the title on the line on pay-per-view? Answer: not as well as in London.
Tonight both women put on a solid match but after a (likely worked) knee injury, Gail defeated Tara to retain her title. Gail dominated most of the time, when she wasn’t arguing with Madison. Rayne finally got fed up and left midway during the match, which didn’t seem to bother the champ. However, when it seemed Tara had Kim on the ropes, she seemed to hit her knee awkwardly after a moonsault and was unable to capitalise. Gail targeted the knee for one move, then hit the Eat Defeat for the three count. Afterwards in the ring, Tara had removed her knee brace and was talking to the referee and another official. Lets break it down… (more…)
My first TNA live experience
I swore off going to WWE shows back in 2005 when I decided that they weren’t worth my time. I felt that the ratio of entertainment to investment wasn’t good enough, so after having gone to at least one WWE show a year since 1996, I walked away. Since then, I have been to smaller shows, and avoided events from the bigger wrestling companies.
That is, until this Thursday, when after seven years away, I headed to Nottingham’s Capital FM Arena for the first UK date of the TNA Maximum Impact IV European tour.
To be honest, I was looking forward to it, as I had always heard good things about TNA house shows, while the Impact Wrestling shows are more hit and miss. Buoyed by my interview with Tara earlier this month, I was confident that I was going to enjoy myself, even though I’m not as much of a TNA viewer as have been in the past. So along with fellow wrestling fan and work colleague Tom Campbell (the voice of the infamous Big’Un in Wigan), we hopped into my car and – barring an unscheduled stop because of my brakes almost catching fire – made the 90 minute drive to Nottingham. (more…)
Genesis: Mickie loses her cool
In their third meeting for the TNA Knockouts Championship, Mickie James was set to take on Gail Kim. However, due to the interference of Madison Rayne during their second meeting during the main event two weeks ago, one Knockout in particular had had enough. Before the match, Velvet Sky tracked down Sting and arranged something she called the “Velvet Touch.” Come time for the match, it turned out “Velvet Touch” was a cage that Madison would be put in and hoisted up – effectively taking her out of the picture.
However, it turned out that Rayne still affected the match. With Velvet at ringside cheering Mickie on, the two women put on another good match with a few near falls. Towards the end, when the referee’s back was turned, Rayne pulled something out of her boot and dropped it down to the mat below. The item bounced out of the ring and the referee went to retrieve it. The object was a pair of brass knuckles, which Gail strenously denied using or having the intent to use them. The ref went to give it to Christy Hemme, and that’s when Madison dropped a second pair of knucks. Second time wasn’t the charm, however, as Mickie got to them first. The frustration and anger with Gail got the best of her and she popped the KO champ right infront of the referee, causing a disqualification. Gail retained her title but Mickie seemed unphased by the fact she effectively cost herself the championship.
As always, lets break it down into what was silk, what was leather and what was cotton… (more…)
Final Resolution: Gail retains (with a bit of help)
After going through six out of ten Knockouts in a gauntlet match, Mickie James became number one contender to Gail Kim‘s TNA Knockouts Championship. Between then and now, Karen Jarrett made Mickie’s path to the pay-per-view a difficult one. Karen reinstated ODB and gave her the order: hurt Mickie and pin her, and she would become number one contender. Despite her best efforts in a street fight, Mickie pinned ODB after kicking a chair into the latter’s face. Karen then called upon Gail’s tag team partner, Madison Rayne, and called her her “lynch pin.” She ordered Madison to tear Mickie apart so she would be unable to show at Final Resolution. Again, to no avail – Mickie pinned Madison after a jumping DDT.
