Friday, April 26, 2024

Impact Wrestling Feedback: December 15th, 2011

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Get your weekly dose of Knockouts action on tonight’s Impact. To watch, tune into Spike TV from 9pm ET.

Discuss the show in the comments!

RELATED: Impact Wrestling Spoilers: December 15th, 2011

NXT Watch (December 15th, 2011): Trouble in Paradise for Maxine, but Clear Skies Ahead for Tamina

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Ladies and gentlemen, before I begin this week’s NXT Watch, let me just put forth my absolute admiration for this show, and everyone involved in making it as great as it is each week. NXT is truly the best wrestling show out there, and I wish it didn’t have the preconceived notions given to it from the past few seasons of it being a joke, because it gives not only Divas, but tag teams and mid-card stars a place to shine. They get time, they get storylines — what more could you ask for? But now that that’s out of the way, this week we had some more progression in both Tamina and JTG’s relationship, as well as “Maxine‘s Choice” involving not only herself, but Derrick Bateman and Johnny Curtis as well.

Since I’m having a hard time containing my satisfaction with the show, let’s just jump right into things.

Before we kick things off with the actions of tonight’s show, let’s all relive the glory that has been “Maxine’s Choice” with a tremendously well put together video package by the WWE crew. If this is your first time watching NXT, in the odd sense that it is, this will catch you up completely before heading into tonight’s brilliance.

Now that you’re all caught up, let’s head to the ring where Percy Watson hosts his talk show which features tonight’s guest, Derrick Bateman. Derrick picks up a microphone and introduces himself to Percy with some fly handshake. Percy then asks if it’s true that Derrick has something going on with Maxine’s momma from last week, to which Bateman insists that all women are insane to a mixed reaction to the crowd. Derrick then blames Maxine’s mother being touchy and flirty, reiterating that if anyone says something happened between the two of them last week, they are flat out lying!

Suddenly, the theme music of everyone’s most hated villain of the year, Dirty Curty, hits, as he struts on out to the ring and makes fun of Derrick’s story. He then displays a heart shaped cutout photo on the tron from last week, which shows Derrick with his lips on Mrs. Portia Perez‘s finger! Dirty Curty has the nerve to dub Bateman as “Dirty Derrick” which prompts Derrick to shake his curly hair in disbelief. Curtis says that Derrick was irked because he thought he (Curtis) left with his girl last week, but that if he would’ve actually talked to Maxine instead of taking off with her mother, things may have been different.

Derrick claims that ever since Dirty Curty has weaseled his way back onto the show, all he’s been doing is stirring the pot between BateMax, but Dirty Curty believes it’s just paranoia! He says that just because JTG said… but then he is cut off by Percy Watson who claims that it’s funny he mentioned it, because the next guest of the night is Tamina’s man himself! JTG steps out from the back and wonders what Watson wants, to which NXT’s own Jerry Springer wants to know why he told Derrick Maxine left with Dirty Curty when she really didn’t… RIDDLE ME THAT!

JTG finally lets the cat out of the bag, and says that Johnny Curtis paid him money! Dirty Curty demands that is not true, but JTG simply walks off as the crowd is left in complete shock! The two men begin to get into it, until the familiar club hit that is Maxine’s theme plays across the sound system, and the lady of the night makes her way out. She tells them all to SHUT UP, before cutting Percy off and asking if she stuttered. Maxine then offers to talk slower for them, before once again demanding them to SHUT… UP. She proceeds to follow up by saying how tired she is of coming out here every week trying to figure out why she’s still on NXT after all this time.

Maxine runs down a list of NXT related items that she’s sick of, including both Derrick and Johnny, as well as Titus O’Neil’s bark! She says that she spent most of her life being told to tone it down a notch, and that she’s too outspoken and strong for people to handle…but she says that that’s not her problem in the long run. Maxine ends her rant by telling all the men in the ring to shove it up where the sun doesn’t shine, as she walks off in anger. Derrick Bateman then becomes mesmerized with her, and follows her to the back after claiming she’s so crazy he can’t be apart any longer.

Dirty Curty tries to tell Derrick that it’s over, but Bateman clocks him right in the dirty jaw. Percy Watson then begins to taunt Dirty Curty in the center of the ring, before the two of them get into a brawl the ends with Johnny outside the ring. Matt Striker then takes to the microphone and explains that tonight’s main event will feature Percy Watson and Dirty Curty squaring off one on one! Percy fixes his tipped over chair, as Dirty Curt proceeds to make his way to the back and prepare for tonight’s shenanigans.

Following that segment, we head backstage where Derrick Bateman is charging through the hallways to find Maxine. After he accomplishes this, he claims that he understands love is a battlefield, and that he will go to war for her. Bateman ends it by saying that by the end of the show, he will marry her, before walking off and plotting his next idea. As Maxine screams to him, Dirty Curty crawls up behind her like a creepy stalker breathing down heavily, and tells her to relax. He claims that the mind games will stop now, and grabs her by the head for a big kiss. She goes to slap him, but he grabs her by the arm and states that they’ll get physical after he wins his match. Dirty Curty then kisses her hand and walks off, as Maxine is left throwing a tantrum in the hallway!

Also, check out Tamina as she manages JTG in a battle against Jey Uso. Something progressive happens in their booming relationship after the match is over as well.

Thoughts: What can I add that I didn’t already say in the opening bit? NXT is a gift from wrestling gods above for me, and I love watching it every week. Superstars used to be my favorite show, but it was missing storylines. There’s only so much you can enjoy about matches that just happen for no reason, so NXT took that and made it work into an even better show. Maxine is great on the microphone; I think that’s pretty much a fact now, but her promo tonight was insanely awesome. She just told everybody off, and I can’t wait for the day where she hopefully becomes active in the division because she’s got everything it takes to succeed in my opinion.

