Ringbelles Roundup (4 June 2013) – Beauty in wrestling, the latest on Taeler & Heidi, plus more
An aspiring wrestler was on MTV in the US last weekend.
Dana Adiva – who models and has wrestled a couple of shows for Bombshell Ladies Of Wrestling as well s some smaller promotions in the Midwest – was one of two subjects featured on an episode of True Life entitled “I’m Too Beautiful”. In it, her sister complained about how attractive her sibling was and how it was affecting their relationship. Adiva also talked about how she had to drop out of school because she was bullied about her looks, finds it hard to get a boyfriend (though her Facebook says she is currently attached) and boasts that “I get anything I want and I get treated like a princess… I don’t have to be smart, because I have my looks.”
However, she also complains that “At the same time it sucks being pretty, it would nice being taken seriously once in a while,” though also discusses the possibility of getting a breast enhancement, claiming “I feel I will be more beautiful with bigger boobs. Instead of a 10 I’ll be a 200.”
MTV followed Adiva around for eight months filming this and she was one of two stories which were compressed into an hour long show, which means about 40 minutes of programme when you take out the commercials. The producers could have weaved any story they liked out of it – however, she said these things, regardless of whether she was coerced or cajoled into doing it. (more…)
Pro Wrestling: EVE Queen of the Ring results – Nikki Storm retain the EVE title; Shanna becomes Queen
It’s had a somewhat rocky start to 2013, but Pro Wrestling: EVE looks to get back into the groove this afternoon with its Queen of the Ring tournament in Nottingham, England. With competitors from across the world – Scotland, Germany, Northern Ireland, Canada, Japan, Portugal and Greece are all represented, it really is an international affair, and features four quarter final matches which are all first-time contests for the promotion, including twins Kasey and Leah Owens squaring off in the opening round, and Shanna promising at last month’s Special Edition III show that she was going to win the tournament.
In the only non-tournament match, Rhia O’Reilly – who is the only wrestler to have been on every EVE show in the promotion’s history – will challenge for the Pro Wrestling: EVE Championship, taking on reigning titleholder Nikki Storm, in a match which will see two of the three members of the former Team Storm gym square off in singles action also for the first time. Storm talked to us about the match earlier this month as part of our Fight Like A Girl interview.
We are in Nottingham to bring you results as they happen – click the jump and keep up with all the developments as they happen. (more…)
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)
Bellatrix 6 card – plenty of first-time matches

Until today, the only match which we knew was going to be taking place at Bellatrix 6 on June 23 was Rhia O’Reilly defending the British Championship against Erin Angel – a match which is likely to deliver, especially since they have tangled twice in the past month with each claiming a victory over the other. However, the promotion has now revealed what its big roster featuring a lot of debuting women will be up to on the show, and there are quite a few first-time encounters on the card… (more…)
Bellatrix 6 roster revealed, many new additions
It’s been a pretty Euro-centric sort of week here at Ringbelles, so we may as well continue in that ethos…
The roster for the Bellatrix 6 iPPV on June 23 has been revealed, with a lot of new names featuring in the lineup. Nine European nations are represented on the show, with women from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Finland, France, Italy, Germany and Portgual being represented. Representing England are regulars Saraya Knight, rising star Penelope, RQW European Women’s Champion Liberty, rookie Chanel, Destiny, Skarlett, Erin Angel and Violet O’Hara. Other roster members returning are Italian Queen Maya, Northern Ireland’s Rhia O’Reilly and Norway’s Miss Mina, as well as Finn Aurora Flame and France’s X-Cute Sweet, who have both been absent since Bellatrix 2 11 months ago.
