WWE

It’s the fourth of July so patriotism is in the air! With a women’s title match coming up, as well as the fallout of the Money In The Bank Ladder match, SmackDown’s women’s division has some things to get through. So let’s get down to business!

Before the show airs, our favourite announcer Lilian Garcia sings a beautiful rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner”.

Following this, though there are no official clips, a dark match between Charlotte Flair and Natalya takes place. Though the match didn’t make it to television, it was highly praised and Flair was ruled victorious after inserting the Figure Eight Leglock!

So now that that’s out of the way, let the show begin!

After the return of John Cena is put aside, the F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S Carmella skips to the ring, with James Ellsworth by her side. Ellsworth takes to the mic first, announcing that he is “cancelling” Independence Day. And instead of celebrating America, we’re all going to celebrate something “way more important,” which is a “Carmellabration” – fine by me!

‘Mella then speaks and immediately laughs at the thought of the audience thinking anyone but her would take home the briefcase. And, in the words of the Rolling Stones, “you can’t always get what you want, unless your name is Carmella.” Somehow I don’t quite remember the quote going that way. She then brags about how she is going to take down the champion Naomi, and before you know it, out comes the SmackDown Women’s champion herself – with a new, special lit up version of her title!

Naomi states that even though Carmella can cash in her briefcase at “any time and any place” she isn’t “shook or scared” because her glow “will always be on.”

The champ then switches her attention to James “Ellsworthless,” stating that somebody else has some business to deal with here… So out comes Mr SmackDown Live General Manager himself, Daniel Bryan!

After having a bit of fun with Carmella’s buddy, Bryan announces that due to his interference in last week’s match – the one in which he was supposed to be banned from the arena – James is being fined a whopping $10,000! Aaaand… he’s suspended for the next thirty days. To top that off, if he doesn’t abide by the rules, then Carmella will be stripped off of her Money In The Bank contract – delightful! Struck by the news, ‘Mella drags Ellsworth out of the ring, making sure her contract isn’t taken away from her.

So now that that is out of the way, cue Lana and let’s begin the Women’s championship match!

…And then end it.

As soon as Lana enters and the bell is rung, Naomi inserts the same submission she did at Money In The Bank, and causes Lana to tap straight away. It’s as if Naomi is trying to break a record with these matches, huh?

As the champ celebrates her victory, Tamina quickly runs to the ring and a long, awkward pause takes place. She stares the champ down and then forces the hurting Ravishing Russian to walk out with her. Weird.

On Talking Smack, Naomi discusses her win with Daniel Bryan and Renee Young. She says that she’s ready for more competition, and if she got to choose her opponent at Battleground, it’d be Charlotte. The champ believes that as their latest title match was ruined by the Welcoming Committee, they didn’t get to see which of the two was the better competitor. And as Charlotte is one of the “best of the best,” Naomi wants to fight fairly against her.

She also states how she was a little bewildered by Tamina’s showing. Naomi reminds us of how the two used to be close during their Team B.A.D. days, but since then they grew apart. And whilst Naomi took on a more “positive” outlook, Tamina has remained a little bitter. So is it because of jealousy? The champ doesn’t know, and she definitely does not care.

Naomi discusses the struggle of having to get the special title, and how she feels like a star. And, if you have a title like the one below, could you even blame her?

Can't stop my glow? #andstill #glowchamp #feeltheglow #SDLIVE pic.twitter.com/tq1Y7ePODt

— Trinity Fatu (@NaomiWWE) July 5, 2017

At another point in the night, the First Lady of SmackDown Live Maria Kanellis and her husband Mike Kanellis are interviewed by Renee. They’re asked about their message of love, and the two reiterate how love is “powerful” and “timeless”, but not everybody can get it. And whilst they talk, a bang is heard – and a wild Sami Zayn appears to be stretching his legs! Zayn, as his adorably dorky self, quickly apologizes and compliments the message that the Kanelliss’ are trying to spread. He rambles on and on, and it’s only once his music hits that he has to rush away!

The couple are however, not impressed by his antics, as he has “ruined” their moment. Also, the camera backstage ended up cutting off, all because of the power of love…

We do catch up with the two on Talking Smack, and they have some more words to say – you know, other than “love”.

Whilst the two seem more interested in staring at one another, we do get some kind of answers from them. Mike states that before he found Maria, he was doing the same thing over and over again, which is the “definition of insanity.” So because of her impact on him, he wanted to take her last name. Also, as they’re so “ahead of the curb,” they wanted to start some form of revolution – so that’s another reason behind the surname taking.

When asked about their game plan, they say that it is to prove that “love can defeat the evil that is within WWE.” Mike discusses how much “anger” and “tension” he can feel in the locker room, so therefore he wants to end that. As he used to be the same, he wants to wake everyone else up from this feeling he once shared.

Thoughts: So there wasn’t a lot of wrestling content this week for the women. And whilst on a normal week I’d be livid, it did end up being pretty entertaining.