The last time these two met was when they were employed by WWE on August 17th, 2009. Mickie defended her Divas title against Gail Kim in what was an unqualified disaster of a match. When Gail returned to TNA, people wondered how long it would be until the two wrestled again, and if the match would turn out better or worse than the last time. At Final Resolution, Gail kept the Knockouts Championship after Madison distracted Mickie long enough for Gail to hit Eat Defeat. Let me break it down into what was Batman, what was Batman Returns and what was Batman & Robin… (more…)
Hailey Hatred talks to HONOUR
Hailey Hatred sat down with HONOUR magazine for its latest cover story for an interview which covers topics which we did not have time to get to in our Women Of Wrestling Podcast with her back in July. The JWP Openweight Champion expands on how she got into the wrestling business, her move to Japan, working with Sara Del Rey in Jersey All Pro Wrestling and her opinions on REINA. But that’s not all that this month’s HONOUR is offering…
It covers Gail Kim‘s transition from WWE to TNA as well as a review of her shoot iPPV, a retro review of ChickFight VI, a commentary on how Jackie Moore could help the Knockouts division, lists some of the most controversial exits from WWE, asks a number of wrestlers are thankful for and looks at the fortunes of Extreme Expose.
On top of that, our very own Jennifer Logsdon’s articles on alternatives to the Women Of Honor are reprinted. It’s 40 pages of awesomeness that you can check out by clicking the image.
Ringbelles Retro: Gail Kim’s first TNA run
TNA Knockouts Champion Gail Kim was meant to be wrestling JWP Openweight, TLW Womens and IMW Hybrid Fighting Champion Hailey Hatred this Friday at Absolute Intense Wrestling, but that match was called off last week after talks between the promotions representing the wrestlers broke down. It would have been Kim’s first match against an independent wrestler in years – though she wrestled on an International Wrestling Cartel show in Meadville, PA last weekend, defeating fellow Knockout Traci Brooks.
As a result of the breakdown in negotiations, Kim will be the guest referee in the AIW Women’s Title match with Mickie Knuckles defending against Mia Yim. Hopefully, both women – especially the younger Yim – will be able to glean some knowledge from Gail during her visit, and the original scheduled match between Hatred and Kim can be rescheduled for some point in the future, as it will likely be the best match the KOs Champ will have had in years.
So because Gail isn’t wrestling on Friday, we’ve got a match of her’s for this week’s Retro from her original TNA run. This particular contest is from 2006, when TNA collaborated with United Wrestling Federation – the promotion launched by racing driver Hermie Sadler and twin brother referees Dave and Earl Hebner the previous year – which emanated from the New Alhambra Hall (AKA the ECW Arena, AKA the Asylum Arena) in Philadelphia, PA on June 9. Taking place before a Knockouts Title was created, Kim took on Traci Brooks (oh, it’s her again!) with Christy Hemme as the special referee, much like Gail will be this Friday. (more…)
Hailey Hatred v Gail Kim match is off
A week and a half ago, we previewed the upcoming match at Absolute Intense Wrestling with Hailey Hatred defending her JWP Openweight, TLW Womens and IMW Hybrid Fighting Championships against Gail Kim in Cleveland, OH on November 25. However, with just over a week to go until the event, the match has had to be pulled.
Announcing it on their website, AIW said:
When we announced Gail Kim VS. Hailey Hatred, we had every intent on delivering that match. But sometimes even your best intentions are for nothing. While both women are currently holding close to ten titles between them, we had to deal with many different wrestling offices. Sadly we weren’t able to cut thru the red tape on this one. Trust us, if there was any way this match could have taken place, it would have.
We believe them. AIW aren’t shitarses who’ll announce a match of this level without working out all the kinks beforehand. We are sure that everything was confirmed and ready to go, with TNA ready to let Gail wrestle there, as well as JWP, TLW and IMW giving their permission to have their titles defended on the show. That alone is a difficult setup to arrange, having to liase with four different promotions to get one singles match booked. However, things changed between the announcement and the decision to axe the match… (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (15 November 2011)
(WARNING: This Roundup contains spoilers for this week’s Impact show.)
I don’t care about Velvet Sky. She’s a choker, she sucks and Gail Kim is far better because she’s been in WWE. And they’re my thoughts because that’s what TNA’s bookers WANT me to think.
OK, maybe it’s not intentional, but the superpush of Gail Kim to the Knockouts singles and tag team titles in less than a month of her return has sent a signal to the rest of the girls that they aren’t stars unless they’ve been in WWE. Fine – Kim was a star in TNA before her muted three years in New York, but her stock had dropped like her stone since leaving and returning. But not to TNA, oh no. Instead, she was portrayed as the unstoppable force alongside Karen Jarrett and Madison Rayne, beating up Tara (who’s one of the best workers that the Knockouts division has), winning the tag belts and then claiming the Knockouts belt from Sky at Turning Point in what was Sky’s first title defence on either TV or pay-per-view. Sure, now Kim looks like the queen, but as a result, Tara, Sky and in a residual way, Brooke Tessmacher have all had their wings clipped, meaning that there are precious few credible babyfaces to challenge for the belt.
