This week’s ClickWrestle Match of the Week is Jessie Brooks vs. Mia Yim from Valkyrie III.
All week, this match’s price will be cut in half: from $2.49 to just $1.25.
Click here to view a preview of the match and purchase.
Download more full-length women’s wrestling matches from top promotions including SHIMMER, NCW Femmes Fatales, Pro Wrestling EVE, WSU, ChickFight and more only on ClickWrestle.
Salutations British Boot Camp followers and welcome to week six of the competition.
After a pleasant luncheon with TNA President Dixie Carter and touring around the United States Capitol in a trendy RV, our final six contestants are getting back into business this week as they prepare themselves for what would be their biggest challenge of the competition thus far: a match against a TNA Superstar!
Part of this preparation includes preparing TNA’s own six sided ring; a task that the lone female finalist Kay Lee Ray is familiar with. As we’ve learned from Kay Lee Ray’s audition during week one, she learned from a very early age that part of paying your dues in this business is by completing tasks such as lifting boards to set up a ring for a show.
While this surely seems like a task that the final six would be able to comply to collectively, there of course has to be that one lazy class clown in the group that just causes mishaps for everyone else. In this case, who else is better to play the role of the bad apple than the one fellow who has been pretty much doing it since the start of the season: Grado! (I suddenly want to rename the show “Grado’s British Boot Camp)
For his troubles, Grado is bullied by his larger cast mates Dave Mastiff and Rampage Brown. The short tempered heavyweight duos take Grado down, tie his legs together with some cable and escort Grado to the men’s restroom and drop him onto a floor of urine. (Hey, at least it wasn’t a swirly Grado)
After that little fixed scenario and the Impact ring finally placed, it’s time for the training session. Being the same supple gentleman he is on TV, ECIII introduces himself to our constants and welcomes them to his playing field. Joining ECIII in our training session are DJ Z, British Boot Camp judge Al Snow, the greatest man that ever lived Austin Aries and fellow Britain man Magnus.
The first piece of advice given to our contestants is the awareness of a new ring they will be performing in. The reputation of the stiffer ropes and extra corners from the six sides soon becomes a task for Mark Andrews who starts things off with Austin Aries. Aside from being a bit timid, Mark Andrews impresses for his performance in wrestling ring that is new to him.
Up next is Noam Dar with DJ Z and the biggest adjustment Noam Dar seems to have is keeping up with the speed that is needed for these harder ropes. Al Snow advices Noam Dar to try keep his sturdy to prevent his head from whip lashing when running the ropes.
Also taking a trial with DJ Z is Kay Lee Ray, who admits to having stepped into a six sided ring before. Her prior experience works to her advantage as she impressively delivers in here performance, climbing the turnbuckle and managing to land a beautiful hurricanrana onto DJ Z. (I’m praying that you make it the final three Kay Lee Ray!)
Our two heavyweight, who despite their larger frame, prove to be very agile in this new environment; constantly holding their own during this trial. Last to show what he’s got is Grado, who hasn’t really show much to ring on the show to begin with, practicing with Noam Dar. Grado’s potential opponent ECIII takes this chance to play live commentary on Grado’s performance, throwing in critiques in between his delivery.
In the end, ECIII confesses to being so appalled by Grado’s performance that he’d rather watch his parents make out than sit through one of Grado’s matches. Ouch! Cue to a cameo of Grado being fed up with all the teasing and insults, he lashes out to ECIII who, lucky for Grado, leaves as he running late for a hot yoga session.
Watch Christy Hemme break down the episode below:
Next week, our final six finally compete in their first official TNA match and in the end, only six will follow through being that much closer to a TNA contract!
Tune in to Raw on the USA Network at 8pm ET, as well as the pre-show on the WWE Network.
Discuss the show in the comments!
LVD TV is Diva Dirt’s new monthly web series produced by and starring indy wrestler Leah Von Dutch.
The series is shot and edited by Leah herself, giving us a unique look at the life of an up and coming indy star.
In the third episode, Leah delivers a message to her fans and presents a free match from her tour of the UK. In it, she takes on Carmel Jacob for the Fierce Females promotion.
Watch the second episode of LVD TV below:
Leah, who has wrestled for SHIMMER, SHINE and Ring of Honor, currently holds both the CCW Ladies Championship and the XBW Championship. Check out her matches on ClickWrestle.
On this day in history:
November 25th, 1985 | Twelve years before Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart‘s Montreal Screwjob, there was what wrestling fans have dubbed “The Original Screwjob”. In it, Wendi Richter defended the Women’s Title against The Spider Lady (a masked The Fabulous Moolah) at Madison Square Garden. Richter, who had refused to sign a contract extension with the WWE until she received a specified pay increase, found herself screwed out of the title when the referee counted her down for a pin she clearly kicked out of. Wendi quickly realized what had happened, lashing out post-match and leaving the building – legend has it – still in her wrestling gear. She would never again compete inside of a WWE ring.
What are your memories of this moment?
Each week following Raw, Diva Dirt Weekly will take a look back at the week preceding it, hitting every noteworthy event along the way, from Impact Wrestling to SmackDown to Raw.