There is also an influx of Scottish talent heading to Norwich. Nikki Storm, Carmel Jacob, Bete Noire and Kay Lee Ray all make their debuts, while Viper makes her first appearance in the promotion since teaming with Destiny at WAWW The Return in November 2011. Rounding off the roster are Germany’s Alpha Female and Portugal’s Perfect Athlete Shanna making their first Bellatrix appearances, making it a roster of 20 women participating. (more…)
Fight Like A Guy: ICW Fierce Females promoter Mikey Whiplash
We were in Glasgow at the weekend for the second ICW: Fierce Females show, and we left calling it “the best women’s wrestling card we’ve seen this year” – so a few days after the show and with time to reflect, we thought we’d better get in touch with the promoter/booker of Fierce Females and get up to speed with what’s going on north of the border – so here’s Mikey Whiplash! Mikey’s a longtime veteran of the European wrestling scene as a performer, so we plot the road map which saw him get involved with Insane Championship Wrestling and eventually into promoting women’s wrestling. We talk about a lot of the talent in Scotland, including but not limited to the two main eventers from last weekend’s show, Kay Lee Ray and Viper, discuss possible TV deals in the pipeline, Mikey’s learning curve on international women’s wrestling, and the promoter problems in the last 24 hours before last weekend’s show. You all know about the last minute change of venue? Well, did you know they almost didn’t have a title belt to present to the winner? We also get an inside track on how regularly these shows are likely to be held, the possibility of future international talent and Mikey’s philosophy of what he wants Fierce Females to be. We’ve already told you that the world needs to pay attention to ICW:FF after last weekend – well, here’s the chance to get all the stories. Check it out.
(left click on picture to stream, right click and “save as” to download)
Follow Mikey on twitter | ICW:FF on twitter | ICW:FF on facebook
ICW: Fierce Females – Luke… Who’s Yer Da? results (now updated with photos and thoughts)
After a successful debut show last September, Insane Championship Wrestling‘s all-female off-shoot Fierce Females returns with its second event. Entitled Luke… Who’s Yer Da? (marking the fact that today is Star Wars Day), the card will see the first Fierce Females Champion crowned in the culmination of a tournament which has been running over the last few months on ICW shows across Scotland, though a spanner was thrown into the works a few days ago…
April Davids, who had made it to the semi-finals has been forced to pull out of her match after having an injection into her injured shoulder which means she needs to take some time off to recover. That leaves Viper without an opponent for the evening, and leaves the question hanging about whether a replacement opponent will be found, or if she will advance to the final to face the winner of the other semi between Kay Lee Ray and Rhia O’Reilly.
Elsewhere on the card, Leah Von Dutch – who made her English debut last Saturday at Pro Wrestling: EVE’s Special Edition III show – makes her first appearance in Scotland today, taking on Carmel Jacob. Another woman making her Scottish debut is Crazy Mary Dobson, who is making a flying visit to face Bete Noire.
The Ringbelles team is on hand in Glasgow to bring you results as they happen – click after the jump and find out who’s going to walk away as the first Fierce Females Champion… (more…)
Pro Wrestling: EVE – Special Edition III results (now updated with photos and thoughts)
Pro Wrestling: EVE says goodbye to its original home of the Delphi Centre in Sudbury, England today with Special Edition III, a card shrouded in mystery.
With the main advertised draws for the show being the appearances of Tommy Dreamer and the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, the top female attraction has been the UK debut of Leah Von Dutch, who has made a lot of waves in her short time in wrestling, and is the guest of the latest edition of the Women Of Wrestling Podcast, which you can download here. What we do know is that apart from Von Dutch, the rest of the roster for the show consists of Kay Lee Ray, Erin Angel, Carmel Jacob, Sara-Marie Taylor, Shanna, Rhia O’Reilly, Amazon Ayesha Ray, Bete Noire, Viper, and Kasey & Leah Owens, with the first match revealed being Ray v Viper in singles action, and the promotion’s Twitter has also made reference to Shanna and Von Dutch being involved in a tag team match.
EVE will also be looking to get things back on track after having to cancel its Special Edition II show in February following a chaotic No Man’s Land 2 show earlier in the month where Taylor won the chance to challenge for the EVE Championship, which was recaptured by Nikki Storm from Emi Sakura on the same show – however Storm is not on this card, as she is competing in Japan at the moment.
