Dean Buckley, Author at Diva Dirt

Five wrestlers we’d like to see in Stardom

April 4, 2019April 3, 2019 by Dean Buckley

Stardom is in the midst of an attempted expansion into the western market. Mayu Iwatani, formerly of the dominant stable Threedom with Kairi Hojo and Io Shirai, is enjoying a run as Women of Honor World Champion, and will defend her title at G1 Supercard. Other Stardom performers on the card include World of Stardom … Read more

Joshi Puroresu to be showcased during WrestleMania weekend

April 3, 2019April 3, 2019 by Dean Buckley

World Wonder Ring Stardom have announced the full card for their American Dream in the Big Apple event, taking place in New York City this Friday. It is the promotion’s first-ever event as part of WrestleMania weekend. The matches were tweeted out today by the promotion’s official English-language account. The opening bout will see Stardom’s … Read more

Killer Kelly vs. Valkyrie at PWU’s Celtic Cup

April 18, 2019March 29, 2019 by Dean Buckley

Free Match Friday is a weekly feature from Diva Dirt. Every Friday, we’ll spotlight a great indie match available to watch for free online. Some of the best wrestling in the world is happening in high school gyms and sports bars and even, occasionally, in an appropriate venue for a wrestling match. This week, our free match is a terrific title match between Killer Kelly and Valkyrie at Pro Wrestling Ulster’s Celtic Cup.

It is my solemn belief that Killer Kelly and Valkyrie could wrestle each other for ten, fifteen or twenty years without turning in a bad match. That might seem a mad thing to say about two wrestlers who’ve only met twice in the ring. But they have such a fantastic natural ring chemistry that I’m certain they’ll only get better as time goes by.

We previously featured their stellar match at the German Wrestling Federation in this series, which I praised for its verisimilitude, the quality of appearing to be real. This week’s match, which saw Killer Kelly challenge Valkyrie for the PWU Women’s Championship, is a little different.

First and foremost, while booked as tweeners in their GWF match, here we have Valkyrie as the heel champ, as a member of the Rocky Starr Experience. Killer Kelly is the face and the crowd is one hundred percent on her side. The match is a picture perfect “coward vs hero” match, with Valkyrie spending long stretches of the match running away and even using a fan in a wheelchair as a human shield.

But where many “coward vs hero” matches end up frustrating and boring because of, well, the running away, this match never is. It uses just as much cowardly heel shenanigans as it needs to build just enough frustration that every strike Kelly lands on Valkyrie is like a huge cathartic release. And it lets Valkyrie be as crafty as she is cowardly, using her tactics to not just avoid damage but deliver it. Much like their first match, it’s by no means flashy, but it is a simply excellent iteration of a familiar genre. I can’t wait for the rubber match.

Check back in with Diva Dirt next week for another great free match from the world of independent women’s wrestling. You can find even more matches AND support independent women’s wrestling over at ClickWrestle.

Josephine Blatt blazed a trail in wrestling as first-ever World Champion

February 14, 2020March 28, 2019 by Dean Buckley

Pioneers is a series dedicated to the women who pushed forward the evolution in women’s wrestling. Diva Dirt staff will highlight women with spotlight pieces all March, in honor of Women’s History Month. If any woman in the history of wrestling deserves to be called a pioneer, it is surely Josephine Blatt, the first-ever women’s … Read more

Dakota Kai teases in-ring return

March 29, 2019March 27, 2019 by Dean Buckley

Dakota Kai announced on Twitter today that she has received an approximate date for her return to in-ring competition. Kai has been sidelined since December, as a result of an injury sustained at an NXT house show in Green Bay. As reported by Diva Dirt sources, Kai went down during a three-on-three tag match where … Read more

OTT ScrapperMania 5 recap and results

March 21, 2019March 20, 2019 by Dean Buckley

This past weekend, at OTT ScrapperMania 5, my friend turned to me and said “Sometimes, it’s really depressing to be a women’s wrestling fan.” And, well, yeah. I say this not merely to foreshadow the negative aspects of this recap, but as a reminder that sometimes coverage of women’s wrestling just won’t be positive. I … Read more

Tenille Dashwood vs. Bea Priestley at SPW

March 16, 2019March 15, 2019 by Dean Buckley

Free Match Friday is a weekly feature from Diva Dirt. Every Friday, we’ll spotlight a great indie match available to watch for free online. Some of the best wrestling in the world is happening in high school gyms and sports bars and even, occasionally, in an appropriate venue for a wrestling match. This week, our free match is a stellar scrap between Tenille Dashwood and Bea Priestley at Southern Pro Wrestling.