Last week, I wrote a piece about why it was in the best interests of all the Knockouts if Velvet Sky won at Turning Point and retained the title. It would establish her first reign as champion as something credible, and Kim wouldn’t really lose much as she was still the Knockouts Tag Champ and could secure a rematch due to her alignment with Jarrett (which still puzzles me, as why is she still Knockouts VP when it was Eric Bischoff who put her in charge and the company is being governed by Dixie Carter and Sting these days?). However, TNA decided that Sky’s important first run as champ was expendable, as the belts clearly don’t matter – and that’s true, as in the last 100 days, the Knockouts belt has changed hands five different times.
According to Dave Meltzer, the idea is that TNA can now market Sky as the plucky babyface going for the Knockouts belt and overcoming the odds to get it back. Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t she do that for FIVE YEARS as part of her quest to win the belt for the first time at Bound For Glory, then won it in a four-way match where Jarrett was the biased ref who was pulling for the heels and wouldn’t give the babyfaces an inch? (more…)
Turning Point: Velvet falls at the first hurdle
At TNA’s Turning Point, we saw two matches with Knockouts involved. The first was a mixed tag team title match featuring challengers Ink Inc. with Toxxin taking on the champions Mexican America with Sarita – it would be the first time either woman had faced each other, inside TNA or outside – whiel the second had Velvet Sky defending her Knockouts Championship against the newly-returned yet already crowned Knockouts Tag Team Champion Gail Kim.
Ink Inc. and Mexican America have had a decent feud with a buildup and it finally led to the debut of Christina Von Eerie as Toxxin to neutralise Sarita and Rosita. The tag titles were retained when Sarita pinned Toxxin after hitting her in the back with a tag belt. Meanwhile, Gail came into Turning Point with a huge wave of momentum, and before the match Karen Jarrett showered her with praise, calling Velvet a “skanky bitch” in the process. Classy. In the Knockouts Championship match, thanks to judicious interference from Karen and Madison Rayne, Gail won the title. How did each of the matches fare? Let’s break it down and take a look at what was oak, what was pine, and what was chipboard… (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (8 November 2011)
Yesterday, TNA announced that they were forming a working relationship with Ohio Valley Wrestling to be a “training and developmental facility”, much like the setup that OVW had with WWE until 2008.
In a statement, TNA declared:
NASHVILLE, TN (November 7, 2011)– TNA IMPACT WRESTLING announces that they are entering into an exclusive relationship with Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), effective immediately, as the official training and developmental facility for TNA’s current and future stars of TNA IMPACT WRESLTING. Former wrestling star and OVW owner Danny Davis will work closely with TNA SVP of Programming and Talent Relations Bruce Prichard in the development of the talent through training, live events, and weekly television production allowing talent to explore every aspect of the business.
“OVW is the best of the best as far as training and nurturing potential superstars. Their track record speaks for itself. Whether looking to develop brand new talent or to fine tune existing talent, OVW has the talent and program to fit our needs.” says TNA’s Prichard. “TNA is providing developmental talent the opportunity to hone their craft in an environment that will allow them to grow and prosper.”
TNA talent will be arriving soon at the facility to begin an extensive training program with the industry’s leading experts. The program is akin to a college scholarship program where talent is provided a scholarship style agreement with TNA to learn the craft. The talent to attend the program is selected by TNA’s Prichard and TNA officials who will be monitoring the progress of each wrestler at camp and the live events.
Now, nonwithstanding the fact that TNA’s press office can’t spell “WRESTLING” – even though it matters – this will be a good opportunity for many aspiring young talent in TNA. Quite frankly, it’s something both WWE and TNA need, as the limited number of approved places for wrestlers to get more experience in either company is pretty slim. However, this is also a two way street, as some wrestlers who currently consider Louisville, KY their main base could use it as an opportunity to make contacts and get spotted – or re-spotted, in the case of the former Sojo Bolt, AKA current OVW Women’s Champion Lady JoJo.
