It’s time to hand out some proverbial gold stars! Based on the week’s TV and news, each of the Diva Dirt team members have picked one female who they deem to be their ‘Star of the Week’. Read below…
Cryssi: I think it’s only fitting that my first ever Diva Dirt Star of the Week goes to one of the girls I showcased for 13 straight weeks. I can make a case for all the NXT rookies and why they each deserve this honor, but for this week I’m going to select the one who personally impressed me the most. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Kaitlyn is as green as Earth Day when it comes to wrestling. Her experience is severely lacking, but that said she came out to the ring each and every week and made the most of what got thrown at her. She was given a storyline in which she flourished. Her chemistry with Dolph Ziggler was hot and her feud with Vickie was fun to watch. She even had a great match throughout all of this and that was when she was in the ring the first time against Naomi. Kaitlyn got the WWE to rally behind her and more importantly the fans rallied behind her as well. On Tuesday night she was crowned the winner of season three of NXT and I’m truly excited for her. Her week kept on getting better when she personally announced it to Vickie and Dolph that she was the newest SmackDown Diva. Vickie was horrified. Dolph on the other hand… well lets just say that the sparks are so there. Kaitlyn is my Diva Dirt Star of the Week. I can’t wait to see her on SmackDown next week.
David: My Star of the Week is Kaitlyn. It can be argued that she didn’t deserve to be the winner of NXT season three and that she isn’t very good in the ring, but regardless she took full advantage of her opportunity to be on the show. During her matches she seemed very green at times, but her storyline with Vickie Guerrero was amusing and she obviously connected well enough with the fans because they voted her as the WWE’s next breakout star. I’m not sure how the WWE will utilize her in the future, but for now I congratulate her for winning NXT and a job well done!
Mr Glamazon wasn’t the only one serenading women’s wrestling fans this week. Oh no! Not to be outdone by our favourite Glamafan, Mickie James performed her entrance song, ‘Hardcore Country’ live (*cough*) for the crowd at the Impact Zone! But with a big Falls Count Anywhere match against rival Tara this Sunday, it should be of no surprise that the Vicious Vixen was close by…
Mickie’s performance was interrupted first by Eric Young in chaps, following an earlier segment in which he wanted to be part of Mickie’s band. However, while this interruption was more comedic, it was the second interruption that really put a dampener on things. Mid-song, Tara crashes the party (or saves us?) by clocking Mickie from behind and a brawl ensues! Tara smashes Mickie face-first into a speaker before Eric Young intervenes. Tara strikes him across the back with his own cow-bell. Womp womp, Eric. The two Knockouts exchange blows as Mickie tries her hardest to keep her dress from falling apart. (If you know you’re taping a brawl — why would you go strapless?) The ladies crash into the drums and begin catfighting as security pulls them apart. That concludes this opening segment, but the night is just getting started…
Last night’s Impact had a smorgasboard of Knockouts all over the place! Apparently the holiday spirit hadn’t infected these ladies just yet as they were all set on beating the hell outta each other. Which made for some great television! Find out what happened below…
Backstage, we see Angelina Love and Velvet Sky chattering by a food table, discussing their individual action figures, which are in their hands. Ric Flair walks up, inviting them both to Fortune/Immortal’s Thanksgiving party. He promised the guys he’d bring back candy (I’d be pulling out the mace at that point…) and Angelina grins, saying, “Eye candy?” They seem to be interested, when Mickie James walks up, wanting to speak to Angelina. She extends a hand, thanking the blonde for a great match last week. Velvet interrupts, putting her hands over Angelina’s ears, singing. Mickie gives her a look, “What are you, 12?” In response, Angelina holds up her action figure, extends the tiny hand, and says, “Talk to the hand.”
On this week’s TNA Xplosion, we see another collision between former tag team partners Sarita and Taylor Wilde. The former has been on a winning streak as of late, can she continue it? Or will one half of the current tag team champions stop Sarita cold? Find out below…
First out is Sarita, in an orange, blue and black outfit. Looks good on her. Cocky as ever, she makes her way into the ring. Next out is Taylor Wilde and she’s ditched the skirt and skimpy bikini top in favor of more proper looking gear coloured blue and yellow. Nice!
Heading into Sunday’s “Turning Point” pay-per-view, we had plenty of action featuring the Knockouts last night. Let’s get right into it, shall we?
The first match will feature Sarita taking on Velvet Sky, but before we get to that, we see both members of the Beautiful People in the back. Angelina and Velvet are primping in the mirror, chatting as Vel Vel gets ready for her match. Surprising me, she tells Angelina she wants to do this on her own without any back-up. Angel doesn’t take offense, sending her off with a hug and words of encouragement. Sky leaves…which signals the appearance of the mysterious Winter in the mirror. Angelina calls her a “creeper” (LOL!) and wants to know what she’s doing there. Winter tells her quietly she doesn’t have to worry, “I won’t leave you. You’ll never have to be alone again.” At which point, Love says she likes being alone and makes her escape. The camera pans back to the mirror – empty.