Joining the audio will be Chris, Erin and our host Jake.
We cover the following events:
Listen below or download by right clicking here.
After a monumental Survivor Series, last night marked the first night with Stephanie McMahon out of power and AJ Lee without a title. Nikki Bella is the new Divas Champion, Brie Bella‘s behaviour is creating a whole lot of questions and it’s about time we answered some of them!
On yesterday’s Monday Night Raw, AJ Lee gave The Bella Twins a good verbal battering as Natalya looked on as The Bunny got a physical battering. Stephanie McMahon had a taste of the blues and Lana was forced to recite some red, white and blues! How did all of that plus some bizarre Rosa Mendes dancing unfold? Let’s find out.
Queen Stephanie and HHH opened the show and whilst Steph is still a monarch to us Diva fans, she’s no longer ruling the roost at the top of the WWE Universe! Steph takes to the mic and says that her and Hunter were willing to stand in the face of adversity and make tough decisions as The Authority that the fans may not like. Their team may have lost at Survivor Series yet they don’t stand before the fans as losers; they are winners and leaders who are accepting the responsibility of their loss. A loss all because of Sting. (How bloody amazing was his debut?!) Stephanie says that although she and Paul don’t have control over the lives of WWE Superstars and Divas, they still have each other. Pass me the sick bag so I can HEAVE!
HHH tells the fans that they are privileged as they don’t know all of what The Authority knows. There are things behind the scenes that they are forced to control (like Randy Orton crapping in people’s bags maybe?) that will not be sorted out now that they are not sat on their rightful thrones. He said that the chaos will ensue in two to three weeks time when people don’t run the show properly and deliver what is best for business. He said that the WWE Universe will be begging to have them back.
Cue the Rise of the Valkyries!
Of all people to rub salt in the wounds of the former Authority, Daniel Bryan will perhaps rub it in that much harder! Daniel Bryan receives a massive reception as he leads about 15 solid minutes of YES! chanting, right in the face of HHH and Stephanie! Stephanie’s reaction is priceless. I just hope D-Bry gives his arms a rest – that injured elbow needs to be rested not thrusted into the sky 8547654365465406546546 times!
Our second and final Stephanie sighting of the night is slightly later on backstage, as she and HHH exit in a limousine with a very p-o’d Vinnie Mac. Stephanie apologises to her Dad, saying that she is so, so sorry to let him down. Vince says that isn’t angry, he is just disappointed. Seemingly impossible obstacles are overcome by successful corporate business people and the fact that they didn’t manage to impress Vince has left him feeling bitterly let down. Stephanie reiterates her apology yet Vince’s classic voice rasp kicks in and Stephanie’s face is amazing. It’s like she’s been sent to the naughty step!
Later on, I was forced to bow down to Lady Lana, as she and Rusev take to the ring to make a decision based on plans set-up by Daniel Bryan. The Bulgarian/American Russian pair must either say the pledge of allegiance to the United States or Rusev must defend his US Title against the entire WWE roster! They don’t want to do either yet Sgt. Slaughter, Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter try and make them. They don’t manage to get the dastardly Soviet crew to do so yet they do scare them off. Mostly because of Jack Swagger’s haircut most likely. It looks like Sweeney Todd cut it!
From scary hair to scarily bad dancing… Rosa Mendes is here! As Lilian Garcia introduces the new and improved Latin dancing Fandango, before we see him, it’s Peligrosa time! With the spotlight on her, Rosa is just missing her maracas to fully embody all Latin stereotypes. Whilst the dancing is a little off, she’s still putting her all into it. Shame she didn’t get involved during the match yet at least she looked good. The dark hair is so much sexier than the Marilyn Monroe waxwork-gone-wrong look.
Next up, it’s match time! Already in the ring are Brie Bella, who will be competing tonight and her sister, the new and perhaps sexiest Divas Champion of all time, Nikki Bella. Brie is still all smiles with Nikki and spoiler alert, we get no explanation as to why which I’m not happy. No subtle hints are Brie turning back or anything. Urgh.
After a desperate plug for Kris Jenner and a genuinely hilarious joke from JBL (what is wrong with me?) about Bruce Jenner challenging for the Divas Championship, AJ skips out to the arena and she’s got her best weapon with her – a microphone.
AJ mocks Nikki and her stereotypically girly attitude before addressing Brie, calling her an even bigger skank than her sister. Oh snap! Les-be honest, this the bitchiness from the Divas we need more of!
Brie takes advantage early with some strikes yet following a monotone “CUMMMM OHWWWNNN REF!”, AJ fights back shots of her own. She then dropkicks Brie to the floor. AJ turns her attentions to Nikki next and she beats her to the floor, yet AJ is sent down too as Brie decks with with a clothesline.
As much as there is no indication from the acting of Brie that she could just be being nice to fool Nikki, the announcers put over the history behind the distraction and the assumed resurrection of Nikki and Brie’s relationship. Brie works over AJ’s arm on the ropes and in the middle of the ring with a keylock to try and wear down the three-time champion. AJ doesn’t stay down long though, fighting back with a Lou Thesz press, corner clothesline, spin kick and Shining Wizard.
