Ringbelles Retro: REINA, past and present
Earlier this year, REINA fell on its arse. It dissolved in May on what was billed as its first anniversary show. Instead, manager and Champion Yumiko Hotta announced that it was finishing, to the surprise of many people on the roster. It quickly emerged that REINA’s other top brass were backpedalling from what Hotta said, and things would continue in some form.
What followed at the end of May was the announcement of REINA x World, with Aki Kambayashi stating that she, Aoi Ishibashi and Mia Yim would be part of it. What followed in June was Hikaru Shida and Tsukasa Fujimoto winning the REINA x World Tag Team Championship, and things continuing on as before, with imports from the US like Crazy Mary Dobson and from Australia like Alex Lee, but fewer from Mexico.
Now things are expanding. Mia Yim’s blossoming relationship with REINA x World leading to a US offshoot with Real Championship Wrestling based in Baltimore, MD. Called REINA World Joshi Puroresu, its debut show will be on October 6 (yes, October’s going to be a busy month for women’s wrestling), and has already announced Kanbayashi, Ishibashi, Yim and Dobson, under her real name of Sarah Bridges. (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…)
In Video: Allysin Kay vs Mia Yim – Before The Cage
So, this weekend is AIW‘s Girls Night Out 7 show from Cleveland, OH – a show headlined with a relative rarity in women’s wrestling – a Steel Cage match. Locked inside the cage will be the AIW Absolute Women’s Champion Allysin Kay (not coincidentally our most recent guest on the Women of Wrestling Podcast) and her top contender, Mia Yim.
As an appetiser for the show, AIW have gone and released the full video of their main event match at Girls Night Out 6 on YouTube. Bonus. We’ve already reviewed the full show a couple of months ago, and it’s the best GNO event that we’ve seen to date. Yim & Kay battled in the main event for the vacant AIW championship in an unsanctioned, no-rules grudge match – a grudge based on the fact that Kay’s nose was broken all over her face by Yim in January. If you haven’t listened yet, listen to Kay’s thoughts on the whole feud on the Podcast – where, amongst other things, she dropped the following threat… “This cage match is going to make machetes & light tubes seem merciful”
We’ll cover Girls Night Out 7 this weekend on the website, but until then, click through past the cut and whet your appetite for destruction…
WOW Podcast #44 with Allysin Kay
Episode 44 with Allysin Kay
The Women of Wrestling Podcast returns with the third and final member of the fearsome Midwest Militia, Allysin Kay. Kay has had a breakout year in 2012, thanks in large part to her exploits in AIW, where she started the year with a broken nose, came back to win their women’s title, and next weekend will conclude the trilogy as she defends her title in a Cage Match against the woman who broke her nose – Mia Yim. Also, fresh off Shine Wrestling‘s iPPV debut last weekend, Kay talks about tagging up with Taylor Made, and the classic tag team that inspires her work. We talk her early wrestling fandom and her initial favourites, her fantastic and distinctive tattoo, meeting and working with Jessicka Havok, thoughts on the future of WSU under new management, working NCW Femmes Fatales last month and being already announced for SHIMMER this October, accents, twitter, craziness and more. A lot of fun.
Follow Allysin Kay on twitter | Allysin Kay fanpage on facebook
(left click on picture to stream, right click and “save as” to download)
A good half year for… a few others
Over the last week, we have given you our rundown on the seven wrestlers who have raised their stock in the last six months, all of whom have done so in various ways (and you can read about them all right here). However, as with all lists, there is always some discussion about whether the right choices were made. Believe us when we tell you that there was quite a bit of conversation on who should get the article treatment, as there were a number of names who were considered. With that, we bring you the ones who were on the list because of their achievements, but didn’t make the final cut… (more…)
Review: AIW Girls Night Out 6 (15 April 2012)
Opportunity knocks for Mia Yim & Allysin Kay, promoted to the main event of Absolute Intense Wrestling’s Girls Night Out 6 in a match for the AIW Women’s Championship. Oh yes, and there’s that whole business of a broken nose to settle too.
