Former Knockouts Champ, Mickie James, will get her rematch against new champion, Winter, on the September 1st episode of Impact, it has been revealed.
James defeated Madison Rayne on last week’s Impact Wrestling to earn the title shot.
The match will be filmed on location in Huntsville, Alabama next Thursday.
Watch the promo last night with Winter and Angelina Love announcing the match:
Now former Knockouts Champion, Mickie James, talked about the trials and tribulations women in wrestling continue to face in a new interview with the Ledger Enquirer.
Mickie admits that, despite being a top name herself in the business, wrestling is still male-dominated and the women aren’t taken as seriously.
She says:
As a woman I want to prove myself even more. I might not be as tough as the guys but sometimes I have the match of the night. Then the guys have to go out and top me. It’s still such a male-dominated sport that we’re not taken seriously. We still have lingerie matches and pillow fights. It’s a real task. But most of the fans know who I am.
Mickie also comments on the rumored union of former Diva, Stacy Keibler, and Hollywood star George Clooney:
She’s hot stuff. I heard she dated George Clooney for a minute. I’m so jealous. That’s awesome. She’s really branched out and done things as a female that the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin have done. But she’s never really been a wrestler. She’s done lingerie and pillow fight matches.
The article seems to have been pulled from the Ledger Enquirer website for some reason, so we can’t link you to the full piece. Credit to ProWrestling.net for the excerpts.
Thoughts: I think there are promotions, particularly on the independent scene, that do give women their dues and put them in main events, realizing they are draws. CHIKARA, as we discussed on Diva Dirt Sheet, is an example of this. You can listen to that chat with John Hyperion here. On that podcast we discussed promotions giving women top billing over men. Of course, this likely will never happen in WWE, TNA or ROH.
Well, it’s about time someone poked holes in WWE’s affiliation with the ‘Be a Star’ anti-bullying campaign.
That someone is Lisa Wright from the Council for Unity, who wrote a letter — obtained by the Wrestling Observer — to Be a Star following ‘fat jokes’, construed as bullying, being made about Vickie Guerrero on air.
The letter states:
“I recently received an e-mail regarding your alliance with the WWE. The e-mail pointed out the “fat jokes” about Vickie Guerrero. Wrestling as I perceive it consists of name calling and threats culminating in violence to settle conflicts. How does this fit with your mission to `Show Tolerance and Respect?’ Are you saying this behavior is alright for entertainment value? As an employee of a member organization listed on your website, your questionable judgment reflects poorly, not only on you, but on all the organizations listed there.”
As an organization whose mission is to prevent violence and bullying, we must be careful who we partner with and what messages that partnership sends. As we look for funding, ways to market our mission, and new partnerships, we must remain aware of the cultural forces that impact those that we serve. Furthermore, we must be sensitive not to promote the very negative behaviors that we have spent our professional lives trying to prevent. I fail to see how an alliance with the WWE will do that. We must be aware that in our business, as in life, actions speak louder than words. The WWE may, in principal, be against bullying and the violence that so often accompanies it, however, the very nature of the business is not conducive to a culture of inclusion and peace that we here at the Council for Unity seek to create. To that end, we respectfully request the removal or our organization from your web site.”
Thoughts: While I appreciate the sentiment and I’m sure the Superstars and Divas really do want to promote anti-bullying, taking the message seriously, the company and many within it are stuck in the eighth grade. Just this past week there was plenty of irony when JR’s hat was taken from him on Raw and stomped on, probably a rib by Vince, and the ‘Be a Star’ video was shown directly following it. What the F?
As for Vickie, she’s borne the brunt of many a ‘fat joke’, sadly. I still don’t agree with WWE’s scripted bullying of Mickie James either. I’m glad someone in a position to do so is scrutinizing this affiliation, and perhaps they’ll turn their attention to WWE directly.
Okay, now she’s just showing off!
Less than a month after revealing her hot cover for Revive magazine, Trish Stratus is at it again!
This time, Trish is all about the yoga, posing on the cover of Sweat Equity magazine. With her yoga mat, fitgloves and sneakers in tow, Trish is ready to school us in the ways of the downward dog.
Check out the Sweat Equity cover in high quality here.
I don’t think there’s any doubt about it, right? Trish Stratus is wrestling’s Queen of Covers.
Right… We’ll just be over here. Crying. Envying.
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!
SmackDown is going to air a live special on Tuesday, August 30th, Syfy has revealed.
SmackDown will air live from 8pm ET on Syfy just one day after a live episode of Raw.
The show is usually taped on Tuesdays and airs Fridays. The live show will be re-aired in the regular Friday night timeslot.
So remember to set your DVRs!
The women of Lucha Libre USA, Kristin Astara and Nikki Roxx, were recently featured on an episode of TruTV’s All Worked Up where they were jumped by rowdy fans during a match.
Check out the clip below:
Holy sh*t!
So, fake or real? *coughFAKEcough* You tell us in the comments…
TNA has released a new episode of “Pillow Talk” featuring SoCal Val. This time she interviews Angelina Love! The two talk workout routines and which body part Angelina is most proud of.
Reading that headline, your mind might think of the obvious names — veterans like Mickie James or Tara, but nope… It’s Brooke Tessmacher!
The ever-improving TNA Knockout revealed on Twitter that she’s filming a pilot for her very own reality show.
She wrote:
Gearing up for the big day! First day of shooting for the pilot for my reality show.
Of course, many names have tried before and their shows have never come to fruition i.e. the Wrestler Wives pilot, Candice Michelle and Tara. We’ll have to wait and see if anything comes of this.
Would you tune in to see a Ms Tessmacher reality show?
Welcome back to NXT Redemption, or as I like to call it, the never ending season. The funny thing is though, after what transpired this week, I honestly am not sure I’m ready for it to end anymore. This episode saw former rookie, AJ, get proposed to by her loving leprechaun, Hornswoggle, until Derrick Bateman spoiled the party, and brought a special surprise along with him, in the returning, Maxine!