Somehow, Brie manages to kick out and Nikki is impressed… I think. She mocks Brie Mode yet there is no major animosity it seems towards her sister. What the fudge is going on here? Brie shrugs AJ off yet Mrs Brooks counters with an elbow. The referee checks on Brie and then Nikki hangs up AJ’s arm on the top rope. Brie hits an Oklahoma Roll and nets the win.
After the match, the Bellas celebrate in cahoots as AJ grabs the mic once more. She says that it is about time someone tells the Bellas straight…
“Talent is not sexually transmitted.”
Aah, if only your husband was still with the company, you perhaps wouldn’t have a leg to stand on! Killer line though. Already AJ is proving to be a much more entertaining title chaser than she ever was as Champion.
Following that match, we get our second Interspecies Tag Team Match in 6 days as Tyson Kidd and Natalya face Adam Rose and The Bunny.
Nattie hardly did anything and Santino Marella of all people and the douche guest star were on commentary so don’t bother putting yourselves through this one guys!
Finally, the often overlooked (my bad!) Renee Young is seen backstage with Ryback. Ryback is unfunny and boring yet Renee is looking absolutely unreal. Definitely looking the best last night!
Thoughts: Last night’s Raw was horrible storyline wise, terrible in-ring wise yet really nice mic wise. Let’s get the negatives out of the way first.
Starting with the horrible storylines. Whilst I am intrigued about Brie and Nikki seemingly fixing their relationship, if there’s no explanation behind it, this will be a total mess. I’m really hoping that on Main Event and/or SmackDown, Brie confesses that she just wanted to get out of doing nasty chores for Nikki on her final day as her personal assistant. She can declare that she has been happy to fight AJ all along as AJ has insulted her, attacked her for no reason on several occasions and well, she was once engaged to her husband and ‘cost him’ the World Heavyweight Championship a few years back! Yet now that she is not tied down to being Nikki’s lapdog, she’s ready to overcome all the odds and win the Divas Title.
Take note WWE, something like that would make sense!
Another horrible storyline arch was Lana being subjected to what she was put through. Whilst a fun idea at first, Sgt. Slaughter defending America has been done to death and Jack Swagger has already feuded with Rusev. It’s way too early to even consider revisiting this feud. It was ok yet just a littled too clichéd for my liking.
Now onto the matches we got to see. I thought the AJ/Brie match was definitely competent, yet it was way too short. I enjoyed the outside interaction and Brie kicking out of the Shining Wizard yet that was about it. Although it seems impressive that Brie kicked out of a move that AJ has won several matches in, it’s not like it showcases that much resiliency. Brie hadn’t been pummeled for 10 minutes and then kicked out. Maybe I’m just in an annoyed mood with the way this has all been booked yet the match was just bland.
Whilst I like The Bunny and Natalya’s storyline with Tyson, this tag match was horrendous. Santino is awful, the guest host was abysmal and the fact Nattie wasn’t able to wrestle is just daft. I hope a major payoff is due for Natalya as after being stuck with Great Khali and Hornswoggle for what felt like a decade and having a gimmick that involved her farting and then owning the smell, Natalya has more than paid her dues and shouldn’t be stuck with Santino, pointless guest stars that aren’t entertaining and The Bunny. Next!
Onto the positives. AJ Lee has done exactly what I wanted her to do – excel on the mic. Her delivery was excellent and the lines were borderline too far for the PG era which I loved. She was bitchy yet without swearing, I really liked it. As for her ending line, that was awesome. It won’t sting The Bellas too much I’m sure as they are in my opinion, better wrestlers than AJ, yet there is no question, AJ kills it when she’s on top form on the mic.
Finally, we say farewell to now to Stephanie McMahon. The ultimate boss bitch (I mean that in the most complimentary of ways) is rumored to be pregnant, hence why has been written out of the storylines. I’m not so sure after she took a cool bump at Survivor Series, yet I hope Steph has a successful break whatever the reason is for her going away. She has been the most consistent person – male or female – on the mic this year and has been thoroughly entertaining. I salute you Steph.
Right, I’m now off to beg Diva Dirt’s Chris to make a fantasy Divas Championship promo video for Bruce Jenner vs Nicole Bass. Bye!
TNA has announced its first set of television tapings in months.
The tapings, which will produce the first episodes of Impact to air on Destination America, will take place at the Manhattan Center in New York City on January 7th, 8th and 9th.
The first episode will likely air the following week, though it is not yet known if Impact will continue to air on Wednesdays or move to another day.
Tickets for the tapings go on sale December 5th on Ticketmaster.com.
For more information, visit ImpactWrestling.com.
WWE Main Event airs tonight at 8pm ET on the WWE Network.
Discuss the show in the comments!