Musings: Creepy! Still loving it, still interested. I could listen to Kat speak for hours, her voice is so soft and pretty. Maybe it’s my partiality for accents, I’m not sure. I also liked the fact Velvet wanted to go it alone against Sarita. I take it as a sign she doesn’t want to rely overly much on Angelina’s assistance in her solo matches, which is a good point. Both women are strong characters on their own, they don’t need to have tag matches all the time.
Tensions are building between Mickie James, Tara and Madison Rayne. With such a violatile mix, what can we expect on Impact tonight?
Apparently we’re kicking the show off with a fight backstage! It’s Tara and Mickie James going at it in catering (with no food…), beating each other with garbage, empty pans, a beverage keg and anything else they can get their hands on. There’s a few people looking on in the background, one of them actually appearing to be laughing. (Corpsing? Send for the man!) Maybe they should be getting acting lessons from Dixie Carter if they’re going to be on screen.
They wind up in the ring eventually, with Madison Rayne, Sarita, Velvet Sky and Angelina Love getting involved along the way. Flair comes out with security and separates them (not very well however) and stipulates that later we’ll see The Beautiful People and Mickie James vs. Madison, Tara and Sarita. He keeps calling Mickie “nutjob” along the way. Ric Flair has finally lost it.
Thoughts: Not a bad way to start the show, featuring most of the Knockouts division. It’s nice to see Sarita getting involved as she’s one of their best workers, as anyone who’s seen her work outside of TNA can attest to. If they can continue to keep this level of passion in this feud, it’ll put the Knockouts back on top as a big ratings draw for TNA. Me? I’m not going to put all my eggs in this basket just yet.
For the past two years around Halloween, (view 2008 and part 1, part 2, and part 3 of 2009) we’ve suggested some tongue-in-cheek costumes for Divas and Knockouts. This year, we continue the tradition. We started with the NXT Rookies, and next up are the Knockouts. The Divas will follow later this week, leading up to Halloween. Enjoy, and be sure to vote for your favorite below!
Cookie Costume: A scientist. Why?: She hasn’t been around long, but it’s safe to say that Cookie, in emulating “The Jersey Shore”‘s Snooki, won’t be making any medical breakthroughs in the near future. So, to best lampoon her lampooning of the shallow, less-than-genius, party animal, why not dress up as a scientist? Wearing the typical white labcoat and gloves while spouting different stereotypical “smart” phrases (E=MC^2 anyone?) in a New Jersey accent would make it pitch perfect. Get the look: Go for a mad scientist look or tone it down to look more like the real deal.
Daffney Costume: The Cheshire Cat from “Alice in Wonderland”. Why?: Daffney’s definitely got a soft spot for the quirky, and Alice in Wonderland seems to fit in that spot nicely. Hell, she even dressed as a version of the Queen of Hearts in a Halloween-themed photoshoot on TNA’s website. The Cheshire Cat is easily one of the most iconic characters to come out of the iconic work, and if Daffney wants to up her quirky-ness, dressing as a shape-shifting and disappearing cat is certainly a step in that direction. To keep herself from looking like an extra in the stage show “Cats”, Daffney could act in the lazy, dreamy way the purple-and-pink cat’s known for instead of simply hissing and crawling around. Of course, the disappearing act could be a complication, though if any Knockout could pull off something so strange, it’d be Daffney. Get the look: Put a costume together and watch the animated movie to get the act down pat.
Tara & Madison Rayne Costume: Pinky and the Brain from the “Animaniacs” cartoon. Why?: Former friends Angelina Love and Velvet Sky have recently dubbed the duo of Tara and Madison “Pinky and the Brain”. How about turning that insult into a fully realized costume? The fact that Madison was called “evil” in connection to that comparison leads us to believe that she would be Brain, the short, surly, evil rat who plots every single day to take over the world. His sidekick (or rather, cage-mate) Pinky is a taller, dimmer, sillier rat who goes along for the ride and usually screws us Brain’s plans. Tara is known for her silly costumes, and this would fall right in line with them. It’s far too easy to picture Tara putting on the voice and stumbling around like Pinky, isn’t it? Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Get the look: Find a partner to pair up with, put on some rat ears, don a tail, wear all-over white clothing, and assume the attitude of your chosen rat–Pinky’s loveable but dumb, and Brain’s serious and conniving.
Last week, we saw a title change hands without a finger being lifted. One wonders if things can go up from here, or if it’s possible to go even lower. Having done a test run on Xplosion with pretty good results, tonight we would see a rematch between Sarita and Mickie James. Can James pick up another victory or can the former Dark Angel get the pin this time? Find out below..
