Don't Mess With Tess: Miss Tessmacher's Journey From The Office To The Ring

On March 29th, 2010, Miss Tessmacher made her TNA Impact debut as Eric Bischoff’s assistant. Some of us remembered her as Brooke, one of the dancers from Extreme Expose, but very few of us expected that in 2012, she would become the TNA Women’s Champion at Slammiversary, one of TNA’s biggest PPV’s. To look at Tessmacher’s TNA journey, from beginning to the present, shows how hard work and the attitude of let letting the doubters bring you down can allow you to achieve your dream.

From Secretary to Knockout

Miss Tessmacher didn’t go to the ring right away. After playing the role of Bischoff’s assistant for a few months, she was promoted to the position of Knockout Law on September 30th, 2010. Unfortunately, she was fired two weeks later for leaking information Bischoff didn’t want others to know, and told she had to learn how to wrestle to stay on the roster. We hadn’t seen very much, if any, of Brooke’s wrestling ability while she was in WWE, so there was doubt if she really could work the ropes. Her first taste of being in the TNA ring came on December 16th, as Mickie Jame’s partner for the tournament to crown new TNA Knockout Tag Team Champions. That was all we got to see of Tessmacher until she returned backstage on April 21st, and back in the ring on May 5th, 2011, as an accident outside the ring left her unable to compete.

Tag Team Gold

Miss Tessmacher’s first taste of gold came on July 21st, when she and tag team partner Tara won the TNA Knockout Tag Team titles from Sarita and Rosita, and her first singles win came on August 4th, against Madison Rayne. By this point, it was becoming obvious that she wasn’t going to be content just sitting back and letting her looks keep her in the ring. Plus, with a partner like Tara, she had the opportunity to learn from one of the best. TnT may have lost the titles on November 3rd, 2011, but that wasn’t going to be the last time Miss. Tessmacher had gold in her hands.

In 2012, Miss Tessmacher pinned the current Knockouts Champion, Gail Kim, on three separate occasions. One time she even used her opponents own finishing move to get the 1, 2, 3. This earned her a shot at the title on May 13th at Sacrifice, which sadly, didn’t turn out her way. But she wasn’t willing to give up. Miss Tessmacher finally achieved the dream she had proclaimed to the world at Slammiversary on June 10th, pinning Gail Kim to win the Knockouts title.

Beating The Odds

When Miss Tessmacher first showed up in TNA, I didn’t give her much of a chance. Has she ever proved me, and I hope many of her other doubters, wrong. Yes, she’s a model and yes, she’s beautiful, but she isn’t just another pretty face. She’s improved so much since her first TNA match, by becoming more comfortable in the ring and adding to her move set. There’s always room for improvement, but if she keeps this “Never Give Up” attitude, who knows what we’ll be writing about in the next 2 years for Miss Tessmacher.

ACW Queen Of Queens Results

Today, Anarchy Championship Wrestling is holding their fourth annual American Joshi “Queen of Queens” tournament, taking place at Hooligan’s Bar & Grill in Live Oak, Texas.

Eight talented women will all compete for the right to be called the “Queen of Queens”.

Previous winners include Daizee Haze (2009), Portia Perez (2010) and Rachel Summerlyn (2011).

Pre-Show
* Anarchy Televised Match: James Claxton and Miss Maulie def. Ricky Romida and Angelina Rush

* Anarchy Televised Match: JT Lamotta def. Bolt Brady
* Anarchy Televised Match: Jaykus Plisken def. JC Bravo

Main Show
* QoQ Quarter-Final Match: Athena def. Su Yung via a leg submission hold.

* QoQ Quarter-Final Match: Christina Von Eerie def. Veda Scott. Described as a fun, back and forth match. Scott heeled it up during, talking a lot of trash to her opponent and trying to “interview” Von Eerie before the match.
* QoQ Quarter-Final Match: Rachel Summerlyn def. Jazz. Post-match, Lady Poison attacked Summerlyn, then kissed her. Jessicka Havok made the save, which started the next contest.
* QoQ Quarter-Final Match: Jessicka Havok def. Lady Poison with a roll-up after she was distracted by Rachel Summerlyn, who had stayed at ringside. Post-match, Summerlyn and Lady Poison brawled, and had to be pulled apart.
* Matthew Palmer def. Rodney Mack to retain his World Hardcore Championship.

* Khris Wolfe and Darin Childs def. The Lost Boys, Electric Company and Mojo Bravado to retain their Tag Team Championships.
* A challenge was sent to Cheerleader Melissa from Rachel Summerlyn for River City Wrestling’s August 4 show.
* QoQ Semi-Final Match: Athena def. Christina Von Eerie with the O-Face to advance to the final round.
* QoQ Semi-Final Match: Jessicka Havok def. Rachel Summerlyn with the Air Raid Crash to advance to the final round.

* American Joshi Championship Match: Angel Blue def. Portia Perez to retain the American Joshi Championship

Former TNA Knockout Retires

Former TNA Knockout Rosie Lottalove, aka Betsy Ruth, has announced her retirement from professional wrestling. In a short statement on Twitter, she wrote:

"Been out of Twitter world 4ever. Had a lot going on. Medical probs have forced me to retire from wrestling :-( Thanks 4 all the support!"

She also confirmed that she would be requiring surgery to remove her ovary.

Lottalove, who trained under Bully Ray and D-Von at the Team 3D Academy, was signed briefly by TNA in 2010.

Many will remember that Lottalove infamously took part in an ill-fated tryout match with Daffney, resulting in the veteran suffering a bruised sternum after Lottalove accidentally sat on top of her. Due to her various injuries suffered in TNA, Daffney has since filed a lawsuit against TNA. It was reported earlier that TNA paid medical bills exceeding $9,000 for the injuries sustained in the tryout match.

Diva Dirt wishes Rosie the best of luck in maintaining a clean bill of health.

Raquel Diaz Becomes Longest Reigning FCW Divas Champ

FCW Diva Raquel Diaz has officially become the longest reigning FCW Divas Champion, after breaking the record formerly held by inaugural champ, Naomi.

Diaz’s reign has reached 190 days, surpassing Naomi’s 189 days as champion.

She defeated Audrey Marie to win the title back in December 2011.

Diaz — real name, Shaul Guerrero — is the daughter of Eddie and Vickie Guerrero and a third generation Diva. She has been training with the developmental territory since early 2011.

New Details On Daffney's Lawsuit Against TNA

Details have surfaced on former TNA star Daffney‘s — real name Shannon Spruill — lawsuit against TNA stemming from injuries sustained during her time as a TNA Knockout.

Daffney announced that she had filed a workers’ compensation claim against the company last year following her departure from the company.

The suit is largely to do with injuries sustained during the Bound for Glory 2009 pay per view when Daffney was chokeslammed through a barbed wire table.

According to documents obtained by PWInsider, the lawsuit alleges that Daffney’s medical bills stemming from the injuries exceeded $26,000, but TNA only offered up $600 initially. The bill was eventually settled by TNA over a year later, but for a lower amount.

It’s claimed then-Head of Talent Relations Terry Taylor told Daffney that TNA would pay the remainder of the bill following the initial $600 payment, but they failed to do so, resulting in Daffney receiving demands for payment.

The lawsuit further suggests that at one point TNA sent Daffney a letter stating that they would not pay the balance of the medical bill, citing her as an independent contractor. This, despite Taylor’s claim that TNA would pay the bill.

