Ringbelles Roundup (3 July 2012)
Opportunities. Some have them, enjoy success and then they are lost; others don’t get them when they feel they’ve been patient, done all the right things and are continually overlooked. One WWE Diva has left the company due to a lack of chances, while one TNA Knockout has also departed after seeing herself slipping down the ladder after being the most decorated women on the roster.
The first one to leave was Maxine (Karlee Perez) who has spent the bulk of her WWE tenure in either Florida Championship Wrestling or on NXT, where she debuted as part of the all Diva season 3 run, or on NXT Redemption, which was the show that would never end. While I was never that impressed with her on season 3, her antics on Redemption involving the love triangle with Johnny Curtis and Derrick Bateman showed that she had some range as an entertainer. As a wrestler, she was really nothing to write home about, but she had potential as a manager or authority figure – like she was in FCW, before she was relieved of her duties. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (19 June 2012)
Beyond Wrestling is the new owner of Women Superstars Uncensored. In truth, we heard about Beyond being interested in purchasing WSU about two weeks ago and thought it was a curious name to be in the running.
The model for Beyond is for having wrestling matches presented in front of an audience of fellow wrestlers, which creates a different sort of atmosphere. Only recently has Beyond started regularly running shows in front of regular fans – in fact, it was running a show in conjunction with St Louis Anarchy on Saturday when the announcement was made on WSU’s Uncensored Rumble V iPPV. Excerpts of the statement read out by commentator (as well as Beyond’s Director of Talent Relations and Director of Online Communications) Jon Harder include, “there will be a stronger online presence… all shows will be shot in high definition… future events will be available as video on demand streams and MP4 downloads in addition to the current DVD and iPPV releases.”
Three extra statements were released by Beyond yesterday on its website – most of which were buzz statements with no real substance to them (though in fairness, what more is there to say at the moment) – with the main points being a reassurance for WSU fans there will be no drastic changes to the product, though the logo has changed, as you can see, and the promotion’s website will be overhauled, which will be useful, as there is a lot going on when it comes to the front page at the moment. It also mentions the WSU will run shows in the Tri-State area, with the hope of expanding into new markets by the end of the year.
Let’s go through some of these points. (more…)
Blog: Madison Eagles assesses the PWWA Interim Title tournament to date, plus exclusive injury update
Let’s get the big question sorted before I continue with the most awesomest blog in the world…
As it currently stands my knee has made some general improvements without the use of surgery, which I am very happy about… BUT I am still having the nagging issues of not being able to run, jump or kneel without running into some serious pain. To look at the progress I have made (from previously not being able to walk without a full leg brace and the use of a crutch), I think im doing fairly well.
This may lead to the question of “Why not just have surgery?”, and the answer for me is fairly simple, if I am slowly (VERY slowly) making improvements without the use of a surgeon then I don’t want to risk the chance that surgery possibly could make it worse OR not help it at all, in which case I would be set back even further in my recovery process.
But for all of you wondering if this is the end of my career you should probably be more focused on wondering what the date of my return to the ring will be. So in conclusion, to make an informed guess to answer this it would have to be that I’ll be back in the ring at the end of this year.
Well, now that that Elephant is out of the room lets start talking some fun stuff. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (22 May 2012)
The last week has seen the continued downfall of two women who were among the most popular females in the wrestling in the mid-to-late 1990s.
Starting with wrestler-turned-porn star Chyna, who collapsed three times between Thursday and Saturday while in Miami Beach, FL for the 2012 Exxxotica Expo, where she was promoting her latest appearance in a skin flick, playing She Hulk in a porn parody of The Avengers. The first incident happened on Thursday when she passed out in the Catalina hotel’s pool at the Expo’s launch party and was asked to return to her hotel room to sleep it off. But all Chyna did was recover for another assault on the bar the following day.
