TNA Knockouts PPV taping features Serena Deeb’s return match; Daffney shows up independently
Well, it had a difficult birth – with most of the former Knockouts banding together and turning down offers to work the show – but TNA have managed to put together a Knockouts only PPV as part of their taped “One Night Only” series after all, and managed to pull a coup out of the bag by featuring Serena Deeb‘s first match since October 2011. Deeb took on fellow OVW trainee Mickie James in the match, which it is believed will likely air in the July or August slot on TNA’s One Night Only calendar. (X-Travaganza will air in April, the Jokers Wild Tag Tournament in May, and TNA’s live Slammiversary will air in June). All of the early matches were termed as qualifiers for the main event “Queen of TNA” Gauntlet match, which is TNA’s Royal Rumble style timed-entrance Battle Royale with the final two facing off in a pinfall/submission standard match.
Interestingly, one former Knockout did show up despite not being booked – as Daffney, fresh off resolving litigation with the company, was seen protesting the show with an “I’m here independently” sign (in reference to her threat to challenge the so-called ‘Independent Contractor’ clause in TNA contracts).
Click back after the break for an exclusive pic of Daffney & Amber O’Neal at the show, along with full results, which also saw the return of other former Knockouts, a former Diva, Gut Check competitors and independent talent (more…)
Genesis: Velvet wins after picking up the scraps
Five TNA Knockouts meet in a Gauntlet Match with the winner becoming the number one contender to Tara‘s Knockouts Championship.
The Background
• Well, there wasn’t any really. On last Thursday’s Impact Wrestling, Miss Tessmacher and Robbie E beat Tara and Jesse Godderz, but it didn’t lead into this match at all.
• It was announced that Tessmacher, Mickie James, Gail Kim, Velvet Sky and ODB would meet in a Gauntlet match at Genesis fought under the winner-stays-on format, not like TNA’s usual gauntlet style with a battle royal with the final two then competing in a regular match.
The Match
• Kim and Tessmacher started the proceedings with some tidy sequences between two wrestlers who have always had good chemistry with each other. For the most part, it was the Texan who got the upper hand with flying forearms and dropkicks – however the key factor was Gail’s boot, as she planted it in Tessmacher’s jaw with an Eat Defeat to send her to the showers. (more…)
Ringbelles Retro: Before they were stars
When you’re starting out, you’re working everywhere you can to get experience and build a reputation for yourself. While you may not be so keen on the ethos of the show, if you can square it with yourself, then that’s all that matters.
Women’s Extreme Wrestling may not have the best of reputations – and we’re not keen on the sexual overtones on their shows – but in its defence, it was holding regular all-women’s shows in front of enthusiastic crowds and were shown on pay-per-view and released on video and DVD. As a result, it was a great place for aspiring female grapplers to get some more exposure – the good kind.
The video we have for you as part of today’s Retro is the full WEW Return of the PWO show from May 7, 2005, featuring a number of names who have gone on to bigger and better things. As well as established names like WEW Champion Jazz and Tammy Lynn Sytch, you can see women like Mercedes Martinez, ODB, Lacey, Amber O’Neal, Krissy Vaine and Simply Luscious. In addition, there are a couple who found fortune under different names such as Talia Madison (who is now Velvet Sky) and Cle-Ho-Patra (AKA Shelly Martinez, Ariel or Salinas). As mentioned – you may not agree with the ethos of the promotion, but it gave aspiring wrestlers the chance to do their thing, and for that, it may be worth giving it a chance and watching the video after the jump. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (13 November 2012) – EVE’s iPPV, WAWW free show, Amazing Kong & more
In a move that nobody anticipated, Emi Sakura left Pro Wrestling: EVE’s second iPPV as the promotion’s Champion, after successfully defending her JWP Openweight Title earlier in the night, then challenging new EVE titleholder Nikki Storm in an impromptu match which saw the founder of Gatoh Move hit a quick 450 splash for the pin.
Now, I get the reasoning for putting the belt on Sakura. On an immediate level, it offers a happy ending for the show, and the visual of the JWP and EVE titles together is pretty striking. Longer term, it means that the belt is now associated with the oldest active women’s title in Japan, and considering how good Sakura is at garnering publicity, there is a lot of opportunity for joshi fans to find out about Pro Wrestling: EVE because people will inevitably ask about this other belt that she’s holding. In turn, it could lead to more international recognition and possibly more DVD sales and iPPV buys from Japan in the future.
However, the circumstances in which she won the title seems to be a big sticking point among some fans who both attended the show and watched online. (more…)
Turning Point: ODB & EY – TNA’s top power couple
TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions ODB and Eric Young meet Knockouts singles titleholder Tara and her main squeeze Jesse Godderz.
The Background
• Since beating Miss Tessmacher at Bound For Glory last month and revealing Godderz as her toy boy, Tara has been tangling with ODB.
• Jesse defeated the Knockouts Tag Champ with a roll-up on Impact Wrestling on November 1, with ODB feeling upset that her husband EY hasn’t been there to have her back.