Below are spoilers for this Friday’s edition of SmackDown:
On this day in history:
November 26th, 2006 | Women’s Champion Lita headed into retirement with a final match against Mickie James at 2006’s Survivor Series, seeking to retire, like Trish Stratus, with the belt around her waist. Mickie would win the match and the Women’s Title following a Mickie-T, but the ego bruising wasn’t over for Lita. After the match, Cryme Tyme came out to auction off to the crowd some of Lita’s “personal” items. Lita left the WWE humiliated, making this an unfitting retirement for a star of her stature, to say the least.
What are your memories of this moment?
Also occurring today in history:
* 11/26/87 – Team Moolah defeats Team Sherri at Survivor Series 1987.
Note: This was originally posted on 11/26/12.
What’s up, Main Eventers? Last night saw Natalya take on Layla following an unfortunate incident with some Thanskgiving pie. Check it out!
In what felt like a very Laycool!like segment, Layla and gal pal Summer Rae interrupted Natalya and her husband Tyson Kidd as they discussed their cats, and Natalya said that above all she was thankful for her husband. Layla and Summer Rae chose this moment to make their entrance and a war of words ensued. Natalya scolded Tyson for not coming to her defense, and turned back around right in time to get a pie to the face.
That was so rude. And uncalled for. I hope Nattie kicks both of their asses.
Layla is out first with Summer in tow, and given how pixelated my video is I have to be honest – if I wasn’t paying attention I would think it was Michelle. Except Summer doesn’t quite have the same swagger that Michelle had. Moving on, Natalya is out next with Tyson and she’s still wiping the pie off her face.
The bell rings and Layla runs away from a seething Nattie, but it’s NBD. Nattie goes after Summer instead and throws her down. Take that, ya witch! Nattie heads back into the ring and takes Layla down before she has a chance to attack. The ladies roll around the ring, trading blows, until Layla reaches the ropes and nails Nattie with a kick to the face. Layla goes for an early pin attempt but Nattie kicks out.
Layla has Nattie on the ropes now and tries to choke her out, but Nattie is resilient. Unfortunately for her, Layla’s pretty resourceful herself and has Nattie locked up tight. The crowd gets on TJ’s case at this point, chanting ‘Nattie’s husband’ at him. He responds by slapping his headphones on to block out the negativity. I think sassy Tyson is my favourite Tyson.
Meanwhile, Natalya is trying to turn things around and rolls Layla up for a count of two. Layla’s not down for long, however, and has Natalya on the ropes again; with the ref’s back turned, dealing with Layla, Summer Rae slaps Nattie hard in the face. Layla ties Natalya up again, hanging off the ropes, but Natalya uses what her mother gave her and bonks Layla off the apron with her booty.
Natalya gains the upper hand when Layla makes her way back into the ring. She hits a great dropkick before going for a pin. Layla’s not out for the count yet, however. Layla makes for the crossbody but misses by a mile and Natalya turns things around.
She locks in the sharpshooter, and Layla taps!
Tyson interrupts Nattie as she celebrates on the turnbuckle and, I have to say, I love it. Tyson gets MVP of the match.
Thoughts: Not bad. I loved Natalya’s aggression after the pie incident and that she went after not only Layla, but Summer Rae too. We know they’ve got quite the issues between them from Total Divas, though how much of that is actually true remains to be seen. This was a nice change from the matches we’ve been getting lately – not that any of those have been bad. It’s nice to see some veterans mixing it up a little here and there!
Until next time, ciao and Happy Thanksgiving! x
Tune in to Lucha Underground on the El Rey Network at 8pm ET.
Discuss the show in the comments!
On this day in history:
November 27th, 2005 | In what was the biggest match of her career up to that point, Melina challenged Trish Stratus for her Women’s Title at 2005’s Survivor Series. The rookie held her own in the match, even though Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury attempted to seal the deal for her with a thwarted Snapshot to Trish. Two could play that game, though, and thus it was help from superfan Mickie James that helped Trish win the match and retain her title.
What are your memories of this moment?
Note: This was originally posted on 11/27/12.
Your Two Cents is our interactive feature where we ask for the opinions of our Twitter and Facebook followers.
This week, in honor of Thanksgiving, we’re asking this: What in women’s wrestling are you most thankful for this year? We’ve read your responses on our social media pages and picked some of the best submissions to highlight here on the website. As always, you can join the debate by leaving your comments!
And now we turn it over to you…
Give us your two cents! What are you thankful for this year?
Happy Thanksgiving Knockout fans! As we are aware of, TNA is currently on hiatus for what will be a six week period. Still, that doesn’t mean we aren’t thankful for what the women of TNA have given us throughout the years. With that in mind, every week we will take a trip down memory lane highlighting classic Knockout moments and matches until TNA returns with new content in their new home of Destination America.
In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, this week we will take a look back at the 2011 Thanksgiving edition of Impact Wrestling.
While it’s known to be an annual Thanksgiving tradition for the male TNA Superstars to compete in the TNA Turkey Bowl to determine who will wear the dreadful Turkey Suit, the year 2011 saw the idea of a new Thanksgiving tradition for the Knockouts. Instead of competing in a Turkey Bowl, the Knockouts would be competing in the first ever Lingerie Bowl or as I like to call it a Thanksgiving Thunder Thong Throw Down! (Trying saying that three times fast.)