Results
1. KC pinned Miss Heidi with a Rydeen Bomb
2. Hailey Hatred pinned Leva Bates with a Running Liger Bomb
3. Melanie Cruise pinned Taylor Made with an Argentine Backbreaker faceplant
4. Death Match: “Crazy” Mary Dobson pinned Trash Cassidy with a rollup
5. Cherry Bomb pinned Sassy Stephie with a BSE
6. Taeler Hendrix pinned Annie Social (w/ Sammy Geodollno) with a schoolgirl
7. Jennifer Blake pinned Kimber Lee with a pump-handle Michinoku Driver
8. Sara Del Rey beat Veda Scott via submission to a YES! Lock
9. Hailey Hatred pinned Jenny Rose with a Tiger Suplex
10. AIW Absolute Women’s Championship: Allysin Kay pinned Mia Yim with a back suplex in an unsanctioned, no rules grudge match to win the vacant AIW Absolute Women’s Championship. (more…)
Review: 2CW Girls’ Grand Prix (24 February 2012)
Eight wrestlers from the US and Canada compete at the American Legion Post 80 in Binghampton, New York for Squared Circle Wrestling‘s first ever Girls’ Grand Prix tournament.
Results
1. Girls Grand Prix Quarter Final: Portia Perez pinned Cherry Bomb with a tights-assisted rollup.
2. Girls Grand Prix Quarter Final: Rachel Summerlyn defeated Veda Scott with the Best Of Both Worlds (swinging neckbreaker).
3. Girls Grand Prix Quarter Final: Sara Del Rey made Allysin Kay tap out to a Cross Armbreaker.
4. Girls Grand Prix Quarter Final: Mercedes Martinez pinned Mia Yim with a Fisherman Buster.
5. Girls Grand Prix Semi Final: Rachel Summerlyn made Portia Perez give up to the Texas Cloverleaf.
6. Jay Freddie defeated Jason Axe, Eddie Edwards and Brodie Lee to retain the 2CW Heavyweight Championship. Freddie made Axe tap out with a Sharpshooter.
7. Girls Grand Prix Semi Final: Sara Del Rey beat Mercedes Martinez with a Royal Butterfly.
8. Kevin Graham, Punisher Van Slyke & ZS3 beat Loca Vida, Steve McKenzie & Kage. Graham pinned Kage with a sunset flip.
9. Carlito pinned Sean Carr with a roll up.
10. Girls Grand Prix Final: Rachel Summerlyn defeated Sara Del Rey via submission with a Texas Cloverleaf.
Facts
• This was 2CW’s first attempt at running a show with the primary focus on the women. The promotion had held two Grand Prix tournaments for men in the past.
• The run-up to the show was somewhat of a shaky one. Half of the announced women in the tournament were unable to attend for various reasons, meaning that Serena Deeb, Courtney Rush, Nikki Roxx and Alexxis Nevaeh all missed the show – they were replaced by Scott, Yim, Kay and Martinez.
• Del Rey and Martinez squared off in a the semi-finals, rekindling their series of matches which helped put SHIMMER on the map in the promotion’s early days.
• Speaking of Martinez, this was her first high-profile show since suffering a concussion the previous November. She spoke about it during the Christmas episode of the Women Of Wrestling Podcast.
• Rachel Summerlyn added to the ACW American Joshi Queen of Queens honour that she won last June by taking the first ever Girls Grand Prix trophy. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (17 April 2012)
There are three strands to Women Superstars Uncensored’s hellraising triumvirate known as the Midwest Militia. At the top of the heap is Jessicka Havok, the current dual singles champion in the promotion, undefeated in singles competition and general baddest bitch on the block. She is backed up by Sassy Stephie, former Spirit Champion, current Tag Team Champion and SHIMMER regular. And then there’s the third corner of the triangle, Allysin Kay – tag team partner of Havok in Team Be Jealous, other half of the Tag Team Champion and the owner of wrestling’s most colourful tattoo. However, there was something about Kay that felt like she was placed 3rd out of three when it came to the Militia’s pecking order. I can’t put my finger on it, as it is an intangible that is difficult to define, but there was a perception that while she was an integral part of the Militia, her accomplishments left her at the back.
