The company has announced today a major production deal with New York’s Union Square Agency, who will now handle all production aspects of Wrestlicious. Union Square is also behind a proposed biopic movie on Mick Foley.

In a press release, it was also stated that Wrestlicious has a letter of intent from a Viacom-owned network to air the new season of its Wrestlicious TakeDown show. Viacom owns the MTV stable of channels, as well as Spike TV and others.

Read the press release below:

NEW YORK – May 16, 2011 – Union Square Agency (USSE Corp., Pink OTC Symbol: UCRP) today announced an all encompassing partnership agreement with Wrestlicious, an American all-female professional wrestling promotion.
This agreement is a 360 degree deal that leverages the best of both companies and should be the first of many future projects together. Union Square Agency will provide sponsorship sales, television production, syndication, media sales, event extensions, venue selection, strategic partnerships and manage licensing and merchandising.

In 2010, Wrestlicious launched their critically-acclaimed, Tampa-based female pro-wrestling series “Wrestlicious TakeDown”. Wrestlicious has a letter of intent from a Viacom-owned cable network to broadcast all-new episodes of the series in 2011 and Union Square Agency will oversee production. “Wrestlicious TakeDown” is the first action/comedy television program produced by Wrestlicious LLC, founded in 2008, which aired on Dish Network, via MAV TV in the United States and Bite TV in Canada, as well as in syndication.  It features sketch comedy, on-location beach segments, music videos and other non-traditional components in addition to exciting wrestling action performed by ring veterans in colorful, over-the-top characters. www.wrestlicious.com

Johnny Cafarella, Wrestlicious Co-Executive Producer said “We are thrilled to partner with Union Square Agency to take Wrestlicious to the next level. This is a perfect fit given their positioning as a lifestyle agency and proven ability to grow properties.” 

About Union Square Agency
Union Square Agency (USSE Corp., Pink OTC Symbol: UCRP) and its wholly owned subsidiaries Union Square Licensing and Union Square Media, is a NY based company that provides 360 degree strategic, marketing and sales solutions. Core strengths include: Intellectual Property Development (focused on integrating sports, entertainment, fashion and lifestyle elements to connect brands, fans and media); Film & Television Production; Brand Strategy; Event Production and Fulfillment; Sponsorship and Event Based Activation; Strategic Consultation; Hospitality Programs; Licensing. www.unionsqagency.com.
Safe Harbor of the 1995 Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. Statements that are not historical facts contained in this press release are forward looking statements involving a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which are difficult or impossible to predict, are beyond the control of the Company and may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those implied by such forward looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward looking statements, which speak only as of the date of the statement.

Second part:

Earlier today, Mike Johnson of PWInsider revealed that the promotion is in talks with MTV. Wrestlicious representatives have since confirmed to Diva Dirt that talks have been ongoing for the past few months.

I’m told that should a deal be struck, Wrestlicious would produce an all new show unique to MTV2 rather than moving their current show, TakeDown, to the network.

A deal has yet to be finalised.

Interestingly, PWInsider also reports that one other all-female promotion has been in talks with MTV2 also. Let speculation begin!

Thoughts: This would be a huge coup for Wrestlicious if they can get on MTV2, as it would put them at a national level along with WWE, TNA and ROH. The network recently aired the Lucha Libre USA show which averaged at around a 0.1 or 0.2 which is obviously not nearly on the level of as any of the aforementioned promotions, however MTV2 doesn’t have the traction as its more popular sister channel, MTV. Still, to be part of the MTV family of shows would be an accomplishment in itself.

The episode will be part of TLC’s ‘How the Lottery Changed My Life’ series. Vargas is, of course, a Powerball winner who used part of his winnings to fund Wrestlicious. Details below:

TLC’s “How The Lottery Changed My Life” presents an all new episode entitiled “Teenage Millionaire” featuring Wrestlicious Founder Jay Vargas on Thursday, October 21 at 9 PM ET with an encore at 11 PM ET.

Current Wrestlicious cast members Felony (Rain), Lunch Lady Gert (Lexi Fyfe), Emo Leigh (Leva Bates) Charlotte The Southern Belle (Amber O’Neal) and Rhonda The BeBop and new Season 2 cast members Angel Orsini and Amy Love are also featured in the one hour program. The episode was shot this past summer in Florida and South Carolina and follows Vargas as he works on pre production of the second season of his hit comedy wrestling series Wrestlicious TakeDown.

Thoughts: This is definitely a good look for Wrestlicious. To be featured in a documentary and given that extra exposure will hopefully help them. I’m excited to see a behind-the-scenes glimpse at Wrestlicious.

Mia will play ‘sexy North Korean spy’, Kim Thieu Soon (yes, really!) at the show.

From what I understand this is just a live event and is not being taped, however if all goes well, Mia could be invited to join the second season of Wrestlicious TakeDown.

Mia’s career has really gained traction in the past few months: she was chosen as Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s One to Watch in the November 2010 issue, she had a strong showing on SHIMMER pre-show SPARKLE last month and has worked several independent matches with veteran, Mickie James. Great to watch her blossom.

The new episode of Wrestlicious is up! And you all know what that means – some camp, some competition and some crazy conundrums! Which women on this expansive roster will be featured tonight? Watch below…

We open in JV’s Crib (where the women don’t seem to wear anything but bikinis….), finding Jimmy Hart ironing one of JV’s shirts as Paige Webb, Boot Camp Bailey and an unidentified lady surround him. Enter JV with a blonde on his arm, asking Jimmy what he’s doing. Jimmy says he knows JV likes his shirts pressed. JV says he’s doing a great job – then asks him to get his car next. After he walks off, Hart takes off his jacket and huffs off, saying that he doesn’t have to take this – he’s a hall of famer! He exits and the women look at each other. I’d leave too, ladies.

After the intro runs, we see Jimmy again, this time backstage at the club that Wrestlicious is taping at. Enter a young woman (on the marquee, her name’s not given just “Random Fan.” That’s nice, they couldn’t take the time to find out her name? Sigh.) who asks how is she to know if she’s a wrestling fanatic? Jimmy thinks for a minute then responds that you know you’re one if you are wearing a wrestling mask in your driver’s license photo. She responds that she thinks she’s a wrestling fanatic then, and Jimmy groans in dismay. Womp womp.

Today’s episode of Wrestlicious Heroines features Toni the Top. Basically it shows Toni making a deal with a shadowy figure to have her back. Both women are drawn like your typical comic book woman – with big boobs. (Hey James Hornsby! Maybe you could try drawing these women with normal proportions? I’m just saying.) However, this segment will make more sense later on…

The next segment features Felony being asked why she’s behind bars. She responds it was the way she was brought up – on charges. Heh. Now it’s time to play everyone’s favorite game, “Are You Smarter than a Male Wrestler?” Glory faces off against one half of the Nasty Boys (truthfully, I can’t be arsed to look up which one). The question: Where was the Declaration of Independence signed? The Nasty Boy answers first, and I admit I laughed – his answer is “Betty White’s house!” Although funny, it’s not the correct answer, which Glory supplies, “My hometown, Philadelphia.” The Nasty Boy protests then storms off, prompting Jimmy to shout behind him, “You spent twelve years in the fifth grade, what the heck!” That got another laugh from me, hah.

Then we get some campy segments featuring Savannah and her trip to the doctor; a customer trying to order a well-done hamburger at Bandita’s Cantina (to which Bandita replies, “Are you kidding? Nothing in this joint’s well done!”); a Country Quickie with Tyler Texas and Cousin Cassie (not that funny); a new segment called “Voodoo You Love” starring White Magic and Johnny C (honestly I couldn’t make out what either one was saying, but it ends with WM using her voodoo doll on Johnny); however, my attention was caught by the next segment.

It’s not really a segment, but a small clip featuring two new females who’ll be arriving to compete in Wrestlicious very soon. We see their names are Beatrice and Penelope Bristol and are warned: The Bristols are Coming! We fade in to the two newcomers and I do a double take. Literally. It’s Hannah and Holly Blossom, the Blossom Twins from Ohio Valley Wrestling! Having never heard them speak before, I was charmed by their English accents (heck, I didn’t know they were originally from England until Stew told me! I fail.). Dressed alike, fortunately someone thought to put their initials on the screen – Bristol is on the left, Penelope is on the right. A slight jab to BP is apparent by the design at the bottom. P asks B what she’s got in her hand. B replies it’s a cupcake of course, and they go into their Wrestlicious Rap:

B: Because they’re oh so yummy.

P: And oh so delicious!

B: That’s because

Together: We’re Wrestlicious!

Cute! Hopefully this will get them a bit more exposure and open up new opportunities for the Twins.

Takedown spotlight is Sierra Sheraton, who’s frolicking on a beach in a bikini. What is it with this show and putting women in bikinis? Anxiously waiting for a match…

Here we go, Johnny C., Jr. is out to announce the match. Toni the Top’s out first and she announces that everything’s going well for her, so she decided to expand her family. The newest member? Tina the Trigger. A quick search tells me that she’s played by indy wrestler Sammi Lane, who’s been wrestling since 2006. Tina comes out with a baseball bat in hand. She takes the mic from Toni and proclaims that together, “they are TNT.” She says something else but between the shoddy audio and the crowd’s boos, I can’t make it out. I believe it’s an open challenge, which is taken up by Tyler Texas and Cousin Cassie. The commentator makes a line about them not being meatballs but maybe being a little cheesecake. Note to self: tune out the commentary. This guy is worse than Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler combined.

However, Tyler says her partner’s not her Cousin Cassie. Nope, it turns out to by the Wrestlicious Champion, Glory! Out she comes, draped in an American flag cape and wearing her Crown. Toni wasn’t expecting to see Glory but she’s more than willing to get an early crack at her. She wants the crown at all costs. The Wrestlicious Rewind takes us back at the last time Glory faced off against Toni, a match that was thrown out due to both women disregarding the rules and the referee’s calls for order.

Toni and Glory face off but having a sudden change of heart, Toni tags in Tina. (Try saying that five times fast!) The two lock up, trading wrist locks until Glory gets Tina in a headlock. Tina pulls on Glory’s hair to release the hold, then whips her into the ropes. She tries for a clothesline but Glory gets a side headlock takedown. Tyler wants in, so Glory pulls Tina up, tags in Texas and together they land a double hip toss. Tyler goes for a pin but gets two. Another side headlock into a takedown gets Tina back on the mat, but this time she rolls Tyler over, going for a pin that Texas easily shoves out of, going back into the headlock. Tina manages to roll Tyler over again, a pin that’s good for two, and forces Tyler to change her tactics. Pulling Tina up still in the headlock, Tyler runs to the corner, up the ropes and flips Tina over in a harder variation of the headlock takedown! Very smooth move!

Tagging Glory back in, Tyler holds the arm out and Glory connects with a sledgehammer to Tina’s arm. Another headlock until Tyler signals to Glory she has an idea. Putting her boot up on the ropes, Glory slams Tina’s head into Tyler’s boot, then tags Texas back in. Tyler gets a forearm in, then two nice arm drags and a dropkick! Tyler Texas is on fire and Tina the Trigger is re-thinking her career as Toni’s associate! Having enough of this, Toni enters only to get nailed by an arm drag and a handspring forearm in the corner! Tyler whips off the ropes, twists and synches her legs around Toni’s waist but apparently Toni can’t hold her – they both go down hard, Tyler getting the worst of it. Forging ahead, Toni goes for a pin but Tyler’s too close to the ropes.

Getting Tyler up, she kicks her in the gut before attempting to whip Texas into the opposite corner. Tyler reverses, slamming Toni into the corner, following up with a running bulldog. A cover gets her two. Gathering Toni up, a knee catches Tyler off guard, allowing Toni to grab her by the hair and slam her backwards. Toni tags in Tina who puts the boots to Tyler before simply grinding her boot into Tyler’s throat. This takes the wind out of Tyler’s sails long enough for Tina to tag Toni back in. (Too many T’s out here, oy!) Gathering her up by the neck, Toni gets a smooth suplex in, followed by a cover which is only good for two. Pulling her up into a seated position, Toni plants her knee into Tyler’s back, stretching her back via hands to the jaw, as Texas flails for a tag. A moment later and Toni gets Tyler back up, snapmares her down and follows up with a dropkick to the back! Toni goes for a pin but somehow Tyler kicks out! Toni’s showing her fustration at this point.

Toni gets Tyler up by the neck and whips her off the ropes but somehow, Tyler reverses it, and gets a sunset flip! Not enough to put Toni away and as Tyler gets to her feet, Toni lands a stiff kick to her back. Backing Tyler into her corner, Toni tags in Tina, who clubs her back with a forearm. It’s back to choking her on the ropes but now Glory’s had enough – she tries to come in to help out her partner, but taking advantage of the referee’s distraction, Tina and Toni doubleteam Tyler, choking her out on the middle rope. Toni scuttles back when the referee turns his attention back to the action in the ring. Tina gets Tyler to her feet, then slams her head into the turnbuckle. Another choke as she stretches her boot into Texas’ throat, counting along with the referee as he counts to four each time. Having enough of that, Tina tosses Tyler down to the mat and goes for a cover. Somehow Tyler kicks out! Tina can’t believe it!

Toni wants in so grabbing Tyler in a headlock, Tina backs up so Toni can tag herself in. She clubs Tyler in the back with a forearm, then ties up her arms in a submission. A figure four armbar, then a Japanese Cobra Hold (if this commentator is correct), trying hard to get the Texan to give up. Tyler tries for a jawbreaker but Toni blocks it. She doesn’t block the second jawbreaker though, and Toni releases the hold to stumble back in pain! Tyler makes the tag to Glory – but the referee is busy holding Tina back! He doesn’t see the tag! Glory is furious but the referee forces her out as Toni puts the boots to Tyler. Tyler’s not going down yet though as she fires back with forearms to Toni’s gut. A hard club to Tyler’s back knocks her down again. Tina comes in and the two set up Tyler for a double suplex. Tyler blocks – and hits a double DDT on Toni and Tina!

This time the tag’s made to Glory in full view of the ref. Glory gets a clothesline on Tina and whips Toni into the ropes, but Toni grabs the ropes, unwilling to face off against her. Instead, Glory wraps her arms around Tina, Bob Backlund-style, but now Toni chooses to strike, pounding on Glory’s back until she releases Tina. Another club drives Glory to her knees but Tyler’s got a second wind – she races in, a diving club on Toni’s back! All four women are in the ring and now Glory has Toni in a corner, Tyler has Tina in another corner, and both are pounding away on the Mob Madams! However, Tina reverses, sending Tyler into the corner and giving her forearms, while Glory backs Toni out into the middle of the ring! The match has completely broken down, and here comes the calvary! Cousin Cassie has recruited Coco Montego and Marley to help break this thing up! The match is declared a double DQ, more refs are coming in to help separate everyone – it’s chaos! Abruptly we fade to Brooke Lynn who says that although tonight’s show was good, we should tune in next week to see more of her!

OKAY! Had to put up with a ton of campy segments but the match was pretty darn good except for that one spot with Tyler and Toni. I’m still not sure where Toni’s come from but she’s pretty good in the ring. Maybe it’s because I’ve got Italian blood, maybe it’s because I’m fascinated by the mafia or maybe it’s because I was a Gangster for Halloween last year – whatever the reason, Toni the Top and Tina the Trigger were who I was rooting for tonight. LOVE the outfits and the accents! The wrestling and the characters are what drive this show, and it’s a nice alternative to have available. I guess you could say…

When it first started,

I was suspicious

But now I can say

Jennifer Lynn is Wrestlicious!