Tenille Dashwood is about to run out her contract with Ring of Honor. It’s possible she will sign a new one, of course, but it’s just as possible she’ll walk away from ROH and into the warm embrace of All Elite. Certainly, it’s what many are hoping for. If she does jump ship to AEW, we may soon see a rematch of this week’s free match, Dashwood’s only previous meeting with New Zealand’s Bea Priestley, who recently signed with the upstart promotion.

For many a wrestling fan, especially in North America, the distinctions between the nationalities of Dashwood, an Aussie, and Priestley, a Kiwi, may well seem trivial. But in front of a hungry Invercargill crowd, both women play to the fierce, albeit friendly, sports rivalry their homelands have shared over the years. I can hardly think of a better bit of pandering than Dashwood choking Priestley with an All Blacks jersey.

Tenille Dashwood largely dominates the match, and fair enough. Her repertoire is simple, effective and well-done. She knows a lot of moves, she can do them well, and she makes them fit her character. It sounds like basic stuff, but honestly so many wrestlers of all genders get to main event giant pay-per-views without nailing this stuff down. I truly mean it as the highest praise when I say Tenille Dashwood proves herself an extremely competent and technically sound wrestler in this match, even if she doesn’t do anything flashy. Flashy is great, but it’s not everything.

Priestley acquits herself well as the home favorite, playing the wounded deer to Dashwood’s komodo dragon. (Komodo dragons are extremely cruel to their prey, it’s messed up. Don’t look into it if you’re squeamish.) Lots of people hate leg matches and others based around someone targeting a body part, but too bad, because this is a great leg match and you should watch it. Dashwood works Priestley’s knee over without giving it an obnoxious amount of attention and Priestley sells the knee handicap well without coming off non-credible. Just a well-balanced, well-executed match. Congratulations to everyone involved.

WWE can totally just scrap its Saudi Arabia deal

March 12, 2019 by Dean Buckley

UFC’s parent company, William Morris Endeavor (WME), has returned a $400 million investment to Saudi Arabia’s government investment fund, according to a report in the New York Times. The deal with Saudi Arabia was inked early last year in order to support the entertainment giant’s expansion plans, which would have included bringing its products to … Read more

Kris Wolf vs. Little Miss Roxxy at NORTH Wrestling

March 8, 2019 by Dean Buckley

Free Match Friday is a weekly feature from Diva Dirt. Every Friday, we’ll spotlight a great indie match available to watch for free online. Some of the best wrestling in the world is happening in high school gyms and sports bars and even, occasionally, in an appropriate venue for a wrestling match. This week, our free match is an unorthodox match-up between Kris Wolf and Little Miss Roxxy at NORTH Wrestling.

Kris Wolf announced her retirement last month on her YouTube channel, citing a variety of health problems as a result of a series concussions, including blackouts, memory issues and loss of vision. She will finish out her currently scheduled tour dates and then leave the ring for good. With the announcement earlier this week that Pro-Wrestling: EVE will host a special “Kris Wolf Retirement Show” to celebrate her career in April, it felt only right that this week’s Free Match Friday should spotlight one of the most wonderful wrestlers to grace women’s wrestling this millennium.

This match is everything that made Kris Wolf one of the most charismatic and beloved women’s wrestlers of the modern era. She’s silly and weird, yeah, but she’s also quick and cunning and vicious in the ring. Because, you know, she’s a wolf. You get it. She literally stalks Roxxy around the ring, takes a big bite out of her leg and wipes her ass on her, and it’s all just fabulous stuff. She also targets Roxxy with so many groin attacks that the male commentators get flustered about how to describe what’s going on, which is hilarious.

None of this is to take anything away from Little Miss Roxxy, who gives a great performance of her own. Without giving anything away, she pulls off a pinning combo at one point in the match that’s honestly a little mind-blowing. I can’t imagine having that level of precision at anything, and Roxxy pretty much does it blind. But as good as she is, Kris Wolf walks away with this match, and the audience’s heart.