That is, until last weekend.
On Saturday, Stephie and Kay defended the Tag Team Championship against the team they defeated at WSU’s 5th Anniversary Show last month, Alicia and Brittney Savage. Though the booking could be questioned – after all, the Militia defeated the challengers in an Uncensored Rules match back in March – it really did a world of good for the champions’ reign to prove that they are no fluke team who weaselled their way to the straps by beating an already exhausted Jana & Luscious Latasha, who had just defeated Lexxus & Destiny and/or Tina San Antonio to win the titles for themselves. By beating two of the promotion’s top babyfaces under regular tag team rules rather than a big brawl with tornado stipulations served them well as established them as a tandem who would be difficult to take down. Credibility asserted, Kay then went on to Cleveland, OH to compete for the vacant Absolute Intense Wrestling Women’s Championship in the main event of Girls Night Out 6… (more…)
Allysin Kay becomes Champion at Girls Night Out 6
Against a backdrop of reported financial problems (spawning the twitter hashtag of #saveaiw), Ohio’s Absolute Intense Wrestling presented the sixth edition of their popular “Girls Night Out” series from Turners Hall, Cleveland, OH. You can get yourself up to date on what’s going on with AIW’s women’s division with website reviews of Girls Night Out 4 & 5, our exclusive Women of Wrestling Podcast with former AIW Women’s Champion Mickie Knuckles and our recent Fight Like A Girl audio show with debutante Taeler Hendrix.
Main-evented by Allysin Kay and Mia Yim, their rematch stemmed from GNO5′s nose-breaking incident which resulted in an unsanctioned no-rules grudge match for the currently vacant AIW Absolute Women’s Championship – a title held most recently by Knuckles. Click through to after the cut the results, collated courtesy of David Muscarella… (more…)
Review: AIW Girls Night Out 5 (29 January 2012)
On the eve of Absolute Intense Wrestling’s sixth edition of Girls Night Out, we cast our review net back a couple of months to the night the Mia Yim vs Allysin Kay rivalry (much like Kay’s nose…) exploded.
Results
1. Marti Belle bt Mia Yim via pinfall (Double Underhook Facebuster)
2. KC bt Lucious Latasha via submission (Cattle Mutilation)
3. Crazy Mary Dobson bt Miss Heidi via pinfall (Moonsault)
4. Gabby Gilbert bt Angel Dust via submission (Crossface)
5. Veda Scott bt Kimber Lee via pinfall (DDT)
6. Mia Yim bt Allysin Kay via pinfall (Corkscrew Moonsault) — Yim becomes #1 contender to AIW Women’s Championship
7. AIW Women’s Championship: Mickie Knuckles (c) bt Sara Del Rey via pinfall (Pump-Handle Powerbomb)
Facts
• Before the show there’s a three match “Guys Night Out” undercard with three matches.
• Cherry Bomb didn’t make it across the border for the show (she was originally scheduled to be taking on Allysin Kay), meaning Mia Yim pulled double duty. This was worked into storyline with the implication that Kay had “called the border” to rat out Cherry Bomb.
• Yim was accompanied by AIW’s “Flexor Industries” – at least for the first match. After losing to Marti Belle, Yim was slapped by fellow Flexor Industries member Allysin Kay, setting up a match between the two in the semi main event spot.
• Who is Luscious Latasha? Check out Lee’s “My Name Is” interview with her on this very site.
• Crazy Mary Dobson is a Mad Man Pondo product. Never seen her before, nor Miss Heidi. More on those two below.
• Gabby Gilbert (as in the newly renamed Roxie Cotton) “debuted” on Girls Night Out 4, turning on Portia Perez. No Perez on this show for revenge, sadly.
• The Mia Yim vs Allysin Kay match featured the now infamous nose breaking incident, when Yim broke Kay’s nose with a kick outside the ring.