The following morning, the former WWE Intercontinental and Women’s Champion passed out at the convention itself, right in front of the main stage. After being checked out by paramedics, the 41-year old was helped back to her hotel room for more rest and relaxation – and she needed that help, as video footage posted on TMZ showed that she was in no condition to walk unaided. One day later, she was back, and was seen slumped in the lobby. She was taken to Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach after the third incident, and did not return to the event.
Now, I’m not writing this to poke fun at or mock Chyna. On the contrary, this is a plea for her to reassess her life.
Before her one-off in-ring comeback at TNA Sacrifice a year ago, word had gone around that she was planning to move to Japan and teach English as a foreign language – something that I fully supported. It would be a good career for her to be part of, would make a positive difference in people’s lives and could see her slip away from the spotlight that was eating her alive. After all, she had taken part in a very public rehabilitation on Celebrity Rehab in 2008 which she took part in after admitting that drugs had seen her life spiral out of control – she claimed she was in the middle of her drug use when her sex tape, later released as One Night In Chyna was filmed. Before Celebrity Rehab, she had undergone private rehab after a revealing interview with Howard Stern where she said she didn’t want to do drugs anymore, but if a line of cocaine was put in front of her, she would have to have it. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (8 May 2012)
It’s been Golden Week in Japan, which has meant a slew of wrestling across the country. However, we have a brief history lesson first…
Golden Week starts at the end of April and runs through until May 5, and incorporates a number of Japanese public holidays, including honouring the birthday of the late Emperor Hirohito, Constitution Memorial Day, Greenery Day – which is to commune with nature – and Children’s Day, which does exactly what it says on the tin. It is also the longest vacation period of the Japanese year, and many people are given paid time off as many companies completely close during that period. For that reason, Japan has a lot of spare time – many people travel, and the west coast of the US and Canada sees a slew of Japanese tourists during that time, but others stay at home, and can entertain themselves during their leisure time by watching pretty much any wrestling promotion that they choose, as most of them hold a show, while some stage supercards. Here’s a rundown of some of the things that went down during Golden Week in the world of joshi:
Kurumi’s push in Ice Ribbon continues – she and Ribbon Takanashi won the Golden Ribbon Mixed Tag Team Tournament on Saturday, defeating Hamuko Hoshi & Hoshi Tango, Hikari Minami & Dynasty and Maki Narumiya & Masamune to win the whole shebang. As well as winning tournaments to win the IW19 Championship and to earn the right to become Manami Toyota’s tag team partner to challenge for the International Ribbon Tag Team Titles at Ice Ribbon March, 12-year old Kurumi is quickly becoming the tournament queen in the promotion. Don’t bet against her in the future – you’ll lose money if you do so. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (24 April 2012)
Nikki Bella won the WWE Divas Championship on Raw last night. There are a couple of issues that stem from this, so let’s deal with the Bella situation first.
First off, this title change has been on the cards for weeks, so it wasn’t a kneejerk reaction to the “twist” in the match. However, according to previous reports, the Bella Twins’ contract expires on Monday, and unless they have signed a contract extension – which we don’t believe has happened – they are set to go. Putting the Divas strap on Nikki is a curious choice, as it has to be a short reign – don’t be fooled, she won’t be taking the belt away with her like CM Punk did with the WWE Championship last June after winning it at Money in the Bank – so there are only three shows where she could conceivably drop it – SmackDown, Extreme Rules on Sunday, or the Raw the following day. Realistically, option 2 is the most likely, meaning a six day reign, and there is a prime candidate for winning the title, probably in some sort of open challenge…
I really hope that in one year, when I come back, you two will still be here.
That’s the parting words Kharma gave to the Bella Twins last May before taking a sabbatical following the announcement of her pregnancy. As has been reported, things tragically didn’t work out with that, but it seems that she is ready to get back onto the scene after being interviewed for a TV news piece about GLOW while she was at the Cauliflower Alley Club reunion in Las Vegas last week (more on GLOW later). Besides, if she wants to make good on her threat to destroy the Bellas, she has a window of a mere few days to get the job done, and the cherry on top would be taking the Divas Championship in the process. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (10 April 2012)
We’re in that post-WrestleMania period where everything is supposed to kick off for the next year. Brock Lesnar is destroying John Cena and making him spit blood, the word “yes” is replacing “what” and “whoo” as the cool thing to say, and CM Punk is being drowned in alcohol. But there is nothing for the Divas Champion Beth Phoenix. In fact, there is less than nothing.
