In the spirit of Halloween, WWE posted on its YouTube channel a Top 10 list of scariest female superstars. The list encompasses a mix of past and present talents with the top spot going to a current superstar.
Over the years, many women have been placed in scary gimmicks that invoked fear in the viewers. Check out the list below and see if your favorite made it. If not, who would be yours?
The list provided is as follows:
10. Mei Ying
9. Ariel
8. Kharma
7. Victoria
6. Shayna Baszler
5. Nikki Cross
4. Sensational Sherri
3. Chyna
2. Luna Vachon
1. Alexa Bliss
Alexa Bliss is listed in the number one spot and is currently on hiatus from appearing on-screen. She was last seen at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view in September. She was defeated by Charlotte Flair who retained the RAW Women’s Championship. Flair destroyed Bliss’ doll Lilly after the match. It is unknown if Bliss will be keeping her current gimmick upon her return.
What do you think of WWE’s list? Leave your thoughts below.
On this week’s NXT UK, The Fashionista Jinny battled Emilia McKenzie in the opening contest. Joseph Conners would be at ringside for Jinny which is always a helping hand for her. The numbers would equal out once the NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura made her way out to the ring to handle Conners.
After McKenzie hits a cutter followed by a back body drop on Jinny she gets a near fall. As the official was checking on Jinny, Conners on the outside swiped at the feet of McKenzie which caused Satomura to rush out and deliver a kick to Conners.
McKenzie executed a suplex but Jinny kicked out once again. She plants Jinny once again face force and once again Jinny finds a way to not stay down. After a strike, Jinny drives McKenzie into the ring post before delivering the Touch of Couture and getting the pin on Satmoura’s protege.
Post-match, Jinny challenges Satomura to a championship match. The Fashionista vs. The Final Boss. Satomura raised her title to acknowledge the request. In an Exclusive, Satomura later sends a warning to Jinny. A date for the match has yet to be set.
Satomura has defeated Amale and Stevie Turner since winning the NXT UK Women’s Title from Kay Lee Ray in June.
Blair Davenport had a promo this week as she has had her suspension lifted. She was suspended a few weeks back after lashing out and attacking the Assistant General Manager Sid Scala.
An earlier request from Stevie Turner was for Davenport to be reinstated so that she can have a match with her to take care of her. As he reinstated Davenport, Scala warned her that any further outburst will not be tolerated. Davenport says she will play by his rules but she warned that she always gets what she wants. The match is set for next week.
Rok-C and Miranda Alize are ready to make history as one of them will become the new ROH Women’s World Champion on Sunday at Death Before Dishonor.
Prior to crowning the first champion under the rejuvenation of ROH’s women’s division, the two competitors had to coexist on the same side of the ring in tag team action on Women’s Division Wednesday. Their opponents were Chelsea Green and former Women of Honor Champion Sumie Sakai.
Prior to the match airing, Ring of Honor displayed a graphic for the passing of Daffney. Alyssa Marino and Maria Kanellis Bennett said a few words on Daffney before the broadcast. Maria explained how Daffney made it okay for misfits to be misfits and to be unapologetic. ROH will honor Daffney at the pay-per-view this Sunday.
Alize & Rok-C gelled extremely well as a team together despite having a huge match against each other this coming Sunday. The two were able to defeat Sakai and Green in a solid tag team bout which saw Alize pin Sakai after delivering Drive-by. Alize & Rok-C had also recently teamed together and came out with a win against Green and Willow at Glory By Honor. That was Green’s first match to air on ROH.
After the match, Maria and Alyssa had some great interviews with Quest for Gold tournament standout Trish Adora, NWA Women’s World Tag Team Champions The Hex, and Miranda Alize.
Check back in with Diva Dirt this Sunday for a ROH Death Before Dishonor Discussion Post.
The two had a match last week in which Jax pinned the RAW Women’s Champion. The bout had a lot of eyes on it as the two seemed to have some real animosity in the match leading to a very stiff encounter.