The Lana and Naomi saga has felt like a never ending nightmare of WWE not knowing what to do with either party so just sticking them together. But in fact, it’s worked well for both sides. Naomi needs to be presented as a tough champion. She had a rough few weeks of being taken down by the Welcoming Committee, and needs to be looking tough. And the perfect way to make her look great without ruining the credibility of a woman that also needs it is to pair her with Lana.

And this isn’t me saying that Lana doesn’t deserve credibility, but that just isn’t her character. Clearly she’s the spoilt jobber that isn’t near anyone’s level, yet deems that she is. And seeing her getting taken down by Naomi during three matches in a row – two of which were a squash – aided both of their characters perfectly. Now we know that Naomi is pretty good at what she does, whilst Lana is all hype.

And then we have Tamina.

Tamina has gone through years of playing the “bodyguard” role. From standing behind AJ Lee for her time as Divas champion, to being the muscle that always takes the losses for Team B.A.D., she’s had it pretty rough. And it feels as though we’re going back to square one… or maybe we aren’t.

This time round, it wasn’t AJ screaming at Tamina to grab her title. Nor was it Tamina carrying a beaten up Team B.A.D. member. This time, she enforced her rules. She yelled at Lana to get up. She ran into the ring and controlled the scene. This time it feels different. This time it feels as though Tamina will be the leader, and her ally will be the one helping her – sort of like Carmellsworth, except with someone that can legally fight. It’ll be interesting to see what SmackDown do with Tamina. And after being the best member of both Money In The Bank Ladder matches, it’ll be a shame if her talent goes to waste yet again.

The other segment of the night was a pretty interesting one. Filled with comedy and pantomime-esque actions, it was a great way to start for the women. And it definitely opened doors for the 2x Miss Money In The Bank. Since winning the briefcase, Carmella’s heat has come from multiple directions. Part of it has come form her own actions, but a (somewhat) larger amount seems to come from James Ellsworth. Ellsworth is a funnily annoying character whom we all love to see lose. But his involvement with the first ever female Money In The Bank winner has lead to him receiving more of the attention. Crowds do care for the both of them, but whenever something happens to him the reaction seems to be louder. So seeing him being taken away will be a great thing as Carmella will now be generating her own heat. She’s done well so far, but now that’s going solo we’ll get to see much more of just her, rather than seeing her share the spotlight.

Unfortunately for the fans at home, we didn’t get to witness Charlotte Flair take on Natalya. Whilst the pair tend to have great matches against one another, this was probably for the best. As mentioned last week, I would love for the two to feud. It felt right and we left off at the correct point. So if we can get some more build up that isn’t revolved around on-screen match after match, we may see something fresh from the pair. However, seeing the Flair vs Hart saga take place at SummerSlam may be the better stage, as last year’s antics proved to be worthy of such.

To end the review, let’s discuss the Power Couple themselves, Mike and Maria!

What’s blossoming here feels very natural. The pair aren’t joining WWE to win titles just yet, they’re here to simply boast about their love. The Kanellis’ are so in love that championship gold isn’t on their mind – instead they just want to spread their message. And with their connection to Sami Zayn… a feud is on the horizon.

Sami is an adorably innocent character that just wants to be the best wrestler he can be. He’s constantly being taken down by the evil characters that exist around him, and he’s hardly ever allowed to get his shining moment. And could the Kanellis’ continue that streak? And will they do it to just Sami?

Well, if we take our minds back to a few weeks ago when Sami Zayn had a little moment with another female Superstar… could a budding partnership be in the air? Seeing Sami Zayn and Becky Lynch teaming up would be a fantastic way of getting the two most easy-to-root for talents against upcoming heels. So why not? And it’ll give us a chance to see Maria in the ring again… So, why not?

What did you think of this week’s show? What feuds shall blossom now?

The post SmackDown Redux (July 4th, 2017): A clear finish with a blurry future appeared first on Diva Dirt.

WWE

Erin | Diva Dirt

Abbey Laith
5’3”, 125, Seattle
2016 PWI Female 50 Ranking: 17
Previous wrestling identity: Kimber Lee

Bio: A former dancer, Laith was trained by Drew Gulak at the Combat Zone Wrestling Academy. She competed in CZW and WSU, frequently wrestling against male opponents, earning respect from fans – and her fellow wrestlers – for her grit and determination. She debuted in SHIMMER in 2013, forming the team Kimber-Bomb with Cherry Bomb (Allie). Kimber-Bomb become one of the most successful tag teams in SHIMMER history, holding the tag titles from April 2015 to June 2016, and simultaneously holding the SHINE tag title for seven months during that time. She became the first female to win the CHIKARA Grand championship in December 2015 with a win over Hallowicked. She signed with WWE in December 2016.

Style: Mat-based striker with formidable and innovative submission skills. Earned the moniker “Princess Palmstrike” for her smash-mouth style.

What to Watch For: The German suplex, swinging hurricanrana, satellite headscissors.

