Sunday, April 28, 2024

Unwrapped (July 10th, 2011): Kaitlyn, Natalya, Rosa, SoCal Val & Tara

Erin
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Unwrapped (July 10th, 2011): Kaitlyn, Natalya, Rosa, SoCal Val & Tara


Every week, following WWE.com and ImpactWrestling.com’s photoshoot updates, we’ll take a look at the newest Diva and Knockout shoots and give you the opportunity to voice your opinions on them in a feature we lovingly call Unwrapped. Let’s unwrap this week’s eye candy, featuring Kaitlyn, Natalya, Rosa Mendes, SoCal Val and Tara:

Note about TNA photoshoots: Many of the new photoshoots on ImpactWrestling.com only consist of 3 or fewer photos, which hardly lends enough material for an Unwrapped post. In order to make it worth your (and my) while, I’ll only cover ones with 3 or more photos to them. Please don’t leave comments asking about a missing photoshoot.

Kaitlyn
In a bit of a unique combo, Kaitlyn’s wearing black pants, boots, a leopard print bra top and a vest. The vest kind of looks like a police gun holster, but oddly enough it sort of adds to the tough look she’s going for with the heavy boots and pants. It’s a kind of odd combination; maybe a more substantial top would have made more sense and would have made the vest look like more than something just hanging there. The poses seek to compliment the tough look with some smirks and seriousness, but all together they’re not all that exciting. It all makes for a photoshoot that is missing a bit of a spark, something to really pull it all together.
Rating: • • • • •
• View the photoshoot.

Natalya
It’s funny that a woman once known for a devilish laugh now tends to look so angelic. This photoshoot isn’t the first instance of that good girl grace, but it’s a perfect example of it. She’s wearing a tan skirt with a finely detailed top, keeping the rest of her look simple. It’s a gorgeous look, with her wavy and hanging down on the top which, while very detailed and colorful, looks very subtle too. It’s all in what it’s paired with: the tan skirt and even the tan colors on the walls let the top do the talking, and it plays beautifully. Her poses are equally simple and pretty, her arms held up against the wall or behind her head. She looks so natural and almost statuesque in her poses. These photos are gorgeous.
Rating: • • • • •
• View the photoshoot.

Rosa Mendes
It looks like Rosa found an abandoned corner of an arena for her photoshoot setting, posing in the shadowy corners, against plastic sheeting and using it all to produce silhouettes and shadows. It’s very creative and produces some unique photos. Her clothing, a partially sheer dress and knee-high boots, work well with the grungy setting due to their black colors and slight edginess. I really love how Rosa turned an otherwise uninviting setting into an intimate and seductive one, playing with the light and posing just right to produce the right effect. You can tell a good deal of thought was put into this, and I can always appreciate it when photoshoots go that extra mile.
Rating: • • • • •
• View the photoshoot.

SoCal Val
SoCal Val has taken a very va-va-voom dress and posed just as it required: lots of pouting, “come hither: eyes and a relaxed demeanor. I like the single sleeve, and how it keeps the dress from being a standard strapless number. Her hair is styled just so, with the bombshell waves always hanging on one side. It’s not the most subtle or creative photoshoot, but it shows that Val knows how to pull off a classically sexy look. And, of course, the red looks spectacular on her. The white setting looks better with it than I think most TNA photoshoot settings would; a couch or grungy hallway wouldn’t have done it justice, and the stark white backdrop lets the dress–and Val–shine.
Rating: • • • • •
• View the photoshoot.

Tara
In a photoshoot that debuted on July 4th, Tara is doing her patriotic duty and wearing the American flag in dress form. It’s a fun, sparkly number that makes for a simple fun look that is made even more fun by Tara’s poses: she salutes in two of the photos, injecting some of her silly personality into it. I like the way she put together a 4th of July themed photoshoot. We’ve seen plenty of these kinds of shoots, to decidedly mixed results. It’s tough to wear red, white and blue stars or stripes without looking cheesy. Tara definitely doesn’t look cheesy here; it really looks good on her. Maybe it’s the red streak in her hair that makes her look extra patriotic.
Rating: • • • • •
• View the photoshoot.

Which photoshoot did you like best? Vote in the poll below and speak your mind in the comments!

Impact Write-Up (July 7th, 2011): Velvet Defies the Odds

April
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This past week flew by, didn’t it? Or am I imagining things again? Who knows. Hope everyone had a happy 4th of July weekend. I enjoyed my three days off. Anyway, last week, we got a full showing from pretty much all the Knockouts in a six Knockout elimination style tag match. But this week, we’re focusing on just a few. In recent weeks, a pair of roughneck has-beens have been terrorizing the Impact Zone, with one Knockout in particular in their crossheirs. This week, however, that Knockout has a shot at vengeance. Even if the odds aren’t in her favor, she still has a hell of a lot to prove and with the strong stipulation on the line, you had better believe they do too. Will the two “old bitties” get booted out of Impact Wrestling for good or will they live to terrorize another day? Only one way to find out. Just keep on, keepin’ on.

Backstage, Velvet Sky is fired up for her match this evening, even if it is for….a handicap match. I wouldn’t be all that excited about it but hey, to each her own. Regardless, she seems ready and I can’t completely blame her. She has been the target of her opponents for weeks and this gives her a chance to finally get her retribution. She says that tonight’s match means everything in the world to her. Gone are the days that she is the target for every Knockout that has an issue. She’s not taking shit from anyone anymore and even if she sounds like a total bitch, she tells us that we can add smarts to the list, as well as being beautiful. Those two idiots signed up for this stipulation that if they lose, they’re gone forever. Oh so very true.

But whatever the case, Velvet is going to cleanse Impact Wrestling once again. This time, it is going to be two ugly hogs at a time. BAM!

Out first, from the side and with no music at all, come the team of ODB and Jacqueline. ODB tells us all that they’re not going anywhere but I have a hunch that they just might. Next to the ring is the last standing Beautiful People member..or at least, it’s her music. It seems a little more stalled than usual so ODB takes it upon herself to wipe down the middle rope, step over it and begin humping. She wiggles her ass and points at it, mocking Velvet and taunting the crowd. Meanwhile, Velvet Sky runs out from the back with a steel chair in hand and nails Jackie from behind. Then she kindly asks ODB if she wants some too, slamming the top into her midsection. Well, at least she included her in the festivities.

Velvet, ever so rambunctious, tosses the chair down and gets in the ring, demanding the official to ring the bell. She starts in on ODB, slamming her into the corner and taking her to the other side, chest chopping her against the ropes. Give it a rebound and ODB bounces off, getting a nice running clothesline takedown from Vel Vel. She is on it, you have to give her that. Back into the corner and Velvet lays the boots to one of her opponents, working her around the ring. She looks like she’s actually having fun and well, I would be too. She works each corner and is just taking it to ODB. Back and forth body shots, charging clotheslines and finally, a running faceplant out of the corner. Velvet is hyped up and it almost looks like she could take this match early on. But, naturally, Jackie has other plans as she comes in from the outside.

A shot to the head from behind and the crowd is just not happy. But Jackie doesn’t care and she goes back after Velvet, tossing her across the mat by her hair. Fierce and full of attitude, no matter her size, Jackie has always been one tough bitch. She smirks at her antics and picks Velvet up, going tough with those left hands. She sents her into the ropes and goes for a clothesline but Velvet ducks, coming back with one of her own. A pickup slam and we have our first pin attempt of the night but ODB flies across the ring and tackles Velvet like she’s in a game of football. What the hell was that?!

ODB picks Velvet up by her throat and tosses her into the corner but misses the knee, slamming it right into the turnbuckle when Velvet ducks away. This gives Velvet a chance to fight back, working ODB in the corner again. But the numbers game comes into play and Jackie comes from behind, knocking the blonde down to the mat. She works her across the ring and we’re reminded how tough Jackie is with Taz remembering when she used to beat the asses of many men, back in the day. Oh we know, Taz. We know.

Multiple left hands to Velvet and ODB is back on the apron, only to get a tag back into the match. She takes Velvet back to familiar territory against the turnbuckles, giving her a chest pop of her own with a forearm. She slaps her around and Velvet tries to fight back but it’s no good. ODB muscles her over to Jackie, tagging in the fresh body for a double team. They look to go for either a suplex or a flapjack but Velvet surprises them with a kick to ODB, taking Jackie down with a clothesline. Not bad for someone who is looked at as the weak link, hmm? She even rolls out of the way when ODB goes for an elbow drop, jerking up that funny bone.

I’m pretty sure that Taz just called Jackie….Yackie. Did anyone else hear that? Haha.

All three women are slowly up at the same time but Velvet is the first to throw an arm. Back and forth between her opponents, trying to build that momentum back up but she gets shut down like a bankrupt convenient store. Jacqueline stays on her, holding her arms while ODB goes to the outside for that chair we saw earlier. She goes for the swing, in spite of the referee and Velvet moves out of the way. WHACK! ODB drops that chair right across the skull of her partner, knocking Jackie down. She can’t believe it and frankly, I’m laughing my ass off. And so is Velvet but she takes advantage of the situation, kicking ODB to the outside. Jackie staggers to her feet but Velvet grabs her and nails her with that spike DDT. Straight into the cover and Velvet has done it! She snags the three count and boots those two ugly hogs right out of Impact Wrestling for good! She wastes no time in motioning for them to get the eff out but ODB, never one to take kindly to being overdone, tells her she ain’t gettin’ rid of her. She slaps her crotch and tells her to kiss it. Oh so classy, B. I mean, really.

Either way, Velvet has proven herself in this handicap match so kiss that. BAM!

Thoughts: Great showing from the Knockouts involved this week. Even if the match was only about 5 and a half minutes long, it was very consistent and I watched it all the way through without getting sleepy. That doesn’t always happen, as you well know. I think it plays into the “victim coming back strong” plot but regardless of storyline, Velvet really showed how far she’s coming in the ring this week. I don’t care what anyone else says. I haven’t always been a Velvet fan but in the last year or so, she’s grown on me. She’s really honed her craft between the ropes and I can respect that. I doubt this is the last we see of ODB, but I can’t say for sure that Jackie is going to be permanent. I can see her taking the high road on this one. ODB, however, doesn’t even know how to get there. Next week, we’ve got another major match coming up between two rivals and I’m excited for it so until that time next week, my lovies! xoxo

What did you guys think about this week’s Impact? Tell me about it!

Mid-Year Report Card: Diva Dirt’s 10 Wishes & Predictions for 2011 Revisited

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Back on New Year’s Day, as is annual tradition here at Diva Dirt, I made 10 wishes and 10 predictions for the year ahead. Now, as we are half way through 2011, I thought I’d take a look back at the wishes/predictions that were made and see where we’re at.

Let’s see how we’re doing so far…

2011 Wishes
* The Divas Tag Team Tables Match was cool and all, but how about we use that as a stepping stone to really amp it up with the women’s division? More unique matches, more emphasis on storylines and most importantly, more time for the Divas.
Well, this didn’t really happen. Sure, we got some flashes of more emphasis on storyline with Kharma, but with her abrupt departure we won’t see that play out. We are, however, seeing more time for the Divas at the moment — on Superstars. That’s half a victory, I guess?

* Please, please, please WWE, use Awesome Kong as the star attraction we know her to be. Don’t turn her into a punchline for Santino and/or Hornswoggle.
For the time she was in WWE, Kong — now Kharma — was used pretty well.

* TNA, how about some diversity? We no longer have any African-American Knockouts, or Asian Knockouts. This makes kittens weep.
Jacqueline briefly returned, but I think we need a permanent Knockout to fill this quota. It’s a shame that TNA still has no regular African-American or Asian Knockouts.

* I believe I speak for everyone when I say Gail Kim deserves a push! Let her talk some more, let her wrestle some more & give her a title feud.
Gail has had some good matches on Superstars in the last few weeks, but sadly still no title feud. She was briefly aligned with Daniel Bryan but that quietly disappeared.

* No more stupid title switches, TNA. No more laying down, no more lockboxes, no more reversing decisions. The amount of ridiculously short and meaningless title reigns in 2010 was through the roof. Get your act together with the Knockouts Championship.
To TNA’s credit, they have solved this problem with long reigns for Madison and Mickie.

* Sarita for Knockouts Champion. Just sayin’…
Still waiting on this one. Hope it happens before the year is out. The Knockouts Tag Team Championship is a step in the right direction, though.

* Natalya vs Beth Phoenix would certainly appease a lot of fans. It’s a WrestleMania dream match for many, but Divas and ‘Mania is a lost cause… any pay per view will do.
This hasn’t happened yet and I’m not expecting it to happen any time in the next six months.

* Make Winter a top Knockout! I’m talking title feuds, pay per view matches with Mickie, Angelina, Tara etc. Make her the star that WWE never did.
TNA has delivered on this one with Winter set to headline the August pay per view with Mickie.

* Main roster spots for AJ and Naomi, pretty please.
AJ has been called up. Still waiting on Naomi. Hopefully in the next six months.

* Oh and finally, ROH, we hope you develop a regular women’s division on TV and pay per view and give opportunities to the women not in WWE and TNA.
ROH lost its television deal so this hasn’t happened. Hopefully when they launch their new show with Sinclair Broadcasting, we may see more emphasis on a women’s division — but I’m not expecting it this year. 2012, perhaps?

2011 Predictions
* Title reigns that are inevitable: heel Melina as Divas Champ and Mickie as Knockouts Champ.
No reign for Melina, but check on Mickie.

* Lay-Cool will be headed to Splitsville. Say goodbye to the flawless BFFs.
Lay-Cool were dunzo at Extreme Rules. Check!

* Serena will join TNA.
She did receive a tryout but no contract yet.

* At least one big departure per company. (Melina? Layla? Tara? Mickie James?)
Michelle McCool was the big departure and a shocking one at that.

* WWE will sign at least one other recognisable independent name to go along with Awesome Kong.
Tenille and Britani Knight.

* TNA will axe the Knockouts Tag Team Championships.
Hasn’t happened yet, but they may as well. I’d prefer a secondary singles title akin to WSU’s Spirit Championship.

* Natalya will continue to be one of the top babyface Divas in WWE for much of 2011.
Sadly, Natalya had the rug pulled from under her in January at the Royal Rumble when she abruptly lost the Divas Championship to Eve. She’s been put on the backburner ever since despite having a good run as the champion.

* Eve will also be pushed once again in the top babyface spot, but will she be able to hold onto that spot this time?
Eve did receive another big push — although a random one — in January when she surprisingly won the Divas Title. Again, however, WWE didn’t really do much with her as champion. Third time’s a charm in 2012?

* Babyface turns for Layla, Maryse and Tara.
Check, nope, check.

* Heel turns for Angelina Love, Beth Phoenix and Winter.
Check, nope, check. I would like to see Beth turn heel and perhaps feud with K2 for the Divas Title.

So, that’s our predictions/wishes revisited. Not too bad.

What wishes and predictions did you make and how have you done?

Sarita Update, Says She Will be at Impact Tapings This Week

Melanie
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TNA Knockout, Sarita, who revealed last night that she is suffering from facial paralysis, relayed a message to her fans through on-screen cousin, Rosita‘s Twitter page.

Sarita Suffering from Facial Paralysis

Rosita wrote:

“Thank u all for your get well wishes. Im in good spirits and resting up for the iMPACT tapings!” ..Feel better cuz! xo

Once again, our best wishes to Sarita on a speedy recovery.

Sarita Suffering from Facial Paralysis

Melanie
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Sarita Suffering from Facial Paralysis

One half of the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions, Sarita, has revealed via her official Facebook page that she recently suffered facial paralysis.

Her condition resulted in her missing some events in Mexico where she wrestles as Dark Angel Sarah Stock.

She wrote:

Due to a facial paralysis that I recently suffered, I was unable to wrestle yesterday in Pachuca nor today in Arena Mexico. I’m focusing on my recovery and I offer a sincere apology to everyone.

Thoughts: Sarita’s condition sounds pretty scary. Not sure how serious her condition is, but it’s very shocking to hear. From everyone here at Diva Dirt, our thoughts are with Sarah. Here’s to a speedy recovery.

SmackDown Redux (July 8th, 2011): Tamina: Warrior Princess is Clearly No Xena…

Melanie
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In a land far away, evil tyrant Vince locked out his SmackDown Divas deeming that they would not have “fun, fun, fun” on a Friday. It was a cold, harsh lockout. The Divas wandered aimlessly backstage, their reason for being taken away from them. Some drowned their sorrows in catering. Some tried to dress up as male Superstars to try and get on the show. Some stuck pins in voodoo dolls of the Raw Divas.

But then… The drought eventually ended when AJ, the spunky young newcomer, decided that she had to, in fact, “get down on Friday.”

And so, here we are. The Divas lockout is over! Hurrah!

SmackDown, it seems, is now the tale of womanhood as AJ, a ‘little girl’ (Michael Cole’s words), journeys to become a woman by defeating Tamina: Warrior Princess (Booker T’s words).

It’s AJ, minus her annoying/catchy (delete as applicable) entrance theme, taking on Tamina as the Divas drought ends on SmackDown. As usual, team leaders, Alicia Fox and Natalya are also at ringside.

As the bell rings, AJ and Tamina lock up as AJ tries to go for an armdrag on the much larger Samoan Diva. Tamina, of course, is not budging — Duh! — and uses her strength to hoist AJ off the ground with great ease. The Great Khali Tamina has both of her hands around AJ’s neck and tosses her into the corner. Tamina gets in AJ’s face before the referee pulls her away. AJ looks horrified.

Tamina runs at AJ, but AJ scouts this and kicks Tamina in the face with both feet. AJ with forearms before being pushed into the ropes by Tamina. She uses the momentum to baseball slide through Tamina’s legs. As Tamina turns around, she takes AJ down with a chop.

AJ is whipped into the corner with great force. She slumps into the corner as Tamina hits a running butt-bump, shades of the late Umaga. Tamina grabs AJ by the hair, taunting her. Meanwhile, Michael Cole continues his usual anti-Natalya spiel on commentary. The sky is blue.

Tamina slams AJ back to the canvas and goes for a pin but AJ kicks out.

Tamina with a chinlock on AJ, almost bending her in half. As the crowd tries to cheer on AJ and get her back into the match, Tamina slams AJ face-first back into the canvas. Tamina with a boot to the fallen AJ. She then whips herself off the ropes and goes for a splash but AJ rolls out of the way.

Meanwhile on commentary: “Tamina’s a woman. AJ’s a little girl.” – Michael Cole.

AJ gets back on her feet and hits Tamina with a forearm followed by a spin kick to the midsection. With Tamina down on her knees, AJ runs the rope and hits her patented running knee strike, taking down Tamina. Pin attempt but Tamina shakes AJ off.

AJ with a splash in the corner on Tamina. Tamina whips AJ into the opposite corner and goes for a splash of her own but AJ moves out of the way.

AJ with a roll-up on Tamina for the win.

After the match, team leader Alicia is not happy with Tamina’s loss as the pair come face to face and exchange words. Dissension in the ranks, already? We need Rosa to tie their hands together with her jump rope so they’re forced to make up.

Thoughts: Question: Is Gabrielle supposed to be able to beat Xena? Once again, Tiny Spicy picks up a victory over the much larger Tamina. Sorry Booker T, Warrior Princess she is not.

Decent little match, but unfortunately, after being spoiled with lengthy Superstars matches of late, none of the matches on Raw or SmackDown quite measure up. Timing is everything and these Divas matches are never of a suitable length.

The Tamina/Alicia tension is interesting but I think it’s far too soon in the game to break up these teams they seem to have created. But having said that, at least there’s some sort of storyline here. Perhaps they could build up the Tamina/Alicia situation and do a full-blown storyline. WWE clearly has no long-term plans for the SmackDown Divas with the Divas Championship mostly seen on Raw despite being available to both brands, so they need to do something. I’m not a fan of WWE having a division on SmackDown when there’s nothing to compete for. It makes the matches meaningless, in my opinion. They need something to fight over. Or they need to create storylines like they did back in the days of Torrie Wilson and Dawn Marie which didn’t have a belt involved, but had a continuous storytelling week-to-week. That is something they could do with Alicia and Tamina.

WWE Superstars Redux (July 7th, 2011): Good Weave Hunting

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Locked out from their home on Friday nights, the SmackDown Divas have taken solace on Superstars in the past couple of weeks and delivered some great matches to boot! In fact, the MVP of the bunch, it seems, has been one Alicia Fox who picked up a victory over Kaitlyn last week (all the while, bringing Kaitlyn to her best match in WWE thus far).

This week, she gets some stronger competition in fellow former Divas Champ, Natalya, in what has to be the longest Divas match in recent memory.

With the pressure of performing on the ‘big shows’ i.e. Raw and SmackDown off, it seems like the pair decided to have some fun, making the match about the only thing that garners as much discussion as the Divas matches themselves: Alicia’s weave.

Watch this unbe-weave-able match below:

The stealthy Fox wastes little time, charging at her opponent with a slap to the face. She tries to take Nattie down by her leg but Natalya manages to hobble on one foot maintaining her balance, and reverses the takedown by rolling through and slamming Alicia against the canvas face-first. Nattie applies a leg submission on Fox but the heel Diva manages to apply a headlock on Natalya.

As the pair get back on their feet, Natalya whips Alicia into the ropes, jumps over her and then applies a monkey-flip with her legs which sends Fox into a tailspin.

Natalya charges at Fox, grabbing a good chunk of her hair. Uh oh! You don’t mess with the weave, girlfriend. Natalya shimmies through Alicia’s legs trying to get out of dodge as Alicia comes after her. Fox walks into a shoulder tackle, followed by a pin attempt but manages to kick out.

As Alicia gets back on her feet, a chunk of her hair — which Natalya was tugging at earlier — has fallen out! Oh, hell no. I think you just made Fox angry, Natalya. The pink and black Diva picks up the fallen weave and taunts Foxy with it. Alicia counters an Irish whip into the corner, Natalya uses the turnbuckles to float over the top of Alicia’s head and rolls up Alicia with a nice bridge but no three count.

Natalya wraps her arms around Alicia’s waist from behind as Fox tries to shake her off by clinging to the ropes. Alicia shakes free as Natalya hits the canvas but shows off her athleticism by immediately kipping up. Armdrag into an arm-bar by Natalya as Foxy writhes on the mat. “Where’s my hair?” cries Alicia as she tries to kick Natalya in the face and break free. Natalya continues to control Fox’s arm before picking her up for a running powerslam. Fox breaks free and lands on her feet. Natalya turns around and walks into a hefty slap from the former Divas Champion.

Fox follows up by slamming Nattie against the mat by her hair and then guillotines her under the bottom rope.

As we return from a break, Alicia has Nattie in a headlock as she ‘noogies’ her on the head. Nattie tries to break free with elbows to the midsection but Alicia slams her down to the mat. Fox stands over her fallen opponent, talking smack, and slaps her hard in the face before stomping on her.

Alicia applies an arm lock on Natalya, and out of the referee’s line of vision, bites off one of Natalya’s finger nails! Is that hygienic? Alicia spits the nail out in Nattie’s face as payback for the weave incident earlier. Kick to the stomach before stretching Nattie’s arm over the middle rope. Chinlock by Alicia now. Nattie eventually breaks free and picks Fox up for a scoop slam but Alicia levies her weight and falls on top of Natalya in a pin predicament but only gets a two count.

Alicia with a hard kick to the back before screaming, “You owe me new hair!” Alicia chokes Nattie in the corner with her leg over the throat before breaking it up at the referee’s behest. Pin attempt by Fox but Natalya kicks out. Then it’s Natalya’s turn, catching Fox by surprising, and rolling her up in a small package. No three.

Alicia is quick on her feet and jumps back up after the small package, kicking Natalya in the stomach. Headlock by Alicia wearing down her opponent before applying a snapmare and a leg-scissors. While the leg-scissors is locked in, Alicia plays with her opponent, slapping her on the stomach.

Natalya eventually gets to her feet, with Alicia still with her legs wrapped around her. Natalya backs Alicia into the turnbuckles, hanging her in the tree of woe before hitting her with a low dropkick.

The two Divas, both worn out, struggle to their feet. Alicia is fist up, running at Nattie with a knee strike to the corner but Natalya moves out of the way as Fox eats the turnbuckles.

Natalya with a big slap of her own to Fox. She mounts a comeback with clothesline and then kicks Alicia in the face as she comes off the ropes. Now time for a patented discus clothesline which connects perfectly. Nattie picks up Fox for a suplex and keeps her in the air for a short while, showing off her strength, before slamming her against the mat. Fox kicks out of a pin attempt.

Alicia tries to scurry out of the ring but not so fast! Natalya grabs her ring gear and pulls her back into the ring. Natalya has Alicia in fireman’s carry position, but Alicia counters into a sunset flip pin attempt but Natalya rolls through and is in perfect position for the Sharpshooter! Alicia kicks Natalya in the face and rolls her up for the one, two, three.

Fox picks up a big victory after a near-10 minute match. Finding the weave ripped from her head earlier, she picks it up and leaves the ring, showing it off as a badge of honor almost.

Thoughts: As Divas matches go, this is easily ranks up there with some of the best matches we’ve seen thus far in 2011. WWE Superstars has been on fire lately delivering great matches, especially in the last two weeks between Beth/Gail and now Alicia/Natalya.

These two Divas always have great chemistry and it showed in this match. Perhaps the best part of this match is that the Divas actually got afforded way more time than usual. It’s sad that these days we’d settle for a five minute match, but here we got over 10 minutes of action which is unthinkable these days. You could put three weeks of Raw Divas matches into this one segment.

It’s amazing to see the Divas get more time this week on Superstars, and Alicia & Natalya used it well. Very enjoyable match.

I truly hope Superstars will keep up this hot streak and deliver another great match next week. As they say, good things come in threes…

Another Tough Enough Contestant Debuts in WWE Developmental

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Last night at an FCW event in Tampa, former WWE Tough Enough contestant, Ariane Andrew, made her debut as a ring announcer for the night.

Andrew previously stated on Twitter that she had been signed to a contract in early April, despite being the first contestant eliminated by Stone Cold Steve Austin on Tough Enough.

Diva Dirt recently reported that fellow TE contestant, Christina Crawford, signed a new developmental deal and has already returned to FCW.

Photo Credit: Su-Yung.com & Minh Tran 

Impact Feedback: July 7th, 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!

SHIMMER Championship to be Defended in Australia: Eagles vs McKay vs Matthews

Melanie
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The SHIMMER Championship will be defended outside of the US for the first time on September 3rd when Madison Eagles defends the belt against both Nicole Matthews and Jessie McKay in Australia.

The match will take place for Eagles’ PWWA promotion in Liverpool, NSW, Australia.

Details below:

[notice]On September 3rd, 2011, history will be made as not only will the PWWA present its return event, but it will also mark the first time that the SHIMMER Championship will be on the line in a bout held outside of the United States! It was previously announced that Nicole Matthews will make her PWWA debut on September 3rd. PWWA and SHIMMER management have now agreed that, due to the even rivalry between McKay and Matthews in SHIMMER, both wrestlers are worthy of the opportunity to challenge Madison Eagles for the SHIMMER Championship. Thus, the first SHIMMER Title Match not held on American soil will see two of the top young female stars from different parts of the wrestling world both attempt to take the Championship from one of the most dominant women in the industry today in a three-way bout!

The PWWA event will be held at 6:30pm on September 3rd, 2011 at the home of PWA Australia, Liverpool Masonic Centre, Liverpool, NSW. Over 15 female wrestlers will be competing in the largest women’s wrestling event Australia has ever seen. Show DVDs will be available soon after the event for online purchasing.

For more information on PWWA, visit
www.pwaaustralia.com
www.facebook.com/PWWAaustralia[/notice]

More here.

WILD Wrestling Announces Match for Vacant Championship: Shelly Martinez vs Tab Jackson

Melanie
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WILD Wrestling took a unique approach to determine who would face off to crown its new champion after transgendered wrestler, Amanda, left the company last month.

The company’s promoter, Travis Leland, placed names of current WILD competitors in a hat and drew two names who will go on to face each other at a Freak Show Wrestling event next month in Vegas.

The names drawn were WILD newcomer, Shelly Martinez, and Tab Jackson.

The match takes place on August 4th.

You can watch the video of the name-drawing below:

This Week’s WWE Superstars featuring Alicia Fox vs Natalya Now Online

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WWE Superstars airs on WWE.com every Thursday.

On today’s show: Alicia Fox vs Natalya.

You can watch the episode at this link. (Skip to 20:00 to watch Alicia vs Natalya.)

Discuss the show in the comments!

Video Exclusive: The Belle Saints at WSU Uncensored Rumble

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Check out this video with Marti Belle and Tina San Antonio aka the Belle Saints taken prior to the WSU Uncensored Rumble event last month.

Before the Uncensored Rumble, Marti and Tina had been having their issues as a team but as seen in this clip, had seemingly gotten back on the same page — or at least, that’s what they wanted us to think.

On the actual show, dissension got the better of the Saints again when Tina walked out on her partner.

Must Watch Video: Beth Phoenix Gives CM Punk the Glam Slam!

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Must Watch Video: Beth Phoenix Gives CM Punk the Glam Slam!

Outgoing WWE star, CM Punk, got a unique farewell in his last trip to New Zealand before leaving the company in a couple of weeks.

Raw Superstars including Beth Phoenix and Kelly Kelly surrounded Punk and hit him with their best moves.

Beth Phoenix gave Punk a Glam Slam — payback for his ‘Go to Sleep’ move at the 2010 Royal Rumble, perhaps? Meanwhile, Kelly hit punk with a handspring elbow.

Check out this must watch clip below:

Kaitlyn Talks About Her Experience in WWE So Far, Gruelling Travel for Superstars/Divas

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SmackDown Diva, Kaitlyn, who celebrates her one year anniversary since joining WWE this month, has written a blog about her experience in the company so far for female fitness site, Hardbody.

Kaitlyn described a recent hellish trip she took to make it to a SmackDown taping, which I think gives fans a greater appreciation for just how much work is involved in being a WWE Superstar and juggling life on the road.

Of her trip, Kaitlyn writes:

“Crap”. (that’s not actually what I said… But it’s close enough). It was 5:29 and my connection was going to take off at 5:52! When we got to the gate, I jumped up frantically trying to get to the front. Hey, I don’t care, I’ll push a baby! Especially if he was crying the whole flight. I was not going to get stuck in Charlotte, NC for the night. That means that I would have to fly to Harrisburg in the morning on a TV day.

TV days are ridiculously long and not to mention hella stressful. Plus my bags would be going to Harrisburg without me. That means my clothes, hair products and my cooler with all my food, (of course I bring my food on the road. Once a fitness girl, always a fitness girl), would be out of touch until the next morning.

So, I grabbed my carry-on and held on to my low-rise jeans and sprinted from gate B7 to gate E25! I made it in just enough time to have the yellow strap pulled in front of me and the gate door closed. The lady at the desk wasn’t bothered in the least that I had embarrassing pit stains and was pretty much completely out of breathe.

Speaking about her year in WWE so far, she adds:

My life as a Diva is amazing, exhausting, rewarding, challenging and the best job in the world, but it is most definitely NOT glamorous. I have had the most incredible, (good and bad) experiences and I’ve only been with the WWE for just short of one, whirl-wind year.

Read the full blog here.

WWE & TNA House Show Rundown: Results from July 1st – July 5th, 2011

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Having trouble keeping up with all of the mainstream women’s wrestling that takes place off TV? Well fear no more! Diva Dirt has got your back with the House Show Rundown! Without any further ado, let’s kick things off!

Over on Raw, as a tour of Australia took place through the weekend, Divas Champion, Kelly Kelly, teamed up with the Glamazon, Beth Phoenix, to take on former champion, Brie, as well as Nikki, in a tag match that should be very familiar to readers of the house show rundown.

Smackdown had the week off it seems, but TNA gave us a few shows this weekend as well, pitting reigning Knockouts Champion, Mickie James, against the now non-zombified Angelina Love, with Winter in her corner.

This past weekend’s house show results below:

Friday, July 1st

WWE Raw in Sydney, Australia

Beth Phoenix & Kelly Kelly def. The Bella Twins
“Next up, Kelly Kelly came out to defend the Divas Title against Brie Bella accompanied by Nikki Bella. The Bellas attempted to get the upper hand before the match, which brought out Beth Phoenix to even the odds. Suddenly, the Raw GM chime went off and Justin Roberts announced that he received an email from the anonymous GM via his iPhone and that it would be a tag match. Kelly scored the pin.” (Source)

TNA Impact Wrestling in Brooklyn, New York
Mickie James def. Angelina Love (w/ Winter) to retain the TNA Knockouts Title
“Love was accompanied by Winter. Solid match. James was very over. They did the world’s “most infamous referee” bit with Earl Hebner and the crowd was all over him. Hebner did the Bret Hart mannerisms in response.” (Source)

Saturday, July 2nd

WWE Raw in Melbourne, Australia
Kelly Kelly & Beth Phoenix def. The Bella Twins
“Before the bell, Brie and Nikki double-teamed Kelly, bringing the run-in from Beth Phoenix (complete with music) to make the save. The Raw GM emailed in and changed the match to a tag team match. A fairly basic and short-ish divas match. Beth was worked over for the majority of the match before Kelly made the hot (in all senses of the word) tag and hit all her main spots (stinkface, Thesz press, bulldog) and the K2 for the Pin on one of the Bellas (couldnt tell which).” (Source)

TNA Impact Wrestling in Asbury Park, New Jersey
Mickie James beat Angelina Love (w/ Winter) to retain the TNA Knockouts Title
“I attended the TNA show last year in Brooklyn at the Cyclone stadium, and this was a near carbon copy from the match that I believe saw Angelina beat Madison Rayne. But it was basically the same match lay out, with Earl Hebner coming down to the ring, doing the Bret Hart pose, wearing his “Damn Right I Did It” t-shirt, etc. (By the way, who would have expected Hebner to get more mileage out of the screwjob than Bret or HBK, but I digress). Mickie won with her Last Kiss Goodnight Kick, in probably the longest match of the night. Not a bad contest by any means, but Earl def takes away from the bout with his antics.” (Source)

Sunday, July 3rd

WWE Raw in Perth, Australia
Kelly Kelly & Beth Phoenix def. The Bella Twins
“Scheduled to be Kelly Kelly vs. one of the Bellas, but The Bellas attacked Kelly before the match. Beth Phoenix ran out and made the save (complete with entrance music and spotlight). The Anonymous GM made it a tag match.” (Source)

Monday, July 4th

WWE Raw in Adelaide, Australia
Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix def. The Bella Twins (Source)

Tuesday, July 5th

WWE Raw in Brisbane, Australia
Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix def The Bella Twins (Source)

Thoughts: Pretty basic this week, though a good detailed report from a few events. Not much else to say on either of these matches that hasn’t been said before, though it sounds like both made for a good solid event.

 

Chikara Announces Two Big Matches for July Including Del Rey vs Castagnoli

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Chikara has announced two big matches for its two-night Chikarasaurus Rex: King of Sequel event on July 30th and 31st.

On night one, it will be a six-woman tag team match with visiting joshi stars Mima Shimoda, Makoto and Tsukasa Fujimoto.

Shimoda and Fujimoto will team with Portia Perez against the team of Makoto, Daizee Haze and Sara Del Rey.

On night two, Queen of Wrestling, Del Rey, will face her running mate, Claudio Castagnoli in an intergender match.

More information and tickets about both events here.

WSU News: Uncensored Rumble on DVD, Details for August 6th Show

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Two new WSU pressers:

[notice]

WSU Now Shipping “The Uncensored Rumble IV” on DVD at WSUVideo.com
– Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU) is proud to announce that we are now shipping our brand new “Uncensored Rumble IV” DVDs. This is the iPPV that got rave reviews all over the internet. We have included links to those reviews at the end of this release for anyone on the fence about ordering.
There are two versions of this DVD. In the “iPPV Cut” you will watch the iPPV how it aired on live iPPV. In the “Deluxe” version, you will get a cleaned up/remastered edition. The Deluxe Edition also includes the Cindy Rogers post-show retirement ceremony as well as never-seen-before backstage footage.
Both these titles are available now at WSUVideo.com
To order the iPPV cut of the Uncensored Rumble check out this link:
Cover Art:
***Don’t forget WSU returns to live action on 8/6. Complete details at WSUWrestling.com***
MATCH LISTINGS:
Fourth Annual Uncensored RumbleWSU World Title Match
(c) Mercedes Martinez vs 2011 J-Cup Winner Brittney Savage

First Time Ever
Nikki Roxx vs Serena Deeb

Uncensored Rules Match
Alicia vs Jessicka Havok

WSU Spirit Title Match
(c) Sassy Stephanie vs Rain

WSU Tag Team Title Match
(c) The Boston Shore (Amber & Lexxus) vs Tina San Antonio & Marti Belle

Retirement Match
Cindy Rogers vs Allison Danger

Kristin Astara vs Jillian Hall

Niya vs Barbie

The Fourth Annual 8-Woman Elimination Tag Match
“Pryme Tyme” Amy Lee & Jamilia Craft & Jana & Nikki Styx vs Allisyn Kay & Rick Cataldo & Monique & Jennifer Cruz[/notice]

And a presser on the 8/6 event:
[notice]

Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU) Returns With a Special Double DVD Taping on August 6th
WHAT: Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU) DOUBLE DVD Taping, Two Shows For One Ticket!
WHEN: Saturday, August 6th
WHERE: The ACE Arena, located at 725 Sip Street in Union City, NJ
BELLTIME: Meet & Greet From 4pm-5pm, Show starts at 6PM
TICKET INFORMATION: $20 in advance, $25 the day of the show. The ticket allows you entry to the meet & greet and guarantees you a seat both shows.
For more information, email [email protected] or visit WSUWrestling.com
MATCHES ANNOUNCED:
WSU World Title Match
(c) Mercedes Martinez  vs WSU Tag Champion & Uncensored Rumble IV Winner Lexus
(Taping 1 Main Event)
Last Woman Standing
Person To Knock Their Opponent Out For a Standing 10 Count Will Be Deemed The Winner
Winner Will Receive a WSU World Title Match
(Taping 2 Main Event)
Alicia vs Jessicka Havok
WSU Spirit Title Match
WSU Tag Champion Amber vs (c) Sassy Stephanie
#1 Contender 4-Corner Elimination Match for the Spirit Title
Winner Will Challenge For the Spirit Title On The 2nd Taping
Niya vs Allisyn Kay vs Tina San Antonio vs Marti Belle
Annie Social vs Serena
UNCENSORED RULES
Amy Lee vs Brittney Savage
The Soul Sisters vs Monique & Jennifer Cruz w/Rick Cataldo
Rain vs Roxxie Cotton
Barbie vs Nikki Styx
Plus: Many more appearing & a full show based on results of taping 1!
—
News:
Following the heels of our most watched & purchased iPPV to date, “The Uncensored Rumble IV”, some rivalries ended when some just begun. New stars started to emerge, while we said goodbye to old stars, such as the retiring Cindy Rogers. The Uncensored Rumble IV DVD, both in its iPPV edition & Deluxe edition will go on sale tomorrow at WSUVideo.com.
At the Uncensored Rumble, Lexus made history by shocking the womens wrestling world by entering at number 1 and outlasting the WSU roster to win the whole rumble, lastly eliminating Serena. As a result, a Boston/NY rivalry has emerged, as Lexus will cash in her Uncensored Rumble win by challenging the longest reigning & defending champion in all of womens wrestling today, Mercedes Martinez. Martinez has beaten virtually a who’s who of womens wrestling during her historic reign as champion. Lexus is on her way up in the world of professional wrestling and has shown flashes of brilliance. Lexus will go into this match as the underdog against the premier wrestler and champion in wrestling today when she challenges Martinez. For Lexus, this is a chance to prove to the world that she can hang with the best. For Martinez, this is another match where she will have to bring her best, as her challengers always bring their A games. There  are no off nights for Martinez and one must wonder when her grueling schedule, making 44 title defenses in 31 months will catch up to her.
The most talked about match & personal rivalry in all of WSU right now is Jesssicka Havok vs Alicia. Both these women stole the show at the Uncensored Rumble IV iPPV. Following up a previous match which was ruled a double DQ due to the brutality, the two had a rematch at the Rumble, which was considered one of the wildest and hardest hitting brawls in WSU history. The violence dished out in this match was not for weak stomachs. The match ended when Alicia’s mother threw in the towel, as Havok strangled the life out of Alicia with a chain. Alicia never tapped out, but the ref awarded the match to Havok by ref stoppage. Now these two will wrestle in a Last Woman Standing match. One person will have to win this match by knocking their opponent out for a 10 count.
To raise the stakes a bit, WSU officials have decided that the winner of this match will be next in line for a WSU World Championship match.
WSU does not want to mislead fans. Alicia & Havok will only be competing once during the double DVD taping and it will be in this match. After watching their previous two matches, WSU wants to make sure both women are 100% fresh for the “Alicia vs Havok III” DVD taping.
Annie Social returned to WSU on 8/6 making a surprise entry in the Uncensored Rumble. Social cleaned up old WSU business by eliminating her former partner-turned-rival, Rick Cataldo from the Rumble. Social’s other former partner in WSU, Roxxie Cotton will be joining Social in returning to WSU on 8/6. Both have improved tremendously since their time away from WSU, working for various promotions in Japan and honing their craft. WSU, which featured Social & Cotton prominently in the past, as the duo were the first ever WSU Tag Team Champions as “The Beatdown Betties” are interested in what these two can bring to the current WSU roster. Both have been placed in major matches for 8/6.
Social will test her mettle against former number 1 contender Serena Deeb. Deeb has defeated the likes of Alicia, Jazz, Portia Perez, Traci Brooks & Nikki Roxx during her WSU tenure. Serena wants to get back to another WSU World Championship match. Another former number 1 contender, Rain also wants to get back into WSU World Title contention. She will get her chance to move up in the rankings when she takes on the returning Roxxie Cotton. Both matches will be watched and will affect the WSU World Title rankings which you can follow at WSUwrestling.com. For Serena & Rain, who wrestled Martinez in fantastic matches, these are key bouts to prove they deserve World Title matches. For Social & Cotton, these are the most important matches in their WSU career as they try to show everyone that they are ready to mix it up with the very best and top quality championship criteria athletes.
The WSU Spirit title, created in August of 2009 will turn 2 years old. Champion Sassy Stephanie, embarking on her fifth month as WSU Spirit Champion hopes to be celebrating with the belt at the end of 8/6. Stephanie, who was eliminated by WSU tag champion Amber in the Uncensored Rumble has accepted Amber’s challenge. The WSU Tag Champions, The Boston Shore, Lexus & Amber, are looking to become World & Spirit Champions respectively and dominate every title in WSU. We have seen other groups try to wrest every championship in WSU, but for the Shore it could be a reality on 8/6. WSU has already told the Boston Shore that if they are to win singles gold on 8/6, they will be expected to make all scheduled WSU tag team title defenses.
However, for Amber and Stephanie, to leave 8/6 as Spirit Champion, they will have to get past one more opponent. WSU has signed Niya vs Allisyn Kay vs Tina San Antonio vs Marti Belle in a four corner elimination match, with the winner getting a Spirit Championship shot on the second taping. Niya, in her sophomore year of WSU has shown promise that she can hang, but now is the time for her to step up to the plate. This will be her biggest opportunity yet. Allisyn Kay, Jessicka Havok’s protege, was dominant at the Uncensored Rumble iPPV, tossing people left and right out of the Rumble. With Havok wanting the world title, can Kay & Havok do what the Boston Shore are trying to accomplish?
The story of the Belle Saints has been shaky as of late. Ever since Tina San Antonio went out with an injury on 3/5, things have changed for the Saints. For starters, officials and San Antonio have not found out who was behind San Antonio’s attack. WSU can rule out Marti Belle as an attacker, as Marti Belle was doing publicity for WSU’s Inasectv.com/wsu TV show during the time of Tina’s attack. When Jazz entered the mix, replacing Tina, Tina felt left out. The Saints would go on to lose the WSU tag team championships, as well as lose a rematch to the Boston Shore. In both matches Marti Belle was pinned, frustrating Ms. Antonio. In the rumble match, Tina made a point to show that the Saints were on the same page, saving Marti from being eliminated in several spots. However, when Tina was eliminated, Tina felt Marti didn’t have her back, which distracted Marti, causing Marti’s elimination.
WSU feels that the Saints as individuals and as former tag champions deserve a chance to shine individually. One of them could wind up being Spirit Champion after 8/6. Both Saints admit that they have had troubles in recent months, and while frustration has set in, both are committed to regaining the WSU Tag Team titles and to their friendship.
Brittney Savage, fresh off of main eventing her first iPPV, when she challenged Mercedes Martinez for the WSU World Title in a phenomenal match, has unfinished business with former Cosmo Club member Amy Lee. Savage did defeat all her ex-Cosmo Club running mates at the J-Cup, but never did square off with former member Amy Lee.  There is bad blood between these two, and it will be settled in a classic Uncensored Rules match on 8/6. Amy Lee requested this stipulation, telling WSU, “I don’t have many matches left in me, but the matches I have left are going to be matches I want, and I want that douchebag Brittney Savage in an Uncensored Rules match so I can’t be disqualified for the things I’m going to do her.”
While Savage did come up short in winning the WSU World Title, Savage has been on the rise as of late. Savage, who went from WSU rookie to now a former Tag Champion, a former 3 time Spirit Champion and this year’s J-Cup winner, will challenge the woman with the baddest reputation in all of WSU, a former Uncensored Rumble winner & a former tag champion herself, Amy Lee. This match won’t be pretty but the result will be crucial for WSU World Title Rankings and for the satisfaction of these two women.
Also taking place on the first DVD taping are the Soul Sisters taking on a revived duo in WSU, Monique & Jennifer Cruz with their new manager Rick Cataldo. Cataldo has been looking for new charges ever since Savage ended the Cosmo Club. Cataldo forged an Alliance with Monique during WSU’s tournament weekend in April. Cataldo has asked Jennifer Cruz to join up with him, as Cataldo sold Cruz that both are underappreciated by WSU fans. This has the makings of one of the weirdest pairings in WSU, but it could be one of the most successful. The winner of this tag team match will be considered number 1 contenders to the WSU Tag Team Championships.
New comer Nikki Styx will take on a person who was on WSU’s first show in March of 2007, Barbie. Barbie recently returned to WSU and is looking to make a name for herself. Styx, a rookie, will be allowed to showcase what she has against this savvy ring veteran. The winner of this match will be considered for future WSU Spirit Championship title matches.
—
Make sure to show your support for the hardest working women in professional wrestling today on 8/6 for two huge shows for only 1 low price!
—
For more on WSU, visit the following sites:
http://www.WSUWrestling.com home of WSU online
http://www.WSUVideo.com where you can buy WSU DVDs
http://www.Facebook.com/wsuwrestling (Updated daily with pictures, stories and more)
http://www.Twitter.com/wsuwrestling
http://www.Inasectv.com/wsu – home of WSU’s “Uncensored” TV program.[/notice]