Out first in a new outfit of green and purple is Sarita. She’s looking good in those colors, and I believe she has some streaks in her hair. Very nice! Exuding confidence, she enters the ring. “HARDCORE COUNTRY!” blares, signalling the arrival of Mickie James. And as she enters, my jaw drops. I know she’s playing up the ‘country’ aspect of her character but…the shorts are ripped so high, you can see the pockets! They look like they’re barely there, and the top looks like she could bust out of it at any time. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, considering what Angelina, Velvet and Madison have worn to the ring but…goodness. Her hair looks fabulous though, so that’s a plus. She gets a great reaction from the crowd as she enters, but Sarita doesn’t look impressed. As the bell rings, the two circle each other before locking up.
Sarita initially gets the upper hand with an arm lock, but James counters and manuevers her into a monkey flip that sends Sarita across the ring. The Latina is not impressed and she gets up, shoving James while saying, “Who do you think you are?” MJ blocks a forearm and counters with a spin kick that connects to Sarita’s stomach, then follows up with a nice bit of offense that ends with a nice dropkick and a pinning attempt. The cover’s good for two.
TNA may be billing tonight’s Impact as Mickie James‘ in-ring debut for the company this stint around, but her in-ring debut actually aired last night internationally. Further confusing to fans, the match is against exactly the same opponent as her Impact debut match will feature.
As a prelude to tonight’s match against Sarita on Impact, check out their first encounter against each other on Xplosion:
TNA finally saw fit to air this match they had taped for Xplosion a few weeks ago. As a result, we will see Sarita taking on Angelina Love, who has the Knockouts title around her waist. One would’ve thought they would air it before she lost the belt at Bound for Glory, but apparently not. Who will come out the victor? Find out below…
First out is Sarita, in a purple and orange ensemble that leaves me shaking my head. The colours~! Mismatched sleeves and the shorts look two sizes too small. She confidently makes her way to the ring, smirking all the while. Next out is Angelina Love, doing her usual BP pose, wearing one of her standard silver outfits. She enters the ring, holding the belt high. JB points out that this is a non-title match and Sarita believes the Knockouts Champion is ducking her. As Taz disagrees with this belief, the two lockup.
At first, neither can get the upper hand, they both seem to be equally matched. Angelina finally backs Sarita into a corner, breaking cleanly when the referee gets between the two. Once more they lockup and trade holds, doing a nice piece of chain wrestling, until Angelina is hoisted up on Sarita’s shoulders. She might’ve been looking for a variation on the sidewalk slam, but Angelina counters into a beautiful armdrag that sends Sarita flying across the ring.
Didn’t get enough Knockouts action on this week’s TNA Impact? Not worry, Xplosion is here and the women have (virtually) taken hold of this show! We have two matches on tap, the first between Sarita and everyone’s favorite psycho Daffney. The second is between former Knockouts Champion Madison Rayne going toe to toe with current champion Angelina Love. Plus we have promos from the women involved in each match. Let’s get right to it, shall we?
After introductions from Taz and JB, we see Christy in the back with Angelina. The champ proceeds to tear Madison a new one verbally, speaking on what real wrestlers do, which is wrestle – not run. Personally I can’t do the promo justice, Angelina comes across as uber pissed and ready to get her hands on Rayne again.
Next is an interview with Dixie Carter, and since she’s not a Knockout, I’m skipping over it. At 8:05, we see Christy with a returning Sarita, who’s sporting a yellow and red attire. Interesting colours. Sarita basically tells Daffney to bring the crazy because she’s feeling better than ever. Shorter than Angelina’s but to the point.
TNA Knockout, Sarita may be injured according to reports in various lucha libre publications. Sarita, who competes as Dark Angel in Mexico, was due to appear for CMLL yesterday but was replaced on the card due to an arm injury, reports Luchablog. Meanwhile, the magazine Ovaciones also reports that Sarita — real name Sarah Stock … Read more
In a strange attempt to prove that Hell has indeed froze over, TNA put together their second consecutive week of competent story telling. It’s shocking, I realize that, but us scorned Knockout fans are going to have to try very hard to wrap our heads around this rare, but exciting encounter. This week, the Beautiful People continue to have a go at one another, despite the fact they remain in control of the Knockouts division. And a brand new number one contender to the Knockouts Championship is determined in what turned out to be a pretty impressive match. What’s wrong with you TNA?! Don’t you know that you’re not supposed to make sense?
The Knockouts are first seen tonight courtesy of a backstage segment featuring the Beautiful People. Lacey Von Erich and Velvet Sky are discussing the recent happenings within the BP camp. Velvet is fussing with her make-up while she bitches about Madison; she’s still furious over everything. Lacey is trying to tell Velvet it’s in their best interest to stop while they’re ahead and just make up with one another. She wants to be best friends again. Velvet is not willing to do that. The conversation continues on and Knockouts Champion, Madison Rayne, enters into the picture. She walks in and stares Velvet down. Velvet demands to know what she wants and Madison says that she’s been thinking a lot about the situation between all of them and she thinks it would be stupid to break up the Beautiful People while they own every belt in the company. She continues on to say that they’ve been running the division since day one and that reign of dominance does not need to come to an end. Lacey is nodding along, agreeing with everything Madison is saying.