In addition, the promotion has also said that it is “trying something new out and redeveloping ourselves in terms of format, structure etc while at the same time going back to our original foundation that people appreciated so much”, which also seemingly involves blurring the face/heel line a little. We’ll see what comes of it during the show – the results of which you can see after the jump…
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Shanna to defend ABC Catch Women’s Title on Friday
Remember Queens Of Chaos? The French promotion launched about six months before SHIMMER in May 2005, and faded away about 18 months later. However, despite a decent enough start, it had its problems.
The wrestling wasn’t much to write home about, there were too many random US imports, the fans were rude and embarrassing, and some of the booking was really weird – for example, there was one match where babyface champion Saraya Knight defended against heel April Hunter with a babyface Christy Hemme as the referee doing her best to screw Hunter, in some of the most bizarre storytelling I’ve seen. It reportedly left such a mess that women’s wrestling in France has been in the doldrums for a long time. However, wrestling is still popular in the country – so much so that fans will go to a show without knowing who’s on or what the promotion is – and the time has arrived for another go at an all-women’s show. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (19 February 2013) – WSU/BLOW clash, Fierce Females and more
Earlier this month, there was a clash of shows, with no more than 70 minutes drive between the two. In Voorhees, NJ, you had a double-header featuring Women Superstars Uncensored in the afternoon followed by a Combat Zone Wrestling card. Meanwhile, 65 miles away in Metuchen, NJ, there was a Bombshell Ladies Of Wrestling event followed by a show from its parent company Pro Wrestling Syndicate. Critically, the WSU show was better than the (frankly poor) BLOW event, though the latter boasted the larger audience number. For all that anybody knows, it could have been more, but there were hundreds of fans down the I-95 watching another couple of promotions running at approximately the same time. It meant that fans had to choose which show they wanted to see, and was a clash which felt unfortunate. It was very unlikely to happen again.
Or was it…? (more…)
Pro Wrestling: EVE – No Man’s Land 2 results – now updated with thoughts, photos & Nikki Storm interview
Pro Wrestling: EVE returns today for its first show since its Wrestle Fever iPPV with title controversies to be settled, and the build towards introducing a new championship.
Heading the card is Emi Sakura defending the EVE title against former champ Nikki Storm, who won and lost the belt on the iPPV last November, defeating Alpha Female before losing an impromptu defence to Sakura. The Gatoh Move founder was meant to defend the belt against Carmel Jacob yesterday, but due to a schedule change in her flight, she didn’t make it to the Preston City Wrestling card in time. Instead, Jacob – who presumably will get a title shot in the future instead – defeated Kay Lee Ray, who limped away from the match with a broken toe.
Ray was meant to face Blue Nikita, but that match was scrapped after Nikita suffered head and neck trauma in a car accident earlier this week. As a result, she has been slotted into the match between Alpha and Shanna to make it a 3-way.
Also on the card are three quarter final matches in the EVE Tag Team Championship tournament, with The Lovely Peppers (Kirsty Love & Pollyanna Peppers) facing Kasey & Leah Owens, Ama-Reilly (Amazon Ayesha Ray & Rhia O’Reilly) against She-X (Bete Noire & Viper), and the Glamour Gym (Carmel Jacob & Sara-Marie Taylor) meeting April Davids and a mystery partner. The other contest will be the promotion’s second Three Minute Warning match featuring 15 wrestlers in a mix of a Gauntlet Match and a Royal Rumble.