For example, if TNA wants to give its tag team division a bit of a revival (yes, I realise what I just said) then there are two potential teams waiting to go. The first would be the combination of the Smothers Twisted Daughters, comprised of Izza Belle and Jessie Belle Smothers – the latter of which really is the daughter of the awesome Tracy Smothers. (more…)
When Worlds Collide: Hailey Hatred to defend against Gail Kim at AIW
Absolute Intense Wrestling today announced a historic title defence from one of the standout wrestlers of the last twelve months, as the current JWP Triple Champion Hailey Hatred will put her three singles title belts on the line against TNA Knockout Gail Kim. In an intriguing twist, the challenger may well be in possession of the TNA Knockouts Championship by the time the match rolls round, with Kim challenging new Knockouts Champion Velvet Sky on PPV this weekend at Turning Point 2011.
Regardless of whether Kim carries TNA’s strap into battle, the focus rightly remains on Hatred, who currently reigns as the JWP Openweight Champion, TLW Womens Champion and IMW Hybrid Fighting Champion and puts those belts on the line in the contest. Her victory over Leon on June 26th in Osaka (in the finals of the JWP J-1 Grand Prix) made her the first gaijin (foreigner) to win the JWP Title, which she added to her TLW & IMW titles to create a new women’s Triple Crown. Her successful defence against Kaori Yoneyama in August underscored her as a legitimate force on the joshi scene. Last month, Hatred returned to AIW as a conquering hero, successfully defending the three titles against Cherry Bomb at their “They Live” event – the first time the JWP belt, which is the oldest active women’s title in Japan (dating back to 1992), was defended in the USA – having debuted at SHIMMER to great plaudits the night before. Stateside recognition is richly deserved for Ohio native Hatred, who has lived in Japan for the last several years and guested on the Women of Wrestling Podcast earlier this year to discuss her rise to fame in the Land of the Rising Sun. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (25 October 2011)
It’s been a broken biscuits sort of week – in that there is a lot of little things that have been going on – so instead of a big piece about one topic, this week I’m going to channel the energy of Stephen Colbert and utilise the Tip of the Hat/Wag of the Finger gimmick from The Colbert Report to pass some musings on some of the week’s stories.
First off, a Tip of the Hat to Eve Torres, who, along with her opponent Beth Phoenix, staged the best Divas match in years at WWE Vengeance on Sunday. Beth had pulled off some minor miracles with Kelly Kelly on the three previous pay-per-views, but none of them were as good as this match. It went to show that Eve has something to her and can hold up her end of the bargain when the bell rings. Admittedly, the crowd in San Antonio, TX didn’t care enough to make much noise during the match, but they did pop for the false finish of Eve countering the Glam Slam attempt and nearly winning the title with a schoolboy roll-up.
On the flip side though, a Wag of the Finger to WWE, who may have something with Eve, but haven’t given her a chance to develop any sort of character. Why should I give a flying fornication about her when I don’t know anything about her? In fact, she has gone from being unnoticed to being a shadow of Kelly’s, when it is patently obvious that she smokes Kelly in the ring. Who cares that Kelly goes into “Beast Mode” from time to time – it still feels phoney. Kelly has had a chance to develop more of a character this year and hasn’t accomplished it. The time has come for WWE to put some time and effort into Eve to make her more of a credible challenger to Beth, as those two could put on some more great matches in the weeks and months to come. (more…)
Gail Kim returns to TNA
“Right now I’m on a little hiatus,” she said, “I told myself I’d take a little break. They [WWE] didn’t let me quit so I was forced to take a break!”
That’s a direct quote from Gail Kim‘s interview with the One Sided Ring podcast last week (released for free on the day after she did her iPPV live shoot interview), which has been abridged by The Sun in a two piece article, found here and here. As we found out this week, that “little break” was only going to last a another week, as on Tuesday’s post-Bound For Glory Impact Wrestling tapings, Kim returned to TNA, attacking new Knockouts Champion Velvet Sky and aligning herself with Knockouts VP Karen Jarrett and Jarrett’s biggest supporter, Madison Rayne.