The only in-ring Divas action on regular TV (as NXT hardly counts) for WWE since WrestleMania is a sub-three minute affair between Nikki Bella and Phoenix, which Bella won after Beth was distracted by Kelly Kelly. Presumably, this would lead to a title shot for Nikki, as she had just pinned the Divas Champ. That may happen on the live SmackDown happening later (though it may be a foregone conclusion, as I’ll discuss later), or a continuation of Kelly v Phoenix from WrestleMania, even though it was Maria Menounos who got the pin on Beth. Either way, things are flimsy at best, and it hasn’t looked good for the titleholder for many months.
Barring a decent build and match against Tamina Snuka in February, Phoenix has hardly set the world alight in 2012. This may be a combination of forgettable matches, no storylines – including the fizzling of the Pin-Up Strong angle when it should have exploded – or no interest from any of the writers. Indeed, nothing has happened with the in-ring product involving WWE’s women for at least half a year, and it must be frustrating the Champion. (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…)
Ringbelles Roundup (27 March 2012)
What have Rachel Summerlyn, Nikki Storm, Amazon, Jenny Rose and Maria Kanellis all done this year, and what has Kurumi done twice?
If you guessed “win tournaments”, take yourself to the Winners’ Circle.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I love a good tournament. It’s a great way to have multiple storylines running in one show, concluding some, forwarding others and starting a few more. It can also be a push for the winner, and even for a plucky name who gets further than you would expect them to. But the reason why I mostly love tournaments is because it’s a special occasion, much like your birthday, Christmas (although people who know me will know that I’m not fond of Christmas) or the release of a new Police Academy film. Across North America, the UK and Canada, there have been seven tournaments in the past 12 weeks. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (13 March 2012)
Reports from Montreal, Quebec, Canada on Saturday say that the most recent instalment of NCW Femmes Fatales was the best yet. With a 25 minute draw between Cheerleader Melissa and Hailey Hatred, Jazz and Lufisto tearing up the building and Kalamity securing her first International Title defence on a FF show over Mercedes Martinez, all three of the main event matches delivered. Groundwork was also laid for Femmes Fatales IX on July 7, and a number of the talking points have relevance to the FF/Women Superstars Uncensored relationship…
First off, there was the announcement that the Midwest Militia of WSU’s dual champion Jessicka Havok and Tag Team Champions Allysin Kay and Sassy Stephie will appear in July. For Kay and Havok, it will being their debut in the promotion, while Stephie wrestled at Femmes Fatales IV. As the most over talent, it seemed logical that the Militia would be part of this talent-sharing initiative, and as a trio, it lends itself to an invasion-style storyline with three badass heels walking into another promotion, and it’s unlikely that the Militia will be out to make friends. Before that happens though, three homegrown FF talents – Kalamity, LuFisto (who were announced during the 5th Anniversary iPPV) and Sweet Cherrie (who was named afterward) – will make their WSU debuts at the Uncensored Rumble on June 16, so the Militia will see their north-of-the-border opposition before making the trip to Canada three weeks later.
However, don’t expect it to be like the old USA/Canada storylines from the WWF in 1997 where talent would be faces OR heels depending on which country they’re wrestling in, as the Militia are already the top heels in WSU, so they are unlikely to be cheered by the WSU fans if a confrontation between them and Kalamity, Cherrie and LuFisto takes place in Deer Park, NY, and they are sure to be booed in Montreal at FF IX. Of course, this is all speculation, as nothing has been announced beyond the names who will be appearing, but this is what fantasy booking is all about. It would be a shame for there to be this overlapping without there being some in-ring friction to spice things up. (more…)
PWWA to crown Interim Champion
At the tail end of last month Australian wrestling promotion PWWA announced on its Facebook page that it would be holding a tournament, though no more details were revealed. However, another update has been released in the last few hours shedding a little more light on the issue, and relates to the injury of PWWA’s reigning champion, Madison Eagles.