Your Two Cents: Booking a Return for Lita

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“Your Two Cents” is the new interactive feature where we gauge the opinions of our Twitter and Facebook followers on different discussions in women’s wrestling.

This week, we’re asking this: Lita‘s appearance on Raw has us wondering: how would you book a return for her? We’ve read your responses on our social media pages and picked some of the best submissions to highlight here on the website. As always, you can join the debate by leaving your comments!

Our Two Cents

Batting for Team DD this week, it’s Erin giving us her personal opinion on this week’s topic:

Erin | For it to have the biggest impact, I think any return by Lita should take place around WrestleMania. Yes, yes, I know Trish Stratus did the same thing last year, but I think a match involving Lita could help lend buzz to the card’s Diva match. This match would inevitably involve Beth Phoenix, especially if she manages to hold onto the Divas Championship until then. I definitely think there’s something that could build from Lita’s interaction with Kelly Kelly during the Slammys. I’m thinking that if Beth renewed her feud with Kelly (the first “Barbie” stuck in DOD’s crosshairs) and a feud was established running up to WrestleMania, Lita could be a wild card in it, with the DOD provoking her by questioning her legacy and integrity in associating herself with someone like Kelly. Driven by that doubt, Lita would show signs of being both heel and face, her actions unpredictable, and when she is booked as the referee for a Beth/Kelly Divas Championship match at WrestleMania, it will make the outcome that much less predictiable: will Lita stay true to her babyface roots or will the serious wrestler in her hesitate to allow Kelly to win the Divas Title again?

Your Two Cents

Ashley Walker | I would have Lita be a mystery partner for Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox at a PPV against Beth Phoenix, Natalya, and Kaitlyn (if her heel turn ever happens). Then have her feud with Beth, who would still be holding the Divas Title.
@BeckieBate | She could have a rivalry with Beth Phoenix after the whole Slammy Awards thing and they could build it from there. She could then turn on Kelly Kelly, join the Pin-Up Strong movement and then she could bring the Women’s Title back.
Giovany Soto | TLC – Kelly Kelly and AJ vs DOD… Katilyn interrupts match, fakes to go after Beth and instead knocks out AJ. Referee disqualifies DOD. They begin to attack KK and AJ… Eve Torres and Alicia Fox attempt for the save but unsuccessful because the Brie & Nikki Bella‘s attack from behind. Lita theme song is played as she double clotheslines the Bellas, runs into the ring and takes on the DOD and Katilyn. In a dream but would be exciting to see!
Josue Guzman | First thing that would need to change is the Divas of Doom losing streak! Beth and Natalya are dominate heels and can easily take over the Diva’s division. Have them prove that they are truely pin-up strong by beating the hell out of a new victim every week, possibly putting them out of on injury. Then one night on Raw, have Beth and Natalya speak on how there are currently no Divas strong enough to take them on. Lita’s music plays and Lita appears then makes her way down the ring and reminds Beth that she is the original pin-up strong Diva. An insulted Beth attacks Lita, who manages to fight back but is then attacked by Natalya. Following week Lita challenages D.O.D but this time with another pin-up strong Diva as a partner, Trish Stratus. The two teams feud until finally meeting at Wrestlemania.
Ozzy Valentine | Next week on RAW. Beth and Natalya come out to talk about how they were snubbed, even WWE.com agrees. Kelly is a joke and the bigger joke is Lita coming out to rais her hand and encourage K2. Lita was wise to not get hostile w the DOD and just like Trish Stratus, the real reason Lita retired is because she is afraid of The Glamazon and Nattie Hart. Each week they continue to dominate the Barbies until Lita makes a memorable comeback laying out Nattie with a DDT and Beth with the Twist of Fate.
@xAJLeeNerdx | My return angle for Lita would be DOD cutting a promo about how they were robbed at the Slammys and that Lita should be ashamed of herself for giving an award to a Barbie doll after all the things Lita did for the Divas Division and later talk about how they used to look up to her and now they lost respect for her. Then K2 comes out and tell Beth & Nattie to stop the complaining and do something about! After a 10 seconds staredown, Beth and Nattie attacks Kelly Kelly then Natalya puts Kelly Kelly in the Pin-Up Strong submission while Beth Phoenix is telling Kelly Kelly ro cry. About 1 minute after watching K2 suffer, Lita theme song plays! Lita runs to the ring and beat the living hell out of DOD.

And now we turn it over to you…

What are your two cents on the debate? How would you book Lita’s return? Tell us in the comments…

In Video: Maria Menounos Behind the Scenes at Tribute to the Troops

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Extra host Maria Menounos, who wrestled over the weekend for WWE’s Tribute to the Troops, filed a behind the scenes report for Extra about the experience.

In the clip, Maria takes us backstage where CM Punk tells her to trash her boots and run the other way, and Beth Phoenix, Natalya and the Bellas try to intimidate her!

Watch below:

ArenaChicks News: Amber O’Neal vs Mickie James Results & Pictures, Mia Yim vs Del Rey Announced

This past weekend, former Knockouts Champion Mickie James took on Amber O’Neal for her ArenaChicks promotion.

Results and pictures below:

[notice]This past weekend was an exciting one for the Charlotte based indy federation PWXwrestling.com and Arenachicks.com!

Friday night, CEO of ArenaChicks Amber O’Neal had the opportunity to go one on one with the former WWE Women’s Champion of multiple times and current TNA Knockout Mickie James with the newest addition to NC womens wrestling indy scene LeiDTapa (niece of the former WWE Legend, The Barbarian) as special guest referee. The match was NON-STOP action bell to bell as these two southern female wresters entertained the Charlotte crowd and sent everyone home happy as Mickie James pinned Amber O’Neal with a jackknife pin after Amber pulled every cheap tactic she could possibly think of, even having Mickie James pinned with her feet on the rope after reversing Mickie’s hurricarana out of the corner with a powerbomb but was caught by LeiDTapa who kicked Amber’s legs off the ropes causing her to get physical with the ref and this distraction was enough for Mickie to get the 1, 2, 3 on Amber.