Wrestlicious has now put up episode 10 online, so those of us who are unable to enjoy it on tv can partake here! Will Glory, the newly crowned Wrestlicious Champion, find herself putting the title on the line? Will Felony be out for revenge? Will that horrendous commentator be fired? We’ll find out!

We open with Cousin Cassie standing with the ring announcer (Johnny C, I believe?) and his son (who remains nameless). Johnny tells his son that he’s retiring from ring announcing and wants him to take over. He just got married (“That’s right!” Cassie chirps) and wants to spend time with his new wife. His son didn’t think he’d ever stop announcing. Johnny replies that his new love has cast a spell on him and it’s just magic what’s happened between the two. From stage left comes White Magic (aka The Lovely Lacey), who just about tackles Johnny. With a shriek, Cassie takes off. White Magic starts to cackle as Johnny squeaks out a “Hi honey.” His son backs away, looking apprehensive. “Do I have to call her mom?” is what he wants to know. And with that, the show is underway.

After the opening scenes, we come to Jimmy Hart who welcomes us to the show and says that things are just getting better. Enter Savannah, who apparently has taken Brooke Lynn’s place as co-host. Savannah claims she likes Jimmy because he’s a real southern gentleman. He proceeds to make a comment about having a drink with her later and hoping she’ll lose her inhibitions. And I’m reminded of exactly why I find Jimmy Hart so greasy.

Another break and we’re back with a new segment entitled “Country Quickie with Cousin Cassie and Tyler Texas.” (Tyler being SHIMMER’s Lorelei Lee.) Oh dear, I’m hesitant to watch this due to the title but being made of sterner stuff, I forge on. Cassie & Tyler are infront of a cornfield backdrop. Cassie goes first, “Tyler, you might be a down home wrestler if your dinner bell and ring bell are the same thing.” Tyler: “Cousin Cassie, you might be a down home wrestler if your energy drink is moonshine.” I admit, I chuckled.

Next, we cut to the ring where Johnny’s son has dutifully taken up his father’s job. They’ve taken the show on the road to a club in Minneapolis and thanks in part to the crowd and in part to the commentator, I can’t hear the first woman introduced. Turns out to be Juvi Hall (the daughter of Roxy Astor, a part of GLOW, Kayla Meltzer). Juvi’s out in a pink corset top, black ultra-shorts, and her hair is blonde, black and purple. Nice! Playing up her naughty girl character, she sits in the lap of an older man in the audience but immediately gets back up and heads into the ring. Commentary man remarks, “I hear she’s a runaway. If my hair was that many colors, I’d run away too!” So wonderful to hear his voice again. Gonna have to tune him out like I do with Lawler.

She will be facing off against Cousin Cassie, who, as far as we know, has no previous wrestling experience. I’m laying odds this match will be short and possibly painful. But I do learn that the ring announcer’s name is Johnny C, Jr. Originality must run in the family. After much pandering to the crowd, the bell rings and the two lockup in a collar and elbow tieup. Juvi gets Cassie into a headlock. As the camera angle switches, we see Naughty School Girl Faith (one half of SHIMMER’s Canadian Ninjas, Portia Perez) come to ringside. Cassie manages to push Juvi into the ropes but as they collide, Cassie gets knocked to the ground. Juvi whips herself off the ropes but Cassie gets a hiptoss in, followed by a snapmare. A dropkick and Cassie’s jubilant at getting this run of offense in on the newcomer. Whipping Juvi into the corner, she goes for a running forarm but J-Hall is quick to dodge, allowing Cassie to run into the turnbuckle. As she turns around, she’s met by two kicks to the midsection, followed by a fist to the stomach. Juvi moves to whip her into another corner but Cassie reverses, sending Juvi into the corner. But Cass is slow to follow up and as she moves in, she’s met by an elbow to the jaw. A clothesline follows, then a few kicks while Cassie’s down. Juvi’s extremely cocky, mocking the crowd for cheering the southern gal.

Juvi chokes Cassie on the middle rope but when she turns her back on Cassie, the blonde puts a finger to her lips. She’s apparently playing possum…and as Juvi Hall turns around, she’s met by a flying headscissors! A cover only gets two. Commentator, “Shades of Rene Goulet!” Somehow…I don’t think so. Cassie’s up first and as she goes to pull Juvi up, she gets a rake to the face.  As Cassie stumbles around, Juvi nails a very nice springboard enziguri (not unlike Allison Danger’s Shimmering Warlock). Pulling Cass up by the neck, Juvi twists her arm in an armbar then sends her off the ropes, but as she bends over for a backdrop, Cassie executes a sunset flip and somehow gets the 3 count! As Juvi exits the ring, Faith comes in and starts in on Cassie. It’s not long before Tyler Texas hits the ring, sending Faith scurrying to the outside. Tyler and Cassie celebrate the latter’s win.

This wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Cassie is improving, slowly but surely, and it looks like Juvi has some skills (courtesy of her mother, perhaps?). Will this lead to Juvi becoming an honorary Naughty Girl alongside Faith, Hope and Charity? We’ll have to see where this leads.

A break, then we come back to Wrestlicious Rewind. It shows parts of the crowning championship matchup between Glory (SHIMMER’s Christie Ricci) and Felony (SHIMMER’s Rain). A leaping leg lariat and leg drop enable Glory to come Wrestlicious’ first Champion! As JV Rich awards her the crown, she says she’ll defend it anywhere against anyone. Prophetic words?

Switching to a diner, we see Sha-Na-Na (indy wrestler Kristin Flake) on a bar stool, surrounded by the Be-Bops, sipping on a milkshake. She says her date told her to meet her at the diner and that they would be working on her ’57 Chevy. How does she know? Apparently her date said he wanted to take care of “the junk in her trunk.” “Ohhhh!” the Be-Bops nod seriously. And I’m shaking my head. Next!

Wrestlicious Spotlight is on Kickstart Katie (SHIMMER’s Nevaeh). Which by spotlight, they mean gratuitous shots of her in a bikini on a beach. Which, she’s lovely but no thanks. Next!

The next segment is entitled, “You’ve Got Male.” We see Paige Webb (WWE’s Serena Deeb) seated at a computer in her ultra cute blue & black top. She loves to get email so lets see what the fans have sent her. This week, someone writes, “I heard you were a Girl Scout. How do you like my cookies?” Before I can warn her, Paige clicks on the attached picture and immediately regrets it. Ew! She quickly deletes the not-quite-cookies picture. Maybe next time she’ll get something better.

A graphic shows that tonight’s Main Event features the Naughty Girls Faith & Hope (Canadian Ninjas Portia & Nicole Matthews) taking on Marley (SHIMMER’s Daizee Haze) and the debuting Coco Montego (OVW & SHIMMER’s Josie)! Awesome, four women who are solid in the ring! This is what I love about Wrestlicious. Makes sitting through the camp worth it.

Quick break and it’s time for the main event, whoo hoo! Introduced first are Faith and Hope, but Faith comes out alone. When J.C.,Jr asks where her partner is, Faith claims Hope’s parents sent her away to boarding school. But not to worry, she has a partner! When she whispers the name to J.C.,Jr, he can’t believe it. Reluctantly he announces Faith’s tag team partner – White Magic! Out comes Junior’s new step-mother, with something that looks like a vine with a mace at the end in her hands. She shows Faith how to do her voodoo dance in the ring. Should be a very interesting pairing!

Out second are Marley and Coco Montego, who (seeing her for the first time since leaving TNA) looks extremely fit and ready to go! She takes the mic and makes a prediction: “Miss Coco predicts we’re going to kick your butts!” The crowd likes the sound of that! But whats this? White Magic has a doll that resembles Coco! She has Faith take hold of it and stab it with a needle. Coco’s driven to the ground, clutching her chest! Magic’s voodoo is taking effect! While Coco rolls out of the ring in pain, Magic takes out another doll that resembles Marley. She has Faith stab the doll, but to no effect! Marley’s doing yoga in the ring and apparently her yoga is shielding her from the voodoo! White Magic is enraged and, taking the doll back, stabs it multiple times – no dice. Marley is in Warrior’s Pose I before moving into Warrior Pose III. The voodoo cannot penetrate Marley’s Nirvana!

(Did I just type that? This is so campy, it’s hilarious!)

As Coco applauds, special guest referee Austin Aries (from ROH), grabs both dolls and gets them out of the ring. This sends Magic into a fury. As both Faith and Magic blast Aries, Marley has completed her yoga. Together, they attack F&M, whipping them off the ropes and connecting with two sharp elbows. Faith and Magic roll out of the ring as Marley and Coco celebrate. After a moment, Marley heads to the outside, getting Faith in the back with a forarm before rolling her back into the ring. Coco and White Magic take their places at opposite corners.

Marley gets both of Faith’s arms in armbars, manuvering her to the mat. Somehow Faith grabs Marley’s hair and yanks, but although they stand up, Marley still has one of Faith’s arms. She executes a nice armdrag, cranking more pressure on the arm before backing up so Coco can tag herself in. Whipping Faith off the ropes, Marley gets a drop toehold on her, and Coco follows up with an elbow to Faith’s back. Getting her back up, Coco whips her into the ropes, leapfrogs over Faith then nails her on the return with a beautiful dropkick. Putting Faith into a front facelock, Coco tags in Marley, who gets a hard forarm to the back. Shoving her into the ropes, Marley lets loose with a knifedge chop, then a second. She goes for an Irish whip, but Faith reverses, sending Marley into the ropes where White Magic grabs her leg. While Faith distracts the ref, Magic gets a neckbreaker off the second rope on Marley. For the first time, Faith takes control of the match and after dragging Marley to her corner, tags in White Magic.

White Magic hits her with a hairmare then a sharp kick to the hippy’s head. Gathering up Marley, the voodoo queen clubs her back before choking her on the second rope. Tagging Faith back in, Marley tries valiantly to fight them off but the dastardly duo get a double suplex on her. Faith goes for a cover but Coco is quick to break it up. Faith locks in a rear chinlock that looks suspiciously like a choke. After a moment, she simply grabs Marley’s hair and yanks her head backwards, taunting her. Stomping her back onto the mat, Faith simply sits on Marley and chokes her whilst jawing at Aries. As Faith breaks the hold, she goes to pull Marley up but the hippy lady rolls her up into a pin! Faith reverses it into a pin of her own but it’s only good for two. Marley tries to get to her corner but Faith’s on her like a pitbull, dragging her back to tag in White Magic.

Magic lands another hard neckbreaker, cackling at Marley’s pain. She crosses Marley’s arms across her chest, holding her down for a two count. (Gimmick infringment! You’ll hear from the Undertaker and WWE’s lawyers, Wrestlicious!) Marley and Magic have a test of strength, with Marley slowly driving Magic towards her own corner. But just as a tag is made to Coco, Faith distracts Austin, so that when he turns around to see Coco enter, he kicks her out, not having seen the pin! While Coco argues, “Evil” and “Naughty” double team Marley, kicking and choking the cannabis outta her. When Aries finally turns around, he sees Magic exiting the ring whilst Faith chokes out Marley. He breaks that up and oddly enough takes Magic’s word for it that they tagged out. Double standards, he has them.

Faith whips the blonde off the ropes and lands a hard elbow to Marley’s chest. She goes for a cover but again, only good for two. Another pin, another two. Faith gathers her up, pushing Marley into a corner where she gets a chop. Whipping Marley into the opposite corner, she charges but is met with an elbow! Another charge – she meets Marley’s foot this time! A final charge and Marley deftly dodges and rolls up Faith into a bridging pin! Faith kicks out but unforunately for her, Marley is able to tag in Coco! White Magic comes in but Coco takes both Faith and Magic down with several elbows! Grabbing Magic, she whips her into the corner where Faith is, sending Faith down to the mat and Magic stumbling out in a daze. She turns – only to be met by a hard missile dropkick from Marley!

Coco hoists Faith up on her shoulders and performs a rolling fireman’s carry. Leaving Faith on the mat, Coco climbs up on the turnbuckle and jumps from the second rope, twisting in midair to nail Faith with a beautiful senton! (And you released her TNA? Great job there.) She goes for a cover – but Faith kicks out at two! Coco can’t believe it and neither can I! Fustrated, Coco tags Marley back in, then hauls Faith back onto her shoulders for a fireman’s carry takeover. Marley’s up on the turnbuckle and Coco helps launch her off and onto Faith, a monster crossbody! She covers and the ref counts but before he can get to three, White Magic’s in and pulling Aries to his feet. She WHACKS him on the head with her Voodoo Mace! (Different from a normal mace..?) Aries calls for the bell, holding his head in pain as another referee comes out to help with the carnage. Magic’s on one knee, whirling her mace maniacally. Faith’s still down, Coco’s on the apron, Marley’s checking on Aries and the second ref is afraid to enter the ring while Magic’s still armed! It’s chaos!

While this is going on, the screen shrinks and we see Cousin Cassie and Tyler Texas telling us to “come on back now, ya hear?” They blow us kisses, at which point Wrestlicious comes to a close.

Not gonna lie, I enjoyed the whole thing. I can easily overlook the too-campy scenes in exchange for great matches featuring experienced women. Wrestlicious doesn’t have their talent locked up, so the women are still able to perform on the indies while fulfilling their obligations to Wrestlicious. They’re given the chance to grow as actresses/characters as well. I know I’ve been skeptical in the past, but I love the chance to see good wrestling – in this regard, it’s better than GLOW since the wrestling wasn’t nearly as good. I hope somehow or another Wrestlicious continues to give us good shows like this. Cheers!

Wrestlicious TakeDown will no longer air on Mav TV in the US or Bite TV in Canada, Diva Dirt has learned.

Nine of the 13 episodes scheduled for season one aired on the two networks, however after a brief hiatus in June, the series was not brought back for the final four episodes which began airing earlier this month on America One.

Bite TV executive producer Jason Agnew tells Diva Dirt that the show will ‘no longer be airing’ on the network, as well as Mav TV, “due to the change in direction and aesthetics the series has taken.” It should be noted that Mav TV will continue to air re-runs of episodes one through nine.

I’m told that the networks didn’t respond well to the final four episodes [dubbed 'TakeDown on Tour'] being filmed at real wrestling venues, preferring the studio feel of the first nine episodes.

Meanwhile, Wrestlicious producer, Johnny Cafarella says that the show will return to a studio for season two and both networks have expressed interest in airing the next season.

Wrestlicious TakeDown episodes will, however, continue to be posted online at bite.ca/wrestling. Episode 10 is expected to be posted this week.

The show will continue to air new episodes on America One, Tuff TV and The Fight Network.

No word on when the show will return to Mav TV or Bite TV.