Velvet isn’t sold.
Velvet jumps to her feet and gets right up in Madison’s face. She tells her that the only reason the BP’s reign of terror is in jeopardy is because Madison is the one who clearly stated that she did not need the Beautiful People any longer. Velvet continues her rant by saying Madison is the one who took it upon herself to invite another member into their group without consulting herself and Lacey, and to top it all off, it was Madison who decided to team with Sarita last week. While Velvet is freaking out, Lacey is in the middle mumbling little things to Madison such as “we forgive you” ect. Velvet snaps at Lacey to shut up and Madison finally gets a chance to defend herself. Madison says that as far as her relationship with Sarita goes, Angelina and Sarita have a number one contender’s match for her Knockouts Championship tonight to which Velvet smirks “some friend.” Madison continues on by saying that when her back up did arrive last week, she extended the offer to both BP members to join them. Lacey happily chimes in that she took the invitation. Madison says that Velvet declined and now she doesn’t know what else Velvet could possibly want from her. Lacey adds that Velvet changed her mind. She didn’t.
Velvet said it’s to late for Madison to apologize. Madison shakes her head and says that she’s not going to beg Velvet for anything, but she does want things to go back to the way they were before. Lacey chirps that she doesn’t mind begging and she begins to do so. Madison then apologizes, quite a few times, and Lacey continues to plead with Velvet to forgive Madison. Velvet’s really annoyed over the situation but she does start to cave and very reluctantly agrees to a truce. The BPs hug it out and Lacey basically starts to cry because they’re all a family again.
Last week on Impact, the Knockouts took an unexpected, yet welcomed step in the right direction in terms of their booking. Whoever wrote the show or whatever gave all of us long suffering KO fans a well deserved treat in the form of a brilliantly scripted and well acted in-ring segment and a pretty darn good streetfight. Personally, it was almost to much for me to handle you know what I’m sayin’? This week, the action wasn’t overwhelming but it was still great, and very enjoyable to watch.
Tonight’s Knockout portion of Impact kicks off with a segment featuring Madison Rayne, Sarita, Velvet Sky, and Lacey Von Erich. Sarita and Madison are hanging out in the women’s lockerroom and they’re gossiping. Eventually the subject gets switched to Velvet, and Madison starts to run her mouth unaware that Velvet and Lacey have both walked up behind her. Lacey attempts to cover Velvet’s ears so she can’t hear the mean things Madison is saying, but it fails and Sarita goes quiet. Madison wants to know what’s going on and of course, Velvet is standing behind her when she turns around. Lacey begs them to stop, but Velvet’s not having that and she looks down her nose at Madison. She tells Madison that if she has something to say then she better say it to her face. Sarita is in the background smirking, but Velvet calls her out next. She basically accuses Sarita of being the mystery biker chick and tells her that she should keep the helmet on her big ass head. Bitching ensues and once again, Lacey tries to break it up. Both Madison and Velvet snap at Lacey like she’s a five year old, and then Madison gets all cocky, saying that tonight she is going to be handed back her TNA Knockouts Championship. Velvet just rolls her eyes and mentions that she still has her title because she never lost it. Both girls try and buck up to one another, and poor Lacey. She’s just stuck in the middle of all of this and getting treated like crap. Sarita and Madison both walk away, and Velvet and Lacey go off in the opposite direction. TNA goes to commercial.
After a bit of pointless crap, Angelina Love and Taylor Wilde make their way to the ring. Angelina is still wearing the Knockouts Championship but that’s about to change. The Beautiful People music hits and Sarita walks out with Madison. Sarita and Taylor are jawing back and forth at one another during the entire entrance and Madison is literally bouncing to the ring with a bright smile on her face. Once all that is finished, senior referee, Earl Hebner, stands in the middle of the ring with a microphone in his hand. He informs Angelina, as well as the crowd, that the Board of Directors have no proof that a member of the Beautiful People was riding that bike therefore Angelina has to surrender the championship. Madison starts demanding that she be handed the belt, but after Angelina passes it off she cold cocks Madison right in the kisser. Taylor attacks Sarita and the fight between these four talented ladies is underway!
(Apologies for the belated Xplosion report! This one slipped by me. Apparently it happened a day before the street fight we saw on Impact.)
It was bound to happen. Not content to keep their implosion behind the scenes, we finally see Sarita take on her former tag team partner Taylor Wilde tonight. Their similar styles and exciting ring work together makes me anticipate this all the more. Who’ll come out on top?
Out first is Sarita, in a blue and lime green one piece outfit. She’s taking a page from the Zack Ryder playbook however…there’s a piece missing from her right shoulder down to her upper arm. Okay. Brimming with confidence, she smugly makes her way down the ramp. It’s all about Sarita now! Next comes Taylor Wilde in her silver and black bikini top and skirt. Very cute! After a pose for the crowd, Taylor has her game face on as she marches to the ring, pointing at Sarita. Any hesitation Taylor may have felt about facing her former partner is gone, replaced by a focus that is pin point.