This match will be released on the next PWX DVD as well as a bonus match on Arenachicks DVD Vol 3-The Live Series, and will also be featured on upcoming Best of Amber O’Neal DVDs and our newest additon to the Arenachicks DVD series, Arenachicks On The Road.

SATURDAY NIGHT in York, SC for PWXwrestling.com, the two crossed paths again as they were ringside for a tag match. Amber O’Neal managed The Jersey Jerks (Rhett Titus from Ring of Honor/ PWX Champion & Corey Havock). Mickie James managed the very popular hometown tag team of Caleb Connelly and Cedric Alexander. Amber and Mickie had a heated catfight that included high heels flying, hair-pulling and Mickie nailing Amber with the much anticipated THESZ Press that had every person in the audience on their feet helping Connelly and Cedric leaving with a victory. Amber O’Neal has officially joined the “Jersey Jerks” stable in PWXwrestling.com.

This match can also be seen on upcoming PWXwrestling.com DVDs and Upcoming Arenachicks DVDs[/notice]

Pictures from O’Neal vs James below:

[nggallery id=556]

Also, Mia Yim will face Sara Del Rey this weekend for ArenaChicks. More details here.

WSU Breaking Barriers II Deluxe DVD & Best of WSU Vol. 1 on Sale Now

WSU has released two new DVDs, a deluxe edition of Breaking Barriers II which featured the steel cage War Games match and Melina‘s first post-WWE match, as well as the company’s first national retail DVD.

Details:

[notice]WSU Now Shipping BREAKING BARRIERS II DELUXE; Limited Copies of WSU’s First National DVD Now On Sale

Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU) is proud to announce that our latest iPPV, “Breaking Barriers II” featuring the brutal & controversial WARGAMES match between Team WSU & The Mid-West Militia, as well as Melina’s first post-WWE match vs Lexus is now shipping from WSUVideo.com.

Also shipping is WSU’s first ever NATIONAL DVD release, “The Very Best of WSU Volume 1”. This DVD is currently at all major DVD retailers, but for fans who can not find it, WSU is selling it at WSUVIDEO.com for a little less than what you would pay for it at retail stores.

Both DVDs are now shipping from WSUVIDEO.com

Here are the match listings and information for each brand new DVD release.

BREAKING BARRIERS II DELUXE EDITION
COVER ART: http://www.declarationofindependents.net/doistore/images/covers/wsu_breakingbarriers2delux.jpg
Direct Ordering Link: http://www.declarationofindependents.net/doistore/2011/breakingbarriers2deluxe.html

DVD Info: This DVD is the edited and cleaned up version of the Breaking Barriers iPPV and has been digitally remastered. Also included is exclusive backstage footage and graphic art.

Match Listings:

Main Event – WAR GAMES MATCH
The Mid-West Militia vs. Team WSU

Melina vs. Lexus

Serena Deeb Addresses WSU

Becky Bayless vs. Rick Cataldo

WSU Tag Team Championship Match
The Boston Shore (c) vs. The International Home Wrecking Crew

WSU Tag Team #1 Contenders Match
The Soul Sisters vs. The Belle Saints

April Hunter Returns To WSU Action!

4-Way Elimination Match – NYWC Starlet Championship
Nikki Syx (c) vs. Violet vs. Gabby Gilbert vs. Jessie Brooks

Loser Leaves WSU
Jennifer Cruz vs. Niya

BONUS MATCH:
09/24/11 – Alicia & Brittney Savage vs. Jessicka Havok & Allysin Kay – Philadelphia, PA

Price: $14.99

The Very Best of Women Superstars Uncensored Volume 1 (National DVD Release)
COVER ART: http://www.declarationofindependents.net/wsu/images/ads/nationaldvd.jpg
Direct Ordering Link: http://www.declarationofindependents.net/doistore/2011/nationalrelease.html

DVD Info:
“The Very Best of Women Superstars Uncensored: Volume 1”, WSU’s first national DVD release has hit all major retail stores, all major DVD websites and now is available at WSUVideo.com

Each DVD comes pressed, with bonus cover booklet and disc art for a low price of $14.95.

The very best of Women’s Superstars Uncensored has been compiled here in all it’s raw, uncensored female wrestling glory – featuring former and future WWE stars competing in some of the most outrageous matches ever filmed. Find out why WSU is the premier company in women’s wrestling with over five hours of hand-picked matches, exclusive content, interviews and commentaries designed to knock you right on the floor!

There are Audio / Video commentaries for every match, Over five hours of audio interviews with WSU stars, Video introduction and a Bonus ‘Iron Woman’ match.

MATCH LISTING:

Amy Lee vs Awesome Kong (WWE’s Kharma)

Amber O’Neal & Nikki Roxx vs Angel Orsini & Former WWE Womens Champion Jazz

Mercedes Martinez vs Rain

Jessicka Havok vs ODB

Mercedes Martinez vs Alicia

Brittney Savage vs Sassy Stephanie

The Uncensored Rumble III

Jana vs Cindy Rogers

Kristin Astara vs Niya

Mercedes Martinez vs Angel Orsini IRONWOMAN Match

Check out WSU’s most slickest DVD yet, as WSU finally goes national!

Price: $14.95

Both titles available today at WSUVideo.com[/notice]

Impact Wrestling Spoilers: January 5th, 2012

Spoilers for January 5th episode of Impact below:

Spoiler
* TNA Knockout Champion Gail Kim & Madison Rayne defeated Traci Brooks & Mickie James (Source)

 

Legacy Award Feature: Wrestlers Discuss Manami Toyota’s Influence

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Diva Dirt welcomes guest contributor Leslie from our partner site, Dirty Dirty Sheets, who will be bringing us a series of articles looking at the incredible career of Manami Toyota, the 2011 Diva Dirt Legacy Award recipient.