Here is the final cast list for season one of Wrestlicious, as sent to us by the show’s producers:

Good Girls
Cousin Cassie (Country Girl)
Tyler Texas (Rowdy Cowgirl)
Charlotte and Savannah (The Southern Belles)
Amber Lively (Cheerleader)
Lacey Von Erich (3rd Generation Star)
Paige Webb (Web Mistress)
Marley Sebastian (New Age Hippie)
Maui (Island Princess)
Shauna Na (50’s Girl) and the BeBops (Wanda and Rhonda)
Lil Slamm (Rapper)
Malibu McKenzie (Surfer Girl)
Glory (The All American Girl)
Coco Montego (Jamaican)
Alexandra The Great (Polish Powerhouse)
Super Nova (Masked Superhero)

Bad Girls
Felony (Jailbird)
White Magic (Voodoo Queen)
The Naughty Girls (Faith, Hope and Charity) w/Sister Ophelia (Catholic School Girls)
Draculetta
Bandita (Spicy Latina)
Bootcamp Bailey (Mean Marine)
Jezabel James (Home Wrecker)
Autumn Frost (Ice Princess)
Kandi Kisses (Pop Superstar)
Brooke Lynne (Tough New Yorker) (Also Co-Host)
Toni The Top (The God Daughter)
Tina The Trigger (Toni’s “Associate”)
Sierra Sheraton (Hotel Heiress)
Maria Toro (Bull Fighter)
Juvi Hall (Streetwise Underage Vixen)
Azziza (Belly Dancer)
Kickstart Katie (Biker)

Other
JV Rich (Founder)
Leyla Milani (Co-Host)
Jimmy Hart
Commissioner Blance
Johnny C (Emcee-Shows 1-9)
Johnny C., Jr. (Emcee Shows 10-13)

Here are the first pictures of some new Wrestlicious characters who will debut in the final four episodes of TakeDown, which begin airing later this month.

Among them is CoCo Montego portrayed by former TNA Knockout, Sojo Bolt aka Josie. The others are Tina the Trigger, portrayed by indy wrestler Sammi Lane, and Juvi Hall.

For more, visit the Wrestlicious Facebook page.

Wrestlicious is currently filming all new footage for the final four episodes of season one. The new footage, which started taping last Friday, will begin airing in late June and will feature new characters including the debut of former TNA Knockout, Sojo Bolt as Coco Montego.

We hope to confirm the return date for the final four episodes soon.

On this week’s episode of Wrestlicious TakeDown, the promotion crowned its first champion in Glory aka independent wrestler Christie Ricci. Glory took the crown in a hard-fought bout — perhaps the best match produced yet by Wrestlicious — against fellow indy veteran, Rain, known in the promotion as Felony.

Hot on the heels of the episode airing, we caught up with Glory to discuss how she feels about being the first ever Wrestlicious Champion.

First of all, congratulations on being the first ever Wrestlicious Champion. How does it feel?
Glory: It’s exciting. Wrestlicious, I’ve been so excited to be part of it so it’s really an honor just to be able to represent the company. The match I had with Rain [Felony], I thought it was an excellent match and to be able to beat a competitor like that, it’s always exciting.

Most of the Wrestlicious footage was filmed some time ago and the champion has been kept a secret. Was it hard for you to keep it under wraps?
Glory: [Laughs]. Not really. Goodness, we filmed, I think it was August 2008. Almost two years ago. So once the filming was done, it was one of those things that you hoped would take off because I really enjoyed the product and working for them but at the same time, I’ve done so many of these pilots/shows that are gonna make TV supposedly that you have one filming for and you never hear about again. So it’s nothing new to do a pilot and say, ‘Alright, that was fun… it was a pay check’, you know? And that’s it, you never really think about it again. Whereas, with Wrestlicious it was a little different, we were hoping that it did take off and something was done with it. At the same time, it’s still a product that is so outlandish and really not accepted so easily in today’s wrestling market that you’re just like, ‘Alright, well that was a fun weekend with the girls. We had a blast!’.

The champion doesn’t receive a belt, rather the ‘Wrestlicious crown’. Do you like this break from convention or would you prefer a title?
Glory: I definitely like the break from the conventional. When I grew up watching pro wrestling, it was all big gimmicks, interesting storylines and big larger-than-life characters and it wasn’t so serious. People try – especially the females – I feel like the females put a lot of emphasis on the seriousness of the athleticism and the sports side. That’s not really one of the reasons that I got into wrestling, even though I do appreciate that side, it’s not what I grew up loving and was so intrigued by. So, I like the break from convention. As far as a belt, it’s not really important. A belt, a crown… whatever. It’s kind of interesting, I was actually a beauty queen. I was Miss Teen Tennessee in high school when I was 17 years old. I still have my crown actually, so I probably have more crowns than I have actual belts.

As mentioned, you faced off against Felony aka Rain, were you happy with the match?
Glory: Yeah, I was happy with it. I’m more of an old school wrestler and not one of those hardcore ‘let’s get every single move in that we know and try to make sense of it’ [wrestlers]. I’m very old school, I like taking it easy – to me less is more. So if we can tell a story and not throw ourselves into these huge move and with Felony, she’s a chameleon I think when it comes to wrestlers – if someone wants to go at it hardcore and pull off all these amazing moves then she’s up for it and if someone wants to take it slow and just do their thing, she’s up for that too. I was happy with the fact that it was with her and she’s so open minded in how to put together a match and how to entertain the fans.

Going back to the beginning of Wrestlicious, how did you become part of it?
Glory: Jimmy Hart is a pretty big part of the promotion as well as Johnny Cafarella. I did not know Johnny Cafarella but Jimmy’s been a really big supporter of mine from a long time ago. I was trained by Leilani Kai and I was travelling and used to wrestle her. When I met Jimmy, it was probably about eight or nine years ago. He’s just always supported me since then and when Johnny decided that he was going to do Wrestlicious, he told him, ‘You have to call Christie, she would be great for this’. That’s what Johnny told me and then Jimmy confirmed the story, so that’s how I came to be a part of it.

Are you a fan of the Glory gimmick?
Glory: I think it’s funny and ironic. Here I am with a huge back-piece tattoo. I don’t consider myself an ‘All American Girl’, so to put that gimmick on me… I think there’s other girls in the promotion that would’ve been a much better Glory. At the same time, yeah, I am a fan of it. I think it’s an interesting character – I think they all are. Does it suit me? I can’t say that’s the character I’d pick if I were choosing for myself. But I have enjoyed it, I’ve actually felt like I could bring a lot to the character, I enjoy the energy and I enjoy being Glory, so yeah, I guess I am a fan of it.

Any of the other Wrestlicious gimmicks that you’d pick for yourself?
Glory: There are a couple that I really liked. I really liked Kickstart Katie and Lacey’s White Magic, I loved her gimmick. They were really fun. But it’s also about people bringing to to the characters. Like Lacey just played that character so well and brought so much to it that made it that much more interesting. Those are the two that really stood out in my mind.

Now that you’re champion, what can we expect from Glory? Any challengers so far?
Glory: I think it’s been advertised that this Friday [May 28th] Wrestlicious is doing more filming for the end of the first season. I’m pretty sure that Toni the Top is challenging me. I think it may be a title match, but I’m not exactly sure. I know there’s a tag team match and I’m sure somewhere in there, they’re going to throw in a title defense.

Any last words?
Glory: I get a lot of criticism from a lot of wrestling fans as far as comparing it [Wrestlicious] to something like SHIMMER. Well, it’s not SHIMMER and it’s not trying to be SHIMMER. I know there’s a lot of girls that work for SHIMMER that are working for Wrestlicious and I think people are being really unfair as far as the product’s concerned like, ‘Hey, take a look at the corny jokes and gimmicks’. Well that’s what the product is. It is what it is and the girls, I’m not speaking for all of them but I am speaking for some as well as myself, we really enjoy the product. Wrestlicious is a great place that a lot of the indy workers can call home. To us, to have created this environment we’re able to enjoy, which is hard on the indy scene. So I would say to the fans just support us. It’s great wrestling. If you can get through the cheesy gimmicks, then just put up with it and enjoy it. Stop criticising it so much. We have enough SHIMMERs, I mean every promotion in the world is setting out to be a SHIMMER. We don’t wanna be SHIMMER, so I would just say support us and enjoy the ride because it’s going to be interesting, I believe.

Wrestlicious TakeDown continues on Mondays in Canada at 11pm on Bite TV, Wednesdays in the US at 11pm on Mav TV and is available online on Thursdays via bite.ca/wrestling.

– Additional reporting by Steven

Stay tuned for our exclusive interview with the first ever Wrestlicious Champion later today.

The episode airs in the US on Wednesday at 11pm on Mav TV and will be online on Thursday. We’ll have the first interview with the champion soon.

Why yes, it is exactly what it sounds like.

But first, we are welcomed by our lovely guest host Brooke Lynn… and some guy who just happens to be on the payroll – who consequently prefers to be referred to as Jimmy Hart.

Brooke Lynn explains the conditions of the “Throw in the Towel” match that will be witnessed later on, featuring Alexandra the Great and Kickstart Katie (Who?).  Apparently, the winner of the match has her opponent “throw in the towel.”

Jimmy Hart is bewildered.  I suppose this is understandable.  He hasn’t seen a towel since 1985.

Either way, it is revealed that Brooke Lynn will accompany Kickstart Katie while Alexandra the Great totes “Spacey” Von Erich in her corner.  Brooke Lynn expresses her degree of disloyalty, yet Jimmy Hart wagers that Lacey Von Erich would throw in the towel for her “breast” friend.  Freudian slip, perhaps?  Nevertheless, Brooke Lynn cherishes winning over any friendship.  I say Brooke Lynn has the right idea!

In an all-new vignette, Wrestlicious’ resident Sock Hop-usuals share their dating woes.  Sha-Na-Na (not to be confused with Sheneneh) gorges on empty calories in wait for her date who has promised to “pick her up at 6.”  Which actually means 10 (or sometimes ‘never’) in guy code.  To add insult to injury, a McDonalds pun is thrown into the mix.  These fast dollies sure love their cholesterol!  I had no idea spray tan was invented in the ’50s…

Next up, we are re-introduced to the segment known as “Wrestlicious Heroines.”   This whole segment is a bit “too long; didn’t read” for me, and the crude animation is a turn-off (check out that jaw on “Spacey”).  Though, I suppose any media mention of heroin that doesn’t involve Lindsay Lohan is refreshing.  Upon closer inspection, it has come to my attention that 1/2 of the following match (i.e. anyone who is not Brooke Lynn or Lacey Von Erich) is irrelevant.  These are not good odds.

The match starts off with the valets accompanying their respective wrestlers to the ring.  Sha-Na-Na, who was clearly stood up by her date, cheers with her Bebops at ringside.  Poor gal.

Back from an unnecessary break, we see Alexandra the Great overpowering Kickstart Katie with a Headlock.  The Krakow Crusher (with no relation to Brian Krakow of ’90s MTV fame, I presume) reverses an Arm Lock attempt into a Wrist Lock.  Alexandra then pulls Katie into an Armbar and then into an Arm Drag.  Katie powers out of the hold and Irish Whips Alexandra into the ropes, where Brooke Lynn (allegedly) trips her with her towel.  The biker capitalizes on this equal opportunity as she mounts the statuette with a Sleeper Hold.  Lacey Von Erich encourages her partner from the sidelines, and Alexandra refuses to submit.  This leads Kickstart Katie to abandon the submission in exchange for a series of uppercuts.  Katie continues the onslaught with lunges to the midsection, a Snapmare, and a Lariat.  She attempts the first cover of the match, but to no avail.  Apparently, someone failed to explain to Katie that pin attempts do not count in a submission match!  How embarrassing.

While the biker argues with the referee, the Female Adonis uses that distraction to roll Katie into a bow-and-arrow submission maneuver.  Katie pleads for dear life, but Brooke Lynn isn’t having any of it.  What some people may perceive as heartless, Brooke Lynn and I call “tough love.”

When Alexandra the Great soon releases the hold, she receives a rake to the eyes for her troubles.  Kickstart Katie superplexes her opponent and proceeds to immobilize her with the Full Throttle (Guillotine choke).  Alexandra tries to roll out of the hold, but in turn, reinforces it.  She eventually breaks out of the submission and transitions that into the Camel Clutch.  Lacey Von Erich is all smiles.

However, the hold isn’t applied for long as Kickstart Katie rises to her feet.  She then utilizes a basic Chin Lock.  She continues to apply another submission hold on Alexandra, but I’m far too distracted by Alexandra’s wedgie to notice.  Nonetheless, Katie takes the fight to the Female Adonis.  She Irish Whips her into the corner, but Alexandra ducks out of the line of fire, dropkicking Katie into the turnbuckles.  Alexandra the Great pulls Kickstart Katie into a Standing Inverted Indian Deathlock Surfboard followed by a Curb Stomp.  This leaves Kickstart Katie vulnerable enough to adhere to the Krakow Crippler, but Brooke Lynn rushes in before further damage can be done.  She tries to choke her opponent out with her towel, but Alexandra the Great overpowers her.  Brooke Lynn is on the verge of succumbing to the Female Adonis just before falling victim to the Claw a la Lacey Von Erich, forcing Brooke Lynn to inadvertently throw in the towel.

Kickstart Katie oversteps her boundaries by questioning the motives of the talented and intelligent Brooke Lynn; she returns to irrelevancy.

Next, Wrestlicious interrupts its regularly scheduled programming to take a break from the grueling action, in favor of some more mindless entertainment.  Here, we are introduced to Savannah, the “School Belle.”  Why are there so many country bumpkins on this show?

As the secondhand embarrassment settles, Wrestlicious takes a moment to promote its ongoing poll to determine the #1 Contender following next week’s Championship match between Glory and Felony.  Again, as Brooke Lynn was shafted from this poll, it is of no interest to me.  So, be sure to visit wrestlicious.com to vote for performers of lesser beauty and caliber.

For the record, I will not waste time ripping this Takedown Spotlight apart considering I am actually quite fond of Felony aka Rain aka TNA’s Peyton Banks.  So, for all you killjoy Shimmer stans wrestling purists out there: You’re welcome.  Enjoy it while you still can.

Next, Wrestlicious begs the question: “Are You Smarter Than A Male Wrestler?”  The answer is Yes.  Moving on…

The following match begins with Amber Lively and Marley making their way down to the ring.  They are soon followed by Johnny Carafella’s favorite exotic bellydancer, Azziza, and her partner Brooke Lynn!  I must say, the frequent cameos in this episode made by the lovely and vivacious Brooke Lynn are glorious.  Has Christmas come early?

Brooke Lynn emerges from the curtain in an apparent fragile state.  She dons a brace around her neck, indicating a possible injury from her last physical bout.  The ruthless and compassionless crowd mocks her affliction, reaffirming the truth stereotype that wrestling fans have no tact.

It is then that the classy New York native formulates a plan.  Being the hardest working woman in showbiz that she is, Brooke Lynn decides that she has been spread too thin to be expected to compete in two matches.  She introduces her team’s replacements: Fran and Gert, the Lunch Ladies.  Brooke Lynn makes her gracious exit as one of the Lunch Ladies appears to have trouble entering the bottom rope (Eve Torres, is that you??).

The “match” is actually just a glorified food fight/Three Stooges skit, resulting in pie faces and disqualification.  Only in Wrestlicious is beating on the elderly considered virtuous.  Anyone who’s ever attended high school in the Western world can live vicariously through Marley and Amber Lively in this instance.

This week’s edition of Wrestlicious was a tad slower-paced than last week’s.  It was a bit difficult to get through as a whole, which is to be expected with a filler episode.  Though, the first match was decent.  Here’s hoping the coming weeks will pick up with the upcoming Championship match between Glory and Felony.

Wrestlicious will crown its first ever champion on next week’s episode (#9) of TakeDown, we can confirm. The match will see Felony (Rain) and Glory (Christie Ricci) compete for the belt after they won a 20-woman over the top rope battle royal on episode six.

The show airs in Canada on Monday at 11pm ET on Bite TV, in the United States on Wednesday at 11pm ET on Mav TV and will be available online next Thursday.

We’ll have the exclusive first interview with the Wrestlicious Champion in the next couple of weeks also.

TNA may have turned her down but Wrestlicious seems keen to resurrect Ariel. Former Diva and Knockout, Shelly Martinez has tweeted that the company is interested in bringing her in as their new vampire character, a role that Martinez is already familiar with. She writes:

ps wrestlisous is interested in me being their new vampire character :) we shall see what happens in the mean time long live Sprinkles!!