According to the promotion’s official website, Eagles has not made a defence of the title in more than a year -the last recorded one being against KC Cassidy on January 7, 2011. The title lay dormant by her side while she relocated to the US for six months, where she wrestled the March SHIMMER tapings, and earned a spot on the CHIKARA roster after strong showings against Sara Del Rey, Daizee Haze and Manami Toyota. However, things came unstuck for the then-SHIMMER Champ, as she suffered an injured shoulder in a car accident, and was forced to withdraw from CHIKARA and return back to her native Australia for treatment.
She successfully defended the SHIMMER belt against Jessie McKay and Nicole Matthews in September while still dealing with her shoulder, and then wrestled five matches in three days at October’s SHIMMER tapings, dropping the promotion’s title to Cheerleader Melissa in the main event of volume 44. However, a week later, things went from bad to worse when Eagles suffered a knee injury during training, which could be career ending. With no firm date for a recovery, the decision has been made to have an Interim PWWA Champion – much like in the Ultimate Fighting Championship when the reigning titleholder cannot make a scheduled defence – while we wait and see if the winner of the 2011 PWI Female Fifty can return to the ring. If Eagles does return it would presumably lead to a unification match at some point down the road.
WOW Podcast Xmas Special (#32) with Hailey Hatred, Courtney Rush, Mercedes Martinez, Saraya Knight, LuFisto & Madison Eagles
Episode 32 with Hailey Hatred, Courtney Rush, Mercedes Martinez, Saraya Knight, LuFisto & Madison Eagles
Welcome to the show that almost killed us. Six Guests. Four Continents. Two Hours (plus). One Podcast. Recorded over the last couple of weeks at various times, we welcome back six of our former guests for a Christmas Extravaganza that, well, we’re quite unlikely to ever top. In this two hour podcast, you’ll hear happiness, depression, tears and laughter – sometimes in the same segment, as our guests recount how 2011 has been for them, and their hopes for the New Year. Hear Mercedes Martinez talk about her year as WSU Champion and address her current concussion. Listen to Courtney Rush recount tales of giant bananas and her incredible growth year. LuFisto talks of her pride at the emergence of her pupil Kalamity and her optimism that there are still achievable goals in 2012. Last year’s Wrestler of the Year Madison Eagles hits us with a world exclusive on her current injury status and what that means for her career. The ever-entertaining Saraya Knight explains how SHIMMER saved her life, and talks about her daughter’s potential in 2012, and finally, Hailey Hatred gives us the lowdown on life at the top in joshi puroresu, winning titles, Kaori Yoneyama, Gail Kim and potential international travel plans next year. Oh, and did we mention that one of the above “Usual Suspects” is our 2011 Wrestler of the Year? Find out who on this very show.
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Fight Like A Girl: Shazza McKenzie
Perception is reality. That statement rings true when you take a look at how Australia’s Shazza McKenzie advertises herself on social media. Constantly telling her followers and friends where she is going to be wrestling, who she is against and then posting up the results, it’s fair to say that she has got this networking thing down to a T. It’s also pretty fair to say that if you look at her list of dates, she may be the busiest female wrestler in Australia at the moment.
Thanks to her getting her name out there, Ringbelles found out about the 23-year old Melbourne native (though she was raised in Sydney) making her debut this coming weekend at NWA Pro Australia in Adelaide against Kellyanne English. Shazza kindly granted us some of her time to talk about the show, how happy she is to be a part of it, her work in the PWWA, her hopes for the near future as well as the origin of her (very Aussie sounding) name. It’s a great 15 minute chat, so check it out!
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Don’t forget to leave us a comment below!
Keep up with Shazza McKenzie on Facebook and Twitter
And as a side note, check out the promo video made by Melbourne City Wrestling for Shazza v Kellie Skater using the Fight Like A Girl track, performed by Jenna Dwyer!