This has been on the cards for some time. Following her quitting WWE in August (which saw her bow out of the promotion by eliminating herself from a battle royal on a live episode of Raw – something that she has since admitted was “childish”), there has been talk about her returning. During her live shoot and podcast interview, Kim was very careful to not bury TNA, while launching both barrels at WWE, as it’s very clear that it has no clear direction for their women, and went as far as to say she will never return.
Click after the jump to see the video of her return to TNA. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (18 October 2011)
On October 14, 2007, 10 women competed at TNA Bound For Glory to crown the first TNA Knockouts Champion. That Gauntlet Match was won by Gail Kim, who subsequently engaged in a series of matches with Awesome Kong which cemented TNA as being the place to be for women wrestlers who wanted to knuckle down and graft in the ring. It separated itself from WWE’s Divas division by having a wide range of different-looking women – from your Kongs and Kims to your ODBs, your Jackie Moores and your Roxxi Leveauxs. Most of them have come and gone – in Roxxi’s case, on a number of occasions – but through it all, there has been one woman who has been there uninterrupted. On Sunday, that woman became Knockouts Champion for the very first time.
30-year old Jamie Szantyr started out as a valet back in 2003 under names like Talia, Talia Doll and Miss Talia before settling on Talia Madison, soon forming a tag team with April Hunter, ironically called T&A. Before long, she was being booked around the country, winning her first championship two years later in Afa’s World Xtreme Wrestling in a battle royal. The following years saw her flirt with going to WWE, appearing as an extra on episodes of SmackDown and Heat, as well as wrestling Victoria on the latter show – Victoria was pretty much the test for most women in their tryouts, as Cheerleader Melissa and Mercedes Martinez also faced her in televised matches around the same time. Although unsuccessful in attaining an offer that way, she tried her luck in the 2007 Diva Search (which was won by Eve Torres), though didn’t make it through to the final 8.
By the time 2007 rolled around, Madison had been wrestling for four years, and she got her chance to be part of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling’s blossoming Knockouts Division. Although BFG was her first in-ring appearance, she featured in a couple of backstage segments and was also at ringside for Kong’s pre-BFG demolition of Kim on the go-home episode of Impact.
Soon after the Gauntlet match, Madison wrestled Kong and was soundly defeated, then changed her name to Velvet Sky so TNA could copyright it. As one of a slew of women who had just arrived, it was difficult for Sky to cut through, as compared to some of the other wrestlers, her skills weren’t as sharp – but what she had going for her was her stunning looks, and along with Angelina Love – who had changed her name from Angel Williams – she set out to carve her own niche in the Knockouts division. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (6 September 2011)
It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently. – Warren Buffett
On Sunday, the Bella Twins must have over-indulged as part of Labor Day weekend. They decided to take .357 Magnums, aim them square at their own feet and pull the triggers until they went click.
WWE.com writer Katie Raymond wrote an article about the Divas of Doom, asking if they were a solution or foil to what is perceived as the Diva-norm portrayed by the likes of Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres and the Bella Twins.
In the article, Raymond wrote:
Stinkfaces. Booty poppin’. If you’re a purist about a woman’s place inside the WWE ring, you might be wondering what Fabulous Moolah is thinking looking down on the Divas division. Would the iconic figure chalk up the current flux of the division on changing times, or would she say, “Someone needs to save this”?
Beth Phoenix and Natalya, the “Divas of Doom,” think so. However, are The Glamazon and third-generation Diva just the two women to call “saviors”?
So does the Divas division need to be saved? Not just yet. But Beth Phoenix and Natalya are certainly doing their share to rejuvenate it.