Martinez previously portrayed a gothic, vampire-like character on WWE’s ECW brand in 2006 through 2007 as Ariel. I don’t know about you but a character in the same vein seems right up Wrestlicious’ alley with their gimmicks.

TNA Knockout, Daffney can be seen as Draculetta on the current season of Wrestlicious TakeDown.

This week marks the return of the critically-acclaimed Tampa-based female promotion known as Wrestlicious!  As you may know… like a fine wine, Wrestlicious prides its product on being an acquired taste.  And also like a fine wine, Wrestlicious may not be for everyone.  It tends to pander to a specific crowd: people who possess some degree of a sense of humor… oh, and blowzy alcoholics.

This week, Wrestlicious starts off with an prologue courtesy of our two hosts.  Now, for those of you who have lives might’ve missed the first several episodes of Wrestlicious, you might not recognize Leyla Milani‘s replacement.  Well, she happens to be my personal favorite, Brooke “Snooki” Lynn.  Due tensions surrounding Leyla’s erm… “disappearance,” Jimmy Hart takes it upon himself to project his own insecurities at the lovely Brooke Lynn. Graciously, the self-proclaimed “Tough New Yorker” does not take these digs to heart. Bless her.

Before the show truly gets started, Wrestlicious spreads its wings with a couple of its famous (well, infamous) vignettes.  Something about hula dancing and horny goats.  Just your typical Wrestlicious programming.

One positive aspect (clearly one of many) about Wrestlicious is the built-in piss break (otherwise known as the Takedown Spotlight) right in the middle of the show!  How very convenient.

In a nutshell, this week’s spotlight is on the performer known as “Glory.”  Because nothing screams American-made like a Kate Gosselin bob, a bikini a size too small, and the entire Sistine Chapel painted on your back.  This “Spotlight” segment is surprisingly much shorter than Wrestlicious’ bikini-clad slowmo sessions of the past.  Perhaps, Glory is just that exception.  So much for that piss break.

Next on the queue is a backstage segment featuring the true star of the promotion and our host, Brooke Lynn.  And um… some other girl.  The segment is cut short as a cameraman is brusquely banished for his invasion of their privacy.  I fail to recognize why Brooke Lynn is so distraught.  I mean, it’s not like we caught her without her bump-it or Chinese slippers or anything.  Now, that would’ve been embarrassing.

Following that segment is the first match of the night.  Brooke Lynn makes her way to the ring to the screams of her adoring fans, also known as Wrestlicious’ stage crew and their immediate families.  Brooke Lynn has a few choice words for a Dixie Carter deadringer (or Celion Dion… I can’t decide) in the front row.  As a city-born New Yorker, I have no objection to claiming Brooke Lynn as my “pride and joy.”  I’m sure Mayor Bloomberg would agree.

Brooke Lynn’s competitor, Alexandra the Great, shows off her physique before skipping to the ring.  She’s rather peppy for 300 BC Greek royalty, wouldn’t you say?  Or, whatever she is.  This should be an interesting match as we know the Greeks and the Italians never get along. (In before “but she’s Polish!” comments.)

Brooke Lynn and Alexandra the Great lock up.  The Female Adonis sends Brooke into the corner, and the Guidette cries foul.  The Female Adonis plays dumb for a bit, mocking the allegation.  Meanwhile, the referee is apparently prejudice as he does not heed this violation.  You know, it’s really frightening to witness this type of injustice in this day and age.

Thankfully, Brooke Lynn does not allow her minority status to define her.  Being the Brahma Bull that she is, she goes right back into the lock-up with Venus Braschi.  She is an inspiration to us all.  Yet, somehow Alexandra still manages to sneak in another hair pull!  This display of blatant racism proves to be almost too much for Brooke Lynn to bear as she threatens to storm right out of the match, and rightfully so.  However, Alexandra calls Brooke Lynn’s bluff and lures her into the third lock-up of the match.  Brooke Lynn counters it into a headlock.  The Statue of David is so impressed with Brooke Lynn’s agility that she swaggerjacks mimics that exact move.  As Brooke Lynn struggles to regain control of the match, there may or may not be a slight transgression on her part.  Sure, some might “identify” that as hairpulling, but I mean, it’s so minuscule it’s barely even noticeable.  The referee doesn’t catch it, and I’m not here to judge.  Jimmy Hart doesn’t pay me nearly enough to pay that close attention.

Now, Brooke Lynn tries her damnest to take down the gargoyle with a few shoulder blocks.  Unfortunately, these attempts are rendered as fruitless as Betty White’s muffin.  Alexandra makes the cover, but Brooke musters up the strength to get her shoulder up.  Alexandra delivers a dropkick that sends Brooke right back down to the mat.  She makes the cover, but Brooke kicks out yet again.  Alexandra tries to get the best of Brooke, but Brooke deters her effort with a completely legal and non-disqualification-worthy offense.  The City Girl then tops it off with a jawbreaker AND a neckbreaker.  Wow, impressive!  Brooke makes the cover.  Not surprisingly, however, the referee’s aforementioned bias rears its ugly head with a slow-count.

Brooke Lynn continues to gain the advantage and makes another pin attempt.  Alexandra kicks out again.  Brooke takes offense to this and channels her aggression on Alexandra, pulling her into a crossface/bow-and-arrow type submission… or something.  Meanwhile, the announcer manages to squeeze into his repertoire, an ode to MTV’s Jersey Shore’s hottest commodity: the Situation.  Wrestlicious is really working for its money, tonight.

Alexandra the Great tries to break out of the hold, but Brooke Lynn takes her right back down.  Unfortunately, this only produces a measly 2-count.  Brooke Lynn maneuvers Alexandra into a surfboard submission immediately.  Alexandra eventually rises to her feet and powers out of Brooke’s headlock.  She Irish Polish Greek Whips Brooke Lynn into the ropes and then clotheslines her.  Ruthless.  The onslaught continues until whatsherface plants the lovely and classy Brooke Lynn with a Sidewalk Slam.  Brooke Lynn kicks out, even after enduring a shoddy Scoop Slam.  The unspeakable happens as Alexandra manipulates Brooke into a Sharpshooter.  Before Brooke can face even the slightest possibility of defeat, her confidante promptly makes the save.  (Took her long enough).  Brooke Lynn and Nameless now both take it to the Female Adonis.  However, another bias ref interferes before the carnage can get too serious.  Brooke Lynn celebrates her victory (yes, this qualifies as a victory), while Wrestlicious prepares you for another long-awaited piss break.

This would be a good time to mention that apparently Wrestlicious is conducting some sort of poll to determine the next #1 Contender, but it is irrelevant as Brooke Lynn is not an option for contendership.  Not to mention, the episodes have already been filmed. Cast your vote at wrestlicious.com.  Or don’t, whatever.

Up next is a little segment called “Wrestlicious Heroines.”  My powers of deduction suggest that this promo is about heroine addicts.  Thus, it is relative to your interests.

The following match pits Maria Toro (ft. Bandita) against Tyler Texas.  Considering the history between Mexicans and Texans, this shall surely blow that little Italian/Greek feud out of the water.

No offense to “Bandita.”  She’s cool and all, but wouldn’t this role been better suited for Shelly Martinez?  I hear she’s looking for work.  She would’ve done wonders with this character had she even considered it.  And considering she tends to wear much less, nearly half the cost could be saved on wardrobe.  See?  It’s a win-win for everybody.  Take notice, Wrestlicious.  Please.

Tyler Texas finally enters the ring after what feels like an eternity of pandering to the crowd.  I think I spot Bret Michaels in the audience.  Between him and Celion Dion we spotted earlier, I’m pretty sure this sets the tone for the sort of star-quality Wrestlicious attracts.

Suddenly, Tyler goes on a tangent about something and exits the ring.  Luckily, I speak fluent Texan and am able to determine that she’s off to use the little girls’ room.  Apparently, Wrestlicious’ piss-breaking methods still leave much to be desired.

Actually, Tyler Texas reemerges with her cousin, Cousin Cassie.  At first, the combination of them being Southerners and cousins made me uneasy… but then I was reminded that this is not TNA programming I am reviewing here.

Anyway, Tyler Texas takes down Maria Toro when she taunts her.  She clobbers her a few times before ultimately overpowering her with a Handstand Swinging Headscissors Takedown.  It’s a little Trish Stratus-esque, but who’s keeping count?

Tyler delivers a Dropkick, but gets caught up on the ropes by Bandita.  Maria Toro takes advantage of the distraction with a Big Boot.  Tyler Texas gets the shoulder up.

Back from the unnecessary break, we find Bandita continuing her assault against Tyler Texas.  Tyler still manages to kick out.  The adrenaline from the crowd (led by her Cousin Cassie) lights a new fire under Tyler Texas as she ducks a clothesline and wraps Maria Toro into a Crucifix and into an Arm Drag.  This progresses into a lock-up and a Springboard into another Arm Drag.  Maria Toro is sent out of the ring, and Tyler Texas commences in a premature celebration.  She follows Maria on the apron, leaps onto her shoulders, and follows through with a Hurricanrana onto the floor.  The Texan rolls her opposer into the ring and opts for a cover.  The Matador kicks out.  This shocks the Cowgirl.

Tyler Texas pulls Maria Toro to her feet, but Maria counters it into an Inverted Full Nelson submission.  Tyler reaches for the ropes, and is finally able to grasp onto what resembles Barbie’s long intestine.  Maria Toro is forced to break the hold.  She takes out her frustrations on her opponent and on the audience.  She goes for the cover, but this only renders a 2-count.  Not to be dissauded, she positions Tyler for her finisher, the Bull Run, but Tyler Texas counters it into a DDT.  Both women lie motionless for a few seconds, which is two eternities in the wrestling world.  The referee begins the count, but then sort of gives up after 8.  “You look so dumb right now…”

Maria Toro makes it to her feet in time to attack, but Tyler blocks her.  There is a reversal, and Tyler rolls into a Sunset Flip.  Maria kicks out at 2.  Tyler then does what comes naturally: riding her opponent like a bull before taking her down to the slaughter house.  (How embarrassing for her.)  Maria apparently has other plans as she escapes before the 3-count can be made.  Tyler grabs Maria from behind and attempts a Backslide.  The Matador kicks out once again.  Tyler Texas leaps into an attempted Hurricanrana, but Maria crushes her with a Powerbomb.  The fact that Tyler Texas is able to power out here is surprising.  I was so sure this torture would’ve been over by now.

Maria decks the Cowgirl a couple times and leads her into the corner, pounding her even harder.  Maria whips Tyler into the opposite corner, where she catches Tyler’s knee into her shoulder.  This leaves an opening for Tyler Texas to deliver a Tornado DDT from the top rope.  Tyler makes the cover and earns the 3-count just before Bandita can interfere.  All hell breaks loose.

Wow, what an enlightening and thought-provoking program.

Alright, the production is horrid.  However, one thing that can be appreciated about Wrestlicious is that it owns its horridness and doesn’t take itself too seriously.  I certainly believe there’s room to relive the campiness that wrestling has lost since the ’80s.  Wrestlicious is fine for what it is; it does have its favorable qualities.

For instance, it is not often that we as Diva fans come across matches that are longer than 3 or 4 minutes.  Wrestlicious may be full of craptastic vignettes (though, to be fair, they have toned down the segments since the first several episodes), but it gives you adequate action for the 20 minutes you spend watching. Wrestlicious also possesses the character development that (dare I say) TNA and WWE both lack.  Let that sink in for awhile.

TakeDown has been on a hiatus of late to allow syndicators to catch up on the Bite/Mav airings. Six episodes have aired so far, which you can catch up on at the Bite TV website.

The hit action/comedy series Wrestlicious TakeDown will air on The Fight Network (thefightnetwork.com) in Canada beginning in early May 2010.TakeDown will be the only all female wrestling series featured on the network in 2010.

With the new Fight Network deal, Takedown expands its Canadian distribution. It will continue to air on Bite TV (bite.ca) where it premiered March 1, and created a huge buzz.

“We were thrilled to be approached by The Fight Network” said Steve Blance, producer of

the series. “They know great wrestling and have a sense of humor as well. They get us. We are looking forward to a great partnership with them as we continue to grow the Wrestlicious brand”

“We are ecstatic about the addition of Wrestlicious TakeDown to our weekly programming lineup,” said Ariel Shnerer, The Fight Network’s Programming & New Media Manager. “With myriad world-class wrestling promotions from both past and present featured on The Fight Network, Wrestlicious will have a perfect home here. Canadian fans can now tune into The Fight Network and see some of the best women’s action on the planet. As the professional wrestling business has evolved, the number of quality female performers has increased. In Wrestlicious, these competitors all come together under one roof to deliver the most action-packed half-hour of female wrestling action ever produced.”

Wrestlicious TakeDown features Canadian wrestlers Autumn Frost (Jennifer Blake), Alexandra The Great (Danyah Rivietz) and The Naughty Girls (Portia Perez and Nicole Matthews) , all of whom were ranked in the PWI Female Top 50 for 2009.

Wrestlicious TakeDown airs in the U.S. on cable and Dish Network via MavTV (mavtv.com) and is syndicated via America One Network (americaone.com), and independent syndication. Distribution deals are pending for South America, Asia and Europe, and will be announced soon.

Key management personnel for Wrestlicious include former G.L.O.W executives Blance and Johnny Cafarella, legendary wrestling manager Jimmy Hart, and founder Jay Vargas, the youngest Powerball winner in history.

Sources tell me that due to TakeDown joining the Fight Network, the proposed Women Superstars Uncensored TV series is now off the table… at least at this particular network. The Fight Network will not air any other women’s wrestling series now that it has picked up TakeDown. Last month, WSU announced that it would air a weekly 15-minute show called ‘Uncensored’ on Fight Network that would take fans behind the scenes. That show will now likely be looking for a new home.

Please note that this will be the final episode of TakeDown for a few weeks to allow syndicated stations to catch up with the past few episodes as they began airing the series later than Mav and Bite TV. TakeDown will return in a few weeks time with all the outlets in unison and showing the same episode each week.

Press release below:

Wrestlicious TakeDown will hold its first-ever public television taping on Friday, May 28, 2010 at 7 PM in Minneapolis at the storied First Avenue. (www.first-avenue.com) The venue was once owned by rock legend Prince, and the 1984 movie “Purple Rain” was filmed there.

The popular TV series is seen on Dish Network Channel 361 and local cable via MavTV (www.mavtv.com), America One Network (americaone.com), independent broadcast syndication in 30 cities in the U.S. and on Bite TV (www.bite.ca) in Canada. Wrestlicious TakeDown is available in over 50 million U.S. homes.

Scheduled to appear on the May 28 live show are TakeDown stars Toni The Top, Autumn Frost, Tyler Texas, White Magic, Cousin Cassie, Marley, Jailbait, Marley, CoCo Montego and Annabelle The Cannibal. The show is being presented by First Wrestling of Minneapolis. (http://www.myspace.com/f1rstwrestling)

Key management personnel for Wrestlicious LLC include founder Jay Vargas, the youngest Powerball winner in history, former G.L.O.W. (Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling) executives Steve Blance and Johnny Cafarella, and Hart, a legendary WWE manager and Hall Of Fame member.

Closed set production of TakeDown continues during April and May in Florida.

For more information on Wrestlicious, go to wrestlicious.com

Diva Dirt can exclusively reveal that our very own Kristin Astara — the former Krissy Vaine — has signed with Wrestlicious. Kristin will make her debut as an in-ring performer in season two which will be filmed this summer.