Legacy Award series:
Legacy Award Feature: A Look at Manami Toyota’s Historic Career
Legacy Award Feature: A Look at Manami Toyota’s Greatest Matches

We at Dirty Dirty Sheets were ecstatic when Diva Dirt reached out to us at DDS for this series of articles on Manami Toyota’s career. She is an incredibly important wrestler and very worthy recipient of the Diva Dirt Legacy Award. For our final article in this series, we decided to do some reaching out of our own. We’ve talked to some great people from around the wrestling world so that they may offer their thoughts Toyota and her legendary career.

First we spoke with Nami, our own amazing photographer, who captured all the stunning photos you’ve seen included in these articles. Nami is Toyota’s most dedicated fan and, besides attending most of Toyota’s events in Japan, came to the United States for Toyota’s CHIKARA debut.

“As a Joshi pro-wrestler, Manami Toyota is very strong in every sense. Her power and beauty always go together wonderfully. I think it is of supreme value that women have these qualities, so she is my idol.”

The third-generation, pin-up strong WWE Diva Natalya is also an admirer of the Flying Angel: “I watched Manami Toyota wrestle when I was training in Japan and she made me want to be a champion. She had a presence about her that was fierce. Manami was as tough as nails, but poised and beautiful like a butterfly. These are where my diva roots started. Manami Toyota is the epitome of pinup strong: bold, bright and beautiful!”

Ring of Honor star Mia Yim has had the opportunity to get in the ring with Toyota during her recent tours of Japan. Just think: Mia was born almost two years after Manami Toyota debuted!

She had this to say about her experience:“I learned so much from wrestling Manami Toyota. Even outside the ring, she is such a sweet and down to earth person. I feel extremely honored to have wrestled her twice. I will never forget my time in and outside the ring with her. She is truly a legend.”

Portia Perez, worst person in the world, scourge of ACW, SHIMMER, NCW: Femmes Fatales, and life in general, stepped in the ring with Manami Toyota at JoshiMania. She simply had this to say: “That was the hardest I’ve ever been hit in my life.”

Perhaps no woman in wrestling is a better example of Manami’s influence than WSU and AAA star Rain. As one of the pioneers of the recent women’s wrestling renaissance, the 11 year veteran Rain has competed in IWA-MS, ChickFight, SHIMMER, ACW, FIP, and numerous other notable promotions. Through it all she’s always kept one thing of Toyota’s handy: The Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex. This nod to Toyota has sent many US fans to look up the woman who innovated the incredible maneuver.

Here’s what Rain had to say about Toyota: “Manami Toyota was one of the first Japanese women wrestlers I ever watched. From watching her on VHS, DVD, and later YouTube, I could tell she was a strong woman and competitor. I was instantly drawn to her and her wrestling style. I’ve looked up to her over the years and even borrowed a few things from her that had really stuck with me, things I could introduce into American women’s wrestling. She had done things I was never taught until later in my career. Watching how she wrestled and gave her all every time really made me want to give everything I’ve had every time I stepped into the ring. This is a woman who has worked so hard and earned everything she’s received, and much more. This is a woman I will respect for the rest of my life, and I hope to meet her at least once in my life time. I would just like the opportunity to say, ‘Thank you’, to her.”

And finally, the Queen of Wrestling and top CHIKARA star Sara Del Rey has faced off against Manami Toyota many times throughout her career. As competitive as they have been against one another, there has always been mutual respect.

The Queen on her fellow wrestling monarch: “Manami Toyota is maybe the most influential Joshi star in women’s wrestling. At least to me she was one of the first women I saw doing things equally spectacular as the guys. You could tell she had a heart and passion in the ring that was like no other. She presented herself with style, grace and a feminine beauty, but you also knew she could downright kick your butt. She is the perfect combination of everything people love about the sport and she appeals to everyone. There are a million reasons why she is considered the best and none can be argued because she is.”

That’s just a small sample of the people, fans and wrestlers alike, who have been touched and influenced by Manami Toyota’s career. Her skill is unmatched. Her grace is unparalleled. She’s put on countless stunning matches over a 24 year career, yet continues to this day to amaze fans across the world. Manami Toyota is, simply, the greatest professional wrestler of all time.

We hope everyone has seen the Legacy Award ceremony as well as the exclusive backstage interview Diva Dirt conducted with Toyota. Likewise, we hope you’ve all put the JoshiMania DVDs on your Christmas list. They were three stellar nights of wrestling where Manami, with 11 other amazing women, showed exactly what makes Joshi Puroresu must-see for all wrestling.

We leave you with one more video, prepared by DDS’ own Chris (@ChrisC06). We call this “Manami Toyota – Legacy.” It’s a special look back at her long and amazing career. Enjoy!

Thanks again to all of you for following our series of articles on Toyota. Thanks from all of us at Dirty Dirty Sheets to our friends at Diva Dirt for allowing us to be a part of this celebration.

Leslie is the founder and lead writer of Dirty Dirty Sheets. Follow Dirty Dirty Sheets on Twitter at @dirtydirtytweet.

Image credit: Nami, Dirty Dirty Sheets

WWE Tribute to the Troops Watch: Troops, Tissues and Tag Teams

It’s that time of year again! WWE pays visit to all of our fighting men and women of the armed forces, and puts on a bonus two hour program for everyone to enjoy. This year TTTT is being held in an actual arena as opposed to the fresh open air of years past. We witnessed Divas Champion, Beth Phoenix, Natalya, and the Bella Twins (Brie & Nikki) team up for an 8-Diva tag team match against the group of Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres, Alicia Fox, and making her return to the WWE ring, Extra co-host and best-selling author, Maria Menounos! Lately, Beth and Maria have engaged in quite the Twitter war, but who can put their money with their mouth is? Let’s check out that match, as well as some extra Diva related segments.