DVD Review: PWWA (3 September 2011)
Despite only taking place a month ago, the Pro Wrestling Women’s Alliance event which took place on September 3 was available for purchase at the recent SHIMMER: Women Athletes tapings in Berwyn, IL last weekend. Obviously, we had to pick up a copy to see the event, which was headlined by the first SHIMMER title defence outside of the United States, with then-Champion (still feels weird to think of her in that way) Madison Eagles defending against longtime rival/partner Jessie McKay, and former SHIMMER Tag Team Champion Nicole Matthews, who was making her first trip Down Under.
Eagles had been away from the promotion and its parent company the PWA for around six months to live in the US, making it onto the CHIKARA roster, but had to withdraw and return to Australia for treatment for an injured shoulder which she suffered in a car accident back in April. She had wrestled sporadically in North America since then – once in CHIKARA and another time at nCw Femmes Fatales VI in Canada in June where she defeated our latest Women Of Wrestling Podcast guest Courtney Rush. Upon her return to Australia, Eagles (who also holds the PWWA Championship) turned heel, attacking a newly-turned babyface McKay, who was trying to win the PWWA title which KC Cassidy had claimed as her own in Eagles’ absence. As it turned out, the belt was reclaimed by Eagles and she and Cassidy let things slide, even teaming together for Madison’s return match in her home country on August 8 against McKay and Shazza McKenzie.
The SHIMMER title match at PWWA was a big talking point ahead of time. Would Eagles be dropping the belt due to injury, and if so, to whom? How hurt was she? Would she be able to go at full-speed during the match considering she had only wrestled as few as three matches since the injury occurred four months previously? With that level of intrigue, it became a real possibility that the SHIMMER Championship would change hands in Liverpool, New South Wales. Obviously, we know she retained the title, but what participation did she have in the match? Let’s find out… (more…)
Madison Eagles takes top spot in PWI Female 50; full list also included
SHIMMER and PWWA Champion Madison Eagles is the top female wrestler on the planet, according to Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
The 27-year old has taken the number one spot in the 2011 PWI Female 50, jumping from 15th place last year, and replacing Michelle McCool at the top. Since its launch in 2008, previous winners have been Awesome Kong (now Kharma), Mickie James in 2009 and McCool last year. That makes Eagles the first independent female wrestler to head the list.
As part of the announcement, PWI wrote:
Madison Eagles is not a household name.
She’s not a Diva. She’s not a Knockout. To a large portion of wrestling fans, she is completely unknown.
But that’s about to change.
The 6’1″ Australian has been selected by the editors of PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED as the top female wrestler in the sport, and she heads the 2011 “PWI Female 50.”
The reigning SHIMMER champion has had a tremendous year, successfully defending her title against the cream of the crop of the independent circuit, including Mercedes Martinez, MsChif, Cheerleader Melissa, and Ayako Hamada. She has competed in Japan, Canada, and her native Australia (where she also holds the PWA Australia Women’s title) and has dominated competition worldwide.
She may not be world famous, but she has enjoyed worldwide success. And our editors took notice.
PWWA results: Eagles retains the SHIMMER title
The first defence of the SHIMMER Championship outside of the US has seen titleholder Madison Eagles retain the belt over her two challengers, Nicole Matthews and Jessie McKay (who spoke to us about the match on the most recent Women Of Wrestling Podcast).
There had been a lot of intrigue surrounding the match, including whether Eagles’ recent injury issues would be a factor in this contest, and whether this was an occasion for there to be a new champion while Madison rehabbed her damaged shoulder. As it turns out, Eagles recovery is not as bad as originally feared, and she will roll into SHIMMER’s DVD tapings in Berwyn, IL on October 1 and 2 as the champion.
Last night, parent company the Pro Wrestling Alliance held its own card in Liverpool, with a taster of the PWWA show the following evening. Matthews defeated Shazza McKenzie in the semi-main, while in an eight woman tag, McKay, Evie, Megan Kate & Kellyanne English defeated Eagles, Kellie Skater, JPE & Britenay.