Wrestlicious senior producer, Johnny Cafarella says: “We are excited to add the beautiful and talented Kristin Astara to the cast of Wrestlicious TakeDown. We expect great things from her, and know she will deliver. She is a terrific addition.”

The signing marks Kristin’s return to the national stage after leaving WWE nearly three years ago.

From all of us here at Diva Dirt, our congratulations to Kristin! And don’t worry, Kristin will continue to be part of the site and will be discussing her signing more on next week’s episode of Kristin & Friends.

For a full recap click here.

Jimmy Hart and Leyla Milani start the show. Leyla talks about how lucky she is to be hosting Wrestlicious. Jimmy adds that the crowd is lucky that they get to see Leyla!

Boot Camp Bailey comes to the (replicating Ashley Massaro’s style, right?) The crowd heavily boos her. She tries to get the crowd’s attention by shouting “Attention!” Just like Vickie Guerrero’s signatures “Excuse Me” line. She tells the crowd she is looking for a few good women for a trainee in the crowd. She chooses 3 women from the crowd. The third woman is the Wrestlicious floor manager. She gives the boot camp-like orders and tells them to march backstage with her.

It is announced that the next two girls to be in the battle royal are Felony, Naughty Girl and Charlotte (from last week).

“Are You Smarter than a Male Wrestler”
Gloria vs. Some Blonde Guy
The question is “What happened in 1776.” The blonde guy answers something dumb and “funny” as the answer, that is obviously incorrect. Gloria then goes on to tells the fans she loves her country as she proudly answers the question correctly, “The Declaration of Independence.”

More:

We are taken back to what just happened with Boot Camp Bailey and the 3 women from the crowd. Backstage are the three girls previously chosen on a show called “The Young and the Wrestlers.” They are in a mansion, and excited about what is in it. They start exploring the mansion before Bailey interrupts the fun and orders them to march! To be continued…

Lacey VE is today’s takedown spotlight.

Autumn Frost vs. Paige Webb
They both make their way to the ring. Autumn attacks Paige from behind. Autumn her off the ropes, Paige reverses and puts her in a full nelson. Autumn gets to the ropes and gives Paige a full nelson of her own. Paige reverses with an arm drag followed by an arm submission. Paige irish whips her in the corner for a monkey flip. Paige gives her some forearms to the face. Autumn leaves the ring to get some air, and when she comes back in, she cheap shots Paige, covers her for the 1 count. Autumn then starts choking her on the ground. Autumn gives her some hard blows to her head as well, and then covers her again for the 1 count. Autumn keeps pounding her with her fist. She picks Paige up and sends her off the ropes. Paige goes for a sunset flip pin, but Autumn reverses by sitting on her shoulders for the 2 count. Autumn once again goes back to hitting her, and then puts her in a chokehold submission. Paige breaks it by the arm drag, making Autumn fall out of the ring. Paige follows her with a baseball slide. Paige brings her back into the ring, and goes on the top ropes. Autumn moved out of the way, resulting in Paige hitting the ground. Autumn then takes control by beating her in the corner. Autumn then goes to irish whips her into another corner but Paige reverses and goes for another monkey flip. Autumn reverses the monkey flip by dropping Paige in mid-air. Autumn then covers her, with her feet on the ropes, for the 3 count.
Winner: Autumn Frost

As of this week, the US airing of TakeDown moves to Wednesday at 11pm on Mav with an encore presentation at Friday at 11pm. It will also air on Saturday at 11.30pm on America One.

Because of the change, the online live stream of TakeDown on the Bite TV website will go up on Thursday morning after the US airing.

Canadian viewers can tune  in tonight at 11pm on Bite to watch the episode. We’ll have a full recap of the show later tonight thanks to contributor, Emerson.

She made her debut as the lip-synching popstar, Kandi Kisses on the first ever episode of Wrestlicious TakeDown this past week and she’s here to tell us all about it, we catch up with the gorgeous Lizzy Valentine. We get Lizzy’s reaction to the first episode, find out about her character and get her thoughts on some of the negative reaction the show has gotten. We also learn discuss Lizzy’s time in TNA in 2003 as well as her one-night only return last December, plus what was it like working with WWE’s Evan Bourne in Wrestling Society X? Read on for the full interview.

You were on the premiere of Wrestlicious TakeDown this past Monday, how was it like doing that performance scene?
“I was so happy that I was on the first episode. Actually, like a few years ago, I was also on the first episode of Wrestling Society X so I was like, ‘Oh look at that, I’m on the first episode again’. I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback from my friends about the show, they all thought it was funny and they liked my segment. I had a lot of fun doing that part, playing the role of Kandi Kisses. I’ve known Johnny C [Wrestlicious producer] for a long time. Like, about six years ago we shot a pilot for CRUSH, it never got picked up but I’ve known him for all this time and he’s always known that I was a big fan of Britney Spears so he kind of developed the character for me which was kind of cool.”

We talked a little bit about your friends’ reaction to your character, how did your fans react?
“For the most part, I’ve gotten pretty good feedback from people. I mean, people of course are gonna be negative about it and say, ‘Oh it’s not real wrestling, it’s making a joke out of women’s wrestling’ but Wrestlicious is not trying to be WWE, it’s not trying to be TNA, it’s its own show and its own product so it is what it is.”

There’s been some negativity towards the show. Have you run into any of this in particular?
“Well, my regular friends outside of the wrestling business, just like my friends from like the gym or just my normal friends that I hang out with and family members, they all see it as just a TV show. So they look at it and they think it’s funny and they like it for what it is. On the other hand, like my friends that are in the wrestling industry, they don’t like it. I think they’re being a little close-minded, they’re not thinking about it like the way it’s supposed to be. It’s supposed to be a funny show, it’s supposed to be an action-comedy. It’s not supposed to be a serious wrestling show like TNA or WWE, so people in the industry are kind of like, ‘Oh, it’s making fun of women’s wrestling blah blah…’ but I don’t think it’s really making fun of women’s wrestling. A lot of the characters, their stories are goofy but you know what, they’re characters and we all liked playing our characters. The girls on the show, for the most part, were really, really good wrestlers and you’ll get to see that if you keep on watching it.”

Definitely, a lot of the girls work for SHIMMER and we talk a lot on the site about how great the wrestling is there so I’m sure the wrestling will be on-point as the season goes on…
“Yeah definitely! All of us girls were impressed with each other. We were all watching each other’s matches and we were like ‘wow’. Even the girls who weren’t wrestlers on the indies or anything like that, some of the newer girls that may have been just trained for the show, even they did a really good job too. They worked hard and they did the best they could and everything ended up being okay. For the most part, the matches were really, really good so you’ll definitely be seeing some awesome matches.”

How did you feel just before the show went on the air. Were you nervous? Excited?
“I was really excited because I’d been wanting to see it for a long time and I’d been reading stuff about it on the Internet and everything. But I was a little bit nervous too because my character’s a little bit silly and I didn’t actually wrestle on the show, I was just doing a performance and lip-synching so I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I hope I don’t look too silly’. But I was really excited for it. Everyone has fun at Wrestlicious and I just really, really wanted to see it.”

Can you tell us more about Kandi Kisses and what we can expect from her in the next few weeks?
“Well, Kandi Kisses is definitely this big take-off of Britney Spears. The whole performance that I did on the show, it was supposed to be similar to Britney’s performance at the Grammys, I think it was, a few years ago. She was kind of like stumbling around and seemed a little bit drunk, you know? That’s what it was supposed to be like. Kandi Kisses is just full of herself and a popstar – a typical popstar. [Laughs] But Kandi Kisses definitely knows how to kick butt so wait for that!”

Were there any other popstars you channelled with this character?
“No, just Britney because she is the popstar. I love Britney Spears and that’s why I was doing some of her dance moves, like when I came out to the ring those were some of the dance moves from ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’. [Laughs]”

Well speaking of the singing, was that actually you on the backing track or did someone else do those vocals?
“I wish that was me! I cannot sing at all. [Laughs] No, I was lip-synching. The song was written by Jimmy Hart.”

Do you have any idea who might have sung the actual song?
“No, I have no idea who sings anything. I have no clue.”

Do you think there could be some crossover, putting these songs on the market?
“You know what, this was mentioned to me like six months ago. One of the producers, Johnny C, he told me that Jimmy Hart had written a song for me and wanted me to sing it and make it a part of Wrestlicious. But I don’t know if that’s going to happen because I’m not really a singer, so I’m not sure if I’d want to go through with that. I think I’d be too embarrassed to have people listen to me sing. [Laughs]”

I mean, it’s all in good fun though…
“Yeah, I’d love to do that for sure and like have a music video, that’d be totally fun!”

Have you taped more for Wrestlicious?
“I have one match on there against Lil’ Slam and her character is basically like a hip-hop character like Lil’ Kim. So it’s like popstar versus hip-hop star.”

That should be interesting…
“Yeah, it was really good. It was a great match actually, so I’m excited for that to air.”

To backtrack a little bit, how did you get involved with Wrestlicious to begin with?
“Well, as I mentioned earlier, like six months ago I had met Johnny C. He had seen my work on the independents and he contacted me about filming a show called CRUSH which is basically the same concept as Wrestlicious, it’s the same thing just a different name. So I did that a long time ago. That time around I was called Jersey Jean, I was this kind of Jersey Shore kind of girl. I was Jersey Jean from Jersey City – that was my line. But the show never took off back then so they tried it this time around and it worked. So I’ve known him a long time and he’s always thought of me and wanted to put me in any projects that he comes across so I’m glad it finally worked out. I’m glad I have a newer character too, Kandi Kisses is way better than Jersey Jean! [Laughs]”

So how was the experience at the tapings? Did everyone get along? You hear stories about when put a whole bunch of girls together!
“Believe it or not, it went really, really smoothly. I was shocked too because when you put a bunch of girls together like that, you always expect there to be a little bit of cattiness. For the most part, everyone got along, everyone was there for each other, helping each other out. I didn’t see any kind of bickering or anything like that. Everyone was supportive towards each other, we all had fun and it was a great experience. Johnny C and all of the Wrestlicious crew treated us really, really well so we had a great time.”

We spoke to Rain [Felony] who said some of the girls were eyeing each other’s outfits and characters. Was there any character you might want to play instead of Kandi Kisses?
“No. Kandi Kisses is the best! I love my character. I would not trade my character ever, I love Kandi Kisses. But actually, six years ago when it was CRUSH, I was supposed to be the character of Shauna-Na. Have you seen her in Wrestlicious yet?”

Yeah, we also saw pictures from CRUSH where [The Lovely] Lacey was playing Shauna-Na…
“Yeah! That was supposed to be me originally but Johnny C had seen some of my work on the independents and was like, ‘You’re a great heel, we need to have you be a heel’. I really wanted to be Shauna-Na but I was like, ‘Okay, I like being a bad girl so I’ll just do that’. [Laughs]”

You had a little stint in TNA some years ago as Cheerleader Valentina. How did that come about and what was the experience like in TNA?
“Well, let’s see, I was 19 when I did that. It was a while ago, I really wanted to get my foot in the door, so I moved to Nashville and I started going to their shows and started meeting with the people backstage. And then finally a role came up and I was there, I lived like five minutes from the arena so they asked me if I wanted to do the show and of course, I wanted to do it. I had fun. I was working with Nurse Veronica [Simply Luscious] and it was cool, we were Team Bitchslap. It was fun but at the same time, there wasn’t much to go further with the characters, like we were just fighting with the cage dancers and they weren’t even wrestlers so there’s only so much you can do. At that time, they did not have a women’s division so you know, the storyline got scrapped after about a month and that was that unfortunately.”

Well speaking of Bitchslap, you were also working with Traci Brooks who was just released. How was your experience working with her?
“I really, really like working with Traci. I think we have good chemistry, she’s one of my favourite opponents so I really like to work with her. She actually wasn’t in Bitchslap at that time, it was just me and Veronica. She was supposed to be in it but I remember that time, she had trouble getting over the border from Canada. She was supposed to be in the group or it might have been listed somewhere that she was but we never actually did anything together. It was just me and Nurse Veronica, also on one of the shows Trinity was with us, we came to the ring with her.”

You were also part of the short-lived Wrestling Society X on MTV, which I actually liked a little bit…
“Wait, you only liked it a little bit? What?!”

[Laughs] I didn’t get to see it very often…
“You gotta get the DVD boxset. There’s extras of me and Lacey!”

So how did that come about?
“I moved out to California when I was 19, started to work in a company called XPW – are you familiar with it? Xtreme Pro Wrestling, they’re kind of like a hardcore wrestling company, kind of like ECW. I was working for that company and one of the guys backstage, one of the writers and bookers – his name was Kevin Kleinrock. I was working for him and then when Wrestling Society X came about, it was his idea for that show and he wanted me to be part of it. I was so happy because I love MTV, I watch MTV all the time so I was like, ‘Yay I’m gonna be on MTV, this is so cool’. A lot of the time in the business, you get further by who you know and who you’ve worked for in the past and by referrals.”

On the show, you were the valet and girlfriend to Matt Sydal who we know now as Evan Bourne. What was he like to work with?
“He was so fun. The first episode, we didn’t have that much chemistry but we eventually got it and we just started working together really well and like, thinking of little things to do in the ring. When I was on the outside of the ring and he was on the apron, we did a little dance and I’d always kiss him when we got in the ring. We thought we should really make this a great team, so we thought of things to do together and he was totally awesome. I love watching him wrestle, he is so perfect – everything he does is so crisp and clean and to perfection. I loved watching that guy wrestle. It was so, so fun to be his valet. I love watching him, he’s amazing.”

This is a question from our female team members, they would like to know was he as hot in person as he is on TV?
“[Laughs] I think he looks just like he does on TV, so yeah.”

You were on an episode of Nip/Tuck which just ended this week after six seasons. You were part of the storyline with The Carver as one of his victims. How was it like working on that show and how did it all come together?
“That is one of my favourite TV shows ever so I was really, really, really excited to get to play the part of a Carver victim which is one of the [show's] biggest storylines too. When I moved out to California, I started doing a little bit of modelling and photoshoots and one of the photographers that I met, he also worked on the show. Eventually, there became a part and he asked me if I wanted to be on it so of course I said yes! I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, yay! Nip/Tuck. I love Nip/Tuck!’ And that was awesome too, getting to see those guys, they’re just totally hot – I was in shock. It was so fun, it was really good. I’m kind of sad the show’s ended now, I love that show.”

Do you think you might want to go down that avenue one day, as an actress?
“I don’t know. I’ve thought about it… I just really hate going on auditions. Auditions suck! You go in the room and you go in front of a couple of people and they just stare at you, they look very cold and they make you feel nervous and uncomfortable. I hate doing that. If someone made a role that I know I can do really well, I would totally do it. If someone was like, ‘Hey, I have a part for you in a movie’, I’d definitely say yes. But going for auditions day after day, I don’t think that’s for me. I don’t like doing that.”