Taking this as some kind of personal insult, Diva supporters took to Twitter to bombard Raymond with vitriol, insults and threats for writing a KAYFABED article on the company’s KAYFABED website. The number of filters that this would have had to have gone through is ridiculous, yet fans got all butthurt about it, seeing it as a personal insult against the girls, instead of as a piece to fluff up the storyline between the Divas Of Doom and the rest of the roster – and it really needs it, as the storyline has lost so much steam since SummerSlam’s Phoenix v Kelly match that it makes you wonder if WWE had a plan for after the match. While the reaction of the fans was silly, it was expected to a certain extent. However, everything went into meltdown when the Divas themselves started talking about it like it was real. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (9 August 2011)
Most of you reading this will already know the main details about Gail Kim and Melina’s departures from WWE – Melina was released on Thursday after a number of controversial incidents, while Kim “quit” on last Monday after eliminating herself from Raw’s battle royal. The situation since then is that both are still somewhat tied to the company, be it by choice or circumstance.
Despite walking out of WWE last week, Gail Kim is still yet to have been officially released. Instead, she’s breaching her contract – which may have as little as a month or two left on it – in the hope that the deal will be terminated and she will be free to do whatever she wants with her life. The two most obvious possibilities to this strategy were that either Kim would get what she wanted – which was unlikely, as why would they roll over for someone who has behaved unprofessionally in just walking out of the door – or that WWE would sue her for breaching her contract. However, they decided to choose option three – keep her on the payroll. (more…)
Gail Kim quits WWE; Melina released
Even Stevie Wonder could see it coming.
As part of these semi-regular culls that they seem to do, Melina has been released from WWE. The 32-year old was let go following a string of alleged incidents of disruption as well as erratic behaviour on social networks and YouTube, most of which has been documented in an article written for this very site three weeks ago, in a piece of Nostradamus-like foreshadowing.
In all honestly, the writing has been on the wall with Melina for some time. Ever since she complained about being turned heel at the end of last year, it’s been one controversy after another – whether it’s moaning on Twitter about her relationship with John Morrison, having a problem with WWE’s golden girl Trish Stratus or being kicked out of nightclubs, she hasn’t done much to endear herself to management or colleagues. It was time for her to go. Ironically, Melina is the subject of today’s Diva Focus on WWE.com. Now that’s some bad timing…
Just minutes earlier, Gail Kim took to her Twitter (on which she’s been very vocal recently about the state of the Divas division in WWE) to inform everyone that she had quit the company on Monday night, following a baffling moment where she eliminated herself from the Divas battle royal mere seconds into the match – but was still not the first one out, as Melina was sent packing pretty much at the opening bell. (more…)
The Pocket Volcano Erupts: In TNA The Buck Stops… Where, Exactly?
It’s a news story that continues to build. There’s more and more direct and circumstantial evidence that comes out each month. More people are willing to tell their story, no matter the consequences – they want the truth to be known. The woman at the center of it all has done her best to keep quiet, despite the storm around her. But her silence speaks volumes. Even though higher ups have the cash to keep things flowing, and have the final say on all decisions, effectively this woman is the face of the company.
All this fits perfectly with the woman who is at the center of the massive hacking scandal – Rebekah Brooks, former editor of News of the World in Britain. Even though News Corp is owned by Rupert Murdoch, Brooks was the Chief Executive of News International, which is the British newspaper publishing branch of News Corporation. So Brooks reports directly to Murdoch, and since she was editor at the time of the alleged phone hackings, responsibility falls directly onto her shoulders. At this time, she has been arrested and bailed on criminal charges pending further enquiries, and an investigation is being launched into how much (if anything) that she knew and if so, when she knew it.
However, the first paragraph also fits the description of another high profile woman at the head of a company. Dixie Carter is President of Impact Wrestling (or Total Nonstop Action, whatever). She has, at times, been seen in an on-screen role, warring against Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. However, she has been conspicuous by her absence, not appearing on Impact since late 2010. Once a frequent Twitter-user, since March 1st her tweets have been few and far in-between, only sporadically using the social media tool to promote the change from “TNA” to “Impact Wrestling” and promote the X-Division-based PPV Destination X.
Much like Rebekah Brooks, Dixie Carter has gone silent in the wake of several scandals that have become public knowledge (or, in the case of previous controversies, never commented on them when they were made public). Where, oh where, to begin? (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (12 July 2011)
After withdrawing from CHIKARA and moving back to Australia, many would have expected SHIMMER and PWWA Champion Madison Eagles to rest up her injured shoulder and prepare herself for the return of PWWA on September 3 for her next SHIMMER title defence against both Nicole Matthews and former tag team partner Jessie McKay.