Thanks to PWA’s official Twitter, we bring you the results: (more…)
WOW Podcast #26 with Jessie McKay
Episode 26 with Jessie McKay
PWWA have a big show this coming weekend – so what better way to promote that show than to welcome one of Australia’s finest (and “Everybody’s Favourite Girlfriend”) Jessie McKay to the show? Jessie’s been an oft-requested guest, so we hope the wait was worth it. We had about an hour to discuss the wrestling scene in Australia, who to look out for as the next breakout star from Down Under, how she got started (including working a bikini contest aged 17), and her thoughts on her first big American tour in 2008. With WWE having signed two recent Australian girls, we find out her thoughts on them, and whether WWE is something that is on her mind. We also discuss her brief turn as the female lead in a a movie (“Mikey’s Extreme Romance”) and quiz her about any ‘extreme romance’ stories from real life (she’s got a few). Heck, we even break out the old Rate Tank question for old time’s sake. Good times. Plus, we’ve got about 20 minutes of us chatting about some recent news happenings, including the reputed TNA Knockout pay scale. Enjoy!
Follow Jessie McKay on twitter | Jessie McKay on facebook
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RESPECT reaches 1 year anniversary
Twelve months ago, Captured Beauty launched an e-magazine called RESPECT. Sporting Alpha Female on the cover of the debut edition, it focussed on the launch of Pro Wrestling: EVE, covered the death of Luna Vachon and previewed the debut of Manami Toyota in the United States.
In its first issue, RESPECT was just 18 pages. A year on, it’s 1st anniversary edition has swelled to 42 pages, and features a giant interview with SHIMMER and PWWA Champion Madison Eagles, previewing her SHIMMER title defence on September 3 in Liverpool, NSW, Australia.
The official preview for the latest issue also shows how far the brand has spread:
We also had the pleasure to talk to Eagles’ former tag team partner, and the woman who was kicked in the head in by ‘The Punisher’ only days ago – Jessie McKay! The #1 Contender to the SHIMMER Title on September 3 talks to us about that looming triple threat match, joining the SHIMMER roster and working with Madison Eagles.
Portia Perez fills in the role of ‘Guest Writer’ this month. She writers an ‘Open Letter to Fans’ addressing her displeasure with wrestlers cheapening themselves for fan adoration. The disgruntled former SHIMMER Tag Champion lets loose in her very own article.
RESPECT also looks at ‘The Big Fight’ that takes place on August 7. Hailey Hatred defends her JWP Openweight Title against Kaori Yoneyama. RESPECT had the pleasure of talking to Yoneyama about her break into the business and influences in the ring.
The Perez piece is definitely worth a read, as is the fantasy booking of Beth Phoenix, and there is also Allison Danger’s Womanist Revolution manifesto, in case you missed it when it was launched back in June.
Congratulations to RESPECT for a year of success, and here’s to many more in the future.
To read issue 12 of RESPECT, click the cover above. You can also follow Captured Beauty on Twitter.
Ringbelles Roundup (19 July 2011)
Thursday, July 19, 2001 was a pretty humdrum day in world history. As a frame of reference, the most newsworthy thing was the Code Red virus taking hold of a massive number of computers after being released online 6 days previously.
In the world of wrestling, Steve Austin was on SmackDown, showing “the old Stone Cold” was back when he stunnered everyone in the ring ahead of the WWF Invasion pay-per-view, which was to take place in three days. It would intrigue wrestling fans who wondered what would happen if the WWF and WCW ever clashed on one show. As it turned out, it would be a decent – and high grossing – show which was followed by months of killing the WCW image to the point that it was worthless by November.
However, also on this very day ten years ago at Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Hillsboro, MO, a young lady by the name of Christine was handed her first ever defeat in a mid-card contest at the hands of a debuting wrestler to Gateway Championship Wrestling. That wrestler was MsChif.