As she climbs into the ring, Sarita has her hands up in a “hold on” gesture. She…apparently wants to shake hands with Taylor? At first, Wilde isn’t buying it. But Sarita is insistent…Taylor takes her hand and both women shake, then separate. Huh. This is a far cry from the ruthless, cold woman that we’ve seen the brunette morph into. Interesting. The bell rings and the two circle each other.
A lot of fans, myself included, were absolutely horrified at the hot mess that was the Victory Road pay-per-view. The Knockouts match had one shit-tastic ending and I don’t know about you, but I made the decision then and there to write TNA off. It’s hard enough to watch it these days anyway, but when you end a title match in such a ridiculous fashion, it’s enough to turn a fan off for good. Fortunately, my Diva Dirt duties require me to watch the KO action every Thursday and wow! I’m super glad I had to do just that this week. In addition to a pretty good match, we got a massive segment featuring the new champ, the Beautiful People, and that not so mysterious mystery biker chick. I know it’s probably hard for all of y’all to fathom that Impact was actually a good watch, but believe me it is. I even double checked it myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. The proof lies within the confines of this Write-Up so stop wasting your time reading this pointless introduction and watch the videos!
skip ahead to 5:40
The Knockouts waste no time getting down to business tonight. Sarita and Taylor Wilde are shown backstage, and according to Taz, the ladies are scheduled to meet in a street fight later on tonight. It seems like both girls have decided to start the match early, because Sarita slams Taylor into one of the backstage walls. The fight is on and Sarita is basically dominating it. She’s screaming at Taylor that she’s finally getting rid of the dead weight, and that now, everything is going to be about her. Taylor takes several stiff shots, but she fights back hard. She gets Sarita down and begins to punch and choke her. Sarita is back up soon enough and the fight spills into another part of the backstage area. Sarita throws Taylor into several walls, and eventually Taylor is able to muscle Sarita off of her. The ex-Knockouts Champ throws Sarita into a door and takes off. She’s seemingly searching for some type of weapon, but comes away empty-handed. That brings Taylor back to a waiting Sarita. The sexy brunette takes her turn bouncing off the wall, and then gets knocked into a piece of equipment. While Sarita is doubled over, Taylor starts to beat on her. Sarita is able to gain the advantage back and she starts telling Taylor that she has always been better than her, and that everyone knows it. Taylor is thrown into a piece of backstage furniture, and then kicked down to the ground.
Taylor bounces back up and grabs a steel pipe, which she swings wildly. Sarita, thankfully, ducks and the pipe slams into the wall above Sarita’s head. Sarita gets up and kicks Taylor away, but the blonde grabs a chair and starts to smack her former tag team partner with it. Sarita is momentarily stopped by this, but it doesn’t last long. She overpowers Taylor and throws her into the photo shoot area. Taylor has her head slammed into the ground and Sarita gets down with her. She finally locks Taylor into a submission move and starts bitching at her some more.
Former Diva, Mickie James and TNA Knockouts, Sarita and Taylor Wilde were some of the stars on hand at K&S WrestleFest yesterday. Mickie signed copies of her debut album, ‘Strangers & Angels’, while the feuding former Knockouts Tag Champs were at the Highspots.com booth with our own Amber Gertner. Mickie and Sarita look beautiful, though … Read more
The past few weeks we’ve seen the implosion of the team Saritaylor on TNA Xplosion. Apparently fed up with lack of TV time and wins, Sarita violently turned on Taylor Wilde. Tonight, we see the return of Rosie Lottalove as she takes on Taylor Wilde. Will the Dark Angel make an impact here as she has the last few weeks?
(Skip to 2:58)
We see Rosie Lottalove relaxing before her match. She speaks of what makes her different from the knockouts, her determination to become Knockouts Champion “very soon,” and her upcoming match with Taylor Wilde. She knows Taylor is a former KO champion and that she’s small and fast. But Rosie is smart – she’ll catch Taylor and that’ll be all she wrote. The usual play on her size is all over this promo, but to be honest I’m distracted by that ten ton of eyeshadow on her eyes. Looks like the late Tammy Faye Baker. Rosie’s really beautiful without the gobs of makeup, I wish she’d tone it down.
We switch to Taylor Wilde who’s sitting on the floor of the locker room. She’s despondant yet fustrated with the blowout of her partnership and friendship with Sarita. She feels lost stepping into the ring without her friend and doesn’t know where things will go from here. One thing’s for certain – she’s taking all this pent up fustration out on Rosie Lottalove tonight. As we cut away from her, we see Sarita enter the building. She’s not about to discuss why she’s here either.
Last week on Xplosion we saw Daffney take on Taylor Wilde. But before the match, a backstage segment showed us some surfacing tension between Sarita and Taylor. During the match, Sarita interfered, allowing Taylor to pick up the win. This week, it’s Daffney taking on Sarita as payback. Will Zombie Hot get her revenge?