Check out the full recap below…
We open the show with Hornswoggle, Titus O’Neil, and AJ making their way to the ring. Titus welcomes the crowd to NXT as describes that his pro, Hornswoggle, has been on a journey much like his own, only Horny’s journey involves finding true love, which he has found in AJ. Hornswoggle takes the mic, but nobody can understand what is being said, therefore Titus takes control as his official translator. He drops a sweet potato pie on us, and lets AJ know that Hornswoggle feels she is the most special diva on the roster.
This leads to the leprechaun getting down on one knee and pulling out a ring…pop. AJ takes the candy treat, as Titus lets her know the ring symbolizes Hornswoggle’s faithfulness to her…FO-EVVAAAAA. AJ takes the microphone and tells Hornswoggle that size doesn’t matter to her (William Regal isn’t making a joke here, and neither should you). AJ says all that matters is the size of Hornswoggle’s heart…before getting cut off by NXT Rookie, Derrick Bateman.
Derrick begins to gag as he says this nauseating segment needs to stop. He tells Hornswoggle that if he believes anyone could really love him, he’s dumber than Titus looks, to which O’Neil retaliates with a variety of insults to Derrick (including a yeast infection accusation of all things). Derrick says that he’s not sure which of the two is the leprechaun and which is the troll in the relationship. Titus challenges Derrick to come to the ring, in which Bateman tells O’Neil to make him. This sparks Hornswoggle and Titus to charge up the ramp after Bateman, and AJ left alone in the ring…
BAM!
Out of nowhere, a female lays her out from behind with a stiff shot to the back. She picks AJ up and throws her into the ringpost, before laying her out with a big boot to the face. Said female is then revealed to be former NXT rookie, Maxine, as she stands over the fallen geek goddess and throws her ringpop down at her before exiting the ring to a pretty solid reaction from the crowd and posing at the ramp to close the segment.
Up next, we have the main event, as Derrick Bateman and Maxine make their way out to the ring hand in hand. As the two enter the ring, Derrick introduces Maxine as someone more than just a woman, or a diva, and demands the crowd show respect to his soul mate, Maxine. Maxine takes the mic and says that Hornswoggle wishes he could handle a real woman like her, but like every other man who couldn’t, he settled for someone less, like AJ. Maxine proclaims that if he thinks she’s causing problems for him now, he should just wait, because they are just getting started.
As a match between Derrick Bateman and Titus O’Neil transpires, the clip chosen joins them mid way through as Derrick sends Titus into the corner but misses a running splash, allowing Titus to follow up with a clothesline and a sick shoulderbreaker for a near fall. Maxine watches on, as Derrick goes for his Mantastic-DDT, only its countered into a fallaway slam. Bateman rolls out of the ring as Maxine goes to check on him. Titus exits the ring to toss Bateman back in, but as he climbs up, Maxine grabs him by the foot, allowing Derrick to roll him up for the victory! The dynamic duo celebrates up the ramp, as they engage in a makeout session to close the show.
Thoughts: I don’t think it needs to be said how much I enjoyed tonight’s episode of NXT. I’ve been wanting Maxine brought up for some time now, and I thought she had one of the better debuts for a diva. I really like the pairing of her and Derrick because I feel like he’s a natural face, so with Maxine beside him, it will help him to be taken more seriously as a heel character. I can’t wait to see where this leads, but as of now, NXT Redemption can continue for a while and I’ll be fine with it.
Time to play FCW catch up, as two weeks worth of episodes were released last night featuring a multitude of Divas in action. The first kicks off with a segment involving recently removed general manager, Maxine, before transitioning into a “scheduled” match between Naomi and Aksana. The week following highlights a six Diva tag team match featuring AJ, Kaitlyn, and the TV in-ring debut of Caylee Turner (Christina Crawford) against Sonia, Audrey Marie, and the also TV ring debut of Raquel Diaz (Shaul Guerrero).
Check out the action below!
We head to the back where Maxine and William Regal stand in the office of Steve Keirn. Maxine questions if Keirn got the letters from her attorney stating that the charges against her were nonexistant and that she was right. However, he decides to leave Norman Smiley in charge, which infuriates Maxine. William Regal attempts to stand up for the bombshell, but after being threatened with a revealing scandal caught on film, he changes his tune and supports Norman as the general manager.
We head to the arena, where Naomi makes her entrance for a Divas Championship match against Aksana. The champion, however, enters without her title, crown, and debuting her new look on FCW. She takes the microphone and tells “Narmi” that while she thought they were having a match, it’s not going to be happening. This brings out the GM, Norman Smiley, who tells Naomi that she will instead face Sonia, who enters in tow with her partner, Audrey Marie to stand ringside.
The bell rings as the two lock up before a break occurs. Sonia piefaces Naomi, sparking the former Champ to hit a nice dropkick to send Sonia down. Sonia counters an Irish Whip attempt but Naomi manages to fly out of the corner and hit the butt bump for a one count. From there, Naomi applies a rear chin lock, but Sonia elbows out and sends her into the ropes. Naomi snaps a kick off and Sonia goes for a drop toe hold but Naomi stops herself from colliding with the ropes. This only saves her momentarily, as Sonia kicks her in the shoulder for a two count. Audrey screams at a fan, as Sonia applies a nice modified surfboard. She chokes Naomi in the ropes, followed by the corner as well. Sonia begins going crazy with screams and punches, until Naomi hits her in the stomach.
Sonia goes for a suplex, but Naomi counters it into a small package for a two. Sonia then drops her with a clothesline, as Audrey Marie approves at ringside. Sonia with a slap, which frustrates Naomi into some kicks and punches. Sonia sends Naomi into the ropes, but Naomi flies off with a crossbody followed up with a forearm and then a flipping clothesline. Kick to the stomach and a bodyslam follows as Naomi goes for some type of move but the camera turns to Audrey and we dont really see what it was. Sonia goes for a suplex but Naomi slips out and hits the running leg lariat for the victory!