After a video package showing the Bella Twins visiting the U.S. military academy, we head to the arena as the devious duo make their tag team entrance together in a pair of “Bella Boot Camp” shirts. Up next, we have the Divas of Doom, who pretty much kill me with the addition of tissue boxes to their entrance. Seriously, I don’t know who thought of that, but kudos because it’s an awesome touch! As the two of them enter the ring, Kelly, Eve, and Alicia Fox all come out together. (I guess not everyone can get their own entrances.) Rounding out their group comes Extra’s Maria Menounos, who you may remember back in 2009 facing off with Beth in a six Diva tag team match.

The four of them all make it to the ring, as Natalya and Beth offer some tissues to their opponents. Nikki and Eve remain in the ring, but Eve instead decides to tag in Maria Menounos to kick things off. Nikki applies a waist lock to her rookie opponent, before transitioning it into a headlock takeover. Maria fights out of it and executes a headlock takeover of her own! She then tags back out to Eve, as Nikki scurries to the other side of the ring to tag in Brie. Brie charges, but Eve ducks a clothesline and plants her in the stomach with a kick. A snapmare follows up, followed by a devastating kick to the jaw.

With Brie in position, Eve proceeds to set up for it… and yes! Pop, pop, pop, she goes with some booty action, before flipping over with her patented standing Torresault for a near fall until Natalya distracts Eve. Brie attacks from behind and makes the tag into the Divas Champion, who takes it to Eve with some kicks and slaps. Eve tries to kick her in the stomach, but Beth catches her foot. Eve hobbles for a bit, before leaping up with a sick enziguiri and tagging in Kelly Kelly. Kelly heads to the top rope and soars with a nice Lou Thesz Press. She ducks a clothesline and executes her whirlybird headscissors, to the BEST facial expression ever by Maria Menounos. Beth is face-planted into the top turnbuckle, as Kelly capitalizes with a bulldog until Nikki breaks it up.

Alicia Fox then charges in with a clothesline, until Brie dropkicks Alicia so hard, she may have lost some hair on the way down. Eve Torres runs back in and proceeds to throw Brie from the ring, but Natalya blindsides Eve and tosses her as well. Eve manages to hold on long enough to sweep Natalya outside the ring, as Maria Menounos blind tags herself in and goes for Beth. Beth grabs Maria and asks if she knows who she is, before shoving the Extra co-host into the turnbuckle. Phoenix charges forward, but Maria leaps up with a sunset flip and the SHOCK victory over the Divas Champion! Her group celebrates the stunning win, as Beth and Natalya seem downright insulted!

Also, as surprising as it may seem for those of you who haven’t been checking out Superstars lately, Rosa Mendes has found herself busy as of late, managing the new team of Primo and Epico. Check out the two of them as they square off with Air Boom in a non-title match below!

Thoughts: Is it weird to say that this has been my favorite Divas match in a while? Granted, it’s been the only Divas match in recent memory to exceed around fifty seconds in length, I thought it was fun. I was pretty impressed to see Maria Menounos actually working a match as opposed to doing a few spots, and it seems like she’s actually grasping wrestling. I didn’t mind her pinning Beth considering it was through a roll up, and the two had been going at it on Twitter for some time, although I can see why people would see that to be a bit skeptical. I just think that with Tribute to the Troops, they are there to put on a show for the men and women of the army, and storylines aren’t really an issue. I don’t think Beth loses credibility from it or anything.

Also, Rosa, Epico, and Primo are becoming one of my “must watch” segments of the week. Whether they’re on Superstars, SmackDown, or Tribute to the Troops (they are on all three this week so WATCH) they fit together so well, and actually look like a group. I feel like this has really given Rosa some needed air time, and she could be brilliant if they give her the microphone one week or something. I hope these two eventually win the Tag Team Titles because they have got some great matches ahead of them.

Another Former Champion Was Asked to Appear at Slammys

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Another former WWE Women’s Champion was originally asked to be present at the Slammy Awards this past Monday — Trish Stratus.

According to PWInsider, WWE officials had wanted to reunite Trish and Lita to present the Divalicious Moment of the Year award together, however, the 7-time Women’s Champion, who has already made a comeback this year, turned down the offer.

The website reports that Trish opted not to take part due to the long travel from her hometown of Toronto, Canada to Norfolk, Virginia, where the show emanated from.

Thoughts: While it would’ve been great to see Lita and Trish back together, I can respect Trish’s decision. The appearance would have been two-three minutes at most, and factoring in travel days to and from Toronto, where Trish is extremely busy with her own business, it probably didn’t make sense. Trish has had a few appearances this year, so in the end, I think it really did work out. Lita got to have her moment and it was a great one at that.

Impact Wrestling Spoilers: December 29th, 2011

Spoilers for the December 29th episode of Impact below.

Spoiler
* TNA Knockout Women’s Champion Gail Kim and Madison Rayne come to the ring and call out Tara & Miss Tessmacher. Madison says after last week if they screwed with Madison, they would both be fired. Madison says they are both fired. Sting comes out. Madison says there’s no need for him to come out. He says Karen was VP of the knockouts, not here. Madison has no power. Sting tells Gail that she will be defending the world title against this woman tonight. Mickie James comes to the stage.

* In the main event, Gail Kim defeated Mickie James to retain the Knockout’s Championship. Lengthy match. Mickie had the match won, but Gail went to the outside. The referee went to check on her and a masked woman (believed to eventually be Melina) came in the ring and hit Madison Rayne’s finisher on Mickie. Gail came back in the ring and made the cover. (Source)

 

SmackDown Spoilers: December 16th, 2011

Spoilers for this week’s SmackDown. The show airs on Friday at 8pm on Syfy:

Spoiler
*Alicia Fox def. Natalya in a 2-3 minute match with the deadly Hiroshima rollup. She pulled out some of Nattie’s extension and taunted her to cry about it, saying she got out-foxed. (Source)

 

WWE Tribute to the Troops Discussion Post

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WWE airs its annual Tribute to the Troops tonight at 9pm ET on the USA Network.