Lee Burton is at the show in Preston, England, and will be updating the results as they happen, so click after the jump and keep hitting refresh for updates. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (25 December 2012) – Arisa Nakajima, Veda Scott, 100th Roundup & more
Emi Sakura has had a hell of a year, and it’s been well documented here at Ringbelles. Her success since leaving Ice Ribbon has included setting up her own promotion in Thailand, having it migrate to Japan, winning the JWP/Daily Sports Tag Team Championship, securing the services of Kaori Yoneyama then having her take her side in some sort of Stockholm Syndrome scenario, forming a team to invade JWP and then taking hold of the promotion’s crown jewel by winning the Openweight Championship. In addition, she defended the belt in the UK for the first time in its history and won the Pro Wrestling: EVE Championship on the same night. Indeed, it has been one hell of a year for the 36 year old. However, it seems as if 2012 is going to end on a mildly disappointing note.
Yesterday, 17-year veteran dropped the Openweight Title in the main event of Climax 2012 at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall after 57 days – the second shortest reign in the title’s 20 year history (for the record, the shortest was Devil Masami’s 32 day run which ended when the title was vacated for unknown reasons). She was beaten by current Tag Team Champion Arisa Nakajima, who has also enjoyed a tremendous 2012. (more…)
Kay Lee Ray makes Japanese debut; Emi Sakura retains Pro Wrestling: EVE title
Time certainly flies. Scotland’s Kay Lee Ray competed in her first match in Japan earlier today as part of Emi Sakura‘s Gatoh Move promotion, a little over two weeks since it was announced that she was going to be heading over there. However, when you’re flying by the seat of your pants, things tend to be more exciting, so you can only imagine how she’s feeling right now.
Her debut on the show in Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan was not a victory, as she and former Ice Ribbon starlet Riho were beaten by the Queens Revolution – namely former JWP and Daily Sports Tag Team Champions Hailey Hatred and Kaori Yoneyama, marking the first time the pair have linked up in more than a year. However, the defeat did not involve Ray’s shoulders being pinned to the mat, as it was Riho who took the fall when Yoneyama rolled her up while the 20-year old gaijin was on the arena floor. (more…)
So how was Kay Lee Ray’s 2012?

Ahead of the announcement of the 2012 Ringbelles Awards – which start on Monday – we thought it would be a good idea to see what happened to the three winners in 2011. How has the last 12 months been for them? Well, let’s start with out pick for Discovery of the Year, Kay Lee Ray…
We selected the high-flier from Scotland for her strong showings over the course of 2011, which included strong showings against joshi talent Hikaru Shida and Tsukasa Fujimoto (the latter as part of a three-way with Erin Angel) at Pro Wrestling: EVE v Ice Ribbon in October and her thrilling deathmatch against old enemy Carmel Jacob at Insane Championship Wrestling. She ventured outside of the UK to wrestle in Denmark, and we surmised that because of the positive opinions garnered by her work, her profile would go from strength to strength in 2012. That’s exactly what happened, and she’s capping the year off being on the other side of the world… (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…)
Kay Lee Ray to make Japanese debut
We called Kay Lee Ray the Ringbelles Discovery of the Year last December for a reason – after her performances at Pro Wrestling: EVE v Ice Ribbon in October last year, we were confident that she was going to start getting noticed, and we were right.
Since winning that moniker, the 20 year old from Glasgow, Scotland has accomplished a number of milestones and created some notable moments – for example, she has face current and former TNA Knockouts in Mickie James and Angelina Love respectively. She also main evented the first ever Insane Championship Wrestling: Fierce Females show back in September against Carmel Jacob in a brutal Last Woman Standing match, and has also taken on Jacob in similarly nutty matches across Scotland and England. Most recently, she had what Stew described as the Match of the Night at EVE’s Wrestle Fever show against Emi Sakurafor the JWP Openweight Title – and that match may have been enough to see an invitation to Japan come her way. (more…)
Pro Wrestling: EVE – Wrestle Fever results (now updated with thoughts, photos and an interview with Angelina Love)
It has been 19 months since their previous encounter, and tonight, the pair meet again. Pro Wrestling: EVE Champion Alpha Female defends the title against number one contender Nikki Storm, with Storm possessing a psychological advantage in that the only defeat on Alpha’s record in the whole of EVE history was by her hands. It’s the main event of Wrestle Fever – EVE’s second foray into iPPV, and you can watch it by ordering it here.