But this is Madison Eagles we’re talking about. This is the woman who perforated her eardrum during her #1 contenders’ match against Cheerleader Melissa in SHIMMER and came back the next day to wrestle MsChif and win the title. This is the woman who fractured her wrist and elbow last year and carried on training through it. This is the woman who had racked her shoulder up in a car accident in April and still went balls to the wall against Courtney Rush at nCw Femmes Fatales VI less than two months later.
So when she returned unannounced to her home fed of PWA in Liverpool, Australia on Friday after living in the US for six months, she wasn’t there to stand and wave at the fans. Instead, she turned heel by kicking Jessie McKay in the face and delivering a Hellbound (Death Valley Driver over the knee) to Robbie Eagles, setting the stall for the SHIMMER title match Before the turn, it would have been heel Matthews against babyfaces McKay and Eagles. Now, the pressure is on Everybody’s Favourite Girlfriend, who has her longtime SHIMMER rival in Matthews, and former tag team partner and regular opponent Eagles gunning for her. (more…)
Pack your bags! Predictions for Monday’s WWE Draft
It’s a little sooner than we had expected, but it’s WWE Draft time again – pretty much the only time of the year when the fact that there is separate rosters matters. After all, most of the time, wrestlers are on either show, and it makes a mockery of the whole practice.
But, for the benefit of Monday night, let’s accept that both rosters do their own thing and their paths do not cross, and we will try and do our best to guess what is going to happen (or successfully predict, if the change in Beth Phoenix’s roster affiliation in the address bar on her profile page is anything to go by).
Still, Stew, Jennifer and Lee have picked two Divas who they hope will make the jump – not necessarily predictions, but more reasons why someone deserves a move from the Raw to SmackDown, or vice versa.
Now, bear in mind – none of these choices have been discussed amongst each other. The selections you read below are completely independent, and haven’t been influenced by anybody else’s wants or guesses in any way. So with that said, let’s get to it… (more…)
Ringbelles Retro: Kountdown to Kharma
Kharma is koming.
Yes, I know I’ve changed the spelling of some words for the alliteration – I’m not the first person to do this, blame Mortal Kombat – but seeing as we’re hoping that Amazing Kong (or Kharma, as it appears her new ring name will be) goes into WWE and fucks shit up, we’re going to keep posting old Kong videos in the Retro until she shows up on our screens. This is to remind everyone of how great she is, and to show anyone who hasn’t seen her before just what they’ve got to look forward to.
So let’s start with the feud that was the highlight of her run in TNA Wrestling – her series of matches with Gail Kim.
Kong debuted the week before Bound For Glory 2007, where the first Knockouts Champion would be crowned and destroyed Kim, though Kong didn’t win the title as she was eliminated from the 10 woman Gauntlet Match. The match and title was won by Gail, who then had to deal with Kong as her first challenger.
And they tore the house down. (more…)
Turning Point: Why Velvet HAS to win
For Velvet, it’s her first title defence in her first reign – while for Gail, it’s her first opportunity to wrestle on live TV since returning to the promotion on the post-BFG Impact Wrestling show. With no editing suite to patch things up if she slips on a banana peel, and the pressure to wrestle someone who she hasn’t faced in many years, the pressure is on the veteran Kim to knock this one out of the park. Kim has also had critics who assert that she may have lost that spark from 3 years of doing nothing of note in WWE, and may be in TNA for the spotlight, rather than to promote and enhance the Knockouts division.
Meanwhile for Sky, she is looking to solidify her first run as KOs Champ, which was hardly launched in the best of circumstances – winning in an overbooked 4-way mess that did more to further the tension between Karen Jarrett and Traci Brooks more than anything else, and also saw Velvet win the belt by not pinning then-titleholder Winter to gain the title, but Madison Rayne. Both have things to prove to the audience and to sceptics, and many fans have an opinion on which way it will go. However, I have an opinion on which way it SHOULD go, so everyone involved comes out with what they need and offers some options for down the line. (more…)
November 11, 2011 | Categories: Commentaries | Tags: Gail Kim, Impact Wrestling, TNA, Velvet Sky | Leave A Comment »