• This was the first meeting between Mickie Knuckles & Sara Del Rey since the match in which Mickie broke her leg in 2008 in IWA-MS, which ultimately cost Knuckles her TNA deal. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (3 April 2012)
On Sunday at WrestleMania, WWE Divas Champion Beth Phoenix was pinned by Maria Menounos in the tag team match featuring Menounos and Kelly Kelly against Phoenix and Eve Torres. A showbiz TV host who it was announced had two cracked ribs and stress fractures in her feet; a woman who has had no more than a month’s total wrestling training in her life; a non-wrestler pinned the Divas Champion on the promotion’s biggest show of the year.
Of course, this isn’t the first time that Menounos has pinned Phoenix – she had got a three-count against her with a sunset flip on last December’s Tribute To The Troops show. Now, I have no problem with that – or her victory on Raw in an 8 woman tag in 2009, as they are throwaway matches on shows that mean nothing in the grand scheme. However, for the woman who is supposed to represent the best in the division to be defeated by a TV show host makes a mockery of Phoenix, the title and women’s wrestling as a whole. WrestleMania is the show that casual fans may watch once a year, and they see that? It doesn’t sit well with me. (more…)
Jenny Rose wins IndyGurlz Grand Prix, plus semi final video
Life seems to be going well for Jenny Rose. The 20-year old has been making believers of many since returning to the US following a 6 month stint in Japan, primarily wrestling for Kyoko Inoue‘s Diana promotion. It was there where her former guise of Jamilia Craft was jettisoned and Jenny Rose was born, which the Philadelphia native has insisted is closer to the real her than the masked Craft character ever was. As well as wrestling – and teaming with – Jessie “Bonesaw” Brooks in Women Superstars Uncensored, she won the WXW-C4 Women’s Championship last week, and continued that run last night by winning the IndyGurlz Grand Prix tournament in Boonton, NJ last night.
Defeating Brooks (who reportedly has new gear, which is great as the old blue and red bodysuit was nothing to write home about), Kylie Pierce and Veda Scott, Rose won the title belt which was to be given to the sole survivor, though it is unclear if this is meant to be received as an award, or is an actual championship that is to be defended. Either way, it’s a massive shot in the arm for the youngster, who is seemingly making 2012 her year.
Click after the jump for results, brought to us courtesy of David Muscarella, as well as fan footage of one of the semi final matches. (more…)
SHIMMER volumes 47 & 48 results – title changes (now updated with live observations)
It’s day two of the SHIMMER tapings in Berwyn, IL (you can find out the results, thoughts and photos from yesterday’s DVD tapings by clicking here), and a number of matches have been announced.
After defeating both Canadian Ninjas in singles matches yesterday, Cheerleader Melissa defends her SHIMMER Championship against Jessie McKay, aware that Sweet Saraya has apparently put a bounty on her head.
Elsewhere, the Tag Team Championship will be on the line as holders Ayako Hamada and Ayumi Kurihara defend against high-fliers Ray and Leon in an all-joshi affair, Mercedes Martinez takes on Hailey Hatred, and the unlikely team of Sara Del Rey and Courtney Rush will meet ReGeneration X – Allison Danger & Leva Bates.
As with yesterday, we will be adding the results to this post as they happen, and Stew will offer his thoughts from ringside later. Click after the jump and keep hitting refresh to follow the goings-on. (more…)
SHIMMER volumes 45 & 46 results (now updated with live observations)
We’ve had WSU; we’ve had Femmes Fatales, and now it’s the turn of SHIMMER as part of wrestling’s March Madness.
Cheerleader Melissa walks into these four DVD tapings as the SHIMMER Champion, while Ayumi Kurihara and Ayako Hamada hold the Tag Team Championship. Although no matches have been announced, we offered some thoughts about what could happen, but they are just musings and nothing more. We will all find out together how things will unfold.
Stew is in Berwyn, IL watching the shows live, and will offer up thoughts on the tapings later on. For now, we will bring you results as they happen, so keep refreshing the page to keep up with all the developments.