On what is a bumper card of action, JWP Openweight Champion Emi Sakura puts the title on the line against Kay Lee Ray in the first defence of the belt in the UK, while Sakura’s running buddy in Gatoh Move Kaori Yoneyama teams up with April Davids against Hannah and Holly Blossom, with the winners meeting the victors in another tag match involving Kasey & Leah Owens against Amazon Ayesha Ray & Rhia O’Reilly and a mystery team in a mini tag team tournament.
The other high-profile encounter sees former TNA Knockouts Champion Angelina Love take on the Glamour Gym’s Carmel Jacob – elsewhere, Kirsty Love faces Blue Nikita, Janey Britannico steps into the ring against Shanna, and Erin Angel competes against Scottish newcomer Fiona Fraser.
While you’re keeping up with the results, you can have a read of Nikki’s most recent blog where she discusses Wrestle Fever and our chat with her as part of a recent Women Of Wrestling Podcast, and you can click the jump to see the results as they happen. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (6 November 2012) – experiencing live wrestling, Femmes Fatales and more
Allysin Kay, Santana Garrett, Ryo Mizunami, Heidi Lovelace, Thunderkitty, Su Yung, Shazza McKenzie, Angelus Layne, Sweet Cherrie, Mary Lee Rose, Deziree, Missy, Medianne, Xandra Bale, Leah Von Dutch, Jewells Malone, Serphentina, Angie Skye & Pink Flash Kira all share a common thread with me in relation to all the wrestling I’ve seen in the last few weeks – seven shows since October 26, and two more to come this weekend, where I can add Kaori Yoneyama and Angelina Love to that list. They are all wrestlers who I have seen live for the first time, and I think that’s a massively important thing to be excited about.
While at SHIMMER, the discussion took place about Lexie Fyfe’s announcement as part of the heel team for the elimination match which headlined volume 50, with the assertion that if you merely read the results, or even saw it on DVD, it would not generate the same reaction or experience as watching it live. At the Berwyn Eagles Club, RPM by Sugar Ray hit and there was a wave of excitement as the recognition sunk into fans’ heads, realising that Fyfe would be wrestling her first SHIMMER match since May 3, 2009, where she and Malia Hosaka fell to Ariel and Nikki Roxx. It was a nice throwback to a previous generation, and provided a lovely nostalgic feeling. Had you just seen the result on paper, or knowing that it was going to happen, it may not have garnered the same buzz. (more…)
ICW: Fierce Females results – now with thoughts, photos and an interview with Kay Lee Ray
Britain’s third all-female wrestling promotion debuts today, with promises of it offering a different sort of product to the likes of the World Association of Women’s Wrestling and Pro Wrestling: EVE. Insane Championship Wrestling: Fierce Females is hyping an evening of hard-hitting wrestling action, coupled with burlesque dancers (which explains the poster’s similarities to the one for the film Burlesque) and a more edgy atmosphere.
Emanating from The Arches in Glasgow, Scotland, the main event of the debut show is a Last Woman Standing match between longtime rivals Kay Lee Ray and Carmel Jacob. The pair also managed to gain some pretty good exposure for the show this week when they were part of a two-page spread in The Scottish Sun newspaper. Other matches on the card include England’s Lisa Fury (replacing an injured Jenny Sjodin) and April Davids against twins Kasey and Leah Owens from Northern Ireland, Miss Nicola Storm facing the “Technical Supremo” Fiona Fraser, and the “Fighting Irish” Rhia O’Reilly taking on England’s Holly Rocamora.