Joined in the ring by the Knockouts Tag Team Champions Gail Kim and Madison Rayne along with her assistant Traci Brooks, the dearly missed Knockouts Vice President Karen Jarrett calls out the rest of the Knockouts to break down how this Lingerie Bowl would work. In this match, the likes of Velvet Sky, Tara and Brooke would team up to take on the team of Angelina Love, Winter and Madison Rayne. The catch? They would all have to do it their skimpiest piece of lingerie. This would satisfy the men (or in the eyes of Karen, the nasty, disgusting, horny, perverted freaks!) who would constantly forward texts, emails and tweets to her office.
Aside from Madison, this strikes a nerve to all the participants. After all they want to be taken as serious athletes and wrestling in your undergarments certainly takes that away. Unfortunately for everyone else, the only “real” athlete Karen sees in the ring is the Knockouts Champion Gail Kim and with that she dismisses the ladies so that they can go to their locker rooms and change appropriately.
Backstage (and not available in video), Christy Hemme interviews Tara, Brooke and Velvet to get their thoughts on this somewhat historic match Karen Jarrett ha put together. Unanimously, they oppose the concept calling it a disgrace to their division but promises to get through it and whatever else that monstrous Vice President may throw at them!
On the contrary, Gail Kim is seemingly all pro for the this Lingerie Bowl, praising Karen for her intelligent idea. (Though that must be easy to do when one isn’t actually participating in the match) To Gail’s surprise, Mickie James shows up and calls out Gail Kim on her very hypocritical actions.
Mickie tells Gail that she actually thought better of Gail with everything she’s said and done prior to returning to TNA. Not flattered by Mickie’s rant, Gail suggests that Mickie James leaves if she’s so upset and soon a brawl breaks out between the two.
It’s Thanksgiving Thunder Thong Throw Down time and before any real action takes place, the Babyface and Heel teams each start things off with a back to back pose off! After doing enough flaunting, the match begins with constant back and forth between both teams. Just when it would seem that the Madison would steal the win by hitting Velvet with her Knockouts Tag Team title while the referee was distracted, in comes hardcore country Mickie James to make a save. She snatches the title from Madison, snaps her from the ropes allowing Velvet to hit the In Yo Face for the win!
While this Knockouts Thanksgiving trend never really followed after 2011, it’s probably for the best. While a yearly tradition for the holidays sound like a good idea, I’d like to see something a bit more creative than the simple fan service that seems so easy to rely on and is something that usually doesn’t do a whole lot for the division.
Still, I must admit that I actually liked this inaugural Lingerie Bowl as there was quite a lot of story telling being told. The Knockouts Tag Team titles Madison and Gail held were being sought out by TNT and the team of Angelina and Winter. There was the main Knockouts title being feuded between Gail and Mickie James; two Knockouts that did not even need to participate in the tag match to build up on their feud. Lastly, there was the continuing tension building between Velvet Sky and her superior Karen Jarrett, which was one of my favorite feuds Velvet has had. I think she played her role as a solo face well across from the bossy queen of the mountain Karen Jarrett who too worked wonders in her role.
Tune in to NXT on the WWE Network at 9pm ET.
Discuss the show in the comments!
On this day in history:
November 28th, 1999 | Sweethearts Stephanie McMahon and Test were set to wed in the main event slot of Raw with all the pomp and circumstance expected from the McMahon family. All went well until Triple H showed up with one big objection: he had already married an unconscious Stephanie at a drive thru chapel. Vince McMahon and Test were livid, but Stephanie was devastated, shouting, “I hate you!” at Triple H. We would soon learn that this was all a plan concocted by Triple H and Stephanie, aimed at getting revenge against Vince for the kidnappings and various abuse Stephanie had suffered since her WWE debut.
What are your memories of this moment?
Holy Moses.
First of all, I definitely have to wish all American readers a Happy Thanksgiving (and if you’re like me, Happy Black Friday that actually begins Wednesday night)! I just got in from doing some spending because I can never own too many TV Show DVD’s, so you can bet your ass the first thing I’m about to do is sit down and indulge in my wrestling spirit animal, Lucha Underground!
I really can’t do this justice to type out a preview for tonights stacked line-up, so I’m going to hold off this week and let everyone head in without my blabbering. Just know we’ve got a lot to cover, and I cannot wait to do so.
First up in tonights bountiful festivities, we head to the ring as our trusty and talented announcer, Melissa Santos, informs that the following lucha is scheduled for one fall. Up first? He is accompanied my benevolent lord and savior of the squared circle, Catrina! He is the one and only, Mil Muertes!~
Together, the duo strut down the entrance steps and into the ring, and might I add Catrina looks pretty darn incredible tonight? Because she does. The terrifyingly terrific twosome step inside the ring and execute their team pose as Catrina hands out the stone for him to kiss before the bell.
Out next is his opponent for the night, Drago! Drago is also known as the luchador with one of the coolest attire/costumes I’ve ever seen. Woo lord, he got in the ring quick. I’m guessing that was an edit, but hey, edits have to be made to fit in the timespan so they have to go somewhere right?