We hear from both Sarita and Daffney on their upcoming match. Sarita claims that last week Taylor took out Daffney, so this week it’s her turn. Daffney (sporting a cute mini-veil with her tiny black top hat) says since Sarita interfered in her business last week, this week she IS Daffney’s business. And she’s feeling a little….crazy. Cue mad cackling. They really don’t give Daff enough promo time, I love it when she speaks. Anyways, we cut to the match.
Out first is Daffney sporting an all black ensemble. She’s looking as Zombie Hot as ever. We get a recap of last week’s events that led to this match. Next out is Sarita in a red and sky blue attire, with a design on the top that reminds me of either angel wings or Isis’ wings. She’s looking pretty confident as she strolls to the ring. As the bell rings, the crowd starts loud chants for Daffney. (I like these people, they have good taste!)
Before I even get started, I want to give a big, Southern Belle thanks to Jennifer who graciously stepped in for me last week and forced herself to write about Impact. I know that at times it can be depressing and rather unfortunate, but Jennifer was able to preserver and shed a beautiful, shining light on something I found repetitive and downright excruciating. She has inspired me to look at TNA this week with an open mind and a glass half-full approach, so Jennifer thank you for that. I will definitely be thinking of sunshine, rainbows, naughty time with my husband, Justin, and lots of ice cream.
Wow, did I really just use “Justin” and “rainbow” in the same sentence? Damn you all.
Ahem! Moving on to more important things tonight’s action. TNA Knockouts Champion, Madison Rayne, took on former champion and TNA Tag Team Champion, Taylor Wilde. Number one contender, Angelina Love, made her presence felt and in addition to the match, we got a fun backstage brawl involving Sarita, and a Chelsea appearance. Lots to talk about for a change.
Taylor Wilde is the first competitor in the ring. They make sure we know she’s a former Knockouts Champion and her outfit just leaves me scratching my head. Taylor, between you and I, that is not a flattering look for you! The champ, Miss Madison, is out next and she’s looking mighty lovely. Yeah, who am I kidding? Madison looks downright awful with her new hairdo. That’s a crying shame because she was so pretty before. Blah. Her outfit is great though. As Madison’s entrance takes place, the commentators run down Angelina’s dominance over Lacey and Velvet the previous two weeks, and finally it’s time for the match to get started. The girls lock up and Taylor takes Madison down early. She rolls over her, attempts a headlock, but Madison wiggles free and brings both back to their feet. She jerks Taylor’s head back by the hair and starts screaming in her face and waving her finger. Sheesh Madison. The referee slaps Madison on the arm to get her to stop and that understandably pisses off Madison because you’re not supposed to hit a woman. Madison whirls around to question his actions which allows Taylor to get back in the swing of things. She turns Madison around and slams her in the jaw with a convincing punch. Madison staggers but regains her balance and goes for a spear. Taylor ends up down on the mat and that gives Madison a chance to mount her and start punishing her.
The feisty little Knockout begins to slam Taylor’s head into the mat over and over, until the referee starts to bitch again. Madison unleashes her verbal fury on him but nonetheless, she gets up and drags Taylor over to the ropes. Taylor finds herself in a world of hurt as Madison starts choking her and pulling on her face. Madison backs off and sends Taylor to the opposite side of the ring. The blonde Canadian ends up using her momentum to reverse Madison’s offense and bring her down with a lazy looking hurricanrana. She attempts another fancy move, but Madison somersaults out of it. In the end, Taylor maintains her control and Madison ends up on the receiving end of another shot to the face. Taylor motions for Madison to get up and when she does, she pushes her against the ropes and chops her across the chest. Taylor goes to throw Madison across the ring, but the savvy BP member hangs tough and jerks Taylor down by the hair. Madison turns her back and Taylor takes the opportunity to run towards the top rope and spring onto it.
Earlier this week, we wrote about a possible heel turn for Sarita based on her actions on the first episode of a newly relaunched Xplosion. Well, you can now watch all the Knockouts action from the show below — and there’s a lot of it!
We kick off with a video package featuring Daffney and Taylor Wilde:
Follow the cut for the match and backstage segment:
Could former Knockouts Tag Team Champion, Sarita be turning heel? Diva Dirt reader Michael writes: Hey Diva Dirt, was just watching TNA Xplosion here in Australia and noticed some interesting Knockout action, it featured a backstage segment between Sarita and Taylor Wilde, basically Sarita was upset that Taylor was receiving a singles match against Daffney … Read more
It’s just after 4 AM and I’m feeling quite sprightly at the moment. The French Open is on my television. Rafa Nadal is playing. The entire Impact show is up on YouTube so I don’t have to leave the comfort of my livingroom desk and big screen TV in order to recap the Knockout action for each and every one of you. At the time of this introduction, I have yet to watch the match itself but it features Lacey Von Erich. That fact alone makes this an epic in the making and I know that secretly all of you are closet Lacey fans. Without Lacey, you’d have nothing to look forward too or complain about! And speaking of our girl, she her part of the show involved a tag team title defense alongside the devious Velvet Sky. The two Beautiful People were in action against Sarita and Taylor Wilde, who to my knowledge have done nothing to earn a tag title shot, but whatev. At least they’re on television for like the third week in a row so I’m not going to complain.