Ringbelles is on hand to provide live results, and we’re looking to deliver photos and interviews after the show. Click after the jump and keep hitting refresh to see the outcomes as they happen – in the meantime, have a listen to Storm’s Women Of Wrestling Podcast where she discusses Fierce Females, EVE, Glasgow slang and more. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (18 September 2012) – Tammy Lynn Sytch, King Of Trios & Gatoh Move’s wranglings
“Lesson to men: Cheat on a good woman, You get choked out.”
No joke – those were the first words that Tammy Lynn Sytch decided to make public on her Facebook page after being arrested three times in three days last week on domestic violence complaints. Seeing as legal proceedings are underway, this was a colossally dumb thing to do, as it’s pretty much an admission of guilt. How about “Lesson to men: Cheat on a good woman, you get dumped.” As someone who works fairly closely with a domestic violence charity, this sort of flippant approach to alleged crimes like this really grinds my gears.
According to TMZ – and later picked up by the Associated Press and local TV media outlets – the 39-year old WWE Hall of Famer was first arrested by police in Branford, CT, on Tuesday night at 8:55pm for disorderly conduct involving a man living in the house she was with, which was later confirmed to be the home of boyfriend and pro wrestler Damian Darling. It apparently all began with a heated argument between the couple. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (21 August 2012) – Too many promotions, BLOW, Caylee Turner & more
It’s a jungle out there.
Take a look at the Upcoming section – most specifically the section for October and November. In the space of a month, you have three iPPV shows (SHINE will be one of them, most probably on October 19), as well as the SHIMMER weekend, nCw Femmes Fatales and Pro-Wrestling: EVE. In a four week gap, there are hugely advertised women’s cards taking place across the western hemisphere. If you expand the boundaries a bit to include the start of October, there is the new UKWW/WAWW venture in the UK, the debut of REINA x World in the US, PWWA in Australia and Joshi4Hope in Japan. No doubt, if you’re a fan of women’s wrestling, you certainly have a lot of stuff to choose from. Unfortunately, it may be too much for a minority in a minority like women’s wrestling certainly is.
On August 8, Pro-Wrestling: EVE promoter Dann Read tweeted his thoughts on the matter: “Its been obv for a while but I’m now feeling that the women’s scene in the US is becoming over saturated to a potentially harmful level.”
The first apparent victim of this rapidly expanding calendar was Ohio-based Independent Women’s Internet Wrestling, which shut up shop last week after one – albeit well received – show in July which crowned Cherry Bomb as its first champion. In a message posted on its Facebook page last week, it said; “As you know there is SHIMMER and WSU and Femmes Fatales which provide women’s wrestling action as well as Pro Wrestling Eve in England. And now there are two new promotions Shine and Blow which are going to be having regular and affordable iPPV’s featuring top talent.
“I see little reason in attempting to compete with a fraction of the resources. Even on a hobby promoting level it’s too expensive and too little return to pursue any further.” (more…)
This week’s top piece is about a storyline which is ongoing, so I may be jumping the gun with my feelings on the matter, but I feel that more eyes should be directed towards what is happening, as it has the potential to do something really positive.

On October 1, 2011, Madison Eagles was at the height of her career. As well as being the reigning SHIMMER Champion – holding the belt for close to 18 months – she had just been presented with the plaque for emerging on top of the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Female 50, becoming the first woman who wasn’t a WWE Diva or TNA Knockout to win the honour. Despite a nagging shoulder injury suffered in a car accident the previous April which had restricted her bookings, she was in the middle of a string of five matches in three days, culminating with her dropping the SHIMMER belt to Cheerleader Melissa in the main event of volume 44.
2012 Diva of the Year (named by both WWE Magazine and the WWE fans via the Slammy Awards) AJ Lee is about as far away from WWE’s idea of what a Diva should be as you can imagine. Short, quirky, geeky, lacking the body shape that others have had in the past, she comes across as the person you would be more likely to meet over an Xbox Live session of Call Of Duty Black Ops 2 than at an awards ceremony or a fancy bar. She’s your friend, your buddy – she’s not what WWE would perceive to be the ultimate in femininity.

Interact!