• Last Thursday, ODB defeated the love birds in a handicap match, which led to this mixed tag match at Turning Point, with Young making his first TV appearance in TNA since May 15, when he and ODB lost to Gail Kim and Madison Rayne. (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…)
Ringbelles Roundup (4 September 2012) – Ice Ribbon exodus, Cameron’s woes, WSU & more
As we reported at the weekend, Riho is leaving Ice Ribbon after being with the promotion for the entire existence of the company. She’s leaving following her match against Aoi Kizuki on September 23 to focus on her high school entrance exams. Now 15 years old, Riho debuted at the age of 8 and won the ICEx60 Championship when she was 12. When she returns, she says it will not be for Ice Ribbon but for her trainer Emi Sakura in Thailand.
Riho’s departure is the latest in an expanding list of wrestlers who have left Ice Ribbon in the last 12 months or so. Chii Tomiya (now Micro), Ray, Makoto and founder Emi Sakura have all said their farewells, while Dorami Nagano has been missing since June, Sayaka Obihiro hasn’t had a match since July and Hikari Minami is also taking some time away to prepare for high school. For the most part, none of these acts have been replaced, and precious few have debuted in the last year.
Some have benefited. Kurumi has come on leaps and bounds to the point where she is one half of the International Ribbon Tag Team Champions; Aoi Kizuki returned at Christmas and has been a smiling presence since then; Maki Narumiya has improved too, and names like Hamuko Hoshi and Maeri Naito have also had more attention bestowed onto them. However, the top of the card looks a little sparse these days, with ICEx60 Champion Hikaru Shida and Tsukasa Fujimoto heading things up, names like 14-year old prodigy Tsukushi the next level down (and presumably will also be thinking about school soon), and Narumiya and Kizuki also around there. (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…)
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…)
Ringbelles Retro: Katie Lea claims OVW gold
As we discussed with the Blossom Twins last week, there is a great deal of excitement amongst women within Ohio Valley Wrestling concerning the new relationship with the promotion and TNA, and at the time of the announcement, we listed some of the hotter prospects that could get a break in TNA in the future.
OVW has a history of having strong women’s divisions, as was evident five years ago when the promotion was being used as a farm facility by WWE, and also had independent wrestlers migrating there as it was the best place to catch the attention of the bigger companies. As a result, this week’s Retro (a gauntlet match for the OVW Women’s Championship) features a wealth of stars.
In this match alone, you have defending titleholder Beth Phoenix, Shelly Martinez in her Ariel gimmick, Katie Lea before her WWE debut or current incarnation of Winter in TNA, ODB and Serena Deeb as well as Roni Jonah, Melody, Jennifer Mae, and even Kelly Kelly in a pre-match skit. The match took place on November 1, 2006, about 5 months after the WWE relaunch of ECW, which explains the edition of Ariel and Kelly, who were ECW “vixens” at the time. Beth had already debuted for WWE the previous May as an ally of Trish Stratus, but was taken off screen after she fractured her mandible on the June 5 episode of Raw. She was out of action for two months after having a titanium plate and nine screws inserted into her jaw, before returning to OVW before returning to WWE as a heel in July 2007. (more…)
Ringbelles TV review (20-26 February)
Credibility (or the relative lack thereof) is often an issue with the distaff divisions of WWE & TNA, mostly because nobody in creative generally bothers to take the women seriously enough for long enough to make stars out of anybody, and this week’s TV is a pretty great comparison in how the “Big Two” are doing at making any of their women credible. We’ll start with someone who knows all about that problem, the “Killer Queen” herself, Madison Rayne – who famously won her first Knockouts Championship without ever winning a singles match in the company… taking on a surprise returning star on Impact.
Ringbelles Roundup (22 February 2011)
The Big News
Lots of Tough Enough stuff, so let’s go chronologically…
Thursday
Former Monday Night Raw guest host and current Miss USA Rima Fakih has been announced as the first participant in the reboot of Tough Enough, starting on April 4, the night after WrestleMania XXVII.
The 25 year old’s only appearance on any wrestling show was on November 29, 2010 when she crowned Sheamus as King of the Ring.
That WWE announced Miss USA as the show’s first participant is a decent media coup for the promotion, as it’s got crossover appeal. However, when you consider that WWE put out press releases asking for independent female wrestlers to apply for the show – Mercedes Martinez, Roxie Cotton, Anne Social, Brittney Savage and Sara Del Rey all had a crack – and none of them made the cut while an untrained model did is a little galling to a female wrestler who drives hundreds of miles to wrestle in a dirty ring in front of 40 people for little money. (more…)
The Women of Tough Enough: Where Are They Now? Part 2
In the original part of this look back of The Women of Tough Enough, we checked out the three winners – Nidia Guenard, Linda Miles and Jackie Gayda Haas. In this concluding part, we should take a peek at some of the other contestants who ended up in the biz, as well as the applicants who didn’t make it into the house but still forged a career in wrestling anyway.
So let’s go through it season by season… (more…)
Interact!