Discuss the show in the comments!

RELATED: Tribute to the Troops Spoilers

Beth Phoenix Snubbed at the Slammy Awards, Says WWE.com

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WWE.com is echoing fans’ sentiments by arguing that Beth Phoenix may have been snubbed last night at the Slammy Awards in the Divalicious Moment of the Year category.

The website argues that the Divas Championship changes hands every year, thus suggesting Kelly Kelly‘s Slammy victory for winning the Divas Title lacks “award-worthy oomph”.

The article continues:

The Survivor Series crowd was floored by Beth’s top rope Glam Slam, a maneuver that looks devastating enough on its own. While we’re at it, Natalya‘s double Sharpshooter also had more “wow” factor as a Divalicious moment. Long live the “pin-up strong” movement.

Read the full story here.

Thoughts: Taking nothing away from Kelly, I agree that as far as a best moment goes, the Super Glam Slam should’ve taken the statue. However, Kelly did deserve a Slammy, but Diva of the Year would have been better suited, but that award was unfortunately axed. I would have liked to see two awards; Diva of the Year which could go to Kelly, while Beth could take the ‘Divalicious Moment’ award. However, as there was only one award for the Divas, I can see why WWE would want to give it to Kelly.

Mercedes Martinez Recovering from Concussion

Image: Lethalwow.com

It looks like the extent of Mercedes Martinez‘s injuries coming off last month’s WSU Breaking Barriers II Internet pay per view are more precarious than we initially realized.

As reported the day after the show, Mercedes was taken to hospital on a stretcher but was cleared of any major issues, bar a stinger and some bumps & bruises. However, since then it has been confirmed that Mercedes did indeed suffer a concussion during the main event War Games steel cage match at the November 19th show.

In shades of a similar situation with Serena which forced her to be pulled from the same show, Mercedes is still exhibiting symptoms of a concussion suffered last month. The concussion stemmed from a side-Russian-leg sweep from the top rope and was aggravated further later in the match.

The main concern at this time, I’m told, is risking flying while recovering from her concussion. Thus, Martinez has been pulled from WSU’s January 21st show in Stirling, NJ. She was due to face Jennifer Cruz.

Following a local show in her home state of Florida this weekend, Martinez is scheduled to take some time off from in-ring competition until March 2012, when she is set to defend the WSU World Championship against Jessicka Havok on March 5th on Internet pay per view.

WSU promoter Sean McCaffrey tells me that they are hoping Martinez will be healthy for the 5th Anniversary Show on March 5th.

From everyone here at Diva Dirt, our best wishes go out to Mercedes on a speedy recovery!

Raw Redux (December 12th, 2011): Well, At Least We Got Lita!

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I can honestly say that this will NOT be a Slammy Award worthy edition of the Raw Redux, but if Zack Ryder can win a Slammy for simply trending on Twitter (that was so not scripted, right??), then anything is possible. Alas, I’m not going to hold my breath and coincidentally, there’s really not a whole lot to talk about. We always knew there wouldn’t be, so there shouldn’t be any disappointment in anyone today. That said, I fully expect a barrage of negative comments and whiny moans over the fact Kelly Kelly won ‘Divalicious Moment of the Year.’ I’ve prepared myself, reminded myself that we all have the right of freedom of speech, and now I’m ready to get on with the show.

If only I could shake the visions of Christian from my head. Swoon!

Firstly, let me just say that Lita looks absolutely fabulous. She’s in great shape and still has a body to starve die for. I wouldn’t exactly call myself her biggest fan (except for when she got to have a live sex show with Edge, and then fandom was born from jealously and the need to wear my baggy skater pants low on my hips once again just to show off my thong…), but it was really great to see her last night. Obviously she was presenting the aforementioned ‘Divalicious Moment of the Year’, and the nominees were as follows…

* Beth Phoenix taking Eve Torres down and out with that most amazing Glam Slam from the top rope.
* Kelly pinning Brie Bella to win her first ever Divas Championship.
* Natalya placing Eve and Layla in a double Sharpshooter.
* And perhaps the most talked about Diva moment of the year, the debut of Kharma, or just anything involving her.

Lita announces Kelly as the winner, and the bubbly blond comes out looking absolutely fabulous. Love her dress, and well I just love Kelly. All you haters can just piss off. Anyway, fangirl aside, Kelly goes to accept her award and start her speech, but Beth and Natalya are quick to interrupt. Clearly, Beth feels as if she should have won (and since the award was for ‘moment’ of the year, and not for ‘Diva of the Year’, she has a pretty legit argument), and she snatches the award from Kelly’s hands. When Beth raises the Slammy in the air, Kelly takes exception and slaps her foe right across the face. She seriously slaps the heck out of Beth, like whoa. Beth is absolutely stunned, as well as Natalya, and Kelly takes her little gold statuette back. Beth has to be restrained by her bestie, and Kelly takes the chance to pose with Lita and give the crowd a nice photo-op.

Perhaps a teaser for a future match?

I definitely wouldn’t mind a Beth versus Lita match, or even a tag match. Any match with Lita involved would do it for me at this point. The Divas could only benefit from her presence, and she definitely looks like she would have no trouble getting back inside that right. As of right now, there’s nothing announced for the Divas at TLC (I think…), but we have SmackDown taping tonight. It will be interesting to see what goes on there, seeing as how they completely axed a huge angle that happened last week. Personally, I never thought it was a good idea to turn Kaitlyn heel. She has to way to much chemistry with AJ, and breaking them up would be a huge miscarriage of justice. I love the Chickbusters , and I know a lot of other people do as well.