It is also alleged that Daffney is in possession of correspondence forwarded to her by Terry Taylor, in which a lawyer for TNA’s parent company in Texas advised TNA officials to stall payment in order to settle for a lower amount. As mentioned, the company did eventually settle the bill with medical providers for $8,000. However, it’s claimed that the balance was settled over a year later, resulting in Daffney continuing to be burdened by demands for payment in the interim.

Also noteworthy is reference to a further injury Daffney sustained in 2010 when she was injured during a tryout match with Rosie Lottalove. The company foot a $9,556 bill for medical treatment. Interestingly, it’s reported that TNA initially claimed they had not paid any of Daffney’s medical bills, despite records of payments for the 2009 and 2010 injuries. That claim was later withdrawn.
Going forward there are two court dates of note; the TNA attorney in Texas, who had advised officials to stall payment for medical bills, has been called as a witness by Daffney’s side. He is due to provide a deposition on July 5th. Meanwhile, a hearing on June 29th will determine whether TNA President Dixie Carter will be deposed in the case, also. Daffney’s side has asked for her to be deposed, but TNA claims that Carter doesn’t have knowledge of Daffney’s injuries or knowledge of the details of talent contracts.

As a result of her various injuries, Daffney stopped wrestling. Her last match was on a December 2010 episode of Impact.

Buggy Nova Joins FCW

It looks as though WWE has signed California-based independent wrestler, Buggy Nova, to a developmental deal.

Nova made her debut at an FCW live event yesterday and competed in a dance-off hosted by SmackDown Superstar, Damien Sandow. She also took part in a Divas bikini contest.

Nova previously had tryouts with WWE in January, where she attended Raw and SmackDown tapings in Anaheim, and worked a match with AJ. She then had a second tryout in February, once again wrestling AJ.

Watch footage of Buggy’s debut:

In Video: Velvet Sky In Montgomery Gentry Video

As you saw announced on Impact Wrestling a couple of weeks ago, former Knockouts Champion Velvet Sky was given a starring role in the latest video from country music band, Montgomery Gentry, for their song ‘So Called Life’.

The video has just premiered and stars Velvet as a single mom, who takes care of her little boy by day, and wrestles by night. Who’d have pictured Velvet in that role? I liked the story and the video was really enjoyable.

Check it out below:

Eve Torres Joins Reality Show

Fans have been wondering why Eve Torres abruptly disappeared from WWE television a few weeks ago. Well, it looks like we have our answer — she has been filming a new NBC celebrity reality competition series, Stars Earn Stripes.

The show sees eight celebrities compete in “tough military training exercises”, reports EW.com.

According to the report, like ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, the celebrities will be paired with real life experts with military or law enforcement experience. “Contests range from helicopter drops to long-range target shooting, with the celebrity and the veteran competing as a team. Each week, one team is eliminated.”

Joining Eve on the show are boxer Laila Ali, Superman actor Dean Cain, singer Nick Lachey and more.

The series premieres on Monday, August 13th at 8pm ET with a two hour episode. Interestingly, that would mean the show goes head-to-head with Raw on USA Network.
Check out the cast photo featuring Eve at right.

Two Former Divas Inducted Into Hall Of Fame

It could be argued that some of WWE’s top Divas in history have come from the fitness industry — Trish Stratus, Torrie Wilson and Victoria (now known as Tara in TNA), to name but a few — and now two of those former Divas are being honored for their pre-WWE careers in fitness.

Tri-Fitness has inducted Torrie and Tara (real name Lisa Marie Varon) into its Hall of Fame, Class of 2012.

Torrie is was the first Tri-Fitness Grace & Physique champion in 1998, while Tara placed in the top five of the Tri-Fitness World Challenge that same year.

Both went on to have successful careers in sports entertainment. Torrie retired from WWE in 2008 following a career-threatening back injury. Meanwhile, Tara, a two-time WWE Women’s Champion, now competes for TNA where she has been a four-time Knockouts Champion.

Read more about their inductions here.

Congratulations to both Torrie and Lisa on their achievement!

Ashley vs Melina Almost Didn't Happen

Former WWE Divas Ashley Massaro and Melina, who were reunited on the June 18th episode of AfterBuzz TV’s Raw After Show, revealed on the program that their WrestleMania match for the Women’s Championship in 2007 almost didn’t happen.

Melina tells her fellow co-hosts, including former Divas Maria Kanellis and Jillian Hall, as well as former TNA star Becky Bayless, that they were almost scrapped while WrestleMania 23 was ongoing, despite the match being previously advertised.

The former five-time champion, who was in her first run as Women’s Champion at the time, was due to defend against Massaro, the then-Playboy covergirl, in a Lumberjill Match.

“We were not going to be on the card at all, but at the last minute [they said], ‘Here we can squeeze you in’,” Melina recalls.

The former Divas say they were waiting in the gorilla position (the area backstage nearest to the entrance way) waiting to find out if they were going to be able to compete.

The match did happen in the end with Melina retaining the Women’s Title.

Ashley also reveals that she broke her foot a week before the match.

The Ashley vs Melina match marks the last time the Divas competed in a singles match or a title match at WrestleMania.

WSU Has New Owner And New Logo

As announced on the Uncensored Rumble Internet pay per view, WSU has been sold to the owners of the Beyond Wrestling promotion.
Promoter Sean McCaffrey announced last month that WSU would be sold so he can seek medical care.
Beyond Wrestling, the new owners of WSU, have unveiled a brand new logo for the company today.

Beyond Wrestling management is expected to take over operations of WSU next month when McCaffrey bows out.

You can read official comments from the new owners here.

Three More Indy Stars Join SHINE Debut

Former WCW and TNA star, Daffney, is among the latest names announced for SHINE Wrestling’s debut show on July 20th.

Daffney, who is also involved in official management capacity with SHINE, isn’t expected to wrestle on the show stemming from concussion injuries sustained during her time in TNA. Daffney is currently involved in legal proceedings against TNA.

Also joining the debut show, breakout WSU star and one third of the Midwest Militia, Allysin Kay.
Rounding out the latest trio of names, Taylor Made, who has wrestled for SHIMMER and Billy Corgan-associated promotion, RESISTANCE Pro.

SHINE 1 is available to pre-order now. Click here to order.

Nikki Roxx, Tracy Taylor, Jayme Jameson Added To SHINE

I can reveal three more names for the Shine Wrestling debut next month on Internet pay per view.

Former TNA star Nikki Roxx has joined the lineup along with Tracy Taylor and Jayme Jameson.

Earlier this week, the company announced Mercedes Martinez.

Check out the latest poster:

Update On Kharma's WWE Return

While things have been quiet on the Kharma front in recent weeks (it was rumored that she was supposed to return at Extreme Rules), the former TNA Knockouts Champion has been training rather intensively for her eventual return.

Kharma tweeted a picture of herself working with a personal trainer.

Responding to a fan on whether she was training for her return, she said: “Yes, very hard”.

Judging from the picture it looks as though Kharma, real name Kia Stevens, has lost some weight. She looks amazing!

I RETURN! And New NXT News

So first, sorry for the load I'm about to dump on all of you. The computer I was using blanked almost two weeks ago, and I just hooked up my slow one. So I return today!

Anyway, NXT will enter a new era next week as WWE begins airing episodes from its recent tapings at Full Sail University featuring the stars of FCW.