EVE announces the Kris Wolf Retirement Show

March 6, 2019 by Dean Buckley

Pro-Wrestling: EVE will hold a special show in honor of the recently-announced retirement of Kris Wolf. The event, set for April 26th, was announced on EVE’s Twitter account earlier today. Kris Wolf began her career in 2014 at World Wonder Ringer Stardom, where she is a former High Speed Champion, as well as a founding … Read more

Madison Rayne returns to IMPACT Wrestling

March 1, 2019 by Dean Buckley

Madison Rayne, who parted ways with Ring of Honor this week after just six months with the company, has signed with IMPACT Wrestling. IMPACT confirmed the news today with an announcement on their official Twitter account. Rayne is a five-time Knockouts Champion, as well as a two-time Knockouts Tag Team Champion. Her first tag title … Read more

Shanna vs. Emi Sakura at AWW Breaking Point 2013

March 1, 2019 by Dean Buckley

Free Match Friday is a weekly feature from Diva Dirt. Every Friday, we’ll spotlight a great indie match available to watch for free online. Some of the best wrestling in the world is happening in high school gyms and sports bars and even, occasionally, in an appropriate venue for a wrestling match. This week, our free match is a legendary bout between Shanna and Emi Sakura at AWW Breaking Point 2013.

One of the things that makes wrestling such a magical art form is that, in the hands of its most skilled performers, an all-time great match can be turned out at the drop of a hat. This match was originally supposed to be Shanna vs Kay Lee Ray, but Ray was sidelined with a last-minute injury. Emi Sakura happened to be in England that weekend for a title defense at EVE, and she graciously agreed to fill in for Ray in what ended up as one of the best independent women’s matches ever.

I know that’s a big claim, but I defy anyone to watch this match and tell me this isn’t two masters of the craft at the height of their powers. Lots of wrestlers sacrifice some precision to deliver moves with more speed and therefore more brutality. But both performers pull off a litany of devastating moves with perfect form at breakneck speed. Sakura absolutely wrecks Shanna early in the match with a swinging neckbreaker that would be the highlight of most women’s matches in any of the major promotions. But it’s just a taste of what’s to come.

Emi Sakura is rightly considered a living legend of women’s wrestling, and she’s on incredible form here, from the biggest spots to the smallest details. She kicks out of a pin like it’s life or death. Shanna is almost as brilliant, at least enough to look credible against Sakura. Her ring awareness is astounding, as demonstrated in two nail-biting rope breaks, and she lays out her opponent with a discus forearm off the ropes at one point that looks a million bucks.

But I don’t want to give away too many spots. Half the fun of this match is how dynamic and spontaneous it feels, how the spots grow organically out of the flow of the match, yet still manage to surprise. (Also, not to veer credit away from the wrestlers, but the ref does an amazing job counting what feels like the closest near fall in history. It’s really something else.) This Wolverhampton crowd clearly had no clue who Emi Sakura was at the top of the match, but by the end, both performers get a standing ovation, and rightly so. I can’t praise this match highly enough. Just watch it.

Raven Creed vs Debbie Keitel set for OTT ScrapperMania 5

March 19, 2019February 27, 2019 by Dean Buckley

OTT Women’s Champion Raven Creed will defend her title against long-time rival Debbie Keitel at ScrapperMania. OTT announced the match on Twitter earlier today. Raven Creed and Dabbie Keitel have enjoyed an incredible feud over the past two years, across multiple promotions and countries. Their conflict began back in 2017, at the now-defunct Celtic Championship … Read more

Five more wrestlers AEW should sign immediately

March 1, 2019February 27, 2019 by Dean Buckley

All Elite Wrestling have made slow progress with their women’s division as of yet. While the men’s division grows like clockwork, they haven’t yet signed enough women for an eight-person tournament. Bea Priestley was announced as a new signee on the latest episode of Road to Double or Nothing and while that news is certainly … Read more

Brandi Rhodes to announce new AEW talent tomorrow

February 26, 2019 by Dean Buckley

All Elite Wrestling’s Chief Brand Officer, Brandi Rhodes, revealed that she will be announcing a new female talent tomorrow, on the next episode of “Road to Double or Nothing”. Rhodes took to Twitter to express her excitement. Speculation about the future of All Elite’s women’s division has continued at a feverish pace even after the … Read more

Meiko Satomura to face the Session Moth at ScrapperMania 5

February 26, 2019February 23, 2019 by Dean Buckley

Meiko Satomura will return to Over the Top Wrestling (OTT) at ScrapperMania 5, where she will face off with one of the promotion’s breakout stars, Session Moth Martina. OTT announced the match on Twitter earlier today. It follows Martina’s recent defeat in a steel cage match for the OTT Tag Team Championships at last weekend’s … Read more

Jokey vs. Holidead at Rising Sun

February 22, 2019 by Dean Buckley

Free Match Friday is a weekly feature from Diva Dirt. Every Friday, we’ll spotlight a great indie match available to watch for free online. Some of the best wrestling in the world is happening in high school gyms and sports bars and even, occasionally, in an appropriate venue for a wrestling match. This week, our free match is a fierce contest between Jokey and Holidead at SUN Rise with Heart.