Flair is newly champion after defeating both Nikki A.S.H and Rhea Ripley at SummerSlam. Jax is a previous RAW Women’s Champion but hasn’t held the title since 2018. She is more recently a two-time Women’s Tag Team Champion with Shayna Baszler.
Check back in with Diva Dirt for more news on the women of the RAW division.
Tonight’s SmackDown opened up with the new SmackDown Women’s Champion. Becky Lynch returned last Sunday at SummerSlam and became the talk of the wrestling world as she defeated Bianca Belair in just 26-seconds to become champion. Lynch confirmed in her opening promo that she isn’t sorry for anything in regards to how her return went down.
Bianca Belair joined Lynch in the ring. She explains that she was willing to face Lynch at SummerSlam at the last minute, so Lynch should do the same for her and face her tonight with the title on the line.
Lynch couldn’t give Belair an answer without several interruptions. Zelina Vega, Carmella, and Liv Morgan all interrupted Belair trying to get herself a rematch. Eventually, Belair would bring the focus back to her. Lynch would give her answer to Belair for a rematch on tonight’s show and it was a flat-out no. Not tonight.
This left the other four women in the ring, and they would battle in a Fatal 4-way elimination match to determine who would earn a future shot at the SmackDown Women’s Title.
The match ends up coming down to Belair and Morgan who had an amazing back and forth between each other. Vega was eliminated first by Belair with a KOD followed by Carmella who was eliminated by Morgan with ObLIVion.
In the final moments of the match, Belair attempted to get the KOD but Morgan fought it off. Although Morgan avoided the KOD for the moment, she found herself face-first into the top turnbuckle. Morgan then walked right back into the KOD which Belair was able to execute to get the pin and the win.
Belair will be getting her rematch for the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Becky Lynch.
Naomi officially showed back up on SmackDown. Several weeks ago it was rumored that she was quietly moved back to the blue brand. Excited to be there, Naomi showed up in Sonya Deville’s office.
Ready to find out who she would be facing first, Deville admitted she didn’t even know she was coming to SmackDown. She adds that she isn’t quite sure if Naomi will measure up. Naomi reminded her that she is a two-time SmackDown Women’s Champion. Deville says she will think about it and get back to her next week.
This week’s NXT saw Gigi Dolin pick up her first win in NXT while Sarray had her winning streak end.
Credit: WWE
Dolin, with Jacy Jayne, faced Amari Miller and was able to put her opponent away with a killer of a finisher. The pairing of Dolin and Jayne had been teased in recent weeks when Mandy Rose made her surprise return to the NXT brand. Rose scouted out both Dolin and Jayne after they suffered losses. Although Rose wasn’t present tonight for Dolin’s win, she took to her Twitter to congratulate Hell’s Favorite and take credit for the advice she has provided.
Congrats @gigidolin_wwe on your victory! It sure seems like the advice is already paying off. ;) @jacyjaynewwe
In a post-match WWE Exclusive, Dolin and Jayne put the NXT women’s division on notice as they are ready to take over the brand.
To kick off this week’s show, Sarray took on Dakota Kai with her winning streak on the line. Kai is currently the number one contender for the NXT Women’s Title and will be facing the champion, Raquel Gonzalez, at TakeOver 36. It was originally scheduled to be Ember Moon to face Sarray, but it was announced before the show that Moon was not medically cleared to compete. Sarray’s first match was in April and had defeated such talent as Zoey Stark, Aliyah, and Zayda Ramier.
Sarray and Kai had a stellar match to kick off the show, but in the end, a huge kick in the corner kept the Warrior of the Sun down for a three count. During the match, Gonzalez arrived at the CWC. As Kai attempted to send a message to the champ using Sarray as the punching bag, Gonzalez appeared and chased her challenger out of the ring.
The champion took to the mic and said she is going to tear Kai apart and if she wanted a chance at the tile all she had to do was ask. She adds that Kai will never be Raquel Gonzalez and she will never have the title.
Other moments of the night included InDex going on their first date. Last week, even though Johnny Gargano defeated Dexter Lumis…InDex is stronger than ever. Indi Hartwell attempted to enjoy her time with Lumis out at a restaurant but both Gargano and Candice LeRae attempted to interfere.