As previously reported, NXT will now become the television show for FCW, while the current FCW series will end in the next few weeks.

The FCW Divas — including Sofia Cortez, Summer Rae, Audrey Marie and Paige — are heavily featured in the promo for the new season.

Watch below:

Mixed Up Bowl Of Wrestling!

It’s the end of an era as far as Women Superstars Uncensored is concerned on Saturday. At the conclusion of the Uncensored Rumble V iPPV from Deer Park, NY, the WSU founder Sean McCaffrey will hand over the reins to another group, described to us as a promotion which is as major as an indie promotion can be.

A month ago, WSU made the announcement that it had been sold to an “independent buyer”, but the initial buyer was said to have fallen through, with other options being explored. Clearly, one of those options paid off, as everything has been sorted out ahead of the Uncensored Rumble, where we will all find out just who has acquired the promotion.

It is an uncertain period though, as there is no guarantee that the new owners will share the same vision of WSU. There is a possibility that things will progress as planned, but there is also a chance that whoever Is taking over will have new ideas and suggestions for storylines and talent, so there could be some shake-ups to come too. WSU’s outlook may change over time, but it is unlikely that if there will be any alterations, they won’t happen immediately. After all, the fans are the ones who finance things in the long run, and to make changes immediately and in a big fashion could be too jarring to the WSU faithful and possibly drive them away. Much more likely would be a subtle movement in direction to enhance what already exists.

However, there is more going on at the event on Saturday than finding out who the new boss is. There are a slew of matches, headlined by Jessicka Havok defending the WSU Championship against former titleholder Mercedes Martinez in a casket match (though not the first one ever, as originally purported, as both Miss Heidi v Camron Starr from New Era Wrestling and one between Mickie Knuckles and Amanda took place last October).

The pair have been battling both in the ring and on the Internet since last November, when then-champion Martinez suffered a stinger and concussion as part of the War Games match which headlines Breaking Barriers 2 at the hands of Havok, as well as the added indignity of almost being stabbed by the now-infamous machete that Jessicka brandishes most of the time. It escalated in March when Havok ended Martinez’s near three year reign as champion in the main event of the 5th Anniversary show, but hit a chicane in April’s double DVD taping when Mercedes regained the belt and ended Jessicka’s undefeated singles streak in the process, only for the Militia leader to regain the belt mere hours later. That leads us to this casket match, where each woman has promised to bury the other’s career and walk out with the belt. Given the flip-flopping of the title six weeks ago, I would expect Havok to walk out still champion.

Elsewhere, fellow Militia member one one half of the WSU Tag Team Champions Sassy Stephie takes on her longtime rival and 2012 J-Cup winner Brittney Savage in an Uncensored Rules Match, which should settle their 18 month rivalry once and for all. However, Stephie’s championship partner Allysin Kay is less than happy, as she is taking on debutante Terra Calaway, arguing that the match is beneath her. She may have a point – being the joint #2 heel in the company with Stephie, this feels like a midcard contest. However, it could have been booked as a sleeper match, as Calaway has done well in marketing herself as being one of the big stars on the West Coast. On Saturday, iPPV viewers will find out if she is telling the truth or if it’s smoke and mirrors.

Elsewhere, WSU’s relationship with nCw Femmes Fatales kicks off with Kalamity defending her International Championship against Sweet Cherrie, while former titleholder LuFisto wrestles Leva Bates in one of Bates’ highest profile matches to date. Considering the pair like their fun, this bout is set to be high entertainment even before they lock up. Also on the card, Tina San Antonio takes on Annie Social, while Lexxus and Alicia also look to settle their differences.

The other big talking point of the show is the Uncensored Rumble itself – essentially a Royal Rumble, with the same stipulation of the winner getting a shot at the WSU Championship. The story going into this concerns Rain, who has vowed to quit wrestling if she doesn’t win the match and get the shot.

There is some plausibility to this plan to back away from the ring. After all, the 30-year old, 12 year veteran has been focussing more on her personal training and yoga in recent years, and has been accepting fewer bookings, especially since her International Home Wrecking Crew partners Rain and Lacey also hung up the tights. She has been a part of TNA, and had great runs in IWA: Mid South, SHIMMER and WSU – something that very few can boast. However, there is something else that argues against her hanging up the boots, and that’s the fact that she is booked for the debut SHINE show on July 20. For that reason – and I admit, I may be reading into things WAY too much – I’m going to make an outside bet that Rain wins the Uncensored Rumble and takes on Havok – coincidentally, her old protege in Rain’s Army and the woman Jessicka defeated last September to win the Spirit Championship – to take their battle to the highest level possible.

What with the WSU iPPV, as well as WAWW and a Divas Title match on Sunday, it’s shaping up to be a busy weekend. And we’re starting it off on Friday with the latest Women Of Wrestling podcast which we have been working on for the past few weeks, and we promise that it’s a special one.

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Kelly Kelly has reportedly been given time off from WWE, according to PWInsider. She’s been on the road for 6 years since the age of 19. It also claims that some sources say that she may not come back, as she tweeted that anyone interested in booking her should email her management team. She also used her real name of Barbie Blank.

It’s also been reported that in order to keep Kelly sweet, WWE has offered her a new (and substantial) deal to keep her on the books, as she is their highest-drawing Diva. However, if I were WWE, I would let her go. Money is an incentive, but so is personal happiness, and it seems that Kelly is lacking in that at the moment, and is looking to venture elsewhere.

Over the last year, both Maryse and the Bella Twins have opted to leave the spotlight and exposure of WWE to seek their fortunes elsewhere. They were doing well enough as Divas, but their scope was somewhat limited, as none would be top of the heap when it came to the women’s decision. The same is somewhat true of Kelly, who flopped as Divas Champion, and has not had another sniff at the title since losing it to Beth Phoenix last October. Accomplishment-wise, there is not much more for her to do, her wrestling ability is unlikely to get any better (she has been referred to as the female John Cena, in that she is popular, but polarising when it comes to her wrestling ability) and there is nothing left for her to achieve.

Besides, Kelly has been part of WWE for six years, and that is a long time, especially when those six years took place during her formative adult years, so she may be looking to stand on her own two feet as a media personality. She could return to modelling, get into presenting, acting or whatever, but while she is under the WWE umbrella, she is unlikely to get the maximum opportunities. It is the same reason why women like Stacy Keibler, Mickie James and Maria Kanellis also decided to leave, and all of them have enjoyed varying levels of success.

If Kelly signs up for another three years, that could see her opportunity to make it in the mainstream pass her by.

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If there was ever a time to transfer the Knockouts Title from Gail Kim to a new name, Sunday was it. Miss Tessmacher (TNA believes having a Brooke Hogan AND a Brooke Tessmacher would make fans’ heads explode with confusion) was the beneficiary, securing the championship at Slammiversary X in her home state of Texas, pinning Kim with a victory roll as a counter to Gail’s attempt at Brooke’s own Tess Shocker finisher. The victory for the 27-year old is a big show of confidence by TNA, who have nurtured her from being on the outskirts of wrestling after being cast off by WWE into Eric Bischoff’s secretary, into pro wrestler. As has been mentioned, she is much better than she has any right to be at this point in career, but has now been put into a position where she can’t just be better than people would expect – she has to be good. Can she manage it? Unsure.