The upbeat theme of AJ hits, as out comes she and fellow Chickbusters partner, Kaitlyn, as well as Tough Enough alumni, Caylee Turner. Following the three of them comes Sonia, Audrey Marie, and Raquel Diaz (who notably does the infamous Guerrero pose during her entrance). As all six women stand in the ring, the bell sounds as Turner and Diaz start things out.
They lock up as William Regal smartly explains that Raquel wants to make a name for herself which is why she doesn’t use the Guerrero name. The two fight for leverage, as Raquel takes Caylee down with by the hair. She then takes advantage with a wrist lock, as Turner flips over and kips up to reverse the pressure and take Raquel down. Diaz charges off the ropes but Caylee ducks down and connects with a dropkick. Arm drag to follow up, and then a Northern Lights Suplex for a one count.
Turner tags out to AJ, as Raquel scurries to her corner and tags in a surprised Sonia. AJ connects with a kick to the stomach but Sonia soon takes control. Audrey Marie tags in as the duo double teams AJ with a clothesline to the corner. Audrey tosses AJ down and then applies a sick bow & arrow which basically stretches AJ like a pretzel, as Ricardo Rodriguez enters the arena to scout the divas.
AJ flips over for a near fall, as Audrey applies a chokehold and tags Raquel back in. Sonia then enters the mix and flips AJ down, before Raquel quick tags back in and chokes AJ. Diaz with a kick, before bending the arms of AJ back and applying her boot to the back in a submission maneuver. She teases with AJ and steps on her hand, as Sonia tags in. She sends AJ into the second rope and charges, but Lee manages to move out of the way and send Sonia flying out of the ring.
Kaitlyn and Audrey make the tag for their respective teams, as the NXT 3 winner hits a low dropkick, followed by a spinning elbow. She sends Marie into the corner and hits a slightly off sidewalk slam for a near fall. Kaitlyn rolls through into a pin fall but accidentally runs into Raquel and knocks her off the apron as Audrey breaks the pin. Sonia runs to check on her, as AJ and Caylee head over to take them down. Meanwhile, Kaitlyn executes a backslide in the ring and pins Audrey’s shoulders to the mat to score the victory for her team!
Thoughts: I thought the segment with Maxine was fun, I’m enjoying this angle between her and William Regal and I hope to see more of it as the episodes progress. I thought Naomi vs. Sonia was decent, I enjoyed it until towards the end it started to get a little off. I did like Audrey’s screaming at fans though, in particular. The six Diva tag match was pretty refreshing, since we got to see Raquel and Caylee finally make their ring debuts on TV, and did pretty well against one another. I’m still bitter we won’t get to see Sonia anymore since I was really taking a liking to her, but overall her last two matches for FCW were enjoyable.
Four new names — including the debuting Hailey Hatred — have been added to SHIMMER’s October 1st and 2nd tapings.
Also debuting in OCTOBER IS JAPANESE WRESTLER Yumi Ohka.
Details below:
[notice]This week, SHIMMER – WOMEN ATHLETES is proud to announce the addition of HIROYO MATSUMOTO, NEVAEH, YUMI OHKA, and HAILEY HATRED to its next set of DVD tapings, just over six weeks away!
SHIMMER returns to live action on Saturday & Sunday, October 1st & 2nd, 2011, at the Berwyn Eagles Club (6309 26th Street) in Berwyn, IL, just outside Chicago. Bell time on Saturday, October 1st is 2pm. Bell time on Sunday, October 2nd is 1pm. Volumes 41-44 of the SHIMMER DVD series will be filmed during the course of the weekend, with two full length DVD releases taped each day. The events are suitable for all ages.
Front row seating is already SOLD OUT for both days. General admission seating to the October 1st & 2nd tapings can be purchased at http://shimmerwrestling.blogspot.com/p/events.html using PayPal. General admission is $30 per full day of taping (essentially $15 per DVD worth of live matches). You can also purchase tickets by mail, using money order. For mail order instructions, E-mail [email protected]. We will also have tickets available during intermission of this Saturday’s (8/20) AAW event at the Eagles Club for those who would like to pick them up in person.
Two former SHIMMER Tag Team Title holders in HIROYO MATSUMOTO and NEVAEH return to SHIMMER competition on October 1st & 2nd. After enjoying great success in the tag team ranks earlier this year, Hiroyo has expressed her intention to focus on singles competition on Volumes 41-44. After being absent from Volumes 37-40, Nevaeh, one half of the very first SHIMMER Tag Champs, looks to make her mark once again within the SHIMMER ranks come October.
YUMI OHKA comes to us from the Pro Wrestling WAVE organization in Japan. A ten year veteran of the ring, Ohka got her start in the JD Star promotion in 2001. She is currently aligned with Misaki Ohata as part of the Black Dahlia faction in WAVE. Visit http://pro-w-wave.com/ for more on Pro Wrestling WAVE.
After breaking into professional wrestling in the Midwest region of the United States, HAILEY HATRED switched her focus to the women’s wrestling scene in Japan. She relocated there with the goal of achieving great success, and made history in June of 2011 by becoming the first gaijin competitor to win the JWP Openweight Championship. Hailey will return to the United States for a brief trip to participate in Volumes 41 & 42 on Saturday, October 1st (she will be appearing for AIW in Ohio on Sunday, October 2nd). Don’t miss the SHIMMER debut of Hailey Hatred! Tickets are now on sale.