The Robert Stone Brand was backstage as Robert Stone approached Franky Monet and Jessi Kamea who were watching the InDex date on a tablet. Stone went on about how he could take out Dexter Lumis and how he wasn’t that big of a deal. Monet clearly pondering what Stone had to say, left and told her stable she will see them later.
Lastly, Tian Sha was on tonight’s show, but Xia Li wasn’t with them. Boa had a one-on-one match with Drake Maverick, which he came out with the victory. Mei Ying spent the match standing at ringside which is different than her staying seated at the top of the stage. There was no mention of Li and she was not a part of the vignette that was also aired.
Serena Deeb has shared on social media that she is one step closer to being medically cleared. In a promo, she reveals that she no longer needs a brace on her knee, an injury that she has been nursing since the beginning of the year.
In her last message where she revealed she was still dealing with a knee issue, she stated that she has heard everyone talking. Everyone who keeps saying why isn’t the AEW star on Dynamite? Why hasn’t she been utilized to her full potential. Once she is fully healed, she intends on doing just that.
“[With an update on my injured knee] And it is good news. I’m already able to walk. In fact, I don’t even need my knee brace anymore. Which means I am one step closer to being cleared. You know, I see a lot of self-entitlement in today’s day and age. But my question is, where is the courtesy? Where is the etiquette? The respect that this business was founded on. Where is the passion? The dedication?
Do you know what I had to do to get my break in pro wrestling? I had to shave my head on national television. Show me a woman today that would do the same thing for this business. There ain’t one. None of them are Serena Deeb. I have dedicated my entire life to professional wrestling. Do you know how long it took me to learn one thousand holds? A very, very, long time. I have put in my hours. I have paid my dues. If there were a Ph.D. in pro wrestling you better believe that I would have it by now.
So when I return it doesn’t matter who they throw in front of me. Whether it’s a Bunny. A Beast. An Alien. Or a Doctor. They will all see that there is only one professor of professional wrestling. I am Serena Deeb, the woman of a thousand holds.”
Deeb’s last match was on July 14 on AEW Dark: Elevation where she teamed up with Tay Conti to defeat Jazmin Allure and Vertvixen.
What do you think of Serena’s promo and do you think she is heading directly for the Doctor when she returns? Join the discussion below.
RAW Women’s Champion Nikki A.S.H. is throwing out a lot of names that she would love to fight as champion. Since cashing in on Charlotte Flair to win the RAW Women’s Championship on July 19, the RAW after winning the Money in the Bank briefcase, she has still had to fight off both Flair and Rhea Ripley’s advances. The three will be battling in a Triple Threat at SummerSlam on Aug. 21 with the title on the line. But who else would Nikki love to defend her title against?
Other than Flair and Ripley, who Nikki has had her championship victory surrounded by, an obvious choice may be Alexa Bliss. The two have a huge history together and have even held the Women’s Tag Team Championships twice. While talking with Bleacher Report, Nikki provided some other names which are fan favorites that are rarely or never seen in the title picture.
“We have so many female Superstars that as almost a superhero, as the Raw Women’s champion, I’ll be a fighting champion,” she said. “I’ll defend my championship against anyone and everyone. Personally, I’d love to mix it up with Mia Yim. I’d love to mix it up with Tamina. One of my favorite matches of my career was at a live event that me and Tamina had in San Diego a few years ago, so I’d love to mix it up with Tamina.
Nikki continues, “I’d love to mix it up with Naomi, Liv Morgan—so many women I’d love to do something with. Also on Raw, we have Eva Marie and Doudrop, and I know Doudrop from Scotland. That would be an amazing moment, getting to fight against her. We went to the same wrestling school in Scotland, and we’ve both had amazing journeys but very different journeys. I’d love to do that match.”
While speaking with Bleacher Report, Nikki also discusses her journey through NXT. She holds dear to one match in particular which was her Last Woman Standing Match with Asuka for the NXT Women’s Title.