Biggest Strength: Toughness. Laith showed her mettle in her intense feud with Chris Dickinson, not to mention many of her other victories over male competitors, including Colt Cabana and JT Dunn. She is a scrapper who won’t back down from a fight. Mike Tyson famously said “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Laith has been punched in the mouth enough times where it doesn’t faze her anymore. Pound-for-pound, one of the toughest females in the game.

Biggest Weakness: Consistency. Laith is a complex woman. She has been a tough-as-nails babyface and – as part of Kimber-Bomb – a cowardly heel. She likes to keep her opponents guessing about who they’re going to step into the ring with; the girly-girl dancer or the brawling hellcat. It remains to be seen which side of Laith we will see in the Mae Young Classic. If she comes in with a humble, workman-like mindset, she could be a legitimate favorite to win it all. If she comes in thinking she’s got the tourney in the bag and spends more time playing to the crowd, she could be upset early.

Diva-Dirt Odds of Winning: 4:1

Summary: Laith isn’t the flashiest in the field, but it’s a mistake to overlook her. However, regardless of how she fares in the tournament, she is likely to be a major factor in in NXT in the coming year.

STARDOM

Kairi Sane
5’1”, 115, Hikari, 5
2016 PWI Female 50 Ranking: NL
Previous wrestling identity: Kairi Hojo
Bio: A former collegiate yachter, Hojo worked as an actress before being recruited by Japan’s all-female STARDOM promotion. She began training in 2011 and made her pro debut the following year, adopting the nickname “Princess Pirate” in reference to her sailing background.
Kairi quickly became one of STARDOM’s top stars and most decorated competitors, winning the World of STARDOM title, the Wonder of STARDOM title, the Goddess of STARDOM tag title (three times), and the Artist of STARDOM six-man title (four times). She also appeared in Lucha Underground last year as part of the Black Lotus Triad.
Along with Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani, Kairi was a cornerstone of STARDOM. Her decision to jump to WWE sent shockwaves across the Japanese joshi scene.

Style: Kairi is an innovator with an impressive mat-based approach, coupled with aerial attacks. An aggressive competitor who tends to control the pace of the match, Kairi attacks with dropkicks and suplexes before finishing opponents with her signature elbow rop.

What to Watch For: The gorgeous flying elbow drop off the top rope. No one executes the move with as much grace and panache as Kairi. Even Randy Savage would be green with envy.

Biggest Strength: Deep offensive repertoire. Despite having only five years of experience, Kairi was wrestling a heavy workload for STARDOM, often competing five days a week against world-class opponents. She has faced a diverse assortment of wrestlers, including Io Shirai, who is widely considered to be the top female wrestler in Japan today. She has seen just about everything and knows counters to moves many of her opponents in the Mae Young Classic have probably never seen. She is adaptable and has the poise and knowledge of a veteran.

Biggest Weakness: Size. Kairi is a firecracker, but she’s barely five feet tall and just 115 pounds. She is one of the smaller women in the tournament and runs the risk of being overpowered and grounded.

Diva-Dirt Odds of Winning: 3:1

Summary: Anyone who has seen her work in STARDOM knows that Kairi is one of the top female wrestlers in the world. But with Asuka established in NXT and Io Shirai reportedly on her way, Kairi may find herself pushed out of the spotlight. That’s why it’s so important for her to make waves in this tournament. Her long-term future in WWE may be riding on it.

Check out Diva Dirt’s previous profiles on Tessa Blanchard and Sarah Logan here.

The post Mae Young Classic: Scouting Report and Analysis – Abbey Laith, Kairi Sane appeared first on Diva Dirt.

On this day in history:

July 6th, 2000 | Ivory and Jacqueline were on a two-woman crusade to take down misogynist Dean Malenko when they faced him in a Handicap match on SmackDown. The match went from a 2-on-1 situation to 3-on-1 when Crash Holly made an appearance, holding down Dean so Ivory and Jacqueline could pin him. It wasn’t a clean win, but it was just as satisfying.

What are your memories of this moment?

The post Today in History: Ivory & Jacqueline vs. Dean Malenko appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Charlotte Flair is stepping out of the squared circle and into prime time television after WWE announced that she has landed a role in a TV movie!

She will appear in “Psych: The Movie” this December, joining the likes of John Cena, The Miz, The Bella Twins, Big Show, Stacy Keibler, and Mickie James on the growing list of WWE Superstars to be part of the USA Network franchise.

The film stars original “Psych” cast members James Roday, Dule Hill, Timothy Omundson, Maggie Lawson, Corbin Bernsen and Kirsten Nelson. As first reported by TV Guide, The Queen will play a villainous character named Heather Rockrear.

Check out Charlotte making the official announcement here.

What do you think about this news? Sound off in the comments below.

The post Charlotte Flair lands movie role appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Despite teasing a move to WWE or NXT last year, Velvet Sky has officially announced her retirement from the ring.

In a recent interview with WNPR, she reveals the move.

“Wrestling has a shelf life,” she said. “College doesn’t. You can be 50 years old and go to college for your degree. You can’t be 50 years old and train to be a pro wrestler.”

She’s back in school at Post University to finish up a college degree she put on hold before becoming a wrestler. She wants to be a personal trainer, and she’s working with the next generation at a wrestling school in Danbury.

“I’m in really, really good physical condition, still, and my health is great,” she said. “And I want to keep it that way. I had a really satisfying 15-year wrestling career, so I went back to school because I got to live out my wrestling dream.”

Read the full story here.

Velvet is best known for her career in TNA where she is a former two time TNA Women’s Knockout Champion and a former TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion as part of The Beautiful People.

What do you think about this news? Will you miss Velvet? What are your favorite memories of her time in TNA? Sound off in the comments below.

The post Velvet Sky retires from wrestling, heads back to school appeared first on Diva Dirt.

The competition is heating up as WWE adds two more competitors to the Mae Young Classic.

Sage Beckett, formerly known as Andrea or Rosie Lottalove, and Rhea Ripley, aka Demi Bennett, will join the 32-women tournament.

WWE had this to say about the participants:

• Just 20 years old and already sporting a resume full of in-ring accolades, Rhea Ripley is a wrestling prodigy. The hard-hitting Australian was a standout soccer player in her youth, making her uniquely prepared for a career of throwing hard kicks. In addition to having competed in her home country of Australia and Japan, Ripley is also a two-time Riot City Women’s Wrestling Champion.
• Sage Beckett is as tough as they come. The in-ring veteran of 10 years not only trained under ECW Originals Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley at their Team 3-D Academy, but she has taken the hardcore philosophy to heart while revitalizing her squared-circle career. Beckett found considerable success competing in various promotions like WXW Elite and Shine before deciding to retire in 2012. Still yearning to do battle between the ropes and unleash pain on her opponents, she made her return in 2014, coming back 130 pounds lighter. Behind her new lean and mean appearance, Beckett is making the most of her second squared circle go-around that she hopes will crown her the inaugural Mae Young Classic winner.

The two women join previously announced competitors Kairi Sane, Tessa Blanchard, Abbey Laith, Taynara Conti, Jazzy Gabert, Kavita Devi, Toni Storm, Princesa Sugehit, Lacey Evans, Sarah Logan, Bianca BelAir, Piper Niven and Dakota Kai.

The commentary team will be lead by Lita and Jim Ross. Additionally, WWE Network will also stream an exclusive special entitled, Mae Young Classic: Bracketology immediately following SummerSlam, on Sunday, Aug. 20 at 11 pm ET.

The tournament begins Monday, Aug. 28, with the first four episodes available on demand. Episodes five through eight will be available on demand on Monday, Sept. 4. The final match will stream live from Las Vegas on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 10 pm ET.

The post Sage Beckett and Rhea Ripley added to the Mae Young Classic appeared first on Diva Dirt.

On this day in history:

July 7th, 2014 | Cameron and Naomi – known collectively as the Funkadactyls – had been having issues for some time, mostly due to Cameron’s jealousy towards Naomi’s Divas Title pursuits. Things finally exploded between them on Raw following a tag team loss to AJ Lee and Paige, the two fighting viciously until the referee managed to tear them apart. From that point forward, the Funkadactyls were no more.

What are your memories of this moment?

The post Today in History: The Funkadactyls break up appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Lucha Underground

Welcome to this week’s Lucha Underground review, Believers! The Cueto Cup is entering its first round finals and Sexy Star is hoping to get back in the game. She faces PJ Black of Worldwide Underground.

Let’s jump into the action:

As Sexy makes her entrance commentary notes her longstanding feud with Worldwide Underground. This marks the second time she meets PJ in the ring.

The two tie up as PJ takes control by reversing Sexy into a flip. He starts quickly working over her arm. He lifts her up with one arm and then plants her with it, continuing to work it over.

PJ poses before trying the same thing again but Sexy reverses it with a frankensteiner. She begins making a come back and flys with a tilt-a-whirl headscissor, flipping PJ over. They go toe to toe again as Sexy maintains control with a leaping arm drag.

Sexy flys again, tying PJ up with a guillotine. He reverses it swiftly, however, with a vertical suplex. PJ makes his way up to the top rope but Sexy comes at him with a hard slap, he falls down. She continues slapping him before hitting a corner frankensteiner.

She goes for a pin but it’s still not enough. She continues kicking him but he gets to his feet and drags her over to the corner. He goes to leap at her but she moves out of the way. She runs at him but he kicks her in the face. He goes up to the top rope again but Sexy manages to push him off the turnbuckle. He goes flying to the outside.

Sexy makes her way to the top and flys off at him, taking him down with a cross body. She tosses him back into the ring. She goes up to the top rope and takes him down with another cross body.

Out comes Taya as she starts distracting Sexy. PJ takes advantage and drags Sexy down. Taya throws in brass knuckles but Sexy hits PJ before he can use them. She looks at the brass knuckles, she picks them up but the ref turns around after being distracted by Taya. He disqualifies Sexy and PJ now advances in the tournament.

Enraged, she begins arguing with the referee, she then knocks the ref out before staring down Taya!

Thoughts: First off apologies on the delayed review, it was difficult finding a video for the recap.

Now let’s get into it. This match was definitely better than their first outing. I saw a comment previously about PJ’s status, yes he was unfortunately recently injured but what we’re seeing now was taped about a year ago before the injury.

Sexy can struggle with pacing and she doesn’t always connect with her opponents but PJ made up for her short comings here. The action was relatively smooth and fast paced. I appreciate the frequent back and forth nature. Sexy is a former champion and she can hold her own, it’s important to never forget that even if she has to fight tooth and nail for everything she has.

With that said, the ending was a bit weird to me. The rules of the Temple are that there typically aren’t any rules so a DQ during a tournament is bunk. The ref is usually pretty liberal, so what the hell?

Sexy is one of the shining lights in the Temple despite beginning to show us a more of a ruthless side of her. Prince Puma, the hometown hero golden boy, already went to the dark side, is Sexy slated for the same kind of fate? I don’t see it yet, she is getting more and more frustrated as everyone continues to screw her over and get away with it.

I’m interested to see her adopt more shades of grey as the rest of this season goes on but I think it would be a mistake if she completely turns.

Side note, who was putting those spiders in her locker and will we get an answer there? I feel like this half of the season isn’t completely tying up lose ends, which is unlike Lucha Underground. I hope we get some sort of clue soon.

Taya continues to play a playful and opportunistic, slimy heel well. She’s the only woman to advance in the tournament and she’s helping her team move forward as well. The only thing is, is Johnny Mundo ready to potentially face his own for the championship? I have to imagine it could be like a poke of doom scenario or, could this lead to the demise of the group? Taya is frequently a baby sitter and reluctant leader to the rest of the group, maybe now she sees the Championship as something worth leaving the rest of Worldwide Underground for? I’ve got so many questions surrounding this narrative.

Next week begins the second round of the tournament, we should move closer to getting more answers then.

What did you think of this week’s episode? Do you think Sexy is turning? What do you think is in store for her character? Sound off in the comments below.

The post Lucha Underground Analysis (July 5th, 2017): Innocence lost? appeared first on Diva Dirt.

twitter.com/totaldivaseps

Hello Knockout fans and welcome to this week’s Impact Write-Up! After the events of Slammiversary, where we have seen Sienna defeat Rosemary to become the Unified Knockouts Champion, Sienna looks to stay at the top against Rebel in a non-title matchup. Let’s go straight to the action.

First we see Gail Kim chatting with McKenzie Mitchell about an announcement regarding her future. What could it be? That will happen next week!

And next, we see Rebel taking on the Unified Knockouts Champion Sienna one on one. A kick to the gut from Sienna starts off the match followed by whipping Rebel to turnbuckles. Rebel goes for a kick but Sienna rejects it, takes her down and kicks her down. Sienna goes for Rebel in the corner but Rebel counters it and tries builds momentum with her Cartwheel Elbow Smash but Sienna caught it and nails the German Suplex.

Sienna builds up her own brand of momentum but Rebel stops it temporarily. Sienna tries to regain that momentum but Rebel starts rolling with a forearm smashes, running hip attack, running double knee and the cartwheel clothesline.

Rebel then went after Sienna’s cousin KM by stomping on his hand, and attempting a diving crossbody the outside did not work, but she slaps the guy. Once Rebel got back in the ring, she tried for a finisher, but Sienna countered it with a variation of the Guillotine Choke and Rebel taps out.

Thoughts: Say whatever you want about Sienna, my thoughts on her don’t affect her in any way. But at the rate she’s going, she is looking to be more dominant by the minute.

Also, this was a great showing by Rebel. Coming back from her STARDOM trip really helped her get some confidence. But don’t underestimate the champ, she is on a roll this year. Hopefully a rematch with Rosemary down the line will spark some interest, but that is up to management as well as the fans.

Also, I wonder what Gail Kim has to say next week. If she’s going to say what I think she is going to say, I have to respect it. The future is looking bright in GFW Impact, and it starts with the strong Knockouts division.

What did you think of this week’s Impact? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Impact Write-Up (July 6th, 2017): The Sienna House Rules appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Catrina, real name Karlee Leilani Perez, is stepping away from the Temple and into the spotlight as she lands a major movie role.

She announced yesterday via Twitter and Instagram that she’ll be joining the cast of Maplethrope:

Based on Robert Mapplethorpe‘s life she will be playing the role of Lisa Lyon the first ever female bodybuilder.

The film will be look at the life of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe from his rise to fame in the 1970s to his untimely death in 1989.

She will be co starring with Matt Smith, (best known for Doctor Who and the Netflix series The Crown) and Zosia Mamet (HBO Girls).

She can currently be seen on the second half of Lucha Underground’s Season Three on Wednesdays on the El Rey Network.

Diva Dirt wishes Catrina congratulations and good luck on this new venture!

What do you think of this news? Sound off in the comments below

The post Catrina to star in upcoming movie role appeared first on Diva Dirt.

On this day in history:

July 8th, 2013 | Vickie Guerrero‘s time as Raw Managing Supervisor had not gone smoothly, to say the least. To assess her performance, Stephanie McMahon decided to give her a job evaluation. Unfortunately for Vickie, Stephanie put the power in the fans’ hands, and they voted to fire her, the news being broken in the middle of the ring. Despite doing some intense groveling, Vickie was out of a job. That is, until Vince McMahon saw fit to return her to the position of SmackDown General Manager.

What are your memories of this moment?

The post Today in History: Vickie Guerrero is fired appeared first on Diva Dirt.

• Deonna Purrazzo defeated Cheerleader Melissa
• Kikyo defeated Jewells Malone
• Hudson Envy defeated Savannah Evans
• Stacy Shadows defeated Valentina Loca
• Saraya Knight defeated Stacy Shadows
• Rosemary defeated Delilah Doom
• Britt Baker & Chelsea Green defeated Jessica Troy & Charli Evans
• Shotzi Blackheart defeated Angel Dust to retain the Phoenix of RISE Title in a Dog Collar Match

The post Results: RISE 3 – MEDIC appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Bianca Belair

5’7”, 125, Knoxville

2016 PWI Female 50 Ranking: N/A

Previous wrestling identity: N/A

Bio: An All-American and All-SEC track-and-field performer in hur dles at the University of Tennessee, Bianca Belair was trained by Sara Amato (Sara Del Rey) at the WWE Performance Center. She competes in NXT, facing off with the likes of Ember Moon, Nikki Cross and Asuka. She signed with WWE in September 2016.

Style: Bianca is like a cross between two former WWE Women’s Champions, Jacqueline and Jazz, nothing but power and agility.

What to Watch For: The Hair Whip finisher

Biggest Strength: Power and agility. It comes from her background as a track and field star at the University of Tennessee.

Biggest Weakness: Selling. Bianca’s selling ability is stiff and her timing is not good. Definitely needs to work on that.

Diva-Dirt Odds of Winning: 4:1

Summary: Bianca has some potential to be a star in this industry, but she needs to improve on her selling and timing. If she does that, she will be a breakout star for WWE in the months to come.

Toni Storn

5’5”, 143, Auckland

2016 PWI Female 50 Ranking: N/A

Previous wrestling identity: Storm

Bio: A student of Mason Childs for Impact Pro Wrestling in Australia, Toni Storm is known to put her best effort in. A current Stardom World Alliance Champion and PROGRESS Women’s Champion, Toni is a rising star in the independent scene.

Style: Toni is a total technician, and has good ring psychology to bit.

What to Watch For: Strong Zero (Piledriver)

Biggest Strength: Agility. Toni may be small in stature, but she makes up for it with her uncanny speed.

Biggest Weakness: Her height. Remember, Toni is listed as 5’5” and she will have to have taller opponents, but she is up to the task.

Diva-Dirt Odds of Winning: 8:1

Summary: What Toni Storm lake in size she makes up for it with her speed and agility. She also has natural charisma and a passion for this business. Look for her to be competitive throughout the tournament.

The post Mae Young Classic profiles and analysis: Toni Storm, Bianca Belair appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Six time Knockouts Champion Angelina Love recently sat with the MIGS vs. The World of Wrestling Podcast to discuss the early years of the Knockouts division, working on the independent scene and fans wanting to see her compete in WWE’s Mae Young Classic Tournament. Highlights of the interview below.

On working on the independent scene: “When you work for TNA or WWE, you’re in a bubble. It’s a wonderful bubble of working the same people all the time. So you’re very used to them and obviously everybody is trained. But on the indies, if I’m wrestling a girl that I don’t know, I’m usually told by the promoter first or I’ll find out who I’m working and I’ll do my own research. I’ll go there and talk to them and I always ask them ‘What do you normally do in matches?’ and if it’s something that I don’t feel safe taking, then I’ll constructively suggest something else. But normally if the girl is not really well trained I don’t do anything overly difficult with her. I make a lot out of a little! It’s usually great and they’re like ‘Wow’ and I’m like ‘Yeah, you don’t have to do a hundred moves’. I have been around girls that have been like ‘Yeah I can do that’ and then you get in the ring and they cannot do anything. Then you have to go to the back and tell them. That’s stupid because you’re actually making yourself look bad and you’re making me believe you can do things that you can’t do and that’s not good. You can hurt yourself and you can hurt me. I would so much rather have somebody be honest with me like ‘I’m not comfortable doing that’ or ‘No, I don’t know how to do that’ instead of just being like ‘Yep, yep, yep, I know how to do everything.’ A ten minute match will become two minutes real quick.”