The Knockout portion of Impact starts with a stupid promo for Halfpint Brawlers which isn’t a surprise if you read spoilers. Something named Puppet is sitting at the commentary table with Taz and Mike Tenay. Apparently he’s the owner of the new midget show and he puts it over before we go to the backstage area. Christy is standing by with Roxxi, who last week defeated Madison Rayne in a non-title match. Roxxi is wearing her ugly brown outfit again, but Christy sports a pair of fit jeans and a white wife beater. Christy talks about Roxxi’s victory over Madison and welcomes her back to TNA with open arms. Roxxi replies that it’s great to be back and that she’s looking forward to her time in TNA. As she’s talking, the video of her injury is being played. I’m totally shutting my eyes because it’s just far to gross to watch again. Roxxi says that the position she’s in now is a familiar one but this time, she’s not going to let her chances slip through her fingers. Roxxi’s pretty pumped and ready to go, and Christy decides to drop a bomb. She mentions to Roxxi that because of her (Roxxi’s) victory last week, Roxxi will be Madison at Slammiversary for the TNA Knockouts Championship. Roxxi gets all excited over the opportunity and basically freaks out. Christy is super giddy herself and Roxxi finally takes the microphone and tells Madison that she will meet her at Slammiversary.
Christy sends it back to the ring area where Sarita and Taylor are waiting for the Beautiful People. Puppet is invited to stick around for commentary (oh joy) and the BPs begin to make their way to the ring. I refuse to talk about their entrance ever again so to take up this writing space I want to say that Rafael Nadal is wearing my favorite color combination at this year’s French Open – lime green and turquoise. True story. Instead of discussing the in-ring action, the announcers and the midget begin to talk about Halfpint Brawlers. Shocking. Velvet and Sarita are looking to kick things off and Sarita catches Velvet around the waist. Velvet reverses whatever Sarita was planning and hiptosses her to the mat. Velvet’s super proud of herself but Sarita’s not down for long. She Shawn Michaels’ up to her feet and when Velvet turns around she shrieks and goes back at Sarita. Sarita brings her down and goes for a quick roll-up, but she only gets a two count. Velvet’s back up in a flash but is brought down with an elbow. Sarita makes the tag to Taylor, then splashes Velvet just to do it. Taylor mounts her first bit of offense by somersaulting on top of Velvet and she goes for the cover. Another two count.
So it’s been awhile since I’ve had to do an Impact Write-Up and to be honest, I’ve enjoyed my little vacation from the asinine side show that has become Total Non-Stop Action. I, for one, am incredibly glad that TNA copped out on this whole Monday Night Wars 2.0 thing because they were getting anally raped and not in some sadistic, kinky way. Once upon a time, the Knockouts flourished on Thursday nights. They ran the company with their perfectly manicured hands balled into tiny iron fists. They set the standard for women’s mainstream wrestling and made the Divas seethe with envy over their greatness. If there truly is a wrestling god (I’m talking to you, JBL!) then this move for TNA back to Thursday nights will light a fire under the collective asses of “management” over there and us Knockout fans will get to see our girls shine like the sun on a perfect, late Spring day. No more clouds in the sky for the Knockouts. Use them wisely, TNA. They are your ratings!
How’s that for an intro?
So this week’s Impact is the first official Thursday show, not to mention the last show before TNA Sacrifice. There was a lot of Knockout action tonight and you know, it actually seems slightly interesting. Tara competed not once, but twice tonight against Taylor Wilde and Sarita. The Beautiful People had a backstage segment and Madison Rayne finally told everyone they needed to let the new girl run with the ball and basically just accept the fact she is champion. Velvet Sky continued to be snarky towards Lacey Von Erich, who showed the first signs of what I feel could be a face turn coming in her future. And Chelsea starred in a fun angle that basically dominated the entire show. I hope you guys are ready for all the HKA… hot Knockout action!
The Beautiful People are backstage with Jeremy Borash and it’s basically Madison’s chance to get people hyped up for Sacrifice. She calls Tara out on her ridiculous behavior and psycho-like obsession for the Knockouts Championship. Madison reminds everyone that she is champion now and that basically it’s her turn to run the Knockouts division. Madison puts over the fact that she’s a fresh face for the division and then Velvet chimes in that all the gold will stay where it belongs come Sunday because she says so. Lacey Von Erich, who’s been spastic this entire time, cuts Velvet off before she can finish, steals Velvet’s line, and basically runs off to pee. Velvet gets seriously irritated but Madison gently reminds her that Lacey is really pretty and the segment fades back to the ring area. Tara versus Taylor Wilde is next.