In other Slammy news, Vickie Guerrero managed her main man and mine, Dolph Ziggler, to a win in a very impressive fatal four-way match that determined who would win a Slammy for the first superstar to trend on Twitter. To be fair, Ziggler and Ryder both trended at the same time, but since Ryder was higher I reckon he won by default. At least he lost, and Dolph won. And Rhodes and DB never once trended. Oh well. Dolph stole Zack’s Slammy, and proved once again why he is the most delicious heel ever.

Brie and Nikki presented an award, alongside Santino Marella.

He called them out on their Alberto Del Rio obsession and both girls got highly insulted. Both looked beautiful in red, which seems to be one of their trademark colors, and well, they were on TV. I’ll take it.

Eve and Alicia Fox were stage escorts for the evening. Eve’s dress was so fetch (Mean Girls reference), but Alicia continues to disappoint me when it comes to fashion. I do like the fact she took a risk for the Slammys, but I wasn’t exactly fond of it. The glam pants outfit just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Vickie also took to the stage to present an award alongside Goldust for ‘A-Lister of the Year’.

Goldust cracked a mean joke at our favorite cougar, but we won’t give him too much heat for it. He is the Golden One, after all. The nominees for ‘A-Lister of the Year’ were Hugh Jackman for managing Ryder to win over Ziggler, and I guess for punching my boo in the face. Snooki for competing at WrestleMania and shocking the world with the ‘Snooki Splash’. Random Cee-Lo Green for performing at (uhhh, which PPV was that again? Meh, I’ll just make something up…) for his sequined preacher’s robe. And last, but not least, The Muppets for hosting the Halloween edition of Raw. Snooki snatched up the prize, but couldn’t attend the show. She did, however, send a pre-taped message to the WWE Universe.

I’m not happy with her Zack Ryder support.

That was basically it, folks. It was a night of glitz, of glam, the best of Johnny Ace video package, of Christian’s return, and Masked Kane. The Divas were always going to be an after thought, but at least we got a sweet little teaser of what 2012 could possibly hold. I’ll take it. And because I’m Khaleesi, all of you will as well. Good day!

Diva Dirt & Trish Stratus Up for Wrestling Radio Award

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How exciting! We’re up for a Wrestling Radio Award for the second year in a row and this time, it’s for our pre-WrestleMania and Tough Enough exclusive interview with the one and only Trish Stratus!

In March, Trish joined us for an exclusive chat during ‘Mania week to discuss her return to WWE, teaming with Snooki at WrestleMania and becoming a Tough Enough trainer. Indeed, we felt it was a most Stratusfying interview — and it seems the folks at the Wrestling Radio Awards did too!

Our interview with Trish is up for ‘Female Interview of the Year’, but it has some tough competition, so please we would consider it your Christmas gift to us if you spend just a minute to vote!

Click here to vote.

In Video: Tara on the Possibility of Melina in TNA, Calls Sarita “Toughest Female in Wrestling”

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In a new video posted to her YouTube channel, Tara tackles a few subjects, including the possibility of Melina heading to TNA (in the most adorable way possible) and the toughness of fellow Knockout Sarita following her two recent injuries.

Watch the video below:

Jim Ross Says Lita Seems Open to “Doing More” in WWE, Correction on Her Arrest

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WWE Hall of Famer and Slammy Award winner Jim Ross (congrats, JR, but never rap again, please!) commented on Amy Dumas aka Lita‘s return to WWE last night at the Slammys, and also offered a correction her recent arrest.

Ross wrote on Twitter that he assumes Dumas’ appearance was a one off, but the four-time Women’s Champion seems open to doing more in the company.

Ross also posted a correction on Dumas’ arrest in Georgia over the weekend: “[By the way] her recent traffic arrest was speeding. License wasn’t suspended. Computer glitch.”

Read JR’s tweet below:

Thoughts: Open for interpretation what JR means by “doing more”. It could mean more appearances down the line, or perhaps a return to the ring. (Hopefully the latter.) Either way, Lita got a good reaction last night, trended on Twitter (very important in WWE these days) and doesn’t look like she’s aged at all. Hopefully this was a “testing of the waters” and could lead to something more substantial.

WrestleMania Guest Star Wins a Slammy Too…

Yes, ladies and gentleman — Snooki can officially call herself a Slammy Award winner.

The Jersey Shore star, who competed at WrestleMania 27 in a three-on-three tag team match teaming with Trish Stratus and John Morrison, won the award for A-Lister of the Year, beating out Hugh Jackman (boo, he was robbed!), The Muppets and Cee-Lo Green (wait… when did he appear?).

Snooki appeared on a couple of episodes of Raw in the lead-up to WrestleMania this past March. At ‘Mania, she pinned Michelle McCool, surprising us with her athletic handspring splash.

Watch Snooki’s Slammy win below:

In Video: December 12th Raw After Show Featuring Maria Kanellis

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Check out last night’s episode of the Raw After Show on AfterBuzz TV, hosted by Maria Kanellis.

Watch below:

FCW Watch (December 11th, 2011): Audrey Marie vs Naomi

First off, I hope you all haven’t forgotten about FCW. It’s been a long few weeks without any Divas action, but never fear, for I believe we are set with matches for the next four weeks, and possibly more depending on how this Thursday’s TV taping goes down! On this past Sunday’s show, we witnessed a defense of the FCW Divas Championship, as reigning title holder, Audrey Marie, defends her gold… I mean, pink, against the inaugural Champ, Naomi Night! This is the first time that these two have squared off with one another on camera, but just how will it come off? Let us delve into some FCW action!