Officially announced thus far for October 1st & 2nd: SHIMMER Champion Madison Eagles, SHIMMER Tag Team Champions Daizee Haze & Tomoka Nakagawa, Sara Del Rey, Cheerleader Melissa, Serena Deeb, MsChif, Mercedes Martinez, Nikki Roxx, “Portuguese Princess” Ariel, Allison Danger, The Canadian Ninjas, Kellie Skater, Kana, Jessie McKay, Leva Bates, Athena, Hiroyo Matsumoto, Nevaeh, Yumi Ohka, and Hailey Hatred (10/1 only). Look for more talent to be announced during the coming weeks. Over 25 of the top female professional wrestlers from around the world will gather in Berwyn for Volumes 41-44!
Over half of the tickets for these events have already been sold. Since seating at the Eagles Club is very limited, we do suggest securing your tickets in advance if you wish to attend.
In addition to the SHIMMER events that Saturday & Sunday, our friends at AAW will present a card at the Berwyn Eagles Club on that Friday evening, September 30th. Several SHIMMER talents will be featured on the AAW event, including SHIMMER Champion Madison Eagles, MsChif, and Jessie McKay. Visit http://www.aawrestling.com/ to pick up tickets to the September 30th AAW event, to make it three straight days of live wrestling at the Eagles Club!
Mark your calendars! SHIMMER is back October 1st & 2nd in Berwyn![/notice]
Spoilers for this week’s episode of SmackDown. The show airs on Friday on Syfy.
What a fantastic 48 hours for the WWE as a whole, as well as the Divas. A lot of us doubted that the ‘E could keep their momentum after Money in the Bank, but they’ve certainly proven me wrong, and I hope all of you as well. SummerSlam provided us with the return of the top you-know-what to ever grace the squared circle, Mrs. Stephanie McMahon. And it also gave us a shocking Kelly Kelly victory over Beth Phoenix in one of the most beautiful ways possible. Raw had a lot to live up to and it absolutely smashed a home run right over the center field wall. Kelly teamed up with her BFF Eve Torres to take on Brie and Nikki Bella. The Divas of Doom, Beth and Natalya, made their presence felt in two drop-dead flawless outfits, Stephanie continued to baffle all of us, and Vickie Guerrero, the reigning Queen of Fierce, could have very well stolen the show last night. Let’s hurry up and get on with the action!
The first thing we’re going to get into is the tag match. I can admit that I totally popped for the Bella Twins (in their DB colors no less…) when they came out as I wasn’t expecting to see them. After all four ladies are in the ring, the Divas get into the usual trash talking. Kelly parades her championship in the twins’ faces, and finally it’s decided that Kelly and Brie will start the match off. 2K follows up her victory from last night with some impressive offense in the early stages of the match. She ends up getting Brie in the corner after hitting a sweet looking bulldog, and then she delivers a stinkface to her brunette opponent. Nikki walks over and provides a distraction which gives Brie a chance to strike Kelly from behind. The champ goes down, and Brie begins to work over Kelly’s leg. Brie pulls her to the corner, where she tags in Nikki, and the older Bella hurts Kelly just a little more. Nikki tags her sister right back in and that gives Brie a chance to mimic Nikki’s motions. They’ve got Kelly grounded. The merry-go-round of tags continue with Nikki coming into the match for good now and the work on Kelly’s hurt limb continues with a sick looking submission type of hold. Kelly is actually folded into a wicked looking triangle. That’s just not normal. Kelly, to her credit, is able to kick Nikki away with her good leg and she crawls over to her corner and makes the tag to Eve.
The ex-Divas Champ gets involved now and she takes control over Nikki. Not even a distraction from Brie can stop Eve from changing the course of the match. Nikki attempts to lift Eve up for a powerslam, but Eve wiggles out of it and lays Nikki out with a backwards neckbreaker (yes, I still give wrestling moves their own names, haha). Brie tries to come in to help, but Kelly is all over that. She takes Brie down which gives Eve an opportunity to go to the top rope and hit a moonsault on Nikki. She goes for the cover and that’s all she wrote, folks. The team of Kelly and Eve pick up a big win. They celebrate in style but that celebration is cut short when the Divas of Doom make their way out onto the stage. Beth and Natalya sarcastically applaud the victory of Kelly and Eve, and from there it’s just an intense stare-down. Love it.
First of all, how amazing did Beth and Nattie look?! OMG, wow. Beth’s whole look from last night needs to get into my closet right now and Nattie, well she always brings the fierce. We know she’s a little fashionista with her Louis Vuitton and Louboutin tweets so you just keep on keeping on girl. The Divas of Doom make me happy because as great of a face tag team as they were, Beth and Natalya are amazing at being heels. I truly hope these two stay together through thick and thin and perhaps when Kharma makes her return, they can all be a sick and twisted stable and continue to raise hell in the Divas division. Then and only then can they all turn on each other and give us an epic triple threat match at WrestleMania 29… but again, I’m getting way ahead of myself.
The Divas had another good match. The Bella Twins always impress me and I love the way they told a story in this match. They picked apart one body part and stayed with it, and that’s great. Kelly is proving that when given a little extra time she can pull out new moves, and I love her for it. Eve getting the pin was an interesting surprise and I’m excited to see where this is going.
And speaking of exciting, Vickie was given an interesting proposal by a former World Heavyweight Champion.
What sets up the backstage segment you’ve just watch is the fact Vickie and her main man, Dolph Ziggler (my man, haha), came to ringside to do commentary for the Alex Riley and Jack Swagger match. The couple spent the majority of the time bickering between themselves with Dolph putting the announcers in their place everytime they tried to diss Vickie and her appearance. Dolph and Vickie were great, as usual, but eventually Vickie grew tired of it and she left the broadcast booth.
But she didn’t go far.
Vickie took good ole J.R.’s hat and put it on her head. She strutted around in it for a little while, getting everyone to look at her. When Riley was in good shape to win the match, Vickie provided a hilarious distraction. She jumped on the apron and put the hat on the referee and that allowed Swagger to recover. To failed gut-wrench powerbombs later, Mr. I Couldn’t Unhook The Money in the Bank Briefcase on the Grandest Stage of Them All got a much needed win. And no, I’ll never let that go, ever. Vickie seemed pleased with herself and the greatest thing of all, Dolph had to sit there and watch his woman help another man win a match. Vickie is soooo vicious.