The crowd is immediately into Drago, as Mil ambushes him from behind and begins the beat down. The temple is NOT amused by this, but Mil doesn’t care as he lands a sick chop. Drago runs off the ropes and nails a slick, quick flip off the back, knocking aside a few punches but then getting booted into the corner. He dodges out and hits a kick, before climbing to the top rope and delivering a sick corkscrew crossbody! Mil, being the more powerful of the two though, quickly kicks out.
From there, Mil takes control with a standing powerslam and delivers some boots to the chest and head area. Catrina alert! She slams her hand on the ring apron to cheer her man on, and by the looks of things, it’s certainly paying off as he sends Drago flying to the outside and nearly into the fans. Mil then slides outside the ring and… oh Jesus, a nightmare inducing shot of King Cuerno sitting atop the stage staring down at the match greets us.
Mil slams Drago’s head off various sections of the temple and the crowd gets behind his opponent even louder. Muertes places Drago’s head on the ropes and backs up a bit, taking the referee’s eyesight with him and allowing Catrina to snap his neck! The fans boo our queen of mean, as she just smirks and soaks it all in. Cuerno continues to scout, as Muertes hits a huge powerslam for another near fall.
Suddenly, Muertes spies Cuerno watching and continues the assault. The fans are still quite unhappy, but Drago quickly fixes that with a kick to the side of the head! He begins to fight! Shots and kick combo’s commence, ending it up with a nice leg sweep for a two count. Drago then nails a NICE springboard DDT. Again, just a two count. From here, Drago climbs up top and leaps off, but Mil speeaaaars the loving crap out of him. He’s completely done, as Mil then hoists him up and hits the flatliner. One… two… three! Mil remains undefeated and Catrina enters the ring. We know what this means! She steps over the fallen body of Drago, then proceeds to kneel down and grab his head. Her tongue escapes her mouth and slides up the side of his mask.
#LickOfDeath
Cuerno continues to watch, as Catrina sweeps some dirt on the fallen Drago and celebrates with Mil as the duo engage in a kiss and head to the back. Perfection.
Afterwards, Cuerno walks down the steps and steps inside, crawling towards Drago and delivering a huge sit out driver. He then slithers out and follows in Mil & Catrina’s footsteps as we head to a commercial break.
Backstage, we see Dario Cueto Jr. approach the seductively ferocious team of Mil Muertes and Catrina (Catrina Promo Alert!!!!). He compliments them on Mil’s victory tonight, but Catrina is not here for petty congratulatory messages.
Mil Muertes learned long ago… you can’t keep darkness locked away forever.”
YES. Short, sweet, and with a special serving of on point side-eye. Dario, looking as terrified as I am thrilled, quickly wanders off after finding out what we have all known, in that Catrina will forever be one step ahead of you even on your best day.
Back out to the temple we go, as Melissa Santos introduces our next opponent participating in singles lucha, Son of Havoc! … AND IVELISSE! Okay, she’s not competing. But she’s here, and as the baddest bitch in the building, that’s all I ask.
The pairing appear looking like they just walked out of a Sons of Anarchy style bank robbery, and I love every second of it. I also love the added beard tugging Ivelisse displays, which gains complete bonus points in my book. His opponent for the evening is none other than Mascarita Sagrada!
On a completely unrelated note, I’m adding Melissa Santos to my “How on Earth did a mainstream company never swipe you up and turn you into a star before Lucha Underground?” list. She has got such a great voice for announcing, it’s crazy.
Okay, back to the action. Mascarita greets the entire temple on his way to the ring, and has some of the most inspiring entrance music ever. No matter how inspiring it is though, Ivelisse isn’t having any of it… as made evident by her bending down on one knee and swinging hands in an attempt to mock him.
Following a commercial break, we return as the action gets underway with Son of Havoc and Ivelisse poking fun at Sagrada. This doesn’t last too long though, as Mascarita runs off with a headscissors takedown and Ivelisse heads outside as the bell sounds. Wheelbarrow arm drag, followed up with another variation off the ropes as he rolls through and taunts Team Tough Enough outside the ring. Our temple fans absolutely love Mascarita, but Havoc walks right back in and goes for a choke. He signals for the slam portion of a chokeslam, however, Sagrada rolls through! Just a two count.
Mascarita runs off the ropes, but Ivelisse trips him up! Like Catrina earlier, the crowd is absolutely sickened by her behavior. And also like Catrina, she doesn’t care. Son of Havoc then gains the upper hand with a huge tossing slam and begins beating him down and around the ring. Mascarita up top as Havoc goes for a gorilla press and absolutely nails it, before capitalizing with a beautiful standing moonsault. He starts to gloat, and then…
AND THEN…
Every single remaining prayer I have in this world is answered. A stunning woman dressed in black who we know as Queen of FCW (Hey it was a real title, I’m not JUST stating my opinion), Angela Fong, begins sharply walking down the stairs and scouting the action going on much like Cuerno did earlier, but with a little (okay a lot) less creepiness to it. She looks so badass, I need every piece of information on her character stat!
Okay, focus… focus. Back in the ring, Son of Havoc continues the beatdown… and we get another shot of Angela… and I again begin to lose focus because I’m so happy and completely dead. Havoc nails a huge boot to the chest, and Angela leaves us! No, come back please. But I have to admit, she’s got me intrigued so if you must head out, I understand.
As we go back into our match, Son of Havoc goes for a cover but Sagrada kicks out. Ooooh! He gets thrown out to the side off the ring and Ivelisse drills him with a sick knee to the face. Have I mentioned enough how much I love the interaction managers have here? Because I do. Especially when it involves our baddest bitch kneeing a man in the face. She rolls him back in and taunts the fans, allowing Havoc to obtain a cocky pin cover for a near fall. He goes for a kick, but Mascarita rolls through, runs off the ropes, and dives outside onto Ivelisse! I guess that’s definitely one way to stop her knees.
He snaps Havoc’s neck off the ropes as Ivelisse gets back up and he chases her around the ring! She finally cowers in Son of Havoc’s arms, as Sagara leaps off the top rope and takes Havoc down with a crossbody! Mascarita rolls back inside the ring, with Havoc not far behind, as Sagrada delivers a double headscissors into a victory roll for the pinfall win! Ivelisse channels her inner fury, looking beyond pissed with Havoc’s loss.
Up next, Sexy Star takes on Chavo Guerrero!
Following a commercial break, we return to the Boyle Heights Temple and become greeted by the entrance of Sexy Star! Sexy walks out from the back in a stunning coat, looking a bit more serious and less fun tonight, given what has lead up to this match. Out next is her opponent, Chavo Guerrero, and he looks a bit scary in his poised strut to the ring. Sexy warms herself up inside as the music stops and the bell sounds.
Chavo and Star eye each other down, as she shoves him back to not much avail. Chavo piefaces her, as she runs off the ropes and tries to take him down… again, unfortunately not to much avail. Chavo drags her down by the hair and begins stomping on her face, then hoisting her up and drilling her face into the turnbuckle. He plants a big kiss on her, but she smacks him across the face and dodges out of the way from an attack. Run off the ropes into a hurricanrana! She has a chair!
Sexy bangs it on the canvas and wants to return the favor he paid her, no matter if it costs the win or not. GASP! Sexy Star kicks the referee right in his groin and calls for the DQ, as she blasts the chair around the ring and Chavo begs for her to stop. Suddenly, from behind comes a masked luchador named Pentagon Jr., and he now has the chair. He seems undecided who to strike, but before he can pick, Chavo has Sexy by the hair once again and in comes Fenix!
Fenix leaps off the ropes and kicks the chair right into Pentagon Jr’s face, then hitting a back kick to take Chavo out. From there, Sexy Star runs off the ropes, he hoists her up over himself, and she flies off with a hurricanrana to Pentagon Jr. WOW! Fenix and Sexy pose as they have the upperhand, while Pentagon Jr. and Chavo crawl to the back in anger.
Thoughts: Talk about satisfying! Jesus. I never kept up with spoilers because since this was a new product and all, I wanted to go in knowing as little as possible to make it as exciting as possible, so I had no idea Sexy Star was going to continue having such an impact working with men, and I had absolutely ZERO clue Angela Fong was about to walk out in her black leather. Needless to say I pretty much lost my entire mind throughout this episode, so let’s hit on each person one by one!
Sexy Star is just incredible. I’m not even going to take any shots at WWE or TNA for not embracing intergender because while I think it can work, I do get their sponsors might see it as some sort of domestic-esque issue given how prevelant that has been in the media. Instead, I’m just going to say that I really really enjoy the fact we have an alternative that can embrace it. We don’t need to see it everywhere, and I genuinely believe the fact we don’t see it anywhere else is what makes it so special here.
The booking of this match was just great to me, and it made Sexy Star look so strong. Some might say her low blow was heelish, but I think it was more that she just wanted to beat the shit out of Chavo and if he (the referee) was going to stand in her way of doing that, she was going to take him out. Clearly the fact she grabbed the chair in the first place showed that she didn’t care about winning, so hitting the ref was of no concern to her. Incorporating Fenix and Pentagon Jr is an EXCELLENT choice to me, because while I didn’t cover their three way a few weeks ago since no woman was involved, it was ridiculously insane, they (Fenix and Pentagon) are incredible, and I cannot wait to see what Fenix and Sexy Star can do as a team. We already saw one move tonight, and I absolutely loved it.
Ivelisse was on fire throughout Son of Havoc’s match! I LOVE her attitude and fiestiness. Normally I would hate seeing her majority of the time as a manager because of how much she has to offer in the ring, but given the fact managers can have so much interaction, I’m actually very into it. I wasn’t sure if they were keeping her and Havoc as a team, but I’m so glad they did. They fit perfectly, and I think they bring a different dynamic because Catrina & Mil are a bit more dark and dominant, whereas these two are badasses that may not be able to bulldoze opponents like Mil can, but they’ll do anything to reach the top even if it doesn’t always pay off.
Her involvement throughout was so strong, and not once did I ever forget she was present throughout. A lot of the times, managers tend to just be allowed to stand and clap or slam their hands on the ring. While I don’t mind that, I love when they get to be a force. Ivelisse, given how much of a force she is when competing, is not someone I buy just standing to the side. She is, however, someone I buy whacking her knee into Havoc’s opponents faces and getting taken out by flying dives. She just brings such an edge that I don’t think anyone else has, and that’s what makes this group of women work. They’re all so distinct and bring a different identity to Lucha Underground, but all of them fit and have a place that feels like only they could obtain it. So, so good.
Catrina is, was, and always will be perfect to me. Tonight proved that she can literally say all of two sentences and not only hold my attention, but also both impress and intrigue me to the fullest. Her delivery just never fails. She literally feels unhuman to me (in the best way!) because I have so rarely ever felt this captivated by someone in wrestling. Her mannerisms, the look she gives whoever she’s talking to, the posing… it’s such tiny little trinkets but that’s what makes her her. You’d think I’d run out of things to praise this woman on considering I’ve been doing it on the site since late 2011, but I just don’t because I feel like every time I see her on screen I become more and more blown away by how good she is and continue finding additional credit she deserves to be given.
Going forward, Catrina is someone I eventually do want to see wrestle, especially after viewing Knockouts Knockdown where I was absolutely flabbergasted by how competent and great she looked in the ring. That’s not a knock at her ring work, but instead in the sense that she revealed it was the first bump she had taken in two years so I wasn’t sure what level to expect her on. To me, she looked pretty darn awesome, not even just for someone who hadn’t taken a bump in two years, but for a wrestler period. I think for now, though, she has a role and she fills it very, very well. When the time comes where the story makes sense for her to wrestle, it will be all the more worth it because each and every week, we’re growing to know more about her as Catrina and, at least speaking on my behalf, I’m starting to finally be able to separate her from Maxine. I’ll always love the Maxine character, but no matter how much talent you have, you’ve got to evolve as time goes on and that’s exactly what she’s doing as Catrina. It’s sort of a new step. Sure, the work is as excellent as ever, but it just has a different spin on it, and that’s what I love the most. I cannot wait to see what she brings to us not only the coming weeks, but in 2015 as a whole.
Angela! Jesus lord almighty. Okay, let me give you some backstory for anyone who doesn’t know me. There have only been three contracted women I’ve ever seen wrestle that I have genuinely been beyond upset and forever disgusted over the fact they were not given any chance at all to shine on the main roster (Raw and SmackDown) of WWE. Those three women are Kendall Skye, Maxine, and Angela Fong. The fact that one of them got signed to Lucha Underground? Mindblowing. I was on the floor asking what I’d done to deserve such a treat. But two?… I’m going to need oxygen.
I just loved Angela Fong so much in FCW. To say she had potential would be an understatement, and this girl was given absolutely zero to work with when she got called up. I still to this day have nightmares over the fact that while she was absolutely killing it in every way possible at developmental, most fans only knew her as an interviewer and a ring announcer (so basically she was the original JoJo).
I’m so freaking excited she’s back in a wrestling promotion, and while I knew she was signed from the press release a few months ago, I had no idea she debuted on these tapings at all. To be honest, I had just been assuming she was waiting until their next batch, so imagine my surprise when out she walks wearing all black and scouting that match like nobody’s business. I have zero idea whatsoever where this role is leading, but I’m already 100% in, even if only because she was rocking the black leather and looked like she was ready to kick some ass on her way backstage.
Like Catrina, I do eventually want to see Angela wrestle. Unlike Catrina, however, I have nothing recent to go by, so I’m more than happy with Angela becoming a manager for now until she feels comfortable in her wrestling to be able and have some matches. It’s been a while since she’s stepped inside the ring, and with how much I’ve missed seeing her, I don’t want to rush it and be disappointed. Gradually working her into a role so we get to know more about her is the way to go, and I’m very happy she’s taking on this sort of mysterious talent scout role. I kind of would like to see her form a group, or at least a tag team, if I’m being honest. I just feel like Catrina capitalizes on the dark and mysterious singles valet, whereas Ivelisse has the badass version down too. Seeing Angela with an assortment of people would automatically make her stand out as a manager since we don’t currently have a female doing that, and overall I think even if she debuts with one person, more could be added and it could really take off as something great.
Phew. Okay, I actually somehow survived a show where they blessed me and did exactly as I wanted by spreading women in just about every segment so I could recap it from top to bottom. Thank you Lucha Underground. If there’s anything in wrestling I’m thankful for, it’s you. I’ve said 500 reasons why already, so you know them I’m sure. Just please keep being amazing and never leave me. I don’t need a full fledged women’s division at the moment, and honestly I don’t even really want one right now because I love how special and how unique each of these women feel. With Sexy Star wrestling men, we can still get our wrestling fix and that works just fine for me. You’re doing so much right and it makes me happy that a lot of positive buzz is spreading. Here’s to hoping YOU become the baddest bitch in the professional wrestling building come 2015!
Until next week (hopefully!),
Bobby
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