As we overhear something about all the boys in the club getting up (getting up), out pops the woman who, quite frankly should be on a main roster already, but I digress in my introduction of the one and only Naomi! Resident diva, Caylee Turner, introduces her to the ring, as she pops out in a new gold reptile like body suit. Naomi leaps into the ring and bows for the fans, as up next comes the champion, Audrey Marie. Audrey sports some new tights, as she enters the ring and climbs onto the turnbuckle to cheer on with the fans. Marie removes her championship and hands it to the ref to hold up, as the bell sounds and this match gets underway.

Both ladies circle around the ring and lock up, as Naomi takes control with a headlock takeover. Audrey flips it over into a quick roll up, before Naomi fights it back into another headlock before Marie can flip it over. Audrey with a nice armdrag, before both women get up and Naomi gives her a taste of her own medicine with a similar one. Naomi locks the headlock back in, before twisting it into a wristlock that Audrey fights out of. Naomi punches her backwards, before throwing her into the corner, only Audrey leaps over into a sweet Sunset Flip maneuver for a close call.

Naomi fights out, as Audrey sends Naomi back into the same corner, but Naomi leaps over with her unique no handed bridging roll up pin. They exchange wrist and headlocks, but Naomi sends Audrey into the ropes. She ducks under a running Audrey, before flying backwards, as Audrey does a handspring over Naomi! Naomi kips up as they exchange stairs, and Naomi slides underneath the legs. She goes for a roundhouse kick, but Audrey matrixes back! Naomi grabs onto one of her legs, before flipping Marie back over to a vertical base and leapfrogging over.

She goes for the butt bump, but Audrey stops herself before she collides. Naomi sends her back into the ropes and goes for a roll up handspring move, only Audrey moves to the side and simply stops her mid way into a nice roll up for a two. Audrey locks in a headlock and takes Naomi down for another near fall, and from there locks in a dragon sleeper onto the challenger, before reversing it into a chin lock. The crowd starts to get behind Naomi, which aids her to a verical base. They exchange momentum in an Irish Whip, but Audrey capitalizes and hits a sick knee to the stomach the flips Naomi over.

Audrey reverts back to a sleeper hold, before laying her back first and leaping up with a legdrop type maneuver to the midsection for a two count! Naomi fights back with some punches, followed up with a snapmare and kick to the back. She goes to Irish Whip Audrey, but Marie counters and goes for a snapmare of her own, only Naomi flips over and lands on two feet, before leaping up with an insanely awesome enziguiri! Both ladies struggle to two feet, but Audrey goes for a clothesline that Naomi ducks, as she then executes a dropkick to the back.

Naomi goes for a roll up, but Audrey kicks Naomi off into the ropes where she leaps back with a stiff clothesline. Once both women get up, Naomi runs forward with a spinning heel kick out of nowhere that could win her back the Championship! Cover gets just a two, as the fighting champion shows her determination. Naomi sends Audrey into the corner, but the Champ leaps onto the second rope and flies back with a crossbody, only she took a little bit too long and Naomi manages to roll through it into a pin of her own for a two count. Once they both get up, Naomi picks Audrey up and goes for a Suplex, but Audrey slides under the legs and goes for a bridge pin.

Audrey then attempts an arm drag, but Naomi flips through into another unique pin, only Audrey’s shoulder does not touch the mat. Audrey goes for a jacknife, and Naomi fights out by lifting both herself and Audrey up, and then spinning her around into a backslide attempt. Audrey spins herself out of it once again, and Naomi goes for a Suplex. This time she lifts Audrey up, but in mid air, Marie manages to flip over onto two feet and nail her finisher, “The Round Up!” She hooks the leg and gets the three count to retain her title! Audrey celebrates as she heads to the back, and I await the day Naomi debuts on TV.

Thoughts: As I’m sure this FCW Watch will show in my descriptions, Naomi and Audrey certainly used a lot of unique maneuvers and reversals that I’d never seen before. I thought they worked pretty well together overall! There were some issues with their pacing in some parts, but since this is their first match together, and it was pretty lengthy, It’s perfectly understandable to have a few kinks. The spot with Audrey’s handspring, followed with the Matrix all the way to the roll up was pretty insane, and I hope my wording doesn’t come off too confusing. All together, I enjoyed this match, and you can really see Audrey is working hard to become a better competitor in the ring. As for Naomi, CALL HER UP!

Impact Wrestling Spoilers: December 22nd, 2011

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Spoilers for the 12/22 episode of Impact on Spike TV below.

Spoiler
*Special referee Madison Rayne comes out and brings Tara and Miss Tessmacher to the ring. Madison sets up Tara vs. Tessmacher for tonight.

*Miss Tessmacher and Tara wrestle a long, drawn out match with Madison as the referee. They turn on her, lay her out and do the Tim Tebow pose in the ring.

*Eric Young and ODB beat Shannon Moore and Anarquia in the Wild Card Tag Team Tournament. Young and ODB got the win after Moore walked out on his partner. (Source)

 

Impact Wrestling Spoilers: December 15th, 2011

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Spoilers for the 12/15 episode of Impact on Spike TV below.

Spoiler

 

Kelly Kelly Wins ‘Divalicious Moment of the Year’ at Slammys

Former Divas Champion Kelly Kelly has scooped up a brand new Diva-related Slammy  — the award for best Diva moment of the year.

Kelly’s Divas Title victory in May on Raw beat out the other nominations which included Natalya‘s double-Sharpshooter on Eve and Layla, Kharma‘s debut and Beth Phoenix‘s Super Glam Slam on Eve.

The award was presented by former WWE Women’s Champion Lita, who returned to a big reception from the fans.

It remains to be seen if there will be a Diva of the Year Slammy award.

Thoughts: Both Lita and Kelly looked amazing! Hopefully this means we now have two Diva Slammys each year.

Raw Response: December 12th, 2011

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Get your Monday night Divas fix by tuning in to Raw tonight at a special start time of 8pm ET on the USA Network.

Discuss the show in the comments!