In Tessmacher’s best matches, she has had Gail Kim to lead the way, and soon that won’t be the case. I would expect there to be a rematch, which the new champion should win to solidify her position at the top of the heap, then move onto a new challenge to see how versatile she really is. That challenge could come from Mickie James, who is a fingernail away from a heel turn.
James was on the verge of a turn earlier this year but it was abandoned for some reason. Following being off TV for three weeks, Mickie returned to Impact last week, being pinned in the four way match which saw Tessmacher get the shot at Slammiversary. She was more aggressive than normal, jaw-jacked at Velvet Sky before falling to a Tess Shocker, and generally played the antagonist in the match. This followed on from an angle earlier in the show where she was disgruntled at Sky getting to be featured in a Montgomery Gentry video, and was reluctant to join in a group hug. It seems that James’ turn will be facilitated by her anger at Velvet, possibly for Sky getting the opportunities, love and attention that Mickie feels that she deserves.

So while Tessmacher is beating Kim for a second time, James can see off Sky, leading to a programme between the two. It would lead to some new matches, and could help breathe some life into a division which was nicely steered by Kim as champion, but never really got into a thrilling phase. In addition, Tessmacher’s former Knockouts Tag Team Championship partner Tara could also come knocking to set up a teacher v student affair, which has a backstory already set up.
But what of Gail Kim? This scenario sees her get tossed on a heap after carrying the Knockouts division since last November when she regained the title following her return to TNA from WWE. Well, she could focus on the tag team ranks with Madison Rayne, if the former SHIMMER Tag Team titleholder can tear herself away from being so interested in her new, as-yet unrevealed man. Kim and Rayne have already defeated current Knockouts Tag champs ODB and Eric Young, and taking the titles from them could restore a little credibility to a pair of belts which never really hit their potential. They could then defend them against former champs Sarita and Rosita, who have been doing a pile of nothing since Mexican America fell apart. Turning them face would help with their styles, and could help to rejuvenate their TNA careers too. However, if that does happen, the Mexican America name should go – simply because one (Rosita) isn’t Mexican, and the other (Sarita) is neither.

We could be on the verge of a renaissance in the Knockouts division. Will TNA pull the trigger?

We’ll find out over the next month.

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The best of the rest

Following in the footsteps of acts like respective current and former colleagues Kana and Miyako Matsumoto, Makoto is going to start her own event named Makopuro, with the first event scheduled for July 8 in Tokyo. At the press conference to announce it, Kana didn’t seem impressed… Davina Rose ventured to Kc Spinelli’s hope promotion of ECCW recently. On July 27, Spinelli will return the favour when she takes on Rose in Big Time Wrestling… Karen Jarrett’s been calling out Dixie Carter on Twitter. No specific reason as of yet… Pro Wrestling: EVE says the Special Edition show on July 14 will feature “quality, not quantity”. I’ll support that – WWF In Your House: Canadian Stampede is one of my favourite shows of all time, and it was only two hours long and had just four matches on it. In that thread, the first match announced on Monday was former champion Jenny Sjodin v Blue Nikita (who is starting her third run in the promotion)… RQW European Champion Queen Maya will defend the belt against Aurora Flame in the main event of WAWW Bellatrix 2 this weekend. SHIMMER Champion Sweet Saraya will challenge Liberty for the WAW British Women’s Championship… Mercedes Martinez, Kimberly, Cherry Bomb, Su Yung, Rain and Veda Scott have been announced for SHINE 1 on July 20. Kimberly and Martinez have had quite the battles in WXW… Carmel Jacob has been added to the ICW: Fierce Females roster… Alpha Female has relocated to the UK… Sara Del Rey will take on Santana Garrett in a SHINE preview on the upcoming EVOLVE iPPV on June 28…

Beth Phoenix is now dating Edge. She’s been in relationships with CM Punk and Cody Rhodes in the past… Did you see Mickie James’ boots on Impact? They were proper women’s cowgirl boots with 2 inch heels which were totally inappropriate for wrestling. On the plus side, she is looking remarkably in shape… Muscle Venus (Tsukasa Fujimoto & Hikaru Shida) won the vacant REINA x WORLD Tag Team Championship at the rebooted promotion’s show on Saturday. They defeated Princesa Blanca & Princesa Sugheit in the semi finals and Aki Kambayashi and Mia Yim in the final. Yim stood in for Aoi Ishibashi in the final round because Aoi suffered a broken collarbone in the semi against La Commandante & Zeuxis, which will likely keep her out for the rest of 2012. As champions, Muscle Venus will travel to Mexico next month. I’d advise them to not accept any giant paintings as gifts… On that front, Io Shirai was released from prison yesterday on bail, pending a trial. She had been held in detention since being arrested at Narita airport a fortnight ago alongside her boyfriend NOSAWA Rongai after 75g of cannabis was found in the frames of paintings given to them during a tour of Mexico… Aja Kong was hospitalised before Sunday’s OZ Academy’s show for undisclosed reasons. On the show, Dynamite Kansai suffered a knee injury… Mio Shirai defeated Ayumi Kurihara on Friday’s WAVE show to win the DDT Iron Man Heavymetalweight Championship, though she lost it to Hiroyo Matsumoto on Sunday’s OZ Academy show. Speaking to Matsumoto, she will challenge Chikayo Nagashima for the OZ Academy Openweight Championship on August 19 after winning a #1 contender’s tournament on Sunday evening…

Speaking of tournaments, 19 Pro is holding a THIRD tourney this year to determine a top contender for Tsukasa Fujimoto’s IW19 Title… Rena “Sable” Lesnar is to become a grandmother at the age of 44. Her 21-year old daughter Mariah is due to give birth in September… Courtney Rush was reinstated to NEO Spirit Pro Wrestling after defeating Cherry Bomb and Jennifer Blake in a handicap match on Saturday… WWE’s Raw brand toured Spain last week, with Layla beating Beth Phoenix around the loop… Speaking of Beth and Layla, the two will meet on Sunday at No Way Out after Phoenix pinned the Divas Champion as part of a mixed tag match on last night’s Raw. Also on Raw, AJ became the absolute focal point of the WWE Championship picture. For the record, Daniel Bryan’s former girlfriend is hanging around with titleholder CM Punk, and also played tonsil hockey with Kane. No idea what the end of this angle is going to be, but AJ’s stock will have risen dramatically in the process… Someone set up a fake Daizee Haze Facebook page which sucked in a lot of people, wrestlers included. Considering how fiercely Haze guards her private life, we were skeptical on if it was legit, and earlier today, Delirious confirmed that it was bogus. The account was removed soon afterwards.
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Results

June 5: WWE NXT (Columbia, SC) – Tamina Snuka b Natalya

June 6: WWE (Madrid, Spain) – Layla b Beth Phoenix

June 7: WWE (Seville, Spain) – Layla b Beth Phoenix

June 7: Impact Wrestling (Orlando, FL) – Brooke Tessmacher b Mickie James, Velvet Sky & Tara

June 7: Florida Championship Wrestling (Tampa, FL) – Audrey Marie b Paige; Audrey Marie b Paige

June 8: WWE (Valencia, Spain) – Layla b Beth Phoenix

June 8: 19 Pro (Saitama, Japan) – Kurumi & Maki Narumiya b Tsukushi & Dorami Nagano