Raw Redux (July 4th, 2011): Kelly, You’re a Firework…

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This week on Monday Night Raw, Eve teams up with the Divas Champion, Kelly Kelly to face off against Brie and Nikki Bella. After the beatdown Kelly suffered at the hands of the Bellas after her submission match against Nikki last week, one has to assume she’s out for blood. Especially with her rematch against Brie coming up at the Money in the Bank PPV. Will Eve and Kelly’s teamwork be enough to overcome The Bellas’ ‘Twin Magic’? Check out the match below:

The Bellas make their way out first, looking surly as usual, followed by the team of Kelly and Eve. Without much preamble, the official calls for the bell and our tag match is underway.

Nikki and Eve kick the match off, starting with a collar and elbow lock-up, which results in Eve getting the upperhand and tossing Nikki across the ring. Eve blocks a clothesline from Nikki, but gets caught by a kick to the gut. Nikki goes for an Irish whip, but Eve reverses and hits a clothesline, followed by a booty poppin’ moonsault……. Moving on… Eve goes for a pin, but Brie distracts the referee, prompting Eve to go after her. With Eve distracted by Brie, Nikki seizes the moment and takes her down with a double axehandle from behind.

Nikki pulls Eve to her feet and tosses her out of the ring to the floor. Eve tries to make her way into the ring, Nikki grabs her by the arm and slams it down across the middle rope. Nikki goes for another pin, but Eve manages to kick out at two.

Nikki goes right back to work on Eve’s arm, using the top rope to help her apply pressure, before tagging in Brie, who goes after the arm as well. Brie continues her attack on Eve’s arm, but wastes a bit too much time taunting and gets rolls up by Eve, but kicks out at one. Brie locks in an armbar submission, but Eve fights her way to her feet and levels Brie with a complete shot, sending both ladies to the mat.

Eve crawls to her corner and makes the hot tag to Kelly, who comes in and takes Brie down with a Thesz press, followed by a buttslap/headscissors combo. Before Brie can get her wits about her, Kelly slams her face into the turnbuckle and follows it up with a stinkface and a running bulldog. Kelly goes for the pin, but Nikki makes the save for her team, which causes to insert herself. Eve attacks Nikki and throws her out of the ring, effectively neutralizing her. In the meantime, Kelly Kelly hits the K2 on Brie and picks up the win for her team.

All in all, not a bad match. Much better than last week’s submission match, that’s for sure. I thought that all the Divas involved did a good job in the match. Eve played a great babyface in peril, Kelly played a good hot tag and The Bellas worked together well as a solid team. That said, the match didn’t have the same ‘UMPH!’ that live matches usually have. Perhaps the crowd wasn’t as lively for their second taping in a row.

One complaint I have is the time restrictions. (Surprise!). Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by the lengthy matches we’ve been getting on Superstars recently, but these super short matches just aren’t doing it for me anymore. I really feel like the Divas in the title picture should be able to show what they can do, just like the Divas relegated to Superstars do. But hey, what do I know, right? Here’s to hoping that the Raw Divas can impress everyone at Money in the Bank, because it doesn’t like it’s going to happen on the main show anytime soon…

In Video: Rosita on SoCal Val’s Pillow Talk

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In Video: Rosita on SoCal Val’s Pillow Talk

The latest episode of Pillow Talk featuring Rosita:

In Video: Angelina vs Mickie at TNA Basebrawl Event

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In Video: Angelina vs Mickie at TNA Basebrawl Event

It’s not everyday you see a match in a baseball field, but that’s exactly what TNA did last week when they had a Basebrawl event in Brooklyn, NY.

Knockouts Champion, Mickie James, defended the title against Angelina Love.

Diva Dirt reader, Geraldo, was on hand and sent in his fan footage of the match as well as a few notes.

Geraldo writes:

1) Angelina didn’t come out to Winter‘s song, she came out to her old one
2) There was a point I kinda went off focus, There was a bug on my arm. But Mickie reversed it into a neckbreaker
3) Sorry for the yelling! I was a little too happy in the beginning lol.

Watch the match below:

Chyna Signs Up for YouShoot with Kayfabe Commentaries

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This should be good!

Fresh from releasing a pornographic movie, Chyna will star in a YouShoot interview DVD for the fantastic Kayfabe Commentaries.

Kayfabe is the company behind the great YouShoot interview with Maria Kanellis, as well as great ‘Timeline’ DVD featuring Ivory. This upcoming Chyna DVD should be just as good.

Check out the press release below:

[notice]CHYNA SIGNED FOR NO-HOLDS-BARRED INTERVIEW ON “YOUSHOOT”

The shoot interview series that has hosted visits from wrestling’s major provocateurs has seemingly been missing one of the women in the business who adequately fits that title. This glaring omission has transcended the wrestling business and not only continued to make splashes in the entertainment business, but she’s managed to stay a hot topic, on and off, without a booker or promoter’s help.

The first and only shoot-DVD series that can boast 100% fan content has announced Chyna will be filling that void on “YouShoot.” Producers Kayfabe Commentaries have officially begun taking submissions for the show today, as part of their “Summer of YouShoot.”

Chyna’s time away from WWE has been marked with controversial reality show appearances, a tumultuous relationship with “YouShoot” alumni Sean Waltman, and a foray into adult film. That flame was reignited by the release of her latest XXX film last month. It should seem onlfittingng that “YouShoot,” which has become a confessional for wrestling’s lightning rods, be her next stop.

“YouShoot” host and president of Kayfabe Commentaries Sean Oliver says he’s expecting a record number of submissions, and hopes for quality over quantity. “We know where a lot of the public will go in terms of questions for this one,” Oliver started. “It’ll be up to us to make sure those bases are covered of course, in the most entertaining and comical way. But there’s a ton to cover with Chyna in a more serious fashion also. She’s talented, hella provocative, and don’t be fooled…very, very smart. In so many ways, she’s the quintessential guest. This will be a standout edition of the series.”

Chyna appeared on Kayfabe Commentaries recent release “Wrestling’s Most Controversial Moment” and weighed in on some of the business’ hot topics. She will herself become one of those hot topics as she takes the hotseat, in front of the laptop on “YouShoot.”[/notice]

You can submit questions for Chyna at this link.

Raw Response: July 4th, 2011

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Raw Response: July 4th, 2011

Get your Monday night Divas fix by tuning in to Raw tonight at 9pm ET on the USA Network.

The show was pre-taped last week. Read spoilers here.

Discuss the show in the comments!

Please Note: Do not post spoilers in the comments. Discuss as it airs.

In Video: Spoiler Footage of Tonight’s Raw Divas Match

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In Video: Spoiler Footage of Tonight’s Raw Divas Match

Tonight’s Raw, which was taped last week, has already aired in parts of Europe and was posted online.

Watch tonight’s Divas match below:

Spoiler

Ivory Talks About WSU Hall of Fame Induction, Jacqueline, Girls Getting Women’s Title Because of Their Looks

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Ivory with her WSU Hall of Fame plaque. (Image Credit: Get Lost Photography)

The latest issue of The Wrestler magazine has a long multi-page interview with former WWE star, Ivory aka Lisa Moretti, talking about her entire career from GLOW through WWE, as well as her current doggy daycare business.

Some highlights below:

On her recent induction into the WSU Hall of Fame, Ivory says:

It’s really flattering, but it’s way more fun after I’m finally there. I get uptight about doing a wrestling engagement of any kind, even something as honorable as an induction, because I feel like I don’t belong there anymore. But I got so charged up by watching these great ladies matches, watching girls who really knew how to wrestle. It was fun to watch another generation coming up that really took pride in an all-girls card putting on their own show.

Speaking on her first year in WWE, Ivory says she was “getting [her] ass handed to [her] by Jackie Moore” and that that period was her “nine months of living hell.” She adds:

I’m sure she didn’t like me for some reason. I talked to Jazz at a Hall of Fame induction and said something to that effect, and Jazz said that Jackie was never rough with her. I think it’s because she respected Jazz. I’ve rapped my brain about it for a lot of years. I was thinking, ‘Why does this have to be so painful?’ It doesn’t make you look good, and it doesn’t help me make you look good. It’s not professional. Finally, I had to open my mouth about it. I’ve got cuts and burns all over my body to prove it. You don’t DDT someone night after night and not lighten up! You’re literally driving my head into the mat with a tight grip around my neck. She would never talk to me before or after. I’d tell her, “This is a big ol’ Heat match, let’s just have some fun.” Then we’d get out there, and, first punch, bam, she’d connect with my skull. Oh, great, here we go.

Talking about how the Divas were used in her day, Ivory says:

But we were the girls, and at least we got to wrestle and they gave us a shot. We had no storyline and I don’t think anybody knew who the good guy was and the bad guy was. I would look out the curtain and see Scotty 2 Hotty and Grandmaster Sexay master the crowd with all their antics and talent. How the hell were we little girls going to go out there and do anything compared to that? I’m still jealous of Trish Stratus because she was the perfect person to pull it all together. But we had to do it on our own in those early days. Fit Finlay wasn’t assigned to us and working with us every day, that’s for sure. But I survived that and it was really fun. I still need to write a letter to Vince and Linda McMahon, saying thank you.

Ivory touches on how she felt WWE disrespected Kurt Angle by mocking his gold medal. She then ties that into the treatment of the Women’s Championship at the time:

Imagine how we girls felt when our women’s belt — our Olympic gold medal — was given to a girl only because she looked good but had no ability? We know bad guys are supposed to cheat to win, and all that is part of the storyline and that’s fine, but it was disparaging when the wrong person wore our gold.

I’m talking about people who got the belt just because it was “their turn.” I was an example of the perfect middle card girl. I had the integrity to want to do a really good job and was stupid enough to think that if I did a really good they’d notice, and, in hindsight, I’m actually sure they noticed because they give you a lot of crap to do because you’re reliable and can get it done. When I was losing the title in an evening gown swimming pool match to Miss Kitty, I was all pissed off about it. [Gerald] Brisco comes to me and says, “Ivory, you’re not going to let me down, are you? I’m countin’ on you to make this work.”

Ivory’s interview can be found in The Wrestler Volume 41, 2011.

Thoughts: There’s a lot more touched in this great Q&A which spans about eight double pages. Very in depth and a fantastic read. Honestly, reading her thoughts on how the girls were treated back then and about the belt, I couldn’t help but find parallels to the way things work today. “We had no storyline and I don’t think anybody knew who the good guy was and the bad guy was,” could easily be about today’s Divas product. Ivory has a really insightful thought process into her time in the business.

From the sounds of the article, it seems like she’s moved on and looks back at her time with both good and bad memories. I don’t think she’s bitter, because she feels like she’s had her time and realises that and now doesn’t do many conventions etc. Still, I’d love to see Ivory do more in the wrestling business but it’s admirable that she has the dignity to walk away and not try to cling to the spotlight.

Brie Bella on Which Twin is the Better Wrestler, What if Nikki Had Won Divas Title Before Her

Melanie
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Former Divas Champion, Brie Bella, gave an in-character interview to Pro Wrestling Illustrated about her Divas Championship while still holding the belt. Brie has obviously since lost the belt to Kelly Kelly.

In the interview, Brie plays up her heel character, deflecting questions and threatening to cut the interview short due to questions about her sister, Nikki, saying the interviewers were trying to stir up trouble between the two.

When asked if it was weird to be doing an interview without Nikki, Brie responded: “No, it doesn’t feel strange at all. We have lives that are separate from each other, both personally and professionally. It’s not like I need Nikki by my side 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

“Why would it feel strange for the WWE Divas Champion to do her own interview?” she continues. “To me, it would be weirder if you had asked to talk to Nikki, too. Honestly, if you had asked us both, I would have said no.”

When asked if Nikki was a better solo wrestler than her, Brie said: “Ugh, another Nikki question. Look, I’ve got the title, and that says it all. Whoever holds the Divas Championship is the top woman in this business.”

Brie is then asked how she’d feel if Nikki had won the belt before her. She says: “The reality is that you are talking to me right now, and not Nikki, because I am the champion. If she someday wins the belt — and I think she eventually can — she’ll have the chance to honestly say that she’s the best in the world.”

The interview can be found in the September 2011 issue of PWI.

Thoughts: The whole interview was in character which is cheesy, in my opinion, in this day and age. I would legitimately like to hear the Bellas’ opinion on who they feel is the better worker. Perhaps one day.

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