Click after the jump to dive in. It’s going to be a busy one. (more…)
DVD Review: SHIMMER volume 39 (27 March 2011)
Cheerleader Melissa continues her quest towards Madison Eagles‘ SHIMMER Championship, while Jessie McKay and Nicole Matthews settle their feud in a best of three falls match.
Results
1. Kellie Skater defeated Courtney Rush with a Skate And Destroy.
2. LuFisto beat Sassy Stephie with the Mangalizer.
3. Rachel Summerlyn made Mena Libra tap out to the Texas Cloverleaf.
4. 3S (Hiroyo Matsumoto & Misaki Ohata) beat Pretty Bitchin’ (Nikki Roxx & Ariel) to retain the SHIMMER Tag Team Championship – Matsumoto pinned Roxx following an Exploder Suplex.
5. Mercedes Martinez pinned Britani Knight with a Fisherman Buster.
6. Daizee Haze & Tomoka Nakagawa defeated Mia Yim & Jamilia Craft. Nakagawa pinned Yim with a Fisherman Suplex.
7. Jessica James pinned Athena after hitting the Hard Boiled Egg.
8. MsChif beat Sweet Saraya with a Desecrator.
9. Serena Deeb defeated Portia Perez via DQ when Perez hit Deeb with a cookie sheet.
10. Nicole Matthews beat Jessie McKay in a best of three falls match. Matthews took the first fall with a tights-assisted O’Connor Roll, McKay equalised with multiple Schoolgirl Crushes, and Matthews scored the third fall with the Vancouver Maneuver.
11. Cheerleader Melissa & Ayako Hamada beat Madison Eagles & Sara Del Rey when Hamada rolled up Eagles for the pin.
Highlights
• 3S continue their run as SHIMMER Tag Team Champions and establish themselves as the most over team in the promotion’s history with a second successful title defence over Pretty Bitchin’.
• Both Sweet Saraya and daughter Britani Knight are defeated by SHIMMER originals, MsChif and Mercedes Martinez respectively. The former sees the Knight’s manager Rebecca Knox get involved in the match but gets her comeuppance when a Saraya basement dropkick goes awry.
• Haze and Nakagawa earn a SHIMMER Tag Team Title shot by remaining undefeated, beating Mia Yim & Jamilia Craft.
• The Serena Deeb/Portia Perez feud that began following Deeb’s return to the promotion after her release from WWE the previous year continues and starts to involve weapons.
• Nicole Matthews and Jessie McKay put their on-off feud to bed after their best of three falls match after trading victories in singles and tag matches.
• Ayako Hamada pins Madison Eagles to earn a shot at the SHIMMER Championship, much to the chagrin of Cheerleader Melissa, who wanted to get the pin to earn the shot for herself. (more…)
2CW Girls Grand Prix – Live Results
Tonight at the American Legion Post 80 in Binghampton, New York, Squared Circle Wrestling (2CW) are presenting the Girls Grand Prix – an eight woman, one night tournament featuring an intriguing mix of established indy stars and up and comers. Despite losing half of the originally announced competitors (Nikki Roxx, Courtney Rush, Lexxus and Serena Deeb have all at one point been booked on the show), we’ve still got an eight woman, one night tournament featuring 2CW regulars like Sara Del Rey & Portia Perez, mixed with a potent mix of talents including Mia Yim and Allysin Kay (following their nose-breaking endeavours at AIW’s Girls Night Out 5), ACW‘s Rachel Summerlyn making an irregular East Coast appearance, Mercedes Martinez having her biggest profile match (or matches) since her concussion issues and recent co-Podcast guests Cherry Bomb & Veda Scott.
Click after the jump for relevant live results from the show via our correspondant David Muscarella. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (31 January 2012)
So, Kharma’s back.