You returned to TNA for one night last December for the New Year’s Knockout Eve taping in a dark match with Amber O’Neal. We interviewed Lorelei Lee who said she was invited by Amber to come along, how did you get approached for the show?
“I have been in contact with TNA for about a year. I’ve tried really hard to get a job there. I’ve been emailing Terry Taylor back-and-forth for about a year. I had met him about a year ago at an autograph signing and he asked me if I’d be interested in working for TNA, so since then I’ve been in contact with him and so finally this past December, they were like, ‘Hey we want you to come in for a tryout match’ and that was it. So after about a year of contact, contacting him and harassing him through email, I finally got a shot. [Laughs]”

We didn’t get to see your match on TV, can you tell us how you think it went?
“The match went okay from what I heard. The ending got kind of messed up, the finish, it didn’t go as planned but for the most part, everyone said the match was solid and it was good. I got really positive feedback from all the agents and people backstage, they were happy with it. It’s not so much about how you wrestle, it’s more about your personality and charisma. It’s not just like, your moves and your holds, you need to have more than that to be a great wrestler so they were happy with my charisma and my attitude and they liked my outfit. They were happy with it, I didn’t receive any negative feedback even though we had a botched move.”

How did it feel to be part of such a big event? That was the first night the Knockouts had the limelight all to themselves.
“I was so excited. I really want to work for TNA so I was happy to be there and also, all of the girls were so cool especially like Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne, they were so nice. I was just so happy to be there, I really want to get a job there and work for TNA. I hope their women’s division keeps on striving, it’s one of the best women’s divisions in the world so I want to be part of it.”

Was there anyone in particular you were excited to meet?
“Well, I knew a lot of the girls. I knew most of those girls actually so I was just happy to see them again and I was excited to meet Kong. I think she’s awesome and I’ve never really worked with her or anything before so I was happy to meet her. I think she really did a lot for that women’s division so she’s awesome.”

Did management indicate that they’d like to have you back on a more permanent basis?
“Well, things are up in the air right now with all the changes that are going on in TNA. So like I said, I left there that day on good terms and they were happy with me so hopefully things work out. There’s nothing definite though, there’s no definite plan to bring me into the company. I hope so.”

You’re a very attractive woman and you have a look that WWE seems to like, do you have any interest in working for WWE?
“Well, back in the day, when I was like 20, I had an audition for WWE and I didn’t really wrestle or anything, I just kind of rolled around in the ring. The feedback that I got from them was like, ‘Oh you have a really cute face but you need to lose the baby fat’ so that’s what they told me. But since then, I’ve really been trying to get my body in the best shape that I can get it but I’ve tried again to get a job there but it just seems like they’re not interested right now.”

Any of the girls on WWE that stand out to you that you may like to work with?
“I love Maryse actually. I’m a big fan of her, I think she’s so awesome. I love her charisma, her attitude, I love everything about her. I think she’s super sexy so I’d love to have a feud with her or maybe team with her. I think we’re kind of similar in the way we wrestle and our attitude. Maryse is just wow. When I look at that girl, she’s so sexy, she’s so beautiful and she’s a great wrestler now. I think she’s really improved from like those skits in the bath tub, you know? [Laughs]”

Anyone else?
“I’m not too familiar with the girls in FCW. I think I’ve heard of AJ Lee, she used to be Miss April. I think she’s really pretty and I would like to wrestle her, I’ve heard good things about her. I think I’ve seen a couple of things with her and she’s pretty good. I also like Kelly Kelly, you know a lot of people want to hate on her because she started off as a model but she’s improved so much. She tries really hard, so I would like to work with her.”

Back to Wrestlicious before we wrap up, do you know of any plans for more tapings?
“From what I’ve heard, there’s going to be more tapings and they’re going to be pretty soon. I can’t confirm anything, I’m not 100% sure but that’s the rumour right now.”

Do you know if you’ll be booked for these tapings?
“I don’t know. I hope so! [Laughs] Like I said, these are just rumours right now. I mean, I want to be part of Wrestlicious and do more shows, for sure.”

We’ve been told by some of the other Wrestlicious stars that it’s not comparable to WWE and TNA because it’s not a wrestling show but an action-comedy show. Do you think people are unfairly judging it?
“Yes. I think a lot of people aren’t being fair with it. Most of the people in the industry that I talk to, they’re all like badmouthing it and saying, ‘Oh it’s such a joke and oh, that’s terrible’. But they can’t judge it, they can’t look at it at the same way as WWE or TNA, it’s not even trying to be. It’s its own thing, its own brand – it’s Wrestlicious and that’s all it’s supposed to be. It’s not supposed to be a serious wrestling show, it’s not like SHIMMER portraying women as serious, serious athletes. It’s a goofy show, it’s goofy and silly and all the girls knew that before we went into it. You know, people in the wrestling industry are just, I don’t know, too close minded. They need to be more open minded about it. Like I said, anyone that I’ve spoken to about it outside of the wrestling industry, they all love it and think it’s hilarious. My trainer at the gym, my friends – they all think it’s so funny, they think it’s so cool.”

What do you say to people who take the show a little too seriously and find it ‘insulting’ to women’s wrestling?
“I think they should just chill out! Just enjoy it for what it is, it’s supposed to be funny, it’s supposed to make you laugh. Like the jokes are really cheesy but it still makes me laugh. This past week, the joke about the girl, you’ll see the girl in the Spanish restaurant and the guy says, ‘I hear there’s a roach problem’ and she says ‘No, the rats ate them all’. It’s so cheesy and it’s silly but that’s what it’s supposed to be and even though the jokes are really, really cheesy, it still makes me crack a smile. It’s not supposed to be that serious. I just wish people would watch it and enjoy it for what it is. It’s supposed to make you smile and it definitely makes me smile. It’s a funny action-comedy and it’s Wrestlicious! I hope people do continue to watch it though because there is going to be some great matches on there. From what I saw and what I’ve heard, all of the matches were like amazing so there’s really good wrestlers there. So if they judge it by a couple of little things that’s on the first episode, they’re going to miss out on a bunch of great matches.”

It seems like the premiere was a hit. Do you think the show will continue to be successful and perhaps last as long as GLOW did?
“I hope so. I’m not sure though, it is a different style and it is a different time. Like, back in the 80′s, maybe that was what was funny to people? I’m not sure. It’s a different time now, it’s 2010. I hope it’s successful though. I had a lot of fun and all of the girls did. I really want it to take off and be successful.”

That just about wraps things up…
“Thanks for having me! And before I go, I wanna give a special shout out to a couple of people, Ian and Mike, thanks so much for all of your help and all of your support and always being there for me throughout my career. And thanks to Diva Dirt, I love this site and I’m a big fan so thanks for having me.”

For more on Lizzy, check out her MySpace page: www.myspace.com/lizzyvalentine. You can also add her on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/lizzyvalentinexoxo and follow her on Twitter: @IamLizzyXOXO.

Wrestlicious TakeDown continues tomorrow on Bite TV in Canada and online at www.bite.ca/wrestling at 11pm. The show will air on America on Wednesday at 11pm on Mav TV.

Additional reporting by Melanie.

TNA Knockout, Lacey Von Erich of The Beautiful People will make her Wrestlicious TakeDown debut on March 15th we can confirm.

Von Erich will team up with Amber Lively as ‘Team Beautiful’ [sound familiar?] to take on ‘Ghouls Gone Wild’, the team of White Magic and Draculetta.

Check out all the main events for this month below:

March 8th (Bite TV) and March 10th (Mav TV)
Autumn Frost [Jennifer Blake] vs Paige Webb [Serena Deeb]

March 15th (Bite TV) and March 17th (Mav TV)
‘Team Beautiful’ Lacey Von Erich and Amber Lively vs ‘Ghouls Gone Wild’ Draculetta [Daffney] and White Magic [The Lovely Lacey]

March 22nd (Bite TV) and March 24th (Mav TV)
Sierra Sheraton vs Marley Sebastian [Daizee Haze]

March 29th (Bite TV) and March 31st (Mav TV)
The Naughty Girls vs Paige Webb & Charlotte the Southern Belle [Amber O'Neal]

SmackDown Diva, Serena will seemingly be seen on two wrestling shows beginning next week as she makes her in-ring debut for Wrestlicious TakeDown as webmistress, Paige Webb. Serena will face Autumn Frost [Jennifer Blake] on next Monday’s episode.

Serena filmed for the first season of TakeDown long before she signed her deal with WWE.

Wrestlicious TakeDown continues on Monday at 11pm on Bite TV in Canada and online worldwide at www.bite.ca/wrestling. Meanwhile, American viewers can watch the episode on Mav TV on Wednesday at 11pm.

Wrestlicious’ big TakeDown premiere last night did exactly what it said on the tin: it had action, it had comedy, it was loud, it was silly, it was at times ridiculous and it was at all times over the top. If you tuned into TakeDown last night [or via stream since then] and you were expecting a ‘real’ wrestling show, you’ll be wholly disappointed. As we, and the stars of the show, have been drilling home in at least five interviews in the past week, this isn’t a wrestling show per se. Frankly, you need to take it for what it is — over the top, camp, kitsch silliness. Many of the diehard fans will surely take offense to the show and yes, we all have our own standards and our own tastes in television and wrestling, but you really gotta just accept it for what it is and take the stick out of your ass before viewing, if you even plan on giving it a go.

The feel of the show threw me back to the days of GLOW, which again wasn’t the pinnacle of women’s wrestling but had it’s own unique charm — many remember that as being ‘cartoon-y’ and silly, just as Wrestlicious is. I feel there is a warmth and heart to the show that made me just go along for the ride even though I’m used to more sophisticated programming, simply because I remembered ‘the old days’.

Wrestlicious is not comparable to the WWE or TNA or any other women’s wrestling promotion because it’s not one per se. It’s fluff television just like The Hills or Keeping Up with the Kardashians — not to be taken seriously. But at the same time, it gives a vehicle to female wrestlers to compete on national television and from interviewing several of the girls involved, they had a lot of fun with it. Getting paid to have fun is a positive, right? And who knows, it could bring more spotlight to women’s wrestling and hopefully those new viewers may Google Felony, find out she’s Rain and want to go check out her work in TNA or SHIMMER. Yes, we all have our standards and this may seem below yours, but I don’t see any other female-lead wrestling shows on TV.

Now onto my thoughts on the show as it happened. First, if you haven’t caught the episode already, watch below:

* The opening skit, JV’s Crib was perhaps not the strongest way to open a new series. I personally got a kick out of Felony wanting to go clean the pool because I’m aware of the background of that character through our interview with Rain. But obviously, no one has met that character yet to realise that she’s always looking of ways to break away from her personal escort, so it didn’t make much sense. Did you spot Serena?

* Next we get a rather long montage of Wrestlicious raps. I’m assuming it’s just for the first episode as a way to introduce the characters of the show, which is fine.

* The Kandi Kisses [Lizzy Valentine] backstage and in-ring segments were silly but I got a chuckle out of them.

* So ‘TakeDown Spotlight’ is basically 30 seconds of bikini material of Autumn Frost aka Jennifer Blake. She’s super pretty!

* Some 8 minutes into the show, it’s time for our first match. Toni the Top taking on Maui. Literally, a one minute match [if that] and the camera pans to the crowd just as Toni begins beating up Maui? Okay. Toni gets the win with a Michinoku Driver. Not much to say here — you could go ahead and skip this if you haven’t watched it yet.

* Two more silly segments: Cousin Cassie with some doctor and Bandita in her ‘cantina’. Skip this also.

* And finally it’s time for the main event. Tyler Texas [Lorelei Lee], Cousin Cassie & Charlotte [Amber O'Neal] versus Felony [Rain], Maria Toro [Mercedes Martinez] and Bandita. I find it impressive that even with a 22-23 minute show, you could combine the length of four Raw Divas matches into this main event which lasted around 10 minutes. If you tuned into the show and gave up before the main event, you lost out. This was actually a good bout, on par with, if not better than the wrestling on Raw. Interesting that the least experienced of the babyface trio, Cassie [who is a model-turned-wrestler] was given the most ringtime, but she was kept limited in the ring, sticking to the basics which worked in her favour and the match’s favour as it meant there wasn’t too much to mess up. Things picked up when Felony and Tyler got into the ring; even if she may be playing a kitschy character, Rain is a great worker and the pace definitely picked up between her and Lorelei Lee. We got some good old school heel tactics of keeping Lee away from her corner and distracting the referee to allow the others to get a few licks in. Felony’s submission moves, wrapping Tyler’s arms around her neck, were great. Charlotte gets a hot tag in the last minute, hits a few nice, clean clotheslines before she gets laid out by Toro’s brainbuster, allowing Felony to sneak the win. This was a good match in that people played to their strengths: Bandita and Cassie, who I believe aren’t wrestlers, were limited to what they did and did it okay. Felony and Tyler were great. Would have liked to see more of Toro and Charlotte.

The commentary of the show is perhaps my least favourite part. Cliched puns wear thin after the first five minutes. Also, although it seemed like the crowd was probably paid to cheer/boo/etc., I thought it was fun to see them react to the action and get into it. It’s funny how WWE fans pay for the pleasure of seeing their shows yet act like they’re being held at gunpoint when the Divas show up.

In all, the show is worth watching for the main event alone because it was probably on the same level or better than what WWE or TNA will deliver this week. Remember: brain at the door, perhaps pour yourself some wine/grab a beer and ride with the lulz.

Tonight is finally the long waited for Wrestlicious premiere! It has been couple years now, but the wait is over! In the premiere tonight, we have Cousin Cassie, Tyler Texas & Charlotte the Southern Belle take on Bandita, Maria Toro and Felony. Also tonight, Candy Kisses will have a musical performance.

We start off at JV’s “crib”. His house is filled with the Wrestlicious girls, hanging out..

And after that is a bunch of female referees pointlessly dancing like white girls for a few seconds.

BACKSTAGE:
Johnny is in the locker room and listens to Candy Kisses’ new single. He disses her, then gets kicked in the gut by her.

Candy Kisses comes to the ring with two backup dancers. Candy starts to lip sync to some cheesy song about wrestling. Candy starts bumping into her backup dancers, making it obvious that she is lip syncing. Fans start to boo her as she leaves.

* Toni VS Maui:
Toni makes her way to the ring, followed by Maui!

The match starts; Toni brags to the crowd and goes after Maui. Toni starts beating her up in the corner. She throws her into the ropes, kicks her in the stomach and hits her finisher. She covers Maui, and gets the three count. The match took as long as it took you to read this..
Winner: Toni

* Cousin Cassie, Tyler Texas & Charlotte the Southern Belle VS Bandita, Maria Toro and Felony:
Its time for the 6 woman tag match! The three heels make their way to the ring, followed by the baby faces.

Cousin Cassie starts things off with Bandita. Bandita kicks her in the stomach, and then Cassie takes control. Bandita flees to outside the ring. Her heel partners give her some words of encouragement. Bandita returns to the ring and puts Cassie into a headlock and does some offense. Cassie ducks a clothesline and irish whips Bandita into the corner, starts beating on her, then irish whips her into another corner. Bandita reveres and starts hitting Cassie. They both go for a clothesline and hit each other. They both make the tag to Felony and Tyler.

They both go back and fourth of their offence together, before Tyler hits a dropkick and goes for the pin, for the 2 count. Felony then takes control. The referee gets distracted and all three heels team up on Tyler. Maria Toro gets tagged in. Maria kicks Tyler down in the heel corner and tags Felony back in. Felony works on her offense and goes of the pin on Tyler, for the 2 count. Felony tags in Maria again and Maria clotheslines Tyler off the ropes and covers her only for the 2 count. Maria tags in Felony back in, yet again. Felony clotheslines Tyler, and then elbow drops her as she is down on the mat. Felony covers her for the 2 count, and then puts Tyler a submission hold. After about 25 seconds of Tyler in the submission hold, Felony gives up and tags in Maria again. Maria pounds away at Tyler in the heel corner. Charlotte jumps in the ring, distracting the referee. The heel team takes advantage and attack Tyler. Once the referee is no longer distracted, Maria throws Tyler into the ropes. Maria goes for the clothesline, but Tyler reverses with the face buster. Both girls are down and now slowly crawling over to their team mates. Tyler finally tags Charlotte in, as Maria tags in Felony. Charlotte clotheslines both Maria and Felony a few times. Charlotte goes for the DDT on Felony, but Maria cheap-shots Charlotte from behind, knocking her out. Felony covers her for the 3 count.
Winners: Bandita, Maria Toro and Felony

Tonight marks the television debut of Wrestlicious with it’s first-ever episode of Takedown. The show airs at 11PM EST on MavTV in America and BiteTV in Canada. If you don’t get that channel, BiteTV is also streaming the show on their website. Click here to watch the stream.