On fans wanting to see her compete in the Mae Young tournament: “One of the things I like about social media is that fans can really voice their support where they can say ‘Hey Triple H, Stephanie, NXT, WWE, this is who we really want to see.’ You never know, it might bring something to their attention that maybe they weren’t looking at before. I had first just heard a rumor about the tournament in November so I wasn’t even back with TNA at the time. So I had just put it out there that it would be awesome if I could be a part of it. I mean the response I got was overwhelming and I was just so touched and amazed by it. But there was no knowledge of when that was going to start and I had gotten offered a TNA contract to go back so I took that. Still just even being under contract with TNA, fans are still saying they would want see me do it. So I just think that is really awesome of the fans that still want to see me do something else.”

On being a pioneer to the Knockouts division: “I’m so honored. That’s something that nobody can ever take away from us. It’s such a proud thing to be one of the pioneers of the Knockouts division and how it blew up. Man we were so pumped and we were so excited and we were given chances left, right and center. Here’s the ball, run with it. And it was just like the greatest thing because I was also coming out a release from WWE developmental. I was just so happy to be given the chance to be on TV, PPV, to travel, to do house shows and all that kind of stuff. I was immediately given the opportunity. I was just so excited and so happy and so thankful. You know the guys were so supportive, like the Knockouts DVD they interview Kurt Angle, Christian and Sting. When Sting was in TNA, when we would have a tag match he would come to the back and watch the whole thing. He would be like, ‘You guys did great’ and then give us constructive criticism and a lot of props and we’re all just like ‘You’re Sting, you watched our match.’ It’s just hard to put into words.”

Angelina also discusses the pain and struggles on training to become a wrestler, drawing heat as a heel character and helping upcoming wrestlers through seminars.

You can listen to the full interview here.

What did you think of the interview? What are some of your favorite memories of the early years of the Knockouts division? Would you like to have seen Angelina compete in the Mae Young Classic tournament? Let us know in the comments!

The post Angelina Love discusses the early years of the Knockouts division appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Shazza McKenzie became the new Heart of SHIMMER champion with an upset win over Nicole Savoy at the SHIMMER 93 tapings Saturday at the Berwyn Eagles Club.

McKenzie was awarded a title shot based on her performance at SHIMMER 92 (taped earlier in the day) when she took a hellacious beating in a trios match pitting McKenzie, Madison Eagles, and Saraya Knight against Savoy, SHIMMER champion Mercedes Martinez, and Shayna Baszler. Rather than tag out when she had the opportunity, McKenzie chose to fight on to prove herself to her partners and the SHIMMER crowd.

“You showed a lot of moxy. You showed a lot of spunk. But most of all, you showed a lot of heart,” SHIMMER officer Allison Danger told McKenzie following that match. She rewarded the petite Aussie spitfire with a title shot against Savoy.

Once again, McKenzie took all Savoy could dish out before connecting with a modified Playmaker for the win.

With the win, McKenzie became the second woman every to hold the Heart of SHIMMER title.

The post Shazza McKenzie wins Heart of SHIMMER title appeared first on Diva Dirt.

On this day in history:

What are your memories of this moment?

Also occurring today in history:
* 7/9/86 – The Fabulous Moolah defeats Velvet McIntyre to win the Women’s Title.
* 7/9/00 – Daffney defeats Miss Hancock in a Wedding Gown Match at 2000’s Bash at the Beach when Miss Hancock removes her own dress.

The post Today in History: Tara wins her first Knockouts title appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Yesterday, SHIMMER taped its 92nd and 93rd volumes at the Berwyn Eagles Club in Chicago where the Heart of SHIMMER Championship changed hands. Here are the full results courtesy of @ProWresLand on Twitter.

• RISE Match: Dynamite DiDi defeated Stefany Sinclair
• RISE Match: Kikyo defeated Aja Perera
• Thunderkitty defeated Charli Evans
• Allysin Kay defeated Samantha Height
• Ashley Lane defeated Taeler Hendrix
• Cheerleader Melissa defeated Savannah Evans
• Shotzi Blackheart defeated Hudson Envy to retain the Phoenix of RISE Championship
• Cat Power defeated Nicole Matthews, Delilah Doom & Leva Bates
• Fire & Nice (Britt Baker & Chelsea Green) defeated Paradise Lost (Angel Dust & Rosemary)
• Deonna Purrazzo defeated Cherry Bomb
• LuFisto defeated KC Spinelli
• Vanessa Kraven & Tessa Blanchard defeated Kay Lee Ray & Mia Yim to retain the SHIMMER Tag Team Championship
• Madison Eagles, Shazza McKenzie & Saraya Knight defeated Mercedes Martinez, Nicole Savoy & Shayna Baszler