After all the speculation about when she would give birth after going through a high-risk pregnancy, as well as whether she would choose to leave WWE and concentrate on being a full-time mother, we saw the return of the biggest and most physical woman in the Divas division in the 2012 Royal Rumble match, entering as a surprise at number 21, causing Michael Cole to scamper with fear, then attacking Dolph Ziggler, eliminating Hunico, and being eliminated by Ziggler himself. Sure, it was short, but it was enough to whet the appetite of fans – and let’s face it, what more would you expect from a woman who gave birth less than a month ago?
TMZ reports that Kharma delivered a baby boy on December 31, who has been named Jamie. Four weeks later, she’s putting back on the leather and stepping foot in a WWE ring to reprise the role which was put on hold on May 30 when she announced she was pregnant on Raw, a week after crumbling in the ring in tears. When she left, she was a heel with a heart, as people empathised with her desire to be a Diva and a mother – and she achieved both at the same time – and was then verbally attacked by the Bellas, before promising to get at them when she returned. Throw on top of that the fact that everyone she had a physical interaction with at the Rumble was a heel, and must was now assume that Kharma is a babyface? If also you consider that the current titleholder Beth Phoenix is the top heel who has been steamrollering the rest of the division and Kharma will inevitably be gunning for the belt, that must also position her as the fan favourite, right? (more…)
Mickie Knuckles retains at Girls Night Out 5
Three and a half years after breaking her leg in a match in IWA: Mid South, Mickie Knuckles put that unfinished chapter in her life to bed by defeating her opponent in that match, Sara Del Rey, tonight at Absolute Intense Wrestling’s Girls Night Out 5, successfully retaining her AIW Women’s Championship in the process.
The broken leg was brought up in the match as Del Rey attacked the champion with kicks, before turning her attention to Knuckles’ arm in order to break that. However, Mickie fought back, avoided Sara’s third Capo Kick and nailed the challenger with a powerbomb to get the winning pinfall. The win is another feather in the cap of Knuckles, who is enjoying a renaissance in her career since leaving IWA:MS, spreading her wings and gaining new plaudits and accolades in wrestling promotions all over the US.
Elsewhere on the card, despite losing the opening match on the card to Marti Belle, Mia Yim became the number one contender to the championship by beating and bloodying Allysin Kay (Cherry Bomb didn’t make it to the show), rookie Veda Scott (who has just a year of ring time under her houndstooth belt) continued to impress fans, and Gabby Gilbert followed up her sneak attack on Portia Perez at GNO4 by using underhanded tactics again to defeat former champion Angel Dust.
Thanks to David Muscarella for the results, which you can read by clicking after the jump, as well as taking a look at what Allysin Kay looked like after her match: (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (17 January 2012)
When I looked at the card for the Bull Nakano EMPRESS retirement show, I was surprised at what I saw. Not the card itself, which looked very appealing, but the order in which the matches would take place. Unlike American shows which have a card, but barring the main event, you probably won’t know the exact order of the matches. When it comes to Japan, the match listing is usually the order in which those contests would take place. Surprisingly, the singles match featuring veterans and legends Ayako Hamada and Aja Kong would OPEN the show, while the final match on the card would be between two women with comparatively little experience – one had just three years under her belt, while the other had debuted just 15 months ago.
Having said that, the match between Ice Ribbon’s ICEx60 and International Ribbon Tag Team Champion Hikaru Shida and Wonder Of Stardom and one half of the Goddesses Of Stardom Yuzuki Aikawa put forth a hell of a contest, and proved that they were worthy of headlining the card. Even more surprisingly, 28-year old Aikawa won the match in front of 3000 fans at the Tokyo Dome City Hall – though that could be indicative of the potential influence that she could have on joshi in the future…
Despite being trained in taekwondo for ten years, Aikawa made her living before becoming a wrestler as a bikini model and a singer in a girl group, selling picture books, DVDs and CDs, mostly down to her beauty and curvy figure. However, she packed it all in just over two years ago to make the transition to becoming a professional wrestler – funny, in the western world, it usually works the other way around. A year after making the switch, she debuted on October 31, 2010 as part of her own card which she produced, taking on Nanae Takahashi. You would imagine that considering that it was her own card, it was her first match and that she is a pretty woman, she would be eased into the situation by a veteran of the business.