As far as the backstage segment goes, a Vickie and Swagger union would be epic. Vickie clearly loves her blonds and Swagger, despite his little fails (MiTB, ahem) is super talented. He’s being wasted on Raw and getting involved with Vickie would be amazing for him. I’ve never understood why the art of managing has died out, but having Vickie help bring the movement back is great. Managers can absolutely have more than one client and I’d love to see the two men fight over Vickie and have an eventual feud. The idea of a Dolph/Swagger match makes my mouth water and if you throw A-Ry into that mix, oh baby. Lets make this happen at Night of Champions.
I love great Raws.
And the greatness didn’t stop there. Stephanie, who shocked us all with her return at SummerSlam, showed up on Raw and she had yet another little segment with Diva Dirt favorite, CM Punk.
The 37 seconds of awesomeness left all of us with more questions than answers and honestly, I’m okay with that. I would love to sit here and speculate all day about what Stephanie meant when she told Punk that people always get what they deserve. In fact, we talked about it a lot on DD Live last night. I don’t know where this storyline is going. And I have no idea what it means. But what I know is that I love having Stephanie back on television. It’s where she belongs because until Vickie came along, no one could get a reaction quite like Stephanie. And a cryptic Stephanie is the absolute best Steph of all.
Again, I love great Raws. I’ll be truly shocked if SmackDown is able to top what we saw tonight. Good luck to them and I’ll see you guys next week! Until then… Cryssi out!
Diva fans were severely disappointed this past weekend when the Divas roster for WWE ’12 was revealed. The roster had seemingly been cut in half from the year before.
Just seven Divas were revealed on Saturday, down from 13-14 for last year’s SmackDown vs Raw. With Trish Stratus also expected to be in the game, that brings the total to eight.
RELATED: WWE and THQ Unveil Divas Roster for “WWE ’12″ / Videos from WWE ’12: Diva Entrances and Finishers, Plus More Screen Shots
THQ’s Cory Ledesma, who is Creative Director for the WWE games, has commented on the fan out-pour via Twitter:
We cant win on the Diva roster issue. People complain we have too many, others complain not enough. Divas in DLC..wait for the announcement.
Ledesma also confirmed that Gail Kim and Melina, who were recently released by WWE, won’t be in the game at all. For obvious reasons they weren’t part of the roster reveal, but like Mickie James last year, there was a hope that they might appear in the final product. However, Ledesma says that the only two released Superstars in the game who weren’t included in Saturday’s reveal are Chavo Guerrero and Vladimir Kozlov.
RELATED: Trish Stratus in WWE ’12
So to recap: Expect only 7-8 Divas in the actual game, and more available as downloadable content. Of course, you’ll have to pay extra for the bonus Divas who aren’t in the initial product.
Pissed off? Which Divas should be available as downloads? Shout off in the comments…
Thanks to Josh Jordan for the tip.
While the WWE Divas were signing autographs at SummerSlam Axxess in LA, several former Divas were signing autographs in Chicago.
Maria Kanellis and Torrie Wilson were among the celebrities at Chicago Wizard World 2011 this past weekend. TNA Knockout, Tara, was also in attendance.
A few pictures of T-Dub and MK below:
Our friends at Kayfabe Commentaries have released a sneak peak from Jim Cornette’s upcoming Timeline: History of the WWE DVD in which Cornette talks about events in the company in 1997.
In a clip from the DVD, Cornette puts former WWE Diva Sable on blast, saying that she didn’t want to be in the wrestling business, only on TV. He even goes as far as branding her a C U Next Tuesday.
Watch the clip below. Note: Contains strong language.
In the words of Joey Styles: “Oh my GOD!”
Get your Monday night Divas fix by tuning in to Raw tonight at 9pm ET on the USA Network.
Be sure to tune in to Diva Dirt LIVE tonight at 11:15pm ET!
Discuss the show in the comments!
Going into last night’s SummerSlam, the odds favored the bigger, stronger, more powerful Glamazon, Beth Phoenix. Having branded Kelly Kelly a ‘blonde, little bimbo’, Beth had tormented Kelly both mentally and physically over the past couple of weeks — even aligning herself with a fellow powerhouse Diva in Natalya — but once the cameras started rolling, it was Kelly who shocked Beth, Natalya and even the fans by pulling out the victory.
With Beth involved and a good storyline build going into the event, I had high expectations for this match. Did it live up to the hype? Let’s find out…
Out first is the Divas Champ, K2, with her bestie, Eve, in her corner. Michael Cole adds: “Someone explain to me why Eve Torres is always around for a Kelly Kelly match?” Um, did you see the alternative? Lucky escape, Eve! If you weren’t in Kelly’s corner, you’d have to dance for Cee Lo!
Next out is Beth sporting a brand new look. Gone are the Glamasuits — a moment’s silence please :'( — and back in vogue are the skirts Beth once used to sport. Beth is accompanied by fellow Diva of Doom, Natalya, looking very cute in jeans and heels.
As Beth enters the ring, Kelly hoists her Divas Championship in the air showing that she is not afraid and ready for the challenge that is the Pin-Up Strong Diva.
The bell rings and it’s Kelly that is wasting no time, taking the fight right to Beth, a sign that she is not intimidated. Kelly runs at Beth with a flurry of forearms and stomps but Phoenix easily overpowers her, shoving her hard back against the mat. Kelly is undeterred however, getting right back on her feet and running at Beth a second time with forearm shots.
Beth reverses an Irish whip attempt and runs at Beth, who sticks her leg out to block any contact. Beth grabs Kelly’s foot as the champion hobbles for a moment before tapping into her gymnastic background with a backflip. The momentum of the backflip, however, sends Kelly hurtling into the ropes, staggering to remain on her feet.
Kelly ducks a clothesline and locks Beth into a headscissors takedown. This is pretty much Beth spinning around holding Kelly. Beth goes through the middle ropes, selling the headscissors with surprise and shock at Kelly getting the upper-hand on her. Before she has time to recover, Kelly applies a sort of ‘reverse tarantula’ from inside the ring as opposed to the apron, choking Beth out. Kelly runs the ropes and knocks Beth off the apron with force. The Glamazon stammers to the outside but before she can catch her breath, Kelly comes flying at her with a clothesline from the top turnbuckle. Great spot.
As the Divas get back into the ring, Kelly tries to maneuver Beth into a backslide but Beth is not budging. Beth tries to back Kelly into the corner, but Kelly uses her feet for leverage, climbing the ropes and backflipping over Beth. The momentum soon shifts, however, when Kelly walks into a hard clothesline from the Glamazon — to cheers from the crowd? Um, Beth is the heel.
It’s Beth’s turn to show off her talent now: her strength and power. She hoists Kelly up in the air in powerslam position, holding the position for a moment, and then guillotines her over the top rope. Ouch!
Beth goes for a pin attempt but only gets a two-count.
The Glamazon picks up Kelly and tosses her across the ring as the referee checks on her. Beth then chokes Kelly in the corner with her foot. On the outside, Eve eyes Natalya in case she tries to interfere and the two exchange words. Back in the ring, Beth runs at Kelly hitting a butt-bump on the Divas Champ and then adds insult to injury by mocking Kelly’s stinkface, again to much applause from the audience.
Another pin attempt by Beth followed by a chin-lock. Kelly slowly but surely rises to her feet with forearms, breaking out of the move, but Beth quickly takes back control with a shot to the stomach. Beth picks up Kelly and bends her over her shoulder in a torture rack-esque move, spinning around on the spot and applying even more pressure. The referee checks to see if Kelly wants to tap out but the champion is still in the game as Eve and the fans will her on with a clap. Kelly soon fights free from the hold and hits a reverse neckbreaker on Beth, however she’s still weakened and unable to make a pin attempt. The two Divas rise to their feet as K2 tries to fight off Beth with forearms but the Glamazon simply womanhandles her, hoisting her over her shoulder and hitting her with a running slam into the corner.
With Kelly in Tree of Woe position, Beth grabs Kelly by the hair, slamming her head against the bottom turnbuckle. Meanwhile on the outside, Natalya cries ‘Again!’ However, before Beth can hit a shoulder tackle, Kelly hoists herself up, rolling over Beth’s back and frees herself. Before Beth knows it, Kelly has her rolled up. Could she pull off the upset? Nope, Beth kicks out at two.
Beth is angered but before she can get her hands on K2, the Divas Champion comes at her with a flurry of forearms. Kelly uses the ropes for momentum but Beth manages to pick her up into a side-slam followed by a pin attempt but the resilient champion kicks out.
Beth takes Kelly over to the ring ropes, stepping out to the apron, and sets K2 up for a stiff kick but Kelly manages to get out of dodge before Beth can do any damage. Kelly sees her opportunity, guillotining Beth over the top rope and manages to take the Glamazon off her feet. This the part where Michael Cole should add ‘Vintage Kelly Kelly’, as the Divas Champ smashes Beth’s face repeatedly against the mat while letting out her banshee-like scream.
Forearms to Beth, positioning her in the corner. Kelly tries to crawl desperately to the other side of the ring, looking winded and weakened from Beth’s assaults. Big ‘Kelly’ chant as she goes for a handspring butt-bump but as she reaches Beth, the Glamazon has her well scouted and sets her up for the Glam Slam! The crowd is loud for the Glamazon as she seemingly has the match won but before she can hit the devastating move, Kelly manages to roll through her legs and applies a quick victory roll to steal victory from the jaws of defeat!
Kelly hightails it out of the ring as soon as she gets the three count, fleeing the Glamazon’s wrath.
Kelly celebrates with Eve as Beth looks on astonished by her loss and comforted by Natalya.
Despite all the intimidation, K2 walks out of SummerSlam still the Divas Champion.
Thoughts: I really enjoyed this match. The match was laid out perfectly, in my opinion. You had Kelly try to use her speed advantage to beat Beth, and you had Beth use her size/power advantage to dominate Kelly. That is how I pretty much envisioned this match working and that’s what they did. The match played on both Divas’ strengths, with Kelly using a lot of acrobatic/gymnastic moves to get out of Beth’s holds etc., while Beth just tried to clobber her down.
Kelly really gave one of her best efforts in the ring here with Beth. Working with a more experienced wrestler, Kelly was able to shine and be more comfortable in the ring. Beth led the match and anchored Kelly, as she should being the veteran, but the Divas Champion also showed a lot of tenacity. Kelly is always willing to take bumps and she had a few scary spots in this one. Her clothesline to the outside was very good, too.
The finish was, in my opinion, exactly the right thing to do here. Internet fans always seem to want to see instant gratification and they want to see Beth win, but story-wise, the right person won. We’ve only had two weeks of television since Beth won the battle royal. They should build this feud up more. I’ve been happy with the build that they gave this match in two weeks, so imagine four more weeks of build leading into the next pay per view? I expect Beth will win the title eventually, but it didn’t need to be last night and it shouldn’t have been last night.
Match Rating: 4/5. This match met my expectations.
Also at SummerSlam, as you might have guessed, musical guest = Divas as glorified dancers. That was the role played by the Bella Twins, Brie and Nikki, Alicia Fox and Rosa Mendes last night at SummerSlam.
I guess there’s no real need to nitpick over this because this was in addition to a match and not instead of one. Yes, it was silly and groan-worthy, but it was harmless. The Divas looked great in red, I thought. And hey, if I have to sit through Divas acting as glorified dancers, I’d rather listen to a song I like — ‘F**k You’ — than one I don’t.
I was, however, disappointed that there was no ‘Nikki B’ guest rap… “They ain’t got shit on me!”…
RELATED: In Video: Stephanie McMahon Appears at SummerSlam
What did you think of SummerSlam? Did the Divas deliver? Tell us in the comments…
WSU has officially announced today the card for its Breaking Barriers II iPPV that will air this November.
The card will be headlined by a women’s War Games match set inside a steel cage as the Midwest Militia (Jessicka Havok, Allysin Kay and Sassy Stephie) face WSU World Champion Mercedes Martinez, Alicia and Brittney Savage.
Plus, former WWE Diva Melina makes her WSU debut taking on Serena.
Full details below:
[notice]WSU Returns LIVE to iPPV on 11/19 in Union City, NJ with “Breaking Barriers II” Featuring the WSU Debut of MELINA & The First Ever Female WARGAMES Match!
Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU) Returns To iPPV on 11/19
DIRECT LINK TO ORDER TICKETS: http://declarationofindependents.net/doi/pages/wsu111911tix.html
POSTER ART: Coming Soon
iPPV Ordering Link: Coming Soon From GoFightLive.tv
Tickets are $5 cheaper when you pre-order.
Fans can pre-order tickets up to the day of the show and bring their paypal receipt as proof of purchase.
WHAT: Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU) on iPPV
WHEN: Saturday, November 19th
WHERE: The ACE Arena, located at 725 Sip Street in Union City, NJ
BELLTIME: Meet & Greet From 4pm-6pm
SHOW START/LIVE iPPV TIME: 7pm
TICKET INFORMATION: $30 in advance, $35 the day of the show. The ticket allows you entry to the meet & greet and guarantees you a seat.
For more information, email [email protected] or visit WSUWrestling.com
For full match previews, visit WSUWrestling.com and make sure to follow us on Facebook & Twitter for live every day updates!
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When WSU returns live to iPPV on 11/19, we will be presenting the biggest womens wrestling event of the Fall. WSU has been on fire all year in 2011, from putting on one of the most incredible ladder matches, celebrating Mercedes Martinez’s 2 Year reign as champion and watching new stars develop, while being a place for new beginnings. On 11/19 on iPPV, in our double main event of “BREAKING BARRIERS II”, we will see new stars get the opportunity to shine, while seeing Former WWE Womens Champion MELINA get a new beginning.
Here are the matches announced thus far, with more matches to be announced:
DOUBLE MAIN EVENT
Main Event 1
WARGAMES STEEL CAGE MATCH
RULES: Match will be held in a steel cage. Wrestlers will enter the cage in 5 minute intervals. Once everyone has entered the match, the only way to win is make one team member submit or say I Quit.
Special Guest Referee: Amy Lee
TEAM WSU (WSU World Champion Mercedes Martinez & Alicia & Brittney Savage) vs THE MIDWEST MILITIA (Jessicka Havok & Allisyn Kay & WSU Spirit Champion Sassy Stephanie)
Main Event 2
FIRST TIME EVER!
Former WWE Womens Champion MELINA vs “The Self-Proclaimed Best In The World Today” SERENA
WSU Tag Team Championship Match
(c) The Boston Shore (Amber & Lexus) vs The International Home Wrecking Crew (Rain & Jetta)
NYWC Starlet Championship Match
Suicidal Six-Way Elimination Match
(c) Nikki Syx vs Violet vs Monique vs Jessie Brooks vs Barbie vs Rick Cataldo
#1 Contenders to the WSU Tag Team Championships
Winners Will Get a WSU Tag Team Title Match at the 5 Year Anniversary Show
The Belle Saints (Tina San Antonio & Marti Belle) vs The Soul Sisters (Jana & Latasha)
Loser Leaves WSU Match
Jennifer Cruz vs Niya
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Quick Match News:
(Full previews coming soon)
On 11/19 we will see two huge main events. Following the heels of our huge 8/6 double dvd taping, where DVDs are now on sale at WSUvideo.com, the smoke was all cleared and we saw the formation of the Midwest Militia. With new WSU commissioner Amy Lee in the saddle, Lee announced that it will be Jessicka Havok finally getting her WSU World Title shot at Mercedes Martinez on 3/3/12, in addition to Savage getting her WSU Spirit Title rematch against Sassy Stephanie, in addition to Alicia getting her shot to get revenge on the person who attacked her mother, Allisyn Kay. But before we get to 3/3/12, the three most heated rivalries in all of WSU will come to a head in the most explosive and most dangerous match in all of womens wrestling – a WARGAMES MATCH!
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Former WWE Womens Champion Melina will be making her WSU debut on 11/19. Melina joins names such as Jillian Hall, Luna Vachon, Christy Hemme, Jazz, Ivory, Dawn Marie, Molly Holly and others as someone with WWE experience looking to start anew in the biggest womens wrestling promotion today. Someone also on that list is Serena Deeb, a person who is not happy about Melina coming to WSU. Serena told WSU she will be releasing a video message about Melina’s debut in WSU where she will explain why she’s not thrilled with Melina in WSU.
Melina, who has a very storied career in WWE, wants to prove to the world that she is not just a diva, but a full-fledged womens wrestler. She will get that opportunity on 11/19. Serena is calling herself “The Best in the World”. We’ll find out if that rings true on 11/19 in this first time ever one-on-one clash.
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The Boston Shore are your current WSU tag team champions and are currently undefeated as a unit in WSU. Both members of the Shore, Amber & Lexus feel like they have not been getting the proper respect, press or treatment by fans and critics alike. Both members of the Shore looked to change all that on 8/6, and boy did they. Amber had the best match of her WSU singles career, pushing WSU Spirit Champion Sassy Stephanie to the limit. However, the big talk of the town was Lexus, who became a main eventer in her own right, when she made history with Mercedes Martinez by having the longest match ever in womens wrestling, going 73 minutes. No one has ever pushed Martinez this far or this hard. Martinez has been champion for 30 months, and has made 45 world title defenses in that time, but never was she put to the brink like she was by Lexus.
Still, while accomplishing impressive single feats, the Boston Shore are the WSU tag champions, a championship that the Shore feels needs to be respected more in WSU. The Shore did just that when they attacked Rain & Serena after Rain & Serena duked it out for nearly 15 minutes. While this original match was supposed to be The Shore vs Rain & Serena, Serena asked to leave this match because she had something to prove and said she would handle the Shore on her own time. WSU asked Rain to find another partner, and Rain went all the way to the United Kingdom to do it, in the form of the returning JETTA!
Rain & Jetta, the IHWC, will be re-united in WSU when they challenge the tag champs. For the Shore, this will be the biggest match of their tag team careers. For Rain & Jetta, this is a perfect way to get right back to the top of the womens wrestling world.
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WSU and NYWC have been working together for several years now. NYWC, NY’s premier independent organization has recognized WSU championships on their shows. WSU has repaid the favor and recognizes the NYWC Starlet Championship. WSU wants to put on a match to feature all the top contenders for that championship currently, and decided to put them all in one match. On 11/19, 6 stars will compete for the honor of being NYWC Starlet Champion. For current champion Nikki Syx, she will have to outlast 5 other competitors in elimination rules to retain her title. For the challengers, anyone can win a match like this, and there are very good chances we can see a new champion on 11/19…
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If you have been following WSU, it is no secret that there is a miscommunication issue and problems among the Belle Saints. The Saints are getting one last shot to get back on the same page and have a major match to focus on come 11/19, as the Belle Saints will challenge the Soul Sisters with the winner becoming the new number 1 contenders to the WSU Tag Team titles.
Marti Belle left 8/6 promising to drop a major bomb about Tina San Antonio. However, Marti has since told WSU that the team comes first and her and Tina have worked out their issues privately. That remains to be seen. The Saints want to reclaim the WSU Tag Team titles and we will see if they can get back on that path on 11/19.
For the Soul Sisters, Jana & Latasha, this duo has been with WSU from day one. Despite being with WSU for nearly 5 years now, the tag team has never held the WSU Tag Team Titles together. The Soul Sisters are re-dedicating their focus on fulfilling that ultimate goal and are looking to become the new WSU Tag champions. A win over the Belle Saints will put them one step closer.
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Jennifer Cruz & Niya are up and comers in WSU, but in recent times, have been on the losing end of too many matches. WSU is being flooded with requests from wrestlers all over the world and are currently having trouble getting everyone on the roster on every show. Talent cuts need to be made, and it starts on 11/19. WSU wants to focus on the most successful wrestlers in womens wrestling today. Niya & Cruz currently sport the worst win-loss record out of everyone in WSU in 2011. The winner of this match will be given another chance to grow with WSU at the 5 Year Anniversary Show. The loser of this match will be forced to watch the 5YA Show at home on iPPV. This is a Loser Leaves WSU match, with the winner keeping their job in WSU and the loser looking for work.
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We will have more matches & talent announced for this show in the upcoming weeks, in addition having a link to order the iPPV at GoFightLive.tv.[/notice]
TNA Knockouts Mickie James and Velvet Sky are among the first names announced for next year’s Maximum Impact tour in the UK.
The annual tour takes place in January. TNA will tour the breadth of the UK including London, Manchester and Nottingham.
Expect more names to be added soon.
More details on the tour here.
Mickie will also be taking part in a promotional tour of the UK this September to promote the tour. Mickie will be in the UK from September 23rd-30th. More details on appearances as they become available.
The FCW website has officially re-added the profiles of both Tough Enough alumni, Christina Crawford and Ariane Andrew as of this morning.
Last week, Andrew’s profile was removed just days after her addition to the site, but it looks as if they just placed her on the site too soon.
Meanwhile, Christina has been re-added to the site after her profile was taken down earlier this year when she gave up her developmental contract to take part in Tough Enough.
Ariane is going by the name Cameron Lynn in FCW, while Christina has re-assumed her pre-Tough Enough name, Caylee Turner.
You can check out their profiles and new pictures at the following links: Caylee Turner, Cameron Lynn.
WWE recently released Sonia from her developmental deal.
Divas Champion, Kelly Kelly, retained her title against Beth Phoenix tonight at SummerSlam after stealthily countering the Glam Slam into a victory roll.
Kelly upset the Glamazon following a good match that saw Beth dominate Kelly. However, Kelly also had some shining spots including a great crossbody to Phoenix on the outside.
However, despite winning the match, it looks like Kelly has only infuriated the Glamazon even more. This one is far from over…
Thoughts: Enjoyable match that got decent time. The finish was the best move to make, as much as Beth fans will be unhappy, as it allows the feud to continue and grow over the coming month and hopefully lead to a rematch at the next PPV.
What did you think? Did Beth vs Kelly live up to you expectations?
WWE Executive Vice President of Creative Development, Stephanie McMahon, made a cameo appearance at SummerSlam tonight in a backstage segment with CM Punk.
The former General Manager and Women’s Champion appeared to wish Punk good luck for his WWE Championship match later in the evening, leading to a back and forth between the pair.
Stephanie referenced Punk’s promo on Raw a couple of months ago, saying: “I’m just Vince McMahon’s clueless daughter, right?” Punk corrected her, “I called you idiotic.”
When Stephanie went to extend her hand for a handshake at the end of the segment, Punk delivered another zinger: “I would, but I know where that hand has been.”
Thoughts: Stephanie looked great. Very nice surprise!
Watch the segment below:
Tonight at SummerSlam, Kelly Kelly defends the Divas Title against Beth Phoenix.
Watch SummerSlam live on pay per view at 8pm ET.
Discuss the show in the comments!