Rachel Collins had been asked by her colleague at her human genetics job – the role she had before going into microbiology – what she would love to do more than anything. Concluding that it would be to learn to wrestle, she decided to train at at GCW under the tutelage of Johnny Greenpeace (who was the tough trainer) and Jack Adonis (who was the comic relief), with the black-metal-banshee character naturally evolving while she was learning her craft. Even though she never believed that she would wrestle outside of St Louis, MsChif would go on to win a shedload of top championships including the SHIMMER title, the NWA World Women’s Title and the NWA Midwest/IWA Mid-South Women’s Title – which she held all at one time during 2008 and 2009 – as well as winning ChickFight IV and being ranked 4th in the PWI Female Fifty for 2009.
When asked for comment, MsChif told Ringbelles: “It’s crazy to think I’ve been wrestling for 10 years now. It doesn’t feel like it’s been so long. Wrestling has brought on some very amazing times, places and people. I couldn’t imagine life without wrestling.” (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…)
SHIMMER Title goes global; defense set for PWWA
The main event has just been announced for PWWA’s September 3rd show in Sydney, Australia – and it is a history making matchup, as SHIMMER Champion and current “Best in the World” Madison Eagles defends the title for the first time outside the United States of America against not one, but two opponents.
Madison Eagles withdraws from CHIKARA
As she discussed with us a month ago, SHIMMER Champion Madison Eagles is leaving the US and returning to Australia. She’s made the decision after suffering continued problems with her shoulder following a car crash in April, just after wrestling Manami Toyota at CHIKARA King Of Trios.
In a blog post on CHIKARA’s website, Eagles informed us of her current situation:
This has to be the hardest thing I have had to write in a long time. I regretfully am having to remove myself from CHIKARA action, only a short time after I petitioned to the Director of Fun to have me added to the fulltime roster. The whole reason I wanted to be a part of CHIKARA is because it meant I could regularly compete alongside, and against, the top wrestlers in the world. So I have to ask myself “how can I compete against the best when I am not even nearly at my best?” (more…)
Ringbelles Retro: A look at PWWA’s new names
So did you know there was wrestling in New Zealand? I’d never even thought about it, but it stands to reason that there would be. If there are women wrestling in Bolivia, anything is possible.
As part of its relaunch, Australian promotion PWWA is expanding its pool of talent to include grapplers not just from Australasia – as Madison Eagles revealed to us at the start of this month – but also from elsewhere in the Commonweath – Nicole Matthews will make her debut in Liverpool, NSW on September 3.
The three Kiwi names are all regulars with New Zealand promotion Impact Pro Wrestling. Evie won New Zealand PWI Female of the Year in 2009 and is one of the fan favourites in the promotion; the same can be said for Megan-Kate, who debuted in IPW more recently, and the two have formed an alliance – hell, the two share a single profile on Facebook.
On the flip side is Britenay, who sits on the heel side but is still a talented grappler, having won not only Best Female but Best Debutant in the 2008 NZPWI Awards. (more…)
Penni Lane speaks about her absence
Former ECCW Supergirls and PWWA Champion Penni Lane has broken her silence over her continued absence from the ring. The 33-year old Australian, who resides in Vancouver, BC, Canada, wrote a message to ECCW, which was posted on its website.
In response to the question about why she doesn’t wrestle anymore, Lane replied:
I am physically unable to. I overcame one hurdle with the help of a couple of surgeries back in 2009 only to be presented with another completely unrelated hurdle that is proving to be much more challenging to overcome.
While she chose not to elaborate about the situation that she is dealing with at the moment, she admitted that she may never return to wrestling again. Penni also addressed why she has not been at recent ECCW shows:
For two reasons… It’s hard for me… I also don’t want to pretend everything is just fine as that gives off the impression I stopped because I stopped feeling the love for it.
You can read the entire message by clicking here.
While we would like for Penni to be able to get a clean bill of health and return to the ring, we at Ringbelles wish her a pain-free life, along with happiness and success in whatever she may choose to do with her future.
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