Discuss the show in the comments!

Last week, we announced that former TNA Knockout Sojo Bolt aka Josie had signed with Wrestlicious and now today, as we gear towards the premiere of Wrestlicious TakeDown tonight, Josie tells us all about her decision to join the new all female promotion. Josie talks to us about how she joined the company and the character she’ll be playing. Plus Josie gives us some insight into her time with TNA as Knockout Sojourner Bolt, what it was like working with some of the current WWE Divas in OVW when it was a developmental territory and talks about her recent return to OVW.

To download the MP3 file of the interview right click and save this link (14.5mb). Alternatively, you can stream the interview via the audio player below:

Please Note: This audio is the exclusive content of Diva Dirt (diva-dirt.com), for which we hold copyright. By downloading our audio you agree not to repost or transcribe the content elsewhere including but not limited to other websites, blogs or message boards. Failure to respect copyright will result in legal action.

Wrestlicious TakeDown premieres on tonight at 11pm ET on Mav TV in America, Bite TV in Canada and will be streamed simultaneously online at www.bite.ca/wrestling. Episodes will also air on America One on Saturdays at 11.30pm ET. For syndication, check your local listings.

Additional reporting by Melanie.

Just to clarify: TakeDown will air on Mav TV in America and Bite TV in Canada tonight at 11pm ET with a simultaneous live stream at the link above also. Replays air on Mav on Wednesday and Friday at 11pm. The episode will also air on America One on Saturday at 11.30pm ET. Bite.ca will also have the full episode available for on-demand streaming either tonight or tomorrow.

Tonight’s the night! Wrestlicious premieres it’s brand new show, TakeDown at 11pm ET on Mav TV and Bite TV in Canada. If you can’t catch it tonight, don’t worry — you’ll be able to watch the episode in full at bite.ca/wrestling tomorrow. Also, Mav TV will be airing repeats on Wednesday and Friday at 11pm this week.

On the card for tonight will be a six-woman tag team match: Cousin Cassie, Tyler Texas & Charlotte the Southern Belle take on Bandita, Maria Toro and Felony. Thanks to Maria for the heads up on that. Also tonight, Candy Kisses will have a musical performance.

We’ll also hopefully have full results tonight plus a discussion post for those watching.

• • • • •

And now an important note on the show: As of next week, Wrestlicious moves into it’s permanent timeslot of Wednesdays at 11pm in America. The Monday timeslot is only for the premiere. So from next week, TakeDown will air on Wednesdays beginning March 10th, at 11pm on Mav TV. The show will re-air on Friday nights at 11pm also.

From what I understand, the show will continue to air in Canada on Monday nights at 11pm on Bite TV. I’ll confirm that but if so, that will mean Canadian fans will be able to watch before American fans. Plus, the episode will also be available on Tuesdays on the Bite website.

Plus, the show will air on America One on Saturdays at 11.30pm ET and in syndication on Sundays at 4.30pm ET. For syndication, check your local listings.

• • • • •

Finally, we’ve had a ton of talent interviews this past week. Be sure to catch up with them at the links below:

- JV Rich (owner)
- Felony (Rain/Payton Banks)
- White Magic (The Lovely Lacey)
- Tyler Texas (Lorelei Lee)

In another exclusive, check out the official cast list for season one by clicking here.

We’ll have an exclusive 30 minute audio interview with new signee, Josie aka former TNA Knockout Sojo Bolt up later today. In the interview, we talk to Josie about joining Wrestlicious, her time in TNA and her return to OVW.

Just 24 hours away from the premiere of Wrestlicious TakeDown, the exclusives continue! This time, our guest is an independent wrestler who plays country cowgirl Tyler Texas in the series — it’s Lorelei Lee. If that name sounds familiar, it’s perhaps because she was part of TNA’s New Year’s Knockout Eve last year when she and April Hunter faced then-Knockouts Tag Team Champions, Sarita and Taylor Wilde. We get all the scoop on her Wrestlicious journey so far and what it was like working for TNA!

Right click and save this link (11.3mb) to download the MP3 file. Alternatively, listen to the exclusive interview via stream below:

Please Note: This audio is the exclusive content of Diva Dirt (diva-dirt.com), for which we hold copyright. By downloading our audio you agree not to repost or transcribe the content elsewhere including but not limited to other websites, blogs or message boards. Failure to respect copyright will result in legal action.

Wrestlicious TakeDown premieres on Monday, March 1st at 11pm ET on Mav TV in America and Bite TV in Canada. Episodes will also air on America One on Saturdays at 11.30pm ET. For syndication, check your local listings. Full length episodes of Wrestlicious will appear at www.bite.ca/wrestling the day after transmission.

Additional reporting by Melanie.

We’re back with another Wrestlicious exclusive ahead of the series premiere of Wrestlicious TakeDown on Monday night. Our guest this time is a former ROH and SHIMMER star who was coaxed out of retirement to play the voodoo queen White Magic in Wrestlicious. You know her as The Lovely Lacey — not to be confused with Lacey Von Erich — but in Wrestlicious, she’s considered as one of the company’s star attractions. Sort of like an Undertaker or as Felony (her former tag partner, Rain) described her, sort of like The Boogeyman — a mysterious, captivating character that may not appear often but is always a sight to see.

Listen to the exclusive interview below:

Please Note: This audio is the exclusive content of Diva Dirt (diva-dirt.com), for which we hold copyright. By downloading our audio you agree not to repost or transcribe the content elsewhere including but not limited to other websites, blogs or message boards. Failure to respect copyright will result in legal action.

Wrestlicious TakeDown premieres on Monday, March 1st at 11pm ET on Mav TV in America and Bite TV in Canada. Episodes will also air on America One on Saturdays at 11.30pm ET. For syndication, check your local listings. Full length episodes of Wrestlicious will appear at www.bite.ca/wrestling the day after transmission.

Additional reporting by Melanie.

We’re just three days away from the series premiere of new Wrestlicious series, ‘TakeDown’ which premieres on Monday night at 11pm on Mav TV in America and Bite TV in Canada. Diva Dirt has been given exclusive access to the stars of the show and earlier this week, we caught up with Wrestlicious’ resident jail bird, Felony. You may know her better as Rain in SHIMMER or Ms. Payton Banks in TNA.

Wrestlicious TakeDown premieres Monday. You have to be excited about that, right?
“Yeah, definitely. I mean, I won’t be able to see it because I’ll probably be on the road somewhere but I’m definitely excited to be on it.”

How did you get approached about the project and what made you want to participate?
“I’ve known Johnny Cafarella [producer, Johnny C] since 2002, and we did Crush back in 2003, and we did Wrestlicious, I think it was like a year and a half ago? So that’s why I was on board, he had me help him. I was actually in the office as well helping with booking the talents, doing the flights and much more. I’ve been kind of a workhorse for Wrestlicious!”

A lot of the girls on the show are playing different characters than we’re used to. Was that weird for you or did you embrace it?
“Not at all! That’s any character that anyone wants me to play. I’m just Felony and I’m being a bad guy and I have no problem being a bad guy. I’m always the bad guy, I love being the bad guy and I just took it upon myself to act the way I wanted to act when I was being Felony, so it’s kind of still me but just with a different outfit basically.”

Tell us about your character, Felony.
“Well, I [as Felony] have a criminal background but I’m not gonna share it with you guys. It’s none of your business! I have my own security guard with me because I’ve basically broken out of jail so many times that I need my own cop with me at all times. And if you’ve seen, he actually tries to get me in the ring as much as he possibly can and when I’m not in the ring, he has me caged up. Basically, he has me hand cuffed 24/7, so I can’t really do too much. I don’t really have the coolest life. You know what, you make mistakes and you pay for it but I just keep breaking the rules and that’s my problem!”

How many episodes are you featured on?
“I think there wass like three episodes that I’ve been on. I think there was three shows taped and I’m on three different episodes. I did all three tapings; I had a tag team match, I had another tag match and I also had a singles match.”

Not to spoil anything but who was your tag team partner?
“Erm… oh what’s her name! I know she also wrestles as Mercedes Martinez but I’m trying to remember her other name.”

What has the experience with Wrestlicious been like so far? Have you enjoyed it?
“It’s been a great experience. Plenty fun. Lots of girls I know already and it was just a great time. A lot of hard work, a lot of stress as well but it was great.”

We hear all sorts of rumours about groups of women working together, what was the backstage atmosphere like?
“Oh, it was fine! I was in control and Lexie Fyfe was also in control of the girls, so none of them wanted to step on our toes when we were trying to help them as well. Everybody was pretty cool, pretty calm – I didn’t see any major problems. Some girls wanted other girls’ outfits, they were like: ‘Oh I like that outfit, that one’s really cool’ or ‘I like that one better than mine’ but you got your outfit and you work with it the best you can.”

There’s a lot of crazy segments, lots of character as opposed to wrestling. What do you prefer, the character part or the wrestling part? You have a pretty big character in SHIMMER as well.
“Well that character in SHIMMER is me. That is me and my whacky friend Jetta as well. But in Wrestlicious, I like to wrestle, that’s what I’ve been doing for 10 years. I absolutely love wrestling and that’s what I wanna do. I mean, I like having something different to play with, you know, besides my own character but when you wrestle you’re still a part of yourself. Like, Triple H is still himself. I mean, he may turn it up. It’s just like taking the volume and turning it up – that’s you turned up and that’s your bad side turned up. So it’s like, don’t ever cross me because you’re gonna see that side.”

Your former tag team partner, Lacey is also in the cast as White Magic. How was it seeing her in that light? That character is particularly ‘out there’.
“She loved it and she just went along with it, you know because it’s something different that she can do and that’s why she wanted to do it. I mean, she came out of retirement to do that. She doesn’t want to wrestle anymore but if she’s going to have fun and be a character like White Magic, she’s all about it. She doesn’t want to work where she’s getting killed every single night and with Wrestlicious, you don’t have to worry about getting hurt. There are obviously going to be some bumps and bruises and there’s gonna be some girls that work harder than other girls but she has a character. Hers is basically just a character and she gets to play it kind of like The Boogeyman, he comes in and he’s a character and his job is to play a character. So Lacey can come in and she can just play her character. She wanted out of wrestling and she’s busy with school but she’ll come back just for that.”

You also work for SHIMMER where we know you best from your work with the Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew and the International Home Wrecking Crew. What’s the difference between Wrestlicious and SHIMMER from an in-ring standpoint?
“Well, there’s a lot of the same girls at SHIMMER and Wrestlicious, so they’re just putting on different characters and we play up our characters. At SHIMMER it’s a little different because you’re just being yourself, amping yourself up a little bit more but it’s more your own personality, your own character development, you decide what you want to be. It’s not TV so the time limits are a little more extended, you get to wrestle a little bit longer but otherwise, the wrestling’s just as good. It’s a lot of the same girls so you’re going to get a lot of the same styles of wrestling because a lot of the girls that are gonna wrestle at Wrestlicious are also gonna wrestle at SHIMMER, so they’re gonna have the same style, just different outfits. There are some girls there that aren’t on the SHIMMER roster and each girl plays their role and they add a little bit more to the show than the other characters. Some are wrestlers and some are not wrestlers so you’re going to get a different feel from each person.”

A couple of weeks ago you were on The Krissy Vaine Project…
“Yes I was! That was a lot of fun.”

Yeah, I heard the show – you guys did a great job. Well, you alluded that you may not be at the SHIMMER tapings in April. Is there any update on that?
“I did not say whether I will be there or not. I said I’m waiting for my schedule and I will be able to decide once I have my schedule whether I can be there or not. So it’s kind of up in the air but if I do miss, it’ll be the first one I’ve ever missed. But we’ll see. It’s a possibility that I’ll miss it, but it’s not for sure yet so fans are just gonna have to wait and see if I’m there or not. I guess it’s a surprise! [Laughs]”

Well, SHIMMER has announced some of the stars for the tapings – four Japanese stars, Hamada and Sarah Stock making her return. If you are there, are you looking to facing anyone in particular?
“I would like to face them all. I mean, I would like to wrestle anyone that I’ve never wrestled and I’ve never wrestled any of them. The only Japanese girls I’ve wrestled is Sumie Sakai and Mariko Yoshida. I’ve only wrestled those two Japanese girls. I’d definitely love to get my chance to wrestle Hamada or anybody else. I mean, I’d love to wrestle Manami Toyota but I think she might be in retirement right now. I think she comes in and out but maybe she’ll come out some day so she can wrestle me. [Laughs]”

One last SHIMMER question for you. At the last SHIMMER tapings, Portia Perez, one half of the Tag Team Champions, was out due to swine flu so they didn’t defend the championship. So once again, if you compete in April, I’m sure you have your sights set on those two?
“Oh definitely! Jetta and I want those straps. We had them for probably like 30 seconds?! The referee’s a complete cheater there, so we would’ve still had them to this day. But we are former champs! We will have them back again.”

Yeah, I thought you were the favourites. You were cheated.
“We were definitely cheated! Everybody basically cheated in that tournament except Jetta and I. We never cheat!”

How do you think Wrestlicious stacks up to the WWE Divas and TNA Knockouts?
“Everyone is different and Wrestlicious is definitely different. It has wrestling, which they all have, but it has a lot more characters. It’s a lot more aimed towards kids, towards young adults. It’s just fun. Some of it’s really seriously but some of it’s not as serious. It’s just different. It’s more entertainment, more TV show with really good wrestling mixed in with it.”

We talked about Felony earlier. You also worked as Payton Banks in TNA. Which character do you prefer?
Well, Rain’s the easiest but I always like a challenge. I’d say Payton and Felony are definitely different and it’s fun. I would say it’s more fun because I get to not be myself, I get to be who someone else wants me to be for a little bit. It’s like taking a new movie role. I still wrestle like I wrestle and I still act like I do but I have it turned up how they want it turned up basically. If they say, ‘Hey, I want you to act like an old lady one day’, sure, no problem! Put on the makeup and I got it. I’ll have fun with it.”

Can we expect to see more of you in Wrestlicious?
“Well, I definitely did those three tapings so if one hasn’t aired, it’s definitely gonna be the next one. I think there’s another taping, I’m not 100% sure if I’m going to make it or not but we’ll just have to see.”

Do you see Wrestlicious being a huge hit? Can it stand up to competition with the Divas, Knockouts and TNA?
“I think Wrestlicious will definitely be a hit. I just don’t think it will be compared really to WWE or TNA because it’s more of a TV show. It’s an all-girls thing. We’re basically like cartoon characters but we wrestle at the same time but we’re real life cartoon characters. It’s just fun. It’s like Sesame Street – on Sesame Street you’ve got Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, you’ve got this, you’ve got that. In Wrestlicious, it’s kind of the same thing except we wrestle as well. And with WWE, it’s all wrestling and you may get a girls match, maybe two. And with TNA, it’s the same – you may get a girls match, maybe two. It’s not really focused all around the girls. This is focused all around the girls. You know SHIMMER is also focused all around women, SHIMMER doesn’t have TV yet – maybe in the future… I’m not saying yes and I’m not saying no. I am keeping my mouth shut! We’ll see what happens. But definitely right now, Wrestlicious isn’t focused on men, it’s focused on women and the only men that are in Wrestlicious are the referees – who also appear on SHIMMER by the way.”