Taylor Wilde is out to the ring first and she has Sarita with her. They do their horrible ring entrance (what’s up with female tag teams having choreographed entrances now?) and then Tara makes her way out. She’s looking fit and feisty, and we get reminded about all the drama she had last week with Taylor and Sarita. Wilde is attempting to look tough at this point and honestly, her acting makes me laugh. She’s like a little poodle who’s trying to stare down a raging bulldog and it’s not going to end pretty for her, I’m sure. The referee orders Sarita out of the ring and now we have two former Knockouts Champions about to go at it.
Tara turns her back to Wilde, and begins to badger Sarita. That gives the Canadian a chance to catch Tara off guard and she fights the bigger woman down to the mat. The referee pulls Taylor off of Tara, and Tara rolls out of the ring. She attempts to collect herself, but Taylor is perched on the ring apron and comes flying off. Tara is taken to the ground, mounted, and punched repeatedly in the face and head. Taylor is once again pulled off Tara and she’s not really overjoyed by it. Tara rolls into the ring and when Taylor follows after her, Tara attempts to take her down. Taylor ducks and takes Tara down with a knee to the abdomen.
Tara backs up to the ropes and begs Taylor to stop. The blonde is understandably weary at this request and motions at Tara to come at her. Tara is pleading with Taylor, saying that they’re friends and whatnot, and all Taylor can do is glare. She’s not buying it and for some reason, she gets the bright idea to charge at Tara. Tara sends her flying through the ropes and Taylor lands on the entrance ramp. Tara gets out of the ring and slams Taylor’s face off the floor only once before tossing her back inside. She grips the ropes and attempts to somersault onto Taylor, but Taylor moves and Tara lands on her pancake!
Taylor springs into action via the middle rope and launches herself off. Tara catches her with a sloppy kick to the stomach but Taylor sells it anyway because that’s her job. Tara goes for the cover and gets the three count, which is a shady ending to a pretty nice little match but oh well. Tara rips off her own kneebrace and begins to beat down Taylor with it. Taylor acts like she’s getting nailed to the cross. Apparently the pain she’s feeling from this post match attack is excruciating. Sarita finally makes the save and Tara bolts, receiving a nice round of applause and a light chant on her way out.
When it comes to TNA, they always drop the ball when it comes to the live shows so imagine my surprise and shock when they exceeded even my low expectations this week. Announced over the weekend, was a title match where all three titles were on the line; The Beautiful People defending against Tara, Taylor Wilde, and Sarita. It sounds good on paper (sort of…) but it was an actual hot mess on television. The MIA tag team known as Saritaylor were mere stand-ins tonight and TNA’s weird booking once again came into play. If you want to watch the mess unfold, go ahead and click the video. If you don’t, then I don’t blame you. I want to forget Impact was even on television last night.
Even though it was a crappy night for the Knockouts as a whole, it was a decent night for the Beautiful People. Earlier in the show, Madison Rayne, Velvet Sky, and Lacey Von Erich were seen backstage in their lockerroom. All three girls were either sitting or standing at their vanity table and they were messing with their make-up and just generally looking at themselves in the mirror. They were having a conversation about how hard it was to be a champion and Lacey starts talking about how her back is always killing her. She goes on to say that things aren’t so bad during the day but when she wakes up after a good night’s sleep she is basically in a world of hurt. Velvet gives her a look and politely tells her she’s not supposed to wear the title to bed. Lacey is like “I thought we weren’t supposed to take them off” and the other two girls just groan. Madison is a little annoyed that they’re being forced to defend the belts again but Velvet calms her down and states what we all know to be true: the BP are the entire Knockouts division. Velvet goes on to say that no one is a threat to them and this and that, and the segment ends with Lacey triumphantly announcing that they weren’t supposed to take the belts off and that she knew that all along.
Tara and Saritaylor are in the ring as the Beautiful People begin to make their way down the entrance ramp. I’m not going to bore you with the details of their entrance but it’s certainly sparkly this week. Tenay and Taz run down the rules for the match and when the bell rings, Tara decides she’s going to begin the match for her team. She tries to tell this to Sarita and Taylor, and when they don’t seem to get it, she demonstrates by shoving Taylor rather stiffly a few times to get her out of the ring. Taylor is like whatever and does what she’s told and Tara turns her back. Lacey is waiting for her and she’s looking pumped to start this match. The sultry blonde is decked in silver and black, and she’s ready for action. Lacey begins to dance around in the ring much to the chagrin of Tara, and Tara finally kicks her, doubling Von Erich over in pain. She slams Lacey down, rolls over her for a pin, but changes her mind and goes for a front guillotine choke instead. Tara shoots dirty looks over her shoulder at her partners while the referee tries to get her to let up on Lacey. Finally she spits at Taylor and Sarita, which is pretty unsanitary, and she picks Lacey up.
The good times keep rolling! Here are some shout out messages to all of you — the Diva Dirt readers — from some of the stars of SHIMMER from this past weekend. We have the Dark Angel Sarah Stock, She Nay Nay and Tenille in this first batch of videos:
