Each week, The Backpage will wrap up some of the smaller news stories, rumors, editorials and gossip making the rounds in women’s wrestling. Got a tip for next week? Send it in.

*In an Interview with Amarillo Becky Lynch thinks WWE is a year or two away from a women’s Royal Rumble match and she wants to face James Ellsworth in a cage match at SummerSlam. (amarillo.com)

*Tuesday’s SmackDown Live saw an increase in viewership, perhaps based on the women’s MITB Ladder rematch. (Cageside seats)

*Cageside Seats examine a growing issue in the WWE, drawing on justice for Carmella after the MITB rematch, when the heels make more sense than the babyfaces. (Cagesideseats)

*Carmella posted a photo of herself out in the wild as Ms Money in the Bank. (Twitter)

*On the latest Stone Cold Steve Austin podcast Bayley talks about possibly turning heel and how her career is “in a weird spot right now.” (Podcastone)

*Raw was privy to a Divas reunion this past Monday as Sharmell, Torrie Wilson, Eve Torres-Gracie, Candice Michelle, and Christy Hemme posed for some photos. (instagram)

*Though WWE has not confirmed Eva Marie‘s employment status, even though she has not appeared on WWE programming and is done with Total Divas, she is already teasing a return to the ring in a new interview. (toofab)

*Paste Magazine laments that WWE still has a long way to go with proper women and LGBT representation. (Paste)

*WWE releases a new theme song for Nikki Cross. (YouTube)

*WWE Superstars react to the historic Last Woman Standing Match between Asuka and Nikki Cross. (WWE)

*Natalya talks to TVInsider about taking the perfect selfie. (TV Insider)

*Charlotte makes a guest appearance on the Edge and Christian podcast where she talks about competing in MITB and more. (Stitcher)

*Awesome Kong talks to Pro Wrestling Sheet about her role in GLOW and how her new acting career differs from wrestling (Pro Wrestling Sheet)

*Deonna Purrazzo, Jinny, and Amber Nova talk to Mic about what it’s like being a wrestler and how they feel about GLOW. (Mic)

*WWE celebrates a milestone this week as the company hosts three consecutive women’s main events across all brands. (WWE)

*Taya was striped of the Reina de Reinas Championship by AAA and she responds on twitter about the situation. (Twitter)

The post Week Ending July 1, 2017 appeared first on Diva Dirt.

It’s that time of the month, and the GLOW girls find that they’re all on the same cycle … except for Ruth. After some back and forth on the merits of tampons versus pads (especially when applying head-scissors), the girls plan a birthday party for Sheila the She-Wolf. Ruth sneaks out to buy a pregnancy test and, after a long, painful wait, she discovers she is in fact pregnant, presumably from her tryst with Mark.

With Bash gone AWOL, Sam brings Ruth to help scout an old theater as a shooting site for the TV show. Sam has a vision, envisioning a complex lighting scheme, multiple cameras, and other amenities, oblivious to the fact that his producer/money-mark has run out of dough. Still, it’s nice to see grumpy Sam legitimately excited about a project.

And, speaking of Sam, episode 8 is the episode where those clamoring for a view of Marc Maron’s bare ass get their fill. Sam feels he’s losing his authority with the girls as Rhonda has been openly talking about “shagging” him. Sam takes her on a drive, intending to break up with her, only to cut to a scene of the two in bed together. But, when the deed is done, it’s Rhonda who decides to cut the cord with Sam.

“You don’t actually like me, Sam,” Rhonda says. “You’re just afraid to be alone.”

Debbie comes home and gives Mark her signed divorce papers, but he tears them up. He begs her to come back home and give their marriage another shot.

The girls take Sheila out roller-skating for her birthday. Initially reluctant, Sheila winds up having a blast. Ruth steals away, just as Rhonda arrives, fresh off her split with Sam. Ruth returns to The Dusty Spur and makes a phone call.

The next morning, Ruth is sitting outside as Sam pulls up. With no questions asked, Sam drives her to the abortion clinic, making small talk about how he let Rhonda down easy. At the clinic, Sam tries to inject soe humor into a somber moment, claiming that he is Ruth’s husband. “Luckily for us, we both hate children, right honey?” he cracks.

As they wait for Ruth to be called, Sam asks Ruth if she is sure she wants to proceed with the abortion.

“It’s not the right time,” Ruth says. “Not the right baby.”

As the episode ends, Ruth is in stirrups, looking up at a faded painting of a bright blue sky overhead.

The post GLOW, episode 8 review “Not the right time. Not the right baby.” appeared first on Diva Dirt.

To prepare for the Mae Young Classic, WWE is holding a few qualifier matches allowing up and coming talent from NXT to join the 32 women tournament.

This week WWE uploaded its first qualifying match pitting NXT rising talent Aliyah against newbie Bianca BelAir. The match also introduces to new female referee Kennadi Brink.

The women tie up and start mat wrestling. Bianca takes control of the match but Aliyah uses her speed and experience to turn the tide. Aliyah does a beautiful baseball slide into a leg lariat as she attempts to put Bianca away.

Aliyah tries to slow Bianca down but she’s having none of it. She throws Aliyah into the ropes and then uses her hair as some creative offense to whip Aliyah across the stomach!

Aliyah, looking angry and surprised, starts making her way to her feet but Bianca comes at her full force with clubbing fists. She then displays her power by picking Aliyah up and squatting before slamming her down on the mat. She continues her dominance by holding Aliyah down in a submission working her back and arms.

Bianca picks up Aliyah in a chicken wing and throws her down into the mat. She snapmares her into the ground and continues working her arms, shoulders and back with a chicken wing submission.

Bianca attempts another chicken wing slam but Aliyah reverses it with a roll up. Aliyah begins making a comeback with clothes lines and a swinging neckbreaker. She tries to put Bianca away with a northern lights suplex but it’s not enough. Aliyah continues fighting Bianca but Bianca uses her strength again to hoist her up into a neck breaker on her knee.

Aliyah slowly rises but Bianca plants her with a spear for the win.

Thoughts: I already like Bianca from what little I’ve seen of her and that’s a really good sign. I must say, I’m elated WWE is holding these matches to show us who these women really are.

While NXT sorts itself out there are plenty of women at the PC just waiting for a shot and matches like this help acclimate the audience to new women on the scene and shows what they can do. Every bit helps the audience become intrigued by these new faces.

Bianca already shows much promise with her strength and creative hair whip. I was living for that moment and so was the crowd, judging from their surprised reaction. She’s already set herself apart from the competition with her power. She does not hold back. Her look and attitude already sets her apart. I get a feel right now that she’s a cross between Jacqueline and Jazz, a power house who won’t take any crap. This is great and already sets a foundation for her character, which presumably will be fleshed out through this tournament and her arrival on the NXT roster.

This was also a good outing by Aliyah. Her gimmick is still super flat and that’s a shame but she’s still very young, in her early 20s, so there’s time to grab hold of something unique. Her experience plays well here with Bianca. Aliyah is definitely someone to watch because she has the skills, that baseball slide into the lariat was super smooth and she’s coming along with her power moves. I can see her going far in the future, but right now she’s doing her job well as enhancement for more inexperienced girls. Hey, that role is OK and I’m certain she’ll eventually get her due. Before the Four Horsewomen became what they are, most of them were in the background helping the other girls come up. Everyone has to start somewhere.

What did you think of this qualifying match? Are you impressed by Bianca? Sound off in the comments below.

The post Mae Young Classic Qualifier: Aliyah vs Bianca BelAir appeared first on Diva Dirt.

It’s official, the Female Terminator will make her return to Berwyn.

It’s been announced on social media that at RISE 3 – MEDIC this coming Friday night, 2-time SHIMMER Champion and star of El Rey Network’s hit series Lucha Underground Cheerleader Melissa will make her RISE debut to take on one of the faces of Women of Honor Deonna Purrazzo, in what is sure to get the crowds buzzing. In regards to the announcement, RISE founder Kevin Harvey said on Twitter; “I’ve never been the best at keeping secrets…”

Here is the announcement on Twitter that got some fans buzzing:

One major Berwyn, IL debut, one major return. Join us July 7 to witness @DeonnaPurrazzo's direct challenge of the one, the only… pic.twitter.com/bxQUiqILJK

— RISE Wrestling (@RISEdtwa) July 1, 2017

It has been nearly a year since Melissa set foot inside the Berwyn Eagles Club, and while many things have changed since she last appeared in SHIMMER, she would be more poised to show why she’s the best at her profession. While Deonna is no pushover, she has some major upside due to clashes in Ring Of Honor with Kelly Klein and others. While a win for Deonna will rise stock even more, but a win for Melissa means she has not lost her step inside the ring. It should be a most talked about match as this is the first time these two women’s wrestling stars square off in the ring.

Also on that night, we will see Phoenix of RISE Champion Shotzi Blackheart take on Angel Dust in a Dog Collar Match as well as Rosemary vs. Delilah Doom and other solid action featuring Hudson Envy, Kikyo, Britt Baker, Chelsea Green and others. RISE 3 – MEDIC will officially kickoff an epic SHIMMER weekend with higher expectations and plenty of good old fashioned women’s wrestling action in Chicago.

Stay tuned to Diva Dirt throughout the weekend for RISE and SHIMMER results. Matches from this weekend will be available soon on ClickWrestle.

What do you think about the news? Discuss in the comments below!

The post Cheerleader Melissa to make RISE debut appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Tonight at Slammiversary TNA Impact Women’s Champion Rosemary will face GFW Women’s Champion Sienna in a Women’s Title Unification Match. It’s out with the old and in with the new as TNA rebrands itself as GFW, affecting all titles tonight.

Who will walk out a unified champion? The Diva Dirt team weighs in:

Abir: With Sienna being GFW Women’s champion, that would make it seem like she’s the obvious choice to win with TNA essentially becoming GFW now. On top of that, Rosemary will have the upper hand due to how unpredictable she can be. So with that, I say Rosemary will win!

Alex: While I’m a big fan of the character development that Sienna has had lately, Rosemary has been a great fighting Champion and I can see her getting the victory. It’s mainly due to the bigger program here, where we will inevitably Rosemary take on the ever-present Gail Kim. What better way to set her up for Gail than to go over the next biggest threat, unify the title on TNA’s big PPV and make her look badder and stronger than ever before.

Josue (who submitted his prediction last week): I wish I could be more excited for this match but there’s a lack of enthusiasm over a lack of real story here and the Knockouts division itself. This match (as well the World Heavyweight Title scene) are merely a way to get rid of the GFW Titles – which never had any true legs to stand on. I’m pretty confident that the Knockouts Championship will continue its lineage post Slammiversary, with maybe a new ‘Impact’ design to go with it. As much as I loved Taryn Terrell, Rosemary has been an absolute star for the division and if anyone is going to break Taryn’s record as the longest reigning Knockouts Champion, I’d love for it to be Rosemary! So I’m going to go with Rosemary for the win!

Matthew: I have to go with Rosemary on this one.

Stephanie: I must admit, I’m not as caught up on Impact as much these days but I’m going with Rosemary for the win. She’s stood out in a sea of mediocrity as the Knockout Division continues to face an up hill battle in reorganizing itself. She’s a driving force and an integral part of the division, especially in this story where she’s slowly turning face due to her budding friendship with good girl Allie. Sienna needs more development and this match is a good place to start while having Rosemary continue her reign. Gail Kim awaits Rosemary at the top of the mountain.

BREAKDOWN: 5 for Rosemary, 0 for Sienna

RELATED: The 2017 Team Diva Dirt PPV Prediction Scoreboard

Who do you agree with? Who is just dead wrong? What are your predictions? Sound off in the comments below!

The post Slammiversary Predictions: Rosemary vs Sienna in a Women’s Title Unification match appeared first on Diva Dirt.

A tale as old as time, two former friends turn on each other and all hell breaks loose. Tonight on Slammiversary Davey Richards and Angelina Love and Eddie Edwards‘ and Alisha Edwards‘ feud gets turned up a notch as they compete in a mixed tag Full Metal Mayhem Match. Which team of lovebirds will walk out the winners? The Diva Dirt team weighs in:

Abir: The breakdown of the American Wolves managed to incorporate the wives of both members into the feud despite the little build it has received. Full Metal Mayhem sounds like it would be a chaotic and wild stipulation but it’s really just a TLC match. I don’t expect this one to be a standout performance due to their previous interactions being somewhat lacklustre but I do see Eddie and Alisha Edwards walking away with the victory.

Alex: I feel this is their feud-ending match and the heels have had the edge, pretty much all the way throughout. I see the team of Eddie and Alisha Edwards picking up the big face victory and feel good moment of the big PPV atmosphere. Here’s to hoping Angelina sticks around after this program though, because I have loved seeing her back!

Josue (who submitted his prediction last week): As I’ve said a few weeks ago, I think Angelina and Alisha being off television has cooled down the feud. Otherwise, it’s been the best feud Impact has put out this year! There’s emotion, an ongoing story of former friends and just back and forth brutality which will all end here. For this match, I’m hoping we’ll see something similar to the Monster’s Ball match from Slammiversary 2009 between Taylor Wilde/Abyss vs. Daffney/Raven. Davey and Angelina have had the ‘last laugh’ for most of this feud so I’m going with Eddie and Alisha Edwards coming out on top at Slammiversary. Alisha really needs the win here if she’s going to be more than “Eddie’s wife” and enter the Knockouts division full time; a win over a veteran like Angelina, in some form, would help give that rub.

Matthew: Alisha & Eddie Edwards get the win over Angelina Love and Davey Richards

BREAKDOWN: 4 for Eddie and Alisha Edwards, 0 for Davey Richards and Angelina Love

RELATED: The 2017 Team Diva Dirt PPV Prediction Scoreboard

Who do you agree with? Who is just dead wrong? What are your predictions? Sound off in the comments below!

The post Slammiversary Predictions: Full Metal Mayhem Mixed Tag Team match – Angelina Love and Davey Richards vs. Alisha Edwards and Eddie Edwards appeared first on Diva Dirt.

On this day in history:

July 3rd, 2003 | Stephanie McMahon‘s issues with her father often brought her to some undesirable circumstances, and this time was no different. Stephanie hated Vince McMahon‘s mistress Sable, and this conflict led to him booking her in a No Holds Barred, No DQ Handicap match that teamed her with one-legged WWE hopeful Zach Gowen to face the Big Show. Vince and Sable watched at ringside as Big Show tossed Stephanie around, and when he got involved in the match himself, Stephanie slapped her father across the face. Big Show was about to avenge his boss with a chokeslam to Stephanie when Kurt Angle came to the rescue, setting it up so Zach could get the pin and, as per the stipulation of the match, earn himself a WWE contract.

What are your memories of this moment?

Also occurring today in history:
* 7/3/86 – Velvet McIntyre defeats The Fabulous Moolah to win the Women’s Title.
* 7/3/14 – Gail Kim defeats Angelina Love to become a four-time Knockouts Champion.

The post Today in History: Stephanie McMahon & Zach Gowen vs. Big Show appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Hello Knockout fans and welcome to Diva Dirt’s Slammiversary Review! While Slammiversary is already in the books, the future of the newly re-branded Global Force Wrestling is starting to look a little bit promising as we have seen a new Unified GFW Women’s Champion as well as feud that should have a closing chapter. Let’s go straight to the action.

In the first match featuring Eddie Edwards and Alisha Edwards vs. Davey Richards and Angelina Love, it has been a rivalry between the two married couples over jealousy and everything else in between. And being a first-ever Full Metal Mayhem mixed tag team match, anything can happen.

It all starts with Eddie and Alisha delivering a sneak attack from behind to Richards and Love as they make their entrances to start the battle. The two teams brawl around the ringside area and Alisha nailed a splash off the top onto Richards and Love. Eddie and Alisha whacked Dave and Angelina with trash can lids, then for good measure they put the garbage cans over the two of them. Then they used kendo sticks to hit their opponents through the trash can. Eddie powerbombs his wife onto Davey for the count of two. Eddie goes for a second powerbomb on Davey Richards, but Angelina makes the save with a kendo stick. Richards hits a brainbuster on Eddie, then Angelina brings a cup of metal thumbtacks into the ring. Davey holds Eddie and Angelina pours those painful thumbtacks into Eddie’s face. Alisha makes the game-changing save and spears Angelina. Alisha hits some low blows on Davey, then Eddie hits a running knee on him. Angelina is bleeding from the bridge of her nose, but that what happens when you’re in a match of this nature. Alisha then powerbombs Angelina off a ladder through a table in the corner while Eddie and Davey fight on the top of the ladder. That leads to Eddie nailing a sunset flip powerbomb off the ladder, in turn putting Davey Richards through the table for the win.

The next match will unify the GFW and Impact Wrestling Women’s Titles as Rosemary takes on Sienna to see who walks out as Unified Champion.

Impact Wrestling Hall of Famer Gail Kim comes out to the ring before the match and he holds up the two Championship Belts. Rosemary kicks things off with strikes as well as a Russian leg sweep for a two count.

Rosemary then tosses Sienna to the outside, where she gets into an argument with Laurel Van Ness and her cousin KM. Rosemary takes full advantage of the distraction with a splash off the top onto Sienna on the padded floor.

Back in the ring, Sienna bounces back with a suplex and a boot to the face. Sienna unleashes some more brutal kicks until Rosemary comes back with a choke over the top rope. Rosemary takes Sienna up to the top turnbuckle and delivers a German suplex down to the mat.

Rosemary goes back up top and puts Sienna down with a missile dropkick. Rosemary hits a flying forearm shot in the corner, then a T-bone suplex. Rosemary misses a kick, and Sienna capitalizes with a splash in the corner, but Rosemary comes back with a boot to the head of Sienna for another two count. Sierra starts to come back, but Rosemary puts a stop to the momentum with the Red Wedding. Laurel runs in and pulls referee Earl Hebner out of the ring to distract him, but Allie chases her out with a kendo stick.

Meanwhile in the ring Sienna hits Rosemary in the head with the GFW Women’s Title Belt. Hebner rolls back in the ring and counts, but Rosemary kicks out at 2. Rosemary goes for the mist, but Sienna rejects it. This leads to Sienna blocking the Red Wedding and locking Rosemary in a variation of a guillotine choke for the win.

Thoughts: I thought the Full Metal Mayhem matchup really looked great from a fan’s perspective. While I hope that this ends the Eddie/Alisha vs. Davey/Angelina rivalry, this might not be over. With Bound For Glory coming up, expect this to be a war between the feuding couples.

As far as the Sienna/Rosemary matchup goes, everybody (Including us) were made fools of by picking Rosemary. I’m hoping that this might be a long and hateful feud between the two.

What did you think of Slammiversary? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Slammiversary Review: Endings And Beginnings appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Dan_Murphy | Diva Dirt

Photo: Joe Capristo

Tessa Blanchard
5’5’’, 125, Charlotte
2016 PWI Female 50 Ranking: 38
Previous wrestling identity: n/a

Bio: Third-generation grappler is the daughter of Four Horseman Tully Blanchard and the granddaughter of wrestler/promoter Joe Blanchard, though she was raised by her stepfather, wrestler Magnum TA. That’s a lot of wrestling in the family, and Tessa has absorbed some of the finer points of the game by association. Blanchard trained under George South and made her pro debut in 2014. In three short years, she has become one of the most buzzworthy female stars on the independent circuit. Blanchard inherited her father’s cocky personality and terrific promo ability and has excelled as a hell, winning the SHIMMER tag team title with Vanessa Kraven in November 2016.

Style: Mouthy heel that will do anything to win. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

What to Watch For: Primarily a brawler, she has a superb slingshot suplex and an underrated submission game. Opponents who think assume she’s green and coasting by on her famous surname are in for a surprise.

Biggest Strength: Lack of scruples. Blanchard will do anything to win a match. She has made it absolutely clear that she wants to make it in WWE, and the Mae Young Classic is her opportunity. Look for her to try to make and break alliances, cheat, and pull out every dirty trick she needs to in order to advance.

Biggest Weakness: Experience. Blanchard has only been wrestling for three years. Her stamina, technical know-how, and determination are still largely untested. She’s not the strongest in the field, nor the best pure wrestler, nor the best high-flier, but she absolutely has the biggest mouth. That could make her a target, and she may not have the skills to back up the checks her mouth writes.

Diva-Dirt Odds of Winning: 4:1

Summary: Let’s face it – WWE would probably love to have Blanchard on its roster. She has the name and the look that WWE covets. Storylines with Charlotte and Natalya write themselves. But Blanchard needs to prove that she is able to stand on her own and prove that she deserves a spot. Win or lose, the Mae Young Classic promises to be her coming-out party.

Photo:. PerformDailyFitness.com

Sarah Logan
5’5’’, 129, Jeffersonville
2016 PWI Female 50 Ranking: 41
Previous wrestling identity: Crazy Mary Dobson

Bio: Logan made her pro debut in 2011 after training under her mentor, Madman Pondo. She cut her teeth in hardcore matches and captured the JCW tag team title with Pondo in 2015. With her signature Friday the 13th-style goalie mask and unorthodox ring style, Crazy Mary developed into a favorite on the independents. Over the past couple years, Logan has made a concerted effort at building muscle mass through a comprehensive powerlifting training regimen. She has also looked to add more dives and power moves into her offensive repertoire. She signed a WWE developmental contract in October 2016.

Style: Logan’s style coming into the Mae Young Classic is an unknown. In the past, she has favored a high-risk, brawling style that has made her a fan favorite on the independents. Hardcore isn’t in vogue in WWE these days, so she may be tempted to tone down the brawling and rely more on power and conditioning, which would give her an edge over much of the field. But, crazy is as crazy does … when push comes to shove, don’t be surprised to see Logan put her body on the line to get an advantage and to pop the crowd.

What to Watch For: The split-legged moonsault, the headstand knee drop.

Biggest Strength: Unpredictability. Logan enters the tournament with a proven brawling background and impressive physical strength. She’s also been known to come off the ropes and to grapple. Despite her six years in the game, she’s difficult to scout. Her ring style seems to be in transition at the moment, and her opponents are going to have to guess as to what they’re going to see when they step in the ring with her.

Biggest Weakness: Immaturity. As Crazy Mary, Logan frequently threw matches away by opting for flashy moves and dives instead of going for the win while she could. If she’s going to advance in this tournament, she needs to be smarter. She doesn’t have to win on style points; she has to score pinfalls to advance. That means she may have to be more conservative than she has been in the past. At 23 years old, she need to remind herself to take things slowly, take things one match at a time, and not take unneeded risks that could cause her to be eliminated.

Diva-Dirt Odds of Winning: 9:1

Summary: Logan has plenty of potential and figures to be a player in NXT in the future, but we suspect she’ll need just a bit more seasoning in developmental before she’s ready to take that next step. Expect her to advance in the opening round and perhaps into the quarterfinals, but once her more experienced opponents have a chance to scout her out and adapt, she’s likely to get bounced.

Dan_Murphy | Diva Dirt

For more history and profiles of women wrestlers, check out Sisterhood of the Squared Circle at https://www.amazon.com/Sisterhood-Squared-Circle-History-Wrestling/dp/1770413073

The post Mae Young Classic profiles and analysis: Tessa Blanchard, Sarah Logan appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Tonight is Raw’s go home show before Great Balls of Fire where Sasha Banks will square off against Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship.

WWE‘s preview for tonight’s show is as follows:

“Sasha Banks emerged triumphant in Raw’s historic first Women’s Gauntlet Match, earning the right to challenge Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship at the WWE Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view event.

The post Raw Discussion Post: July 3rd, 2017 appeared first on Diva Dirt.

A disheveled Bash reappears after being MIA for two weeks, showing up late for a meeting with KDTV executives and trying to throw a curveball, asking if he can shoot GLOW at a TV studio. The executives and director Sam Sylvia are unamused. When Bash tells Sam that he doesn’t have the cash to procure a venue, Sam tells the girls that GLOW is officially “on hiatus.”

Unwilling to give in, the girls decide to throw a fund-raiser to try to come up with the $9,000 needed for the venue. Unfortunately, their bikini car wash yields less than $300.

Things are looking grim when Bash tried a desperation move, bringing the girls to his mother’s “Just Say No” fundraiser, passing them off as 14 former crack addicts who found redemption through pro wrestling. Several of the wealthy right-wing attendees open their pocket books. Bash’s mother confiscates the checks but offers up a family property where he can hold the TV tapings. GLOW is officially off hiatus.

Not one to schmooze with high society folks, Sam slips off to a bedroom where he shares cocaine with the party musicians, doing lines off a framed photogram of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Sam opens up about his next movie, “Mothers and Lovers,” and starts running down aspects of the plot which, it turns out, bears several similarities to the newly released “Back to the Future.”

Sam is shattered and spends the rest of the night getting drunk and listening to albums. Justine finds him and begins to talk to him. Sam mistakes her attention for flirting and goes to kiss her when Justine cuts him off and tells her that she is his daughter, the result of a one-night stand. Sam reacts angrily, asking what she wants from him and she runs out of the room in tears.

The post GLOW, episode 9 review “I’m your daughter.” appeared first on Diva Dirt.

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Goodness gracious, Great Balls of Fire! We’re a couple days away from WWE’s newest event and despite what you think of the name, last week’s RAW Main event saw Sasha Banks being crowned as the #1 Contender for Alexa Bliss’ RAW Women’s Championship. Who would make an impression heading into this encounter, which has been brewing since their brief encounters in NXT! It’s time for the RAW Redux!

Our first match of the night sees the super popular babyface team of Bayley and Sasha Banks take on the allies… frenemies… team of Nia Jax and RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss! The faces are particularly perky with an entrance that would reminded me of Mickie James and Melina leap frogging down to the ring in 2008. Meanwhile, the heel team are set for revenge after coming out on the short side last week.

Bayley and Nia start off the match and it’s your usual combination of Bayley trying to outspeed the bigger competitor, but not being able to bring her down to the mat. She tags in Sasha who also does the same routine, but manages to dropkick Nia out of the ring. Upon re-entering the ring, Nia pushes Bayley off the apron and into the ring barricade! She finishes Bayley off with one dangerous running knee into the barricade, which causes the referee to intervene as we head to a commercial break.

When we come back from the break, we see that Bayley has been taken to the back to seek more medical advice. In the ring, Sasha is mixing it up with Alexa in what has now become a handicap match. Generally, Sasha seems to have the better of Alexa until she tags in Nia, who is quick to turn the tide of the match.

Towards the end of the match, the numbers game is clearly in favour of the heels. That’s until Alexa misses her knee drop, which gives time for Sasha to hit a variant of Shining Wizard. There’s a little sloppy exchange by the corner, but Sasha hits her crossed-arm neckbreaker and kicks Nia out of the ring. Alexa clubs her from behind and attempts to go for her DDT, but Sasha swings around and locks in the Banks Statement! Alexa Bliss taps out in defeat, Sasha rolls out the ring to celebrate, while the heels bicker in the ring. Sasha has managed to defeat the numbers game and get the edge over the Champion moving into the big one!

Post-match, Sasha talks to WWE.com to show that she’s ready to prove how much of a coward Champion Alexa is and win back her RAW Women’s Championship!

Later on in the night, Charly Caruso catches Alexa backstage to ask her how she feels going into Great Balls of Fire with a loss. Alexa is quick to dismiss her, saying that she let Sasha win and that her opinion doesn’t matter because she’s holding a Championship title and Charly is just holding a microphone. Burn.

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the card we saw the lovely return of Alicia Fox! Since appearing to suffer an injury at Extreme Rules, Alicia’s boyfriend Noam Dar has run into troubles with old enemy and Alicia’s ex Cedric Alexander. Unfortunately, despite being at her man’s side, Noam came up short and the problems are still not over between this trio!

Thoughts: In short, good move for speed booking – but forgettable overall. It’s clear to me that this Alexa VS Sasha feud has been rushed as some sort of panic Plan B ahead of this PPV. We have seen the booking of the entire division as a chaotic mess, only to see them go for their biggest and most popular face to take the safest option. As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, it’s not a bad move because Sasha isn’t doing anything and the Alexa/Bayley feud was a dud… but we are in this situation of a two-tiered division.

The reason why RAW got real boring, real fast last year, was because the division revolved around 4 women. Months later and it’s still the same case, but with Alexa in there instead of Charlotte. What’s worse about now is the completely inconsistent booking – it wasn’t long ago when we had Sasha teasing a heel turn against Bayley. Don’t even get me started on the Alexa/Nia partnership, one minute they’re mates, the next Nia wants to rip Alexa’s head off. It’s disengaged me, put them together or don’t, you can’t just switch between the two. Also, what happened to the other 3 women? Why can’t they be players in the bigger picture?

That brings me onto my point to address some comments I saw last week, where people say that DD are just pushing a pro-SmackDown agenda… because we aren’t. Each writer has their own opinions and gets to write about out it, simple as that. SmackDown managed to actively delegate time to push 7 women. In that same amount of time, RAW has managed to push 4 and bury 3. MITB was a fun match that showcased all the women, while the gauntlet was 20 minutes of Nia Jax running into people – and if you read my reduxes, you will know that I have ranted about her lack of moves for the past year. Sure it was a different match and I appreciated the storytelling slower approach, but that’s like comparing a good main course at your favourite restaurant to a 4* Michelin 3 course meal.

However, I do have to also acknowledge that this week Nia DIDN’T DO HER RUNNING AVALANCHE! For the first time since her debut, I’m pretty sure this is the first time we haven’t seen Nia run into someone to switch the dynamic of the match. Sure that may have happened on the commercial break, but I didn’t see it and it made a difference! There’s other ways for her to shrug off her smaller opponents instead of just running into them!

Overall, it bugs me that they have a situation of a two-tiered division. Even after Great Balls of Fire, I can only see the main 4 players getting involved in the title scene since they keep teasing Alexa VS Nia. It’s almost too late now for any of the other women to legitimately look like a threat and it says a lot about how terrible their booking has been, they’ve literally crushed all of Emma’s momentum in 4 weeks… but I’ll save that for another time.

Moving forward, I really hope that Sasha and Alexa can pull it out the bag this weekend. It’s a combination that we haven’t seen since their brief days in NXT, but Alexa has evolved so much since then. It’s just annoying that this was a bit rushed, because there was so much more potential to make this feud bigger and better. But who knows, this may the first match of a good lengthy program? Everyone will definitely have their eyes on Alexa as she gets another chance to prove the nay-sayers wrong in single competition. I’m not on the edge of my seat, but I’m curious about how this match will turn out.

Also, Happy 4th July to all our American readers!

Are you looking forward to Great Balls Of Fire? Do you think this match will be the end or the start of this feud? Do you think Bayley is being written out of the show for awhile? You know what to do in the comments!

The post RAW Redux (Jul 3rd, 2017): The Boss defies the odds! appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Below are spoilers taped last night for this Thursday’s GFW Impact.

The post GFW Impact Wrestling Spoilers: July 6th, 2017 appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Ember Moon recently returned to NXT after suffering a shoulder injury a few months ago. In a recent interview with WWE she explains how she’s changed since then.

On her injury: “I had a grade-one AC joint tear or, in layman terms, a separated shoulder. The first two weeks after the injury, I was mostly only allowed to rest. Resting was the hardest part because I’m used to being in the game. I’m used to being at the WWE Performance Center six hours a day, training and working on getting better. After two weeks, I was able to get more aggressive with electrotherapy and light weight-training. I would start with two pounds and then bump up to five pounds, then 10 pounds, etc. It got to a point that instead of training six hours of day, I was doing therapy for six hours a day.”

On how the injury changed her: “Two months ago, Ember Moon thought she was invincible. I thought I could take the world by storm with no consequences. When I lost to Asuka, I began a downward spiral, which culminated with my injury. When you lose the ability to do what you love, it makes you rethink some life decisions, and I realized I needed to make some changes. Today I realize I’m not invincible, but I’m also in a much better mindset because I am truly ready for anything, and I train to make sure that’s the case.”

On her drive to succeed: “I’ve always been a family-oriented person. I always tried to be the perfect daughter or the perfect sister, and I’ve always tried to do everything I could for everyone else throughout my life. Wrestling was the first thing in my life that I was able to do for me. I have a lot of heart and passion that was given to me by my grandfather. Before he passed away, he told me that if my goal was to make it to WWE, don’t let anyone take that goal away from me. I guess you could say that drive has made me a little stubborn because I truly feel the ring is my home and it’s where I belong at all times. The feeling of relaxation that someone gets when they sit down on their couch after a long day of work is the same feeling I get every time I step into a ring. Ever since I started wrestling, I’ve had people doubt how much I can achieve. But now that I’m back inside my home, I’m going start proving people wrong all over again.”

Read the full interview here.

What do you think about Ember’s journey? Sound off in the comments below.

The post Ember Moon reevaluates herself after returning to NXT appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Tonight Lana gets another opportunity at the SmackDown Women’s Championship as she faces off against Naomi.

WWE‘s preview for tonight is as follows:

“After making claims of a controversial ending in her previous title opportunity, Lana has been granted another chance to challenge SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi tonight on SmackDown LIVE.

Shortly after her quick defeat at the hands of Naomi last Tuesday, Lana took to Twitter and pointed out that her shoulder was off the mat as the champion pinned her for the three-count, also throwing some shade at the referees and WWE officials in the process.

The post SmackDown Discussion Post: July 4th, 2017 appeared first on Diva Dirt.

On this day in history:

July 5th, 2004 | Nidia got the win of a lifetime when she defeated Molly Holly and Victoria in a “Contract on a Pole” match. It won her a shot at Trish Stratus‘s Women’s Title, and she seemed to be up for the challenge. She probably didn’t expect that shot would come immediately, though. Trish struck while the iron was hot, coming to the ring and clocking Nidia with her cast, pinning her and easily retaining her title.

What are your memories of this moment?

The post Today in History: Trish Stratus gives Nidia a Women’s Title Shot…and a Cast Shot appeared first on Diva Dirt.

It’s time to look at the season finale of GLOW, and there’s more swerves than the Vince Russo School of Driving.

First of all, Sam has gone on a two-week bender after finding out Justine is his daughter. “I didn’t take it well,” he tells Ruth when he finally shows up at The Dusty Spur smelling like a distillery. The fact that he tried to bang is own daughter is something right out of his script for “Mothers and Lovers,” his Oedipal time travel script that will likely never be made.

Justine has also gone AWOL, but most concerning of all is that Debbie (Liberty Belle) is apparently quitting as well, saying she needs to leave the Spur and move back in with Mark if she wants to make her marriage work. Note to Debbie: Mark is swinging way out of his league. Get out, take the young’un, and don’t look back.

With Sam in the lurch and the main event in jeopardy, Ruth has taken the reins, looking to save the show. Ruth gets the girls to the venue, re-works the card, and takes charge with the camera men, looking to preserve Sam’s vision.

The house is light so the girls cross the street to a movie theater (showing “Back to the Future,” the bane of Sam’s existence) and offer people $10 each to come and fill seats, using pocket money and leftover cash from the bikini car wash.

At bell time, there’s a ring and a packed house, but no Sam and no Liberty Belle. Brittanica and Beirut open, but both women are stunned to see how much heat Beirut drew, with Brittanica getting hit square in the eye by a beer can pitched as the so-called terrorist.

Machu Picchu manages to get in the ring without another anxiety attack, but is still paralyzed by stage fright until she hears her father, Goliath Jackson, chanting her name in the crowd in perhaps the most heartwarming moment of the series. She comes to life and defeats Welfare Queen with a power bomb.

Sam shows up to take in the rest of the card from the balcony and is eventually joined by Justine, who explains she just wanted to get to know her father.

The new main event turns out to be Zoya the Destroya and Fortune Cookie against the Beatdown Biddies. The heels win a lopsided bout, but then Zoya turns on her partner and pins her to win the GLOW crown.

But before Zoya can take the crown back to the motherland, Debbie stands up in the audience and issues a challenge. She is attended the show, ostensibly to support the girls (much to the chagrin of Mar who finds the whole thing “silly”; again, dump his ass, Deb), but Debbie is wearing her Liberty Belle leotard under her clothes. She comes off the crowd and she and Debbie have their match which sees Liberty Belle climb to the TOP rope and hit her cross-body block finisher for the win.

The crowd goes nuts … until Welfare Queen comes out, cuts a brief promo, whispers that Sam sent her out, slams Belle and wins the crown. So much for sending the crowd home happy.

When Debbie and Ruth confront Sam after the show, Sam reminds them that wrestling is all about story-telling. “The money is in the chase,” he says.

Bash frantically delivers the tape to the network and the episode ends as the girls settle in to watch it on TV, wondering whether the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling will be any good.

The post GLOW, episode 10 review “The money is in the chase.” appeared first on Diva Dirt.

GFW continued to film episodes of Impact last night. The episodes build out of Sunday’s Slammiversary pay-per-view (PPV) and should air later this month.

The post GFW Impact Wrestling Spoilers: July 13th – July 20th, 2017 appeared first on Diva Dirt.

To know Holidead, you’ve got to know the dark side of the woman. Debuting in 2015, this wrestler has made appearances for Women of Wrestling, Vendetta Pro Wrestling, STARDOM, Sabotage Wrestling and many others, and has been thriving on the indy scene as a singles competitor or as a tag team with Thunder Rosa as 1/2 of Twisted Sisterz.

In an exclusive interview conducted by Diva Dirt’ Matthew (With major thanks to Sabotage Wrestling officials), Holidead discusses her origins as well as the upcoming Sabotage Wrestling event, teaming with Thunder Rosa, and other topics.

How did Holidead begin her career?

Holidead began her career training under the tutelage of the Vampire Warrior Gangrel, someone with a darkside himself taught me how to embrace my inner demons and turn it into something beautiful, for me that was beautiful violence. He guided me from a little pup to whatever you see before you today. He taught me how to take my anger and make it work for me. Under his guidance from the beginning and still today I continue to grow and learn from every day.

When you’re up against Mariachi Loco, what do you expect to see in that matchup?

I expect a lot, a whole lot. Contrary to popular belief I actually have a lot of respect for Loco as a wrestler, his dancing is another story, that I think is deplorable and should be banned from every ring, bar, dance floor from here to beyond the border. But as a wrestler I think Mariachi Loco is one of the most underrated talents not in Southern California but in professional wrestling period. I feel he is overlooked and under appreciated, having been in the ring with him in a tag capacity on a few occasions I can attest to that. He’s made me reach deep down in myself and I’ve done things in the ring I’ve never done with anyone else at that point. The thing I love about this business is challenges, and he is someone I have wanted to fight one on one for quite some time now. Mariachi by chance if you are reading this I want you to know that I’m on the edge…Push Me!!!….

It seems that Twisted Sisterz are becoming a dominant force in the women’s wrestling scene. What is it like to work with Thunder Rosa, who is also appears on Lucha Underground as Kobra Moon?

Not to toot any horns but I like to think Thunder Rosa and I were making waves, whether big or small, but making them nonetheless as singles competitors and still doing so. But when two forces come together it’s like a movement. It’s great working with Thunder. We fought each other several times before finally getting on the same page. We know each other inside and out. We both have the same mind frame and work ethic and same measurement (close enough) of crazy so we just naturally mesh well and compliment each other. I’m excited to see what the future holds for the Twisted Sisterz, we are up for any challenge, man, woman, demon, what have you.

What are your thoughts on Sabotage GM Donovan Troi?

My thoughts on Donavan Troi are endless, he reminds me of someone who didn’t get enough hugs as a child, someone who was picked on for being different. I say this because I can relate, because I know, but the difference is we took different paths to embrace being scarred. He chooses to hide behind a title of power and throw out ridiculous stipulations every chance he gets. Myself on the other hand I like to physically take out my aggression. I think Donavan should try legitimately getting his hands dirty. If he ever grows a pair I’d love to show him around the darkside of the ring.

Aside from Sabotage this August, do you have other events lined up?

Other places to see the darkside for the time being are :
7/7/2017 – All Star Wrestling – Surrey, British Columbia
7/8/2017 – Inland Pro Wrestling – Spokane, WA.
7/14/2017 -Shine Wrestling – Ybor City, FL.
7/16/2017 – The Knockout Room – Sunrise, FL.
7/18/2017 Pro Wrestling 2.0 – Orlando, FL.
7/21/2017 – Total Championship Wrestling – Austin, TX
7/22/2017 – Texas Wrestling Federation – Seguin, TX
7/23/2017 – FEST Wrestling – Gainsvile, FL
8/5/2017 – Sabotage Wrestling – San Diego, CA.
8/6/2017 – Independent World Wrestling – Hayward, CA.
8/25/2017 – Rogue Women Warriors – Stevens, PA.
9/2/2017 – Renegade Wrestling Alliance – West Newton, PA
10/7/2017 – *TBA* Staten Island, NY
10/21/2017 – All American Championship Wrestling – Kokomo, IN.
I’m always interested in talking future business with anyone seriously interested, and if ever that is the case the darkside can be reached via email at holideadwrestling@gmail.com

In closing, do you have any last comments to our Diva Dirt readers?

Diva Dirt readers, thank you for taking a moment with darkness, I hope it has been as pleasantly unpleasant for you as it has me. Feel free to keep up with my by following me on Twitter, liking my fanpage on Facebook, as well as subscribing to my youtube page to check out matches and other content, all under the name Holidead. To the Diva Dirt readers I challenge you if you already haven’t to open your minds up to something different. To embrace the scarred, because sometimes the damaged are the more evolved. Take a walk on the darkside with me if you dare, embrace my pain which I have turned into a passion of dwelling it on to others. We all have a darkside, you either face it or it will destroy you. Believe it or not, the darkside is the best side.

Follow Holidead on Twitter @Holidead.

Are you interested in the upcoming star? Where do you see her in the future? Let us know your views in the comments below!

The post Learn more about Sabotage wrestling star, Holidead appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Tonight marks the end of the first round in the Cueto Cup. So far Taya has become the first woman to advance.

Sexy Star will get a chance to make her mark in the tournament as she faces PJ Black of World Wide Underground tonight.

Lucha Underground has also released this preview of tonight’s episode:

Is the pressure too much? Watch Dante Fox relieve his time as a POW on the all new “Lucha Underground” Time is ticking as Rey Mysterio and Johnny Mundo continue to prepare for their ultimate battle. The final first round of the Cueto Cup begins this Wednesday, July 5^th at 8:00PM ET. Don’t miss new one-hour episodes of the lucha libre wrestling series from Emmy Award®-winning producer Mark Burnett Wednesdays at 8:00PM ET on El Rey Network.”

Lucha Underground airs tonight at 8 pm ET on the El Rey Network. Episodes can also be purchased on iTunes and Seasons One and Two are available on Netflix.

Are you excited for this match up? What else do you want to see during tonight’s show? Sound off in the comments below.

The post Sexy Star faces PJ Black in the first round finals of the Cueto Cup appeared first on Diva Dirt.