So once again, Wrestlicious TakeDown premieres Monday on Mav TV, so definitely check that out…
“Yes, definitely check that out… because I’m on it.”

Any last words for your fans here at Diva Dirt?
“Check me out at Radiant-Rain.com and MySpace. Make sure you watch me on Wrestlicious TakeDown and also check me out on AAA, I think that appears late at night. I’m not sure when. Like I said, I’m not home to watch any of it but please watch me… because you obviously wanna watch the best! [Laughs]”

Wrestlicious TakeDown premieres on Monday, March 1st at 11pm ET on Mav TV in America and Bite TV in Canada. Episodes will also air on America One on Saturdays at 11.30pm ET. For syndication, check your local listings. Full length episodes of Wrestlicious will appear at www.bite.ca/wrestling the day after transmission.

Additional reporting by Melanie.

As per request by some of our readers, here is a official list of characters that you can expect to see in the first season of Wrestlicious.

Good Girls
Cousin Cassie (Country Girl)
Tyler Texas (Rowdy Cowgirl)
Charlotte and Savannah, The Southern Belles
Amber Lively (Cheerleader)
Lacey Von Erich (3rd Generation Star)
Paige Webb (Web Mistress)
Marley Sebastian (New Age Hippie)
Maui (Island Princess)
Shauna Na (50′s)
Lil Slamm (Rapper)
Malibu McKenzie (Surfer Girl)
Glory (The All American Girl)
Coco Montego (Jamaican)
Alexandra The Great (Polish Powerhouse)
Super Nova (Masked Superhero)

Bad Girls
Felony (Jailbird)
White Magic (Voodoo Queen)
The Naughty Girls (Faith Hope and Charity) w/Sister Ophelia (Catholic School Girls)
Draculetta
Bandita (Spicy Latina)
Bootcamp Bailey (Mean Marine)
Autumn Frost (Ice Princess)
Kandi Kisses (Pop Superstar)
Brooke Lynne (Tough New Yorker)
Toni The Top (The God Daughter)
Sierra Sheraton (Hotel Heiress)
Maria Toro (Bull Fighter)
The British Bombshells
Jailbait (Streetwise Underage Vixen)
Amina (Belly Dancer)
Kickstart Katie (Biker)
Anaconda, Viper and Cobra (Jimmy’s Angels)

Other
JV Rich (Owner)
Leyla Milani (Host)
Jimmy Hart
Commissioner Blance
Johnny C

Diva Dirt is excited to be the first to reveal that former TNA Knockout, Sojo Bolt aka Josie has signed with Wrestlicious. Josie, who has been working for OVW in recent months since her TNA departure, will make her Wrestlicious debut in a future episode of TakeDown.

Read the press release below:

LOS ANGELES, February 26, 2010—Josie Bynum, a former TNA Knockout who performed as Sojourner Bolt, has signed with Wrestlicious LLC and will make her in-ring debut on an upcoming Season One episode of Wrestlicious TakeDown.

Bynum was rated in the top 25 of the PWI “Female 50” for 2009. This brings the total number of Wrestlicious TakeDown performers in that ranking to 18, or more than one third.

“It’s true! Josie is coming to Wrestlicious,” said Bynum. “I am excited to help bring great women’s wrestling into the forefront of sports entertainment.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Josie to TakeDown,” said Wrestlicious Senior Producer Johnny Cafarella. “She is a terrific wrestler, has an awesome work ethic and knows the ropes of the wrestling business. She’ll be a great fit here.”

TakeDown premieres Monday, March 1 at 11 PM EST in the US on MavTV (http://www.mavtv.com) (Dish Network channel 361) and Bite TV (http://www.bite.ca) in Canada. America One Network (http://americaone.com) will air the TakeDown series on Saturdays at 11:30 PM EST beginning March 6.

In addition, the new series is syndicated to network affiliate and broadcast stations in selected markets. It also will be archived on Demand at www.bite.ca/wrestling and available online starting the first week of March.

Earlier this week Wrestlicious Founder Jay Vargas was asked what viewers can expect in the premiere episode of TakeDown:

“The wrestling will be stronger than most people think it will. It will be very, very character driven. In fact 2/3 of the show will be sketches and other character development stuff with about 1/3 being in ring wrestling. Even the commentary will be as much about describing the characters as describing the action,” Vargas told Melanie Rob of Diva Dirt. “Remember, TakeDown is an ACTION/COMEDY show, the Man Show meets Hee-Haw meets female wrestling. This is the premise it was sold as, an action/comedy with wrestling as the vehicle. And that’s how we’re delivering it.”

We will be speaking to Josie in the next few days for an exclusive interview. If you have any questions for her, please leave them in the comments.

Wrestlicious premieres it’s new flagship show, TakeDown next Monday night across North America after nearly two years of planning and preparation. As Monday night draws nearer, Diva Dirt has been given exclusive access to the stars of Wrestlicious including founder and owner JV Rich.

Winning millions in the Powerball at just 19 years old, JV coupled his passion for wrestling and love of hot women into Wrestlicious. So, with his very own wrestling show about to premiere, we got all the scoop from JV:

Just days away from the series premiere of Wrestlicious TakeDown, are you feeling nervous at all?
Much more excited than nervous. I am confident we have a great show.

As has been mentioned in the media, you are of course a Powerball winner and invested some of your millions into this project. Would you say it’s been money well spent?
I think it has. Time will tell of course. It certainly has been an awesome learning experience. Best case, we have a huge hit. Worst case, I have a tax write off. By the way, if I could, I would like to clear up the misconception that I put millions of dollars into this project. For the record, I put considerably less than 10% of my after-tax lottery winnings into Wrestlicious. And our team brought it in on budget.

It’s been nearly a year since Wrestlicious was announced, what has the process been like in the last year getting from that original promo clip to the television series?
To be honest, easier than I thought. We did have a small delay that moved us from late-Fall 2009 to Winter 2010, but besides that everything pretty much moved along according to our plan. I can’t say it enough, everyone has worked extremely hard to make TakeDown happen.

What can we expect from the first show when we tune in on Monday night?
A fun sexy show, that everybody but the most serious, die-hard wrestling fans will enjoy. You’re going to be introduced to some great, entertaining characters including Cousin Cassie, Felony, Toni The Top, Tyler Texas, Autumn Frost, Kandi Kisses and Bandita in that first episode. And the wrestling will be stronger than most people think it will. It will be very, very character driven. In fact two thirds of the show will be sketches and other character development stuff, with about one third being in-ring wrestling. Even the commentary will be as much about describing the characters as describing the action. Remember, TakeDown is an action-comedy show, The Man Show meets Hee Haw meets female wrestling. This is the premise it was sold as, an action-comedy with wrestling as the vehicle. And that’s how we’re delivering it

As an on air personality on the show, what can we expect from JV Rich?
A guy fresh off acting lessons, so be gentle! On camera, I’m just trying to live my new life and am thrown into the Wrestlicious chaos. There is also an issue that I want to clear up here. I never demanded or even suggested that I appear in the show. Our team thought it would be a good idea to have a on-air personality that reflected our target demo. They actually had to talk me into it. And they brought it up after the show was financed. [Laughs]

I’m sure you’re fond of all of the Wrestlicious girls but do you have any particular favourites or standouts?
Cousin Cassie really impressed me. All the girls have been great, but she gives 110% all the time. She really is that character, sweet and down-home.

You have an extremely experienced team working on Wrestlicious with you including Johnny C [GLOW] and Jimmy Hart [WWE Hall of Famer], what has been your backstage input in the product?
Jimmy, Steve Blance and Johnny run everything by me for my input and approval. But most of the time, I just nod. [Laughs] You’re right, those guys really know what they are doing. I’ve learned alot from just being around them.

You’re a wrestling fan just like the rest of us, was there anything you saw in other products and thought, “I can do this better” with Wrestlicious?
Not really. I just thought wrestling could use a modern day GLOW. I have seen the tapes and loved that show.

We’ve seen a lot of the crazy characters in the promo videos but our readers love their women’s wrestling. Just how good is the wrestling would you say? Better than TNA or WWE?
I would say that most of it is on a par with those companies. Remember we have 17 of the PWI top 50 female wrestlers in the world on our roster. That’s one third!

Wrestling fans have always associated Mondays with wrestling, Wrestlicious is in prime real estate on Mondays at 11pm following Raw. Was that a conscious decision by Wrestlicious’ producers?
We sold the show to the networks and they placed it there. But we’re thrilled with the time slot, of course. America One has us programmed Saturdays at 11:30pm ET, which is also a great time slot for our product. Most of our syndication partners are running the show at 4pm ET on Sundays, with a 12:30am encore. That 4pm time slot should help us get some kids into our fan base, which was a huge part of GLOW’s success.

And of course, TNA is now moving to Monday nights giving wrestling fans 5 hours of first-run content on Mondays alone. How do you think that will affect or help Wrestlicious?
It should help drive viewers to us after those shows air.

Finally before we wrap up, can you give us a Wrestlicious rap?
# I’m JV Rich, I own the show / I’ve got the ring, I’ve got the bling and I’ve got the dough / This new show has fulfilled all my wishes / So Diva Dirt, thanks for helping Wrestlicious! #

Wrestlicious TakeDown premieres on Monday, March 1st at 11pm ET on Mav TV in America and Bite TV in Canada. Episodes will also air on America One on Saturdays at 11.30pm ET. For syndication, check your local listings. Full length episodes of Wrestlicious will appear at www.bite.ca/wrestling the day after transmission.

New female wrestling company Wrestlicious have released a statement in which they tease they are currently in negotiations with recently released TNA Knockouts. The company has just cleared more channels in America through syndication for their show, ‘Wrestlicious TakeDown’, the move means they are now available to 60% of American households.

LAS VEGAS, January 25, 2010–Wrestlicious LLC announced today that Wrestlicious TakeDown will be syndicated nationally via America One. (http://americaone.com)

Wrestlicious TakeDown is the brainchild of Jay Vargas, who became the youngest Powerball winner in history when he won 35.3 million at the age of 19. Other producers on TakeDown are former G.L.O.W.-(Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling) executives Steve Blance and Johnny Cafarella. Legendary wrestling manager Jimmy “Mouth Of The South” Hart is a consulting producer on the series.

TakeDown will air Saturday evenings at 11:30 PM ET on America One affiliates beginning on Saturday, March 6th, 2010. America One programming is seen in over 60% of the United States and Puerto Rico via 155 major network and independent broadcast stations and regional sports networks. AmericanOne and Wrestlicious LLC have signed a one year deal for TakeDown.

“America One Television is thrilled to have Wrestlicious as an exciting and vital addition to our prime time sports and entertainment lineup” stated Robb Hudspeth, Program Director at America One Network. “Our viewers have been hungry for quality wrestling and Wrestlicious TakeDown is the perfect treat to satisfy!”

Many top-rated female wrestlers will be featured on Wreslticious TakeDown, including 17 (or 33%) of the 2009 Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) “Female 50”. That number may increase soon, as Wrestlicious is currently in negotiations with recently released TNA Knockouts.

In a separate syndication deal announced last week, Takedown has cleared 15 U.S. markets including Little Rock and Memphis and top 10 DMA’s Atlanta (8) and Dallas (5). More clearances, including at least two more top 10 DMAs) are expected this week. Takedown is being marketed at the 2010 NAPTE (National Association Of Television Program Executives) convention being held January 25-27 in Las Vegas.

“America One has a rich history of wrestling, with ECW, NWA and others airing on the network in the past. We are proud to be part of this great tradition and to expand our broadcast platform of Wrestlicious TakeDown with America One” said Cafarella. “It’s very exciting and gratifying for us to see such a tremendous response to our initial offering of our action/comedy based brand”

Wrestlicious previously announced cable television deals in the U.S. and Canada with MavTV and Bite TV respectively. TakeDown premieres Monday, March 1 at 11 PM ET on both cable networks.

Female wrestling promotion, Wrestlicious has announced that it has struck a TV deal for a programme named ‘TakeDown’ to begin airing on March 1st. The show will air on Monday and Friday nights at 11pm.

TakeDown will air on Mav TV in the United States and Bite TV in Canada and stream online via the latter’s official website, bite.ca.

Read the official press release:

LOS ANGELES, January 19, 2010–Jimmy Hart announced tonight that Wrestlicious TakeDown will premiere in North America on Monday, March 1, 2010 on Dish Network Channel 361 in the U.S. via MavTV (www.mavtv.com) and on Bite TV (www.bite.ca) in Canada. Mr. Hart made the announcement during a live appearance on Bite TV’s late night program “The Surf” hosted by Jason Agnew. Autumn Frost, Mr. Harts’ co-star on TakeDown, also appeared on the program.

Key personnel for Wrestlicious LLC include founder Jay Vargas, the youngest Powerball winner in history, former G.L.O.W. (Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling) executives Steve Blance and Johnny Cafarella, and Hart, a legendary WWE manager and Hall Of Fame member.

Bite TV and MavTV have signed one-year deals to broadcast TakeDown on Mondays and Fridays in prime time. In addition to carriage on Dish Network, the fastest growing TV provider in America, MavTV is also available on local cable in 75 U.S. markets via Time Warner, Comcast, Verizon’s FiOS and several other cable distributors. MavTV is in about 33 million homes.

“MavTV has long been the home for our male audience to enjoy innovative wrestling events and some of the most beautiful women on TV” said Rob Stevens, SVP of Programming for Mav TV. “We believe our viewers are going to love Wrestlicious TakeDown for both the great quality of the wrestling and for the stunning women featured. For a network like MavTV, Wrestlicious TakeDown is a perfect fit.”

TakeDown will also debut in syndication on 15 broadcast stations in February 2010 including Top 10 DMA’s Dallas and Atlanta. Additional markets are being cleared, and a full list will be posted on the Wrestlicious website the week of Feb 1, following the 2010 NATPE convention in Las Vegas. Internationally, the series has been cleared in Bermuda, The Bahamas, The Caymans, Trinidad and Jamaica via Caribbean Cable Cooperative Ltd. Several other foreign distribution deals are pending. Aired episodes of TakeDown will be available over the internet at www.bite.ca

Closed set production of TakeDown continues during January and February in Florida. Live TV tapings, open to the public, will be announced soon. Many outstanding female wrestlers will be featured on TakeDown, including 17 (33%) of the PWI (Pro Wrestling Illustrated) “Female 50”.

“We are thrilled about the premiere of our first TV series” enthused Wrestlicious founder Jay Vargas “Everyone has worked extremely hard to make this dream a reality. TakeDown will be the first of several Wrestlicious programs available to fans worldwide as we build our brand globally.”

“As a life-long wrestling fan and long time host of The LAW: Live Audio Wrestling, I’m extremely excited to bring Wrestlicious TakeDown to Canada on BITE Television” stated Jason Agnew, Executive Producer of BITE TV. “I’ve always attempted to keep Canadian wrestling fans entertained with elements of pro-wrestling on the channel, but the combination of comedy and wrestling that Wrestlicious TakeDown offers is something I’m very much excited about adding to the channel’s broadcast line-up! What better way to sum up BITE’s’ airing of Wrestlicious than with the words on the late great Billy Red Lyons; “Don’tcha Dare Miss It!”