June 8: Pro Wrestling WAVE (Tokyo, Japan) – Kana b Syuri; Hamuko Hoshi b Aya Yuki; Cherry b Tsukasa Fujimoto; Mio Shirai b Ayumi Kurihara to win the DDT Iron Man Heavymetalweight Championship; Shuu Shibutani & Tomoka Nakagawa b Moeka Haruhi & Yuu Yamagata; Yumi Ohka, Bambi & Misaki Ohata b GAMI, Ryo Mizunami & Sawako Shimono

June 8: Top Rope Promotions (Fall River, MA) – Alexxis Nevaeh & Luscious Latasha v Bambi & Sandi Starr

June 8: NWA Houston (Cypress, TX) – Rachel Summerlyn b Jen-Alise to win the NWA Lone Star Women’s Championship

June 9: Newcastle Pro Wrestling (New Lambton, Australia) – Shazza McKenzie b Jessie McKay

June 9: REINA x WORLD (Tokyo, Japan) – Mia Yim b Leah Von Dutch & Crazy Mary Dobson in a 3-way; Hikaru Shida & Tsukasa Fujimoto b Princesa Blanca & Princesa Sugheit; Aoi Ishibashi & Aki Kambayashi b La Commandante & Zeuxis; Hikaru Shida & Tsukasa Fujimoto b Mia Yim & Aki Kambayashi to win the REINA x WORLD Tag Team Championship

June 9: Ice Ribbon (Saitama, Japan) – Hikari Minami b Meari Naito; Aki Shizuku b Miyako Matsumoto; Hamuko Hoshi & Dorami Nagano b Hiroyo Matsumoto & Kurumi; Hikaru Shida, Tsukasa Fujimoto & Tsukushi b Aoi Kizuki, Sayaka Obihiro & Maki Narumiya

June 9: Kaientai Dojo (Chiba, Japan) – Captain Diagoro b Bambi & Silver Wave in a 3-way

June 9: Family Wrestling Entertainment (New York, NY) – Jillian Hall b Maria Kanellis; Maria Kanellis & Rosita b Jillian Hall & Winter

June 9: Snakepit Adelaide Pro Wrestling (Wallaroo, Australia) – Daisy Chayne b Kira Winters

June 9: Professional Championship Wrestling (Rowville, Australia) – Mr Big b Siren Monroe

June 9: Neo Wrestling Federation (Niagara Falls, ONT, Canada) – Courtney Rush b Cherry Bomb & Jennifer Blake in a handicap match

June 9: WWE (Barcelona, Spain) – Layla b Beth Phoenix

June 9: WWE (Salisbury, MD) – Tamina Snuka b Natalya

June 9: New York Wrestling Connection (Deer Park, NY) – Marti Belle b Brittney Savage; Nikki Syxx & Stockade b Cherry Lane & Mike Reed

June 9: Combat Zone Wrestling (Hamilton, OH) – Nevaeh b Kimber Lee

June 9: Mega Championship Wrestling (Elyria, OH) – Angeldust v Thunderkitty

June 10: OZ Academy (Tokyo, Japan) – Mayumi Ozaki b Mayumi Hirota; Manami Toyota, Carlos Amano & Tomoka Nakagawa b Ran YuYu, Hiroyo Matsumoto & Mio Shirai; Mayumi Ozaki b Nao Komatsu; Akino b noki-A; Chikayo Nagashima & Yumi Ohka b Sonoko Kato & Ayumi Kurihara

June 10: OZ Academy (Tokyo, Japan) – Ran YuYu b Manami Toyota; 
Hiroyo Matsumoto b Mio Shirai; Tomoka Nakagawa b Carlos Amano; 
Yumi Ohka v Tsubasa Kuragaki went to a time limit draw; Hiroyo Matsumoto b Tomoka Nakagawa; 
Ran YuYu b Nao Komatsu; Hiroyo Matsumoto b Ran YuYu; Chikayo Nagashima & Mayumi Ozaki b Sonoko Kato & Ayumi Kurihara

June 10: BATTLEWAR (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) – Vanessa Kraven & the Mothership Connection b Chaz Lovely, Klondike Kearn & Ryan Rogan

June 10: WWE (Binghamton, NY) – Tamina Snuka b Natalya

June 10: Stardom (Tokyo, Japan) – Act Yasukawa b Natsumi Showzuki; Miho Wakizawa b Azt Yasukawa; Kairi Hojo & Yuusaku b Eri Susa & Yuuri Haruka; Nanae Takahashi b Mayu Iwatani; Natsuki*Taiyo, Yoshiko & Kyoko Kimura b Yuzuki Aikawa, Yoko Bito & Saki Kashima

June 10: TNA Slammiversary (Arlington, TX) – Brooke Tessmacher b Gail Kim to win the Knockouts Championship

June 11: WWE Raw (Hartford, CT) – Beth Phoenix & Ricardo Rodriguez b Layla & Santino Marella; CM Punk & AJ b Daniel Bryan & Kane

June 11: CMLL (Puebla, Mexico) – Lady Afrodita, La Seductora & Tiffany b Estrellita, Marcela & Luna Magica

**

Upcoming

June 15: Pro Wrestling Alliance (Camden, Australia) – Evie v Kellie Skater; Jessie McKay v Shazza McKenzie

June 16: Women Superstars Uncensored “Uncensored Rumble V” (Deer Park, NY) – Jessicka Havok v Mercedes Martinez; Sassy Stephie v Brittney Savage; Alicia v Lexxus; Kalamity v Sweet Cherrie;
Tina San Antonio v Annie Social

June 16: Ice Ribbon TEENS 6 (Saitama, Japan) – Riho v Nanae Takahashi

June 16: IWA: Midwest (Bellevue, IL) – Thunderkitty v Serenity
June 17: World Association of Women’s Wrestling (Costessey, England) – Sweet Saraya v Liberty; Phobia v Amazon; Rhia O’Reilly v Miss Mina; Penelope v Destiny; Queen Maya v Aurora Flame; Skarlett v Lady Lory

June 17: WWE No Way Out (East Rutherford, NJ) – Layla v Beth Phoenix

June 17: Union (Kitazawa, Japan) – Cherry v Yuko Miyamoto

June 17: JWP (Tokyo, Japan) – Kaori Yoneyama & Emi Sakura v Arisa Nakajima & Manami Katsu

June 22: AAW (Berwyn, IL) – MsChif v Angelus Layne

June 24: Anarchy Championship Wrestling American Joshi Queen of Queens (Live Oak, TX) – Angel Blue v Portia Perez

June 28: EVOLVE (Ybor City, FL) – Sara Del Rey v Santana Garrett

June 30: World Wrestling Council (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) – Melina v Velvet Sky

July 1: Absolute Intense Wrestling (Cleveland, OH) – Allysin Kay v Mia Yim

July 6: Premier Wrestling Experience (Charlotte, NC) – Amber O’Neal v Fantasia

July 7: nCw Femmes Fatales (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) – Portia Perez & Nicole Matthews v Sweet Cherrie & Cherry Bomb; Kalamity v Sara Del Rey; Jessicka Havok, Allysin Kay & Sassy Stephie v Courtney Rush, TBA & TBA; Kc Spinelli v Cheerleader Melissa; Missy v Mary Lee Rose

July 13: Squared Circle Wrestling (Watertown, NY) – Mickie James v Rachel Summerlyn

July 14: Pro Wrestling: EVE (Sudbury, England) – Blue Nikita v Jenny Sjodin

July 20: SHINE Wrestling (Ybor City, FL)

July 27: Big Time Wrestling (Newark, CA) – Davina Rose v Kc Spinelli

August 4: Crossfire Entertainment (Nashville, TN) – Jillian Hall v Jessicka Havok

August 4: Absolute Intense Wrestling Girls Night Out 7 (Cleveland, OH)

August 5: Anarchy Championship Wrestling (Live Oak, TX) – Rachel Summerlyn v Jaykus Plisken

August 17: Preston City Wrestling (Preston, England) – CJ Banks v Kay Lee Ray

August 19: OZ Academy (Tokyo, Japan) – Chikayo Nagashima v Hiroyo Matsumoto

August 25: American States Wrestling Alliance (Mansfield, OH) – Nevaeh v Sassy Stephie
September 16: World Association of Women’s Wrestling (Norwich, England)

October 29-30: SHIMMER: Women Athletes (Berwyn, IL)

November 3: nCw Femmes Fatales (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)

Another Women's Wrestling Mosh Pit!