Jokey is a rising star in independent women’s wrestling, one of the breakout talents of Italian Championship Wrestling and currently performing for Insane Championship Wrestling under the ring name Aivil. (Aivil is, like, a demon possessing Jokey, or something, it’s awesome). She’s versatile, pacey and light on her feet in the ring, comfortable in the air and has a great sense of character. This match begins with Jokey giving Holidead a balloon and then punching her in the face, and there’s little better could sum up her harlequin-inspired character than that.

Holidead, a little older and a lot more seasoned than Jokey, plays the role of veteran well in this match, sitting down on an audience member for a rest at one point. She is the classic power match to Jokey’s agility, effortlessly catching her in mid-air, and has that veteran ring awareness. She more than manages to put Jokey over without making herself look weak in the process.

It’s lovely that this show, organised to raise money for charity, featured two women in the main event and the match gives both performers plenty of time to show off their skills. Jokey is a great seller who loves the crowd as much as the crowd loves her. Holidead fits the heel role like a glove and makes herself look incredibly powerful. It’s just a great little match.

OTT Homecoming recap and results

March 20, 2019February 19, 2019 by Dean Buckley

Two storylines featuring women were in focus at last month’s OTT Contenders show: Valkyrie and Debbie Keitel’s feud with literally any woman who’s not them, and Session Moth Martina’s tag run with the Lads from the Flats. Only the latter continued with this month’s main Dublin show, Homecoming, which took place last Sunday at the … Read more

Elimination Chamber women’s tag title predictions

February 16, 2019February 16, 2019 by Dean Buckley

The inaugural WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions will be crowned tonight after walking out of the grueling confines of the Elimination Chamber as victors. Three teams from Raw scratched and clawed their way into the match: the Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection of Sasha Banks and Bayley, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan of the Riott Squad, … Read more

Nyla Rose vs. Takumi Iroha at Marvelous

February 20, 2019February 15, 2019 by Dean Buckley

Killer Kelly vs. Valkyrie at GWF Revolution 6

February 20, 2019February 8, 2019 by Dean Buckley

WWE’s Saudi Arabia deal proves women’s wrestling isn’t a priority

February 5, 2019 by Dean Buckley

The WWE women’s rev-and-or-evolution is going swimmingly, by many measures. The addition of the women’s tag belts bring the total number of women’s titles in the company to five, with plenty of fierce competition to hold each one. Their roster is huge and diverse, with tons of talent. The biggest stars in the company right … Read more

Jordynne Grace vs. Priscilla Kelly at WWR

February 20, 2019February 1, 2019 by Dean Buckley

Free Match Friday is a weekly feature from Diva Dirt. Every Friday, we’ll spotlight a great indie match available to watch for free online. Some of the best wrestling in the world is happening in high school gyms and sports bars, and even, occasionally, in an appropriate venue for a wrestling match. This week, our … Read more

Mercedes Martinez will challenge Allysin Kay at SHINE 57

January 30, 2019 by Dean Buckley

Mercedes Martinez will challenge Allysin Kay for the SHINE Championship at SHINE 57, it was announced late yesterday evening. Kay won the title at SHINE 53 by defeating Martinez in the finals of a tournament for the then-vacant belt. Their match is one of three title defenses scheduled for the event. The title opportunity comes … Read more

Nia Jax crashes the 2019 Men’s Royal Rumble

January 27, 2019 by Dean Buckley

Nia Jax crashed the 2019 Men’s Royal Rumble, ambushing number 30 entrant R-Truth and taking his place. Jax’s shocking appearance makes her the fourth female wrestler to compete in the Men’s Royal Rumble. Jax had already competed in the Women’s Royal Rumble earlier in the card, where she entered at number 29 and eliminated Natalya … Read more

Becky Lynch wins the 2019 Women’s Royal Rumble

January 27, 2019 by Dean Buckley

Becky Lynch is the winner of the 2019 Women’s Royal Rumble match, after finally eliminating her rival Charlotte Flair. Lynch replaced Lana at number 28 due to a debilitating ankle injury incurred during Rusev’s unsuccessful title defense on the kickoff show. Lynch faced off against Asuka for the SmackDown Women’s Championship in the opening bout … Read more

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