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.**
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 ChampionshipJune 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
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Upcoming
June 15: Pro Wrestling Alliance (Camden, Australia) – Evie v Kellie Skater; Jessie McKay v Shazza McKenzieJune 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 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)
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