Hiroyo Matsumoto was crowned the 911th DDT Iron Man Heavyweight Champion on June 10, after defeating Mio Shirai in an OZ Academy Tournament.

Shirai had only won the belt herself two days earlier, after pinning Ayumi Kurihara.

Hiroyo’s match with Mio took place in the first round of the tournament (which was being held to determine a number one contender to Chikayo Nagashima‘s OZ Academy Openweight Championship). Hiroyo won with a Ligerbomb.

Matsumoto would then go on to win the entire tournament itself, beating out Ran YuYu in the finals.

Results from the show are below:

* Quarter-Final Match: Ran YuYu def. Manami Toyota
* Quarter-Final Match: Hiroyo Matsumoto def. Mio Shirai
* Quarter-Final Match: Tomoka Nakagawa def. Carlos Amano
* Quarter-Final Match: Yumi Ohka vs. Tsubasa Kuragaki ended in a time limit draw, so both were disqualified from the tournament

* Semi-Final Match: Hiroyo Matsumoto def. Tomoka Nakagawa
* Semi-Final Match: Ran YuYu def. Nao Komatsu (the winner of the match advanced to the finals because of Ohka/Kuragaki’s time limit draw)

* Final Match: Hiroyo Matsumoto def. Ran YuYu

Hiroyo will now challenge for Nagashima’s title on OZ Academy’s August 19 show.

• • • • •

With the departure of Yumiko Hotta, a press conference was held at the end of May announcing that Universal Woman’s Pro Wrestling REINA would be re-launching as REINA x WORLD, with their first show – to feature a tag team tournament – to be held on June 9 at Shinjuku FACE. Their partnership with CMLL will remain the same.

The show also featured the Japanese debuts of Canadian Leah Von Dutch and American “Crazy” Mary Dobson, as well as a returning Mia Yim (on her fifth Japanese tour).

* REINA World Women’s Tag Team Championship Tournament Round 1: Hikaru Shida and Tsukasa Fujimoto def. Princesa Blanca and Princesa Sugey (10:34)

* REINA World Women’s Tag Team Championship Tournament Round 1: Aki Kanbayashi and Aoi Ishibashi def. La Comandante and Zeuxis (16:54)

* Mia Yim def. Leah Von Dutch and “Crazy” Mary Dobson (7:24)

* Kaji Tomato (w/Petit Tomato) def. Batten Tamagawa (7:35)

* REINA World Women’s Tag Team Championship Tournament Final: Hikaru Shida and Tsukasa Fujimoto defeated Aki Kanbayashi and Mia Yim (8:34)

As a result, Shida and Fujimoto become the 4th REINA World Women’s Tag Team Champions, and will defend their titles in Mexico next month.

In unfortunate news, Aoi Ishibashi was stretchered off after her match with a broken collarbone, and Yim filled in for her in the main event at the last minute.

• • • • •

In other Leah Von Dutch news, she’ll once again take on Sara Del Rey for CHIKARA at their show “The Foggiest Notion” on June 23. Von Dutch, whom made her debut for the company at the end of March in a three-minute loss to Del Rey, is looking to prove herself against one of the best wrestlers in the world.

The show will take place at the Bear Creek Country Club in Strathroy, Ontario.

• • • • •

nCw Femmes Fatales have announced several new matches for their ninth show on July 7th in Montreal.

In a huge match, former SHIMMER Champion Cheerleader Melissa will take on ECCW Women’s Champion KC Spinelli in the latter’s debut for the company. Spinelli is a star on the rise, while Melissa comes off one of the best matches in Femmes Fatales history – a twenty-five minute time limit draw vs. Hailey Hatred in March.

Another match announced for the main show will be Mary Lee Rose (with Mademoiselle Rachelle in her corner) vs. Missy.

Two preliminary bouts have also been added to the pre-show entertainment: Quebec wrestler Deziree will battle Milouu, while Serphantina (whom was supposed to be on their last show, but injury prevented it) will verse another first-time talent – Angelus Layne. Layne made her debut at SHIMMER’s most recent set of tapings (held in March), on their SPARKLE pre-show.

Layne will also wrestle MsChif June 22 for AAW in Chicago.

• • • • •

In exciting news, Pro Wrestling:EVE have announced that Blue Nikita will make her return to the company for a “European Dream Match” against former EVE Champion Jenny Sjödin.

Blue Nikita is only one of two returning EVE talents that have been promised for the July 14 show, which will also feature the debut of TNA Knockout Winter (aka Katarina Waters), as well as “one time only” and “must see” matches.

The match will take place during their “Special Edition” show at the Delphi Centre in Sudbury. Tickets can be purchased this link.

• • • • •

WAWW is holding their next show June 17 at the Breckland Hall in Costessey, Norwich. A pretty full card has already been released, with more to still be announced:

* WAWW British Ladies Championship Match: Liberty (c) vs. Sweet Saraya

* RQW European Championship Match: Queen Maya (c) vs. Aurora Flame

* Miss Mina (Norway) vs. Rhia O’Reilly (Ireland)

* Amazon vs. Phobia

* Destiny vs. Penelope

* Skarlett vs. Lady Lori

• • • • •

The WWE Divas are being advertised as being part of the next WWE NXT tapings to be held on June 14 at the Full Sail University.

Beth vs Layla At No Way Out

In a rematch from last month’s Over the Limit pay per view, Divas Champion Layla will defend her title against Beth Phoenix this Sunday at No Way Out.

The latest match comes after Beth pinned Layla in a mixed tag team match last night on Raw.

Beth hit the Glam Slam on Layla to score a victory for herself and Ricardo Rodriguez. Layla teamed with US Champion, Santino.

Brooke Tessmacher's Post-Win Comments

New Knockouts Champion Brooke Tessmacher, who won the title from Gail Kim last night, posted a message of thanks to her fans via Facebook today.

Clearly still on Cloud 9 after her victory, Brooke wrote:

"Thank you guys so much for all the comments love and support. Yesterday was one of the greatest moments in my life and definitely the greatest moment in my wrestling career. I have fought for this day for 6 yrs and honestly never thought i would make it. I have been fired, I have dislocated my shoulder, broken my jaw, taken on the best female wrestlers in pro wrestling today, and have over come every stereotype of being a model in the professional wrestling world. Yesterday I took down the longest reign for the Knockouts Championship, Gail Kim. And now today I stand as a true athlete, as your new TNA Knockouts Champion!!"

Congratulations again to Brooke on her win.