• Veda Scott defeated Ashley Lane
• Delilah Doom & Leva Bates defeated Jessica Troy & Charli Evans
• Nicole Matthews defeated Samantha Heights
• Hudson Envy defeated Deonna Purrazzo
• Shotzi Blackheart defeated Cheerleader Melissa
• Rosemary defeated Britt Baker
• Madison Eagles defeated Shayna Baszler
• Mia Yim def. Kay Lee Ray to become #1 contender for the SHIMMER Championship
• Vanessa Kraven & Tessa Blanchard defeated Jessicka Havok & Neveah to retain the SHIMMER Tag Team Championship
• Shazza McKenzie defeated Nicole Savoy to become the new Heart of SHIMMER Champion
• Mercedes Martinez defeated Saraya Knight to retain the SHIMMER Championship

The post Results: SHIMMER Volumes 92 & 93 Tapings appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Tonight at WWE’s inaugural Great Balls of Fire PPV, Alexa Bliss defends the Raw Women’s Title against Sasha Banks. Can The Boss dethrone The Wicked Witch? The Diva Dirt team weighs in.

Abir: Alexa Bliss. I believe that their feud isn’t done. Sasha will be feuding with Alexa until SummerSlam, and she’ll be getting her moment there. A bigger stage with more eyes will be a much better moment for Sasha – especially considering the result of last year’s show for the Boss.

Alex: This feud has been a waste of a big opportunity – Sasha is the most popular woman on the roster and Alexa’s character is strong, but still needs that extra push to get to that top status. However, I feel the WWE are going to go with the easy option and give Sasha Banks the win here. To be fair, she hasn’t had a long run as Champion and there are a surplus of new opponents for her since we know they still have no idea what to do with the RAW women’s division.

Josue: I think this feud had much more potential than what we have seen in the last two weeks. I’m sure we would’ve seen more of it had Sasha been name the number one contender to Alexa’s title earlier in the month. I’m going to go with Sasha Banks getting the win here. I still believe that the WWE want to push Nia Jax next in line for the title and seeing how they’ve booked Nia’s on and off partnership with Alexa, it may just be easier to have Nia feud a top babyface in Sasha.

Matthew: I got Alexa Bliss for the win, but it won’t be easy.

Stephanie: This feud lacks any discernible story despite Sasha and Alexa actually carrying real life tension between each other. Alexa will win and gain the upper hand in some cowardly way to begin our rumored feud with Nia Jax.

BREAKDOWN: 3 for Alexa Bliss, 2 for Sasha Banks.

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 Great Balls of Fire Predictions: Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks for the Raw Women’s Title appeared first on Diva Dirt.

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.

* Former GFW Impact Wrestling President Dixie Carter will be featured in WWE’s upcoming episode of WWE 24 – Kurt Angle: Homecoming. (WWE.com)

* The Wrestling Observer reports that the WWE is considering to hold a Women’s Royal Rumble match in January at the Rumble pay-per-view in Philadelphia. (Wrestling INC)

* The plan is for GFW to debut its new titles on television on August 17 at the Destination X show. (Cageside Seats)

* Nikki Bella, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Becky Lynch will take part in a one hour panel at this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego. (WWE.com)

* WWE ranks the first-ever Women’s Money in the Banks match number nine on their list of ‘The 10 best matches of 2017 (so far)’. (WWE.com)

* Former WWE Writer, Nico Gendron writes about her time with the WWE in 2015 and how they lagged behind when it came to women’s wrestling storylines. (Birth. Movies. Death)

* Bayley takes the time to meet a devoted fan and aspiring wrestler by the name of Liz during last week’s Raw in Phoenix. (Cageside Seats)

* There is speculation that Madison Rayne may be done with GFW Impact after her profile was removed from the promotion’s website following last week’s Slammiversary. (Wrestling INC)

* Cageside Seats examines why Becky Lynch may be WWE’s greatest babyface character. (Cageside Seats)

The post Week ending July 9th, 2017 appeared first on Diva Dirt.

Tonight at WWE’s first-ever Great Balls of Fire PPV event, Alexa Bliss defends the Raw Women’s Title against Sasha Banks.

Read WWE.com‘s preview to tonight’s title match below:

“Emerging from the chaos of the highly contested Raw Women’s division, Sasha Banks has earned the right to go one-on-one against the ruthless Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship at the first-ever WWE Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view.

Even before she captured her illustrious title at WWE Payback, Alexa has seemingly had a hard time making (or, more to the point, keeping) friends. By extension, the Women’s division has been particularly volatile as of late, with every female Superstar of Team Red constantly clamoring to face “The Goddess of WWE.”

With threats to the Raw Women’s Championship emerging from every direction, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle created a Gauntlet Match between Banks, Emma, Nia Jax, Mickie James, Dana Brooke and Bayley to determine the No. 1 contender. And, out of the fray of that whirlwind match, The Boss earned herself an opportunity to become a four-time Raw Women’s Champion.

It will be the ultimate showdown of Boss vs. ‘Goddess,’ and only one Superstar will walk out with the Raw Women’s Championship. Who will reign supreme when Sasha Banks challenges The Wicked Witch of WWE?”

Discuss the show in the comments!

The post Great Balls of Fire Discussion Post appeared first on Diva Dirt.