No such luck. Takahashi defeated her, and as part of the deal, beat the shit out of her. (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…)
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…)
HONOUR: Danger/Leva interviews & Trish part 2
HONOUR magazine returns for issue 14, with a slew of interviews, reviews, news and opinions.
The cover is dedicated to the interviews with the ReGeneration X tag team of Allison Danger and Leva Bates, though the magazine also chases down Mia Yim for a chat, and there is the second part of their giant interview with former WWE Women’s Champion and Tough Enough trainer Trish Stratus.
If that wasn’t enough, there are pieces on Kalamity‘s nCw Femmes Fatales title win, Velvet Sky winning the TNA Knockouts Championship, and the struggles which used to haunt SMASH Diva Makoto.
Throw in reviews of ACW’s American Joshi Queen of Queens 2011 and AIW’s Girls Night Out 3, and you’ve got 46 pages of great reading. Click the picture to get stuck in.
In video: Mia Yim v Sara Del Rey
If you haven’t listened to the latest Women Of Wrestling Podcast, do so. Not only is there close to an hour with Kc Spinelli talking about her time on reality shows This Wrestling Life and World Of Hurt – with some insight into training with Lance Storm and Rowdy Roddy Piper – there is also about 30 minutes with SHIMMER promoter Dave Prazak, who points out some of the big success stories of the most recent tapings – results of which you can find here and here. One of the names he jumps to mention is one Mia Yim.
With just two years of experience under her belt, Yim has been busy. As well as valeting in Ring Of Honor and Combat Zone Wrestling, the 22-year old Californian has wrestled in numerous promotions across the US such as Jersey All Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Respect, and Maryland Championship Wrestling, to name a few.
In addition, she has also completed a number of tours of Japan, wrestling for Universal Women’s Pro Wrestling REINA, taking on the likes of Hiroyo Matsumoto, Hailey Hatred and Manami Toyota, learning more about the joshi style and incorporating that into her repertoire of strong kicks and sudden attacks. It was because of this acquired knowledge that she was chosen to be Kana‘s opponent on her debut to SHIMMER earlier this month.
Our match today features Yim in a match closer to home for her at Real Championship Wrestling from Baltimore, MD on April 23 of this year. The scheduled match was meant to be Mia taking on then-SHIMMER Champion Madison Eagles, though the Australian had to bow out due to a shoulder injury that she suffered just four days previously, and is still nagging her, 6 months on. As a result, the match was changed – instead of Eagles, Mia Yim would face another former SHIMMER Champion in the “Queen of Wrestling” Sara Del Rey.
Click after the jump to watch the match, which starts out at breakneck speed and never loses pace. (more…)
2012 – Opportunity Knocks
Happily though, a chat with a friend in the business a little while ago persuaded me to turn the frown upside down. “Well,” she said (when contemplating the worst case scenario that Deeb, Eagles and others may be facing the end of their careers) “That gives plenty of opportunity for other girls to move up and take those spots”. I stopped and thought for a moment, and answered in the affirmative. I wasn’t yet 100% convinced, but the more I thought about it, the more I figured that there was a definite ring of truth to that statement. Don’t get me wrong, I am definitely *not* ready to contemplate life without Eagles and Deeb, and I’d love nothing better than to have them back – but if they don’t return (or even just miss an extended length of time as they overcome their issues), it’s worth considering who actually is likely to benefit, and why we can actually look forward to 2012 as a year of opportunity as much as anything else. (more…)
January 15, 2012 | Categories: Commentaries | Tags: Allysin Kay, Angie Skye, Athena, Courtney Rush, Jessie McKay, Kalamity, Lexxus, LuFisto, Madison Eagles, Mercedes Martinez, Mia Yim, NCW:FF, Nicole Matthews, Portia Perez, Sassy Stephie, Serena Deeb, Sherbrooke Connection, SHIMMER, Stew, WSU | 1 Comment »