Her official ImpactWrestling.com Roster of Champions picture:

Big Johnny No Longer Talent Relations Exec

The official WWE Corporate website has removed John Laurinaitis from their official list of Executive Officers, signifying that Laurinaitis no longer officially serves as the company's Executive Vice President of Talent Relations.

Triple H (real name Paul Levesque) has been added to the site in Laurinaitis's place as Executive Vice President of Talent and Live Events.

Laurinaitis was placed in his position in 2004, serving as the replacement for Jim Ross, but now serves as solely an on-air talent.

Despite Laurinaitis no longer holding the position, he is still listed as the Executive Vice President of Talent relations on his WWE.com Superstars profile page and his official Twitter account.

More SHINE Names Announced

Shine Wrestling has announced three more names for its debut show next month.

Veteran Mercedes Martinez has been added to the mix, as has Canada’s Cherry Bomb. Rounding out the latest additions is Florida’s Kimberly.

For the other already announced names:
http://sarcasticwrestling.blogspot.com/2012/05/first-names-revealed-for-shine.html
http://sarcasticwrestling.blogspot.com/2012/06/mosh-pit-of-womens-wrestling-news.html
http://sarcasticwrestling.blogspot.com/2012/06/new-names-announced-for-shine-debut.html

Tessmacher's Slammiversary Win In Review

After last month’s match where Gail Kim barely escaped with the TNA Knockouts Championship, she and Brooke Tessmacher meet again at Slammiversary X, with the title on the line for a second time.

The Background
• As mentioned in the build-up piece on Friday, Tessmacher earned the opportunity to challenge for the belt again after defeating Mickie James, Tara and Velvet Sky in a four-way match on Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling. She pinned James following a Tess Shocker.

• In the weeks building up to Sacrifice, Brooke had pinned the titleholder on a number of occasions. For this month, there was not much more build-up than the win on Thursday.

• Tessmacher had been a fingernail away from winning the title last month when she had Gail Kim reeling, but Kim defeated her with a roll-up, using her feet on the ropes for leverage.

The Match
• It was the champion who gained the early advantage with an armdrag, roll-up and dropkick, but bailed for the outside when Brooke went for the Tess Shocker.

• As Tessmacher got too close to the ropes, Gail pulled her outside, rammed her into the ring apron, then set to work, but not before a flurry from the challenger, which saw her connect with a flying clothesline and hurracanrana, but was cut off when she was dropped throat-first onto the ropes.

• Gail’s focus was the neck and shoulder of Brooke, wearing her down with hammerlocks and headscissors. Struggling to her feet, Tessmacher once again attempted a Tess Shocker, but was foiled. However, a desperation neckbreaker was more successful, and allowed her to begin the comeback.

• All was going well until she went for the Tess Shocker again and was unsuccessful for a third time. Kim punished her with a stranglehold neckbreaker for her trouble before spearing her to the outside.

• As Brooke returned to the ring, Gail taunted her and went for Eat Defeat, but chose to finish her opponent with the Tess Shocker instead. As she lifted her up, Tessmacher reversed it into a victory roll for the clean three-count to win the Knockouts Title.

Thoughts
• The match had its successes and disappointments. First off, the result was the right one, as Gail Kim had been champion for long enough. There wasn’t much more for her to do, and to flip the belt to a hot prospect is a positive thing.

• Last month’s match was focussed around Brooke Tessmacher trying to beat Kim with Eat Defeat, which she hit during the contest, but couldn’t get the win. It was a nice turnaround for the rematch for the focus to be on the Tess Shocker to put it over as an effective finisher, even though of the four attempts made by these women to go for it, none connected. The big point is the fear of it connecting, as both knew it was a match-ender.

• However, while this was a decent enough match which told a nice story and had the right result, it wasn’t as good as the contest at Sacrifice, and the comparatively-weak build-up didn’t help. Three days push for the match doesn’t compare to the weeks of build that the previous encounter had. It may have hurt the interest in the match.

• While I say that it was right for Kim to lose the title, I fully acknowledge that – while a hot prospect – Brooke Tessmacher is not the wrestler that Kim is, and Gail carried the entire contest. Can Brooke be relied upon to be the backbone of the division now that she is the figurehead? We’ll find out, I suppose, but I hope that she continues to work with Kim in the coming weeks to hone her craft, before she is given other opponents.

Tessmacher Wins Gold!

Call it home state advantage, or just plain luck, but Brooke Tessmacher ended Gail Kim‘s historic title reign tonight at Slammiversary.

Brooke, a Texas native, defeated the champion in Arlington, Texas, at the pay per view which marks TNA’s 10 year anniversary.

After being dominated by the veteran champion for much of the match, Brooke scored the victory after countering a Tess Shocker (Gail tried to school Brooke by using her own finisher, just as Brooke did to her) into a victory roll for the three-count.

Last month Brooke told us exclusively that winning the Knockouts Title would mean she’s “proven to the people that doubted me, or people that go, ‘Oh she’s just a model’ or ‘Oh she’s just gonna come and go’ – it’s gonna prove that I’m here to stay.”

She continued: “It’s going to prove that I am a real threat. It’s going to prove that I am a threat in the Knockouts division and all of those girls should worry every time they step in the ring with me. And it’s going to prove that I’m finally a real professional wrestler. That I’m not just a model.”

Congratulations, Brooke!

Courtney Rush Reinstated To NEO

We’ve covered the history between Cherry Bomb and Courtney Rush in the past here on Ringbelles. Their feud in the NEO Spirit Pro Wrestling has been raging for the past year and a half, with the dastardly Cherry getting the edge at the end of last year when she used the power of new owner and boyfriend Derek Wylde to get the Winnipeg native fired from the promotion.

What followed was Rush’s #occupyNEO campaign, which she covered in the first episode of her Rush Hour podcast in order to politick a chance to be reinstated to NEO, but all her attempts were blocked by Wylde and Bomb to help them maintain control of operations and not rock the apple cart too much. However, Rush was thrown a lifeline at the hands of NEO’s special guest General Manager Bret “Hit Man” Hart, who gave Courtney one shot at redemption. The stipulation was “win and you’re in”, setting up a match for last night’s Hart of Darkness show at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls, ONT – NEO’s biggest show in its history – with Rush teaming with Jennifer Blake against Cherry and Leah Von Dutch.

A spanner was thrown in the works when Von Dutch was given a chance to wrestle at the rebooted REINA x WORLD show on Saturday, meaning that she would be in Japan on that date, leading to Cherry Bomb being at a 2-on-1 disadvantage as match time approached. However, this being Cherry Bomb, she had a plan up her sleeve.

In the ring, Courtney and Jennifer pointed out the disparity to Bomb, with Blake pointing out the match will just have to be a handicap match – and with that, belted her partner in the face and revealed that she was aligned with Cherry Bomb, leading to the odds being even more against Rush.
Of course, the numbers game in a handicap match is a tough one, and Rush was really fighting the odds. Not only involved in a 2-on-1 affair, she only found out that would be the case with the bell just about to ring for the match, having to deal with that rollercoaster of betrayal, as well as having the added pressure of knowing that it was for all the marbles. However, Rush rallied, avoiding a double superkick attempt, clotheslining Blake out of the ring and catching Cherry with a spear for the three count that sees her reinstated to NEO.

However, her celebrations would be short lived, as she was felled by a Blake superkick, which sets up a new set of battles for the women’s division in the promotion. Not only can Rush and Bomb reprise their feud and take it to new heights, Courtney has to gain revenge on Blake for turning on her, and will also have to contend with Leah Von Dutch on her return, as she was scheduled to be Cherry’s tag team partner in the first place. It’s a trifecta of problems for Rush, and she is a sole competitor trying to take them all on. Courtney may have got her wish by getting back into NEO, but with three tough women all gunning for her, her reinstatement may be a poisoned chalice. We’ll probably find out if that’s the case in the coming months.

WWE Hoping To Lock Up Kelly Kelly

WWE is reportedly looking to sign former Divas Champion Kelly Kelly to a longer deal in light of recent reports that she may be looking at opportunities outside of the company.

Earlier this week, PWInsider reported that Kelly had been granted time off from the company and that she is fielding appearances and endorsements through a non-WWE agent.

The website now reports that WWE is trying to lock Kelly, who still has time left on her current contract, in to a longer deal thus retaining her services for the foreseeable future.

“WWE feels she’s the most marketable Diva currently on the roster and is willing to spend to lock her into a longer term deal,” says PWInsider.

Karen vs Dixie Round 2

Former TNA Knockout Karen Jarrett, who posted a series of tweets speaking out against TNA President Dixie Carter earlier this week, has once again taken to Twitter this weekend to speak out against Carter.

It appears Karen may be upset that husband Jeff Jarrett, who founded TNA, is not in contention for the first TNA Hall of Fame induction.

Karen responded to several fans this weekend on Twitter stating that Jeff will not be the first inductee into the company’s Hall of Fame. Additionally, Karen told followers that she and Jeff will not be at the Slammiversary pay per view celebrating TNA’s 10 year anniversary tonight.

The first inductee is due to be announced by Dixie Carter at the pay per view.

The former Knockouts division head honcho has been rallying support from fans today, tweeting thanks to Jeff for founding TNA and imploring Dixie to induct him into the Hall of Fame.

A couple of users noted that they’d been blocked on the social networking site by the TNA President, resulting in Karen tweeting: “I guess the POWER of twitter is getting to @TNADixie. #pathetic #ThankYouJeff”.

Slammiversary airs tonight on pay per view.

Missy Hyatt Earns Praise From Jim Ross

Here’s a name you probably wouldn’t expect to see on WWE.com: Missy Hyatt.

The self-professed First Lady of Wrestling is, along with ECW legend Paul Heyman, the subject of Hall of Famer Jim Ross’ latest blog on WWE.com, looking back at his past announcing partners.
Ross, who worked with both in WCW, has high praise for Hyatt who he says “had much more of a working knowledge of the business than she’s ever likely been given credit for having”.

Ross writes:

"She was light-years ahead of today’s TMZ-oriented society as she brought unique, topical subjects to many of our broadcasts, all done spontaneously and without someone feeding her lines.

Missy Hyatt understood her role better than many of those who followed her in sports-entertainment broadcasting, no matter the gender, simply because she understood the business, felt the product and was being, essentially, her natural self on TV.

The Tallahassee, Fla., native was truly a pioneer when it comes to beautiful women in pro wrestling. In all due respect, who would most men want to look at more, Missy Hyatt or the Fabulous Moolah? I rest my case."

He continues:

"To a significant degree, the Divas of the sports-entertainment world can thank Missy Hyatt for paving the way for them to have the opportunity to earn a great living and to be afforded other opportunities as a result of appearing on WWE programming.

When Missy and I did our on-camera bits to throw to matches, fans need to remember that we had no script, no teleprompter and no writers assisting us. What we did, good or bad, was a result of our own, natural chemistry and Missy being Missy.

Missy Hyatt had no true female role models in pro wrestling to follow, but still endured in a man’s world and made contributions to the business that are still vivid memories for many fans, especially men who were teens, during her heyday in WCW."

Read the full article on Heyman and Hyatt here.

Divas Make WWE DVD (And It's An Actual Match!)

WWE is recognizing a “Falls Count Anywhere” match between former Divas Melina and Mickie James for the WWE Women’s Championship as one of the best matches of that genre on its upcoming compilation DVD.

Arguably the best female “Falls Count Anywhere” match in WWE history, the fondly remembered street fight take place on the March 5th, 2007 episode of Raw and saw the Divas fight all around the arena at the height of their rivalry.

While neither are with WWE at the moment, both have certainly cemented their place in Diva history, with multiple Women’s and Divas Title reigns between them, and epic matches such as this one.
“WWE: Falls Count Anywhere” is out on DVD on June 26th.

Check out the full match listing here.

Tessmacher Gets Her Shot At The Gold

Gail Kim meets Brooke Tessmacher with the TNA Knockouts Championship on the line at Slammiversary X this weekend. The rematch comes just a month after the pair put together a good outing at Sacrifice, with Kim barely escaping with the belt after pinning Tessmacher with her feet on the ropes.

The plucky challenger earned another shot at the championship on last night’s episode of Impact Wrestling after winning a four-way match over former titleholders Mickie James, Tara and Velvet Sky. For the record, Tessmacher pinned James to win the match, which lends to the Mickie heel turn which is being revived after being teased earlier this year – James was also upset earlier in the show when Sky was given a role in a Montgomery Gentry music video, reluctantly joining in with a congratulatory group hug.

On a personal level, I am happy that this match is going ahead. As I’ve said in the past, given her experience level, Tessmacher is better than she has any right to be, and Kim has carried the Knockouts division since returning to TNA last October, and has held the title since November – making her the longest reigning Knockouts Champ in the title’s 5 year history. However, all good things must come to an end, and I believe that if there was ever a time for her to drop the belt, Sunday at Slammiversary could be it.

Let’s face it – Gail Kim has beaten everyone and their dog in this reign, which has built up her profile as champion, but perhaps her reign was too good, as crazy as it sounds. Very seldom did you feel that her grip on the title was ever going to slip, which is why I enjoyed the build-up to the Sacrifice match so much. Tessmacher pinned Kim on a number of occasions in the run up to last month’s pay-per-view, so it made it appear than when it came down to brass tacks that the Knockouts belt was in jeopardy, which made me feel a genuine sense of disappointment when it didn’t happen. And that’s good – it emotionally pulled me in, and if you can capture emotion, you can eke money out of someone’s pocket.

However, TNA may have also missed a trick in Brooke’s run for another title shot. Following Sacrifice, she and Velvet Sky were unsuccessful in wresting the title from Kim on the subsequent Impact, but then nothing happened until last night, when the title match was set up. That’s a pity, as Tessmacher’s heat as a challenger has cooled slightly, when it should be white-hot going into one of TNA’s flagship PPVs of the year.

One other thing – in the month since Sacrifice, Tessmacher’s character has actually devolved. With the arrival of Brooke Hogan last week, TNA has made the decision to remove Brooke’s name and refer to her under her old moniker of “Miss Tessmacher” instead – as you can see from the match graphic for Slammiversary posted above. This is a crushing blow for someone who is essentially a TNA-homegrown character, as it implies that one of their own creations is not as valuable as Hogan. Besides, Brooke Tessmacher was there first – why should she have a name change enforced on her, when Hogan has already admitted that her TNA run is going to be “temporary”? It seems to be a big morale knock for the Knockouts that was unnecessary. Still, one would imagine that when Brooke Hogan goes on her way, Tessmacher can start using her own real first name again.

Having said all of that, I’m looking forward to Kim v Tessmacher II on Sunday, and am predicting a title change.