“I love looking back on the last five years, and I was incredibly fortunate to be involved in these awesome stories in NXT. The Last Woman Standing match with Asuka is the match I’m most proud of in my career, so I’m so fortunate to be a part of what I was a part of in NXT. It’s been incredible for both [me and Bianca], and I’m so over the moon for Bianca as SmackDown women’s champion.
“I think everything happens for a reason, so when I look back at the last five-and-a-half years, everything has prepared me for this moment. I’m ready to represent the company in this way, and I’m honored and privileged to hold this Raw Women’s Championship.”
Nikki isn’t the first champion as of late to advocate for newer and fresh opponents in the title scene. Rhea Ripley mentioned it when she was RAW Women’s Champion and Bayley had frequently talked about challenging other opponents such as Liv Morgan while she was SmackDown Women’s Champion.
If Nikki continues as RAW Women’s Champion after SummerSlam, who would you like to see her face? Join the discussion in the comment section below.
On this week’s NXT UK Blair Davenport put the entire women’s division on notice while Stevie Turner got in the champion’s face.
The show kicked off with the match between NXT UK’s newest bad girl, Davenport and Xia Brookside.
The week prior Davenport called Brookside out. Davenport said that Brookside was only in NXT UK because of her surname. The snipe resulted in a match on this week’s show.
The match started with some back-and-forth action with both laying in the offence.
Davenport took control before landing a big knee strike followed by a Kamigoye. Brookside succumbed to the strikes and was pinned for Davenport’s second victory in the promotion.
After the match, Davenport added insult to injury by planting Brookside with a Michinoku Driver.
This was a good showcase to establish Davenport as someone to be reckoned with in the NXT UK women’s division.
Following the match, an Isla Dawn vignette played showing her doing spooky things. Then backstage footage showed Nina Samuels and Amale get heated as they get into each other’s faces. This confrontation results in a match booked for next week between the two.
Another video package shows Aofie Valkyrie cursing Jinny and Joseph Conners.
Stevie Turner approaches NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura but it is quickly reminded it was a bad idea. It seems as though Turner is stepping up to challenge the champ, which is an even worse idea.
The RAW Women’s Champion Nikki A.S.H. is having a great few weeks so far as champion. On this week’s RAW, she picked up a big win in a No Holds Barred match against Charlotte Flair in the main event. Despite being a champion and in the main event scene she still has some doubters.
Over the weekend, Nikki spoke with DS Shin from Ring the Belle. She had a message to those that may not be sold by her character right now. “It might just take little time to warm up.”
“When we approached this and when we came up with this, we put a lot of thought and love and a lot of time and energy into this. For me, I’m so happy to spread this message, and I’m so happy to show this character because it’s something I’m so proud of and satisfied with, and feel really fulfilled with. So for me, for the fans who are still warming up to it, that’s okay. That’s the joy of coming to a WWE event. That’s the joy of tuning into Monday Night Raw every week. You can resonate with the message, and it might be something you resonate with right away. Or it might just take a little time to warm up.”
Nikki is far from the first woman to fashion a cape in the WWE or in wrestling in general. She was asked who she would love to have in a Superhero stable.
TO THE NIKKIMOBILE!
“Mighty Molly and Super Stacy. I think we would be a formidable team. We also have the Hurricane. We have Shane Helms, the Hurricane Helms overseeing us. With Hurricane, Super Stacy, Mighty Molly, I think we would be quite a trio in the women’s tag division. I’m ready, let’s go. Let’s get in the Nikkimobile!”
As already mentioned, Nikki recently became RAW Women’s Champion. The night after winning the Money in the Bank briefcase, Nikki cashed in on newly crowned champion Charlotte Flair. The two along with Rhea Ripley are geared for a Triple Threat coming up at SummerSlam. DS asked Nikki what she did after she won the championship.
“My husband was on Facetime and I called, you know, my mom and my family. It was just so wonderful. Because of the time difference in Scotland, it was the middle of the night you know. So I’m calling my sister and my mom and tears were in my eyes. But I was also so happy, so they were happy. Joyful tears. I was just over the moon.”
Nikki talks about being back in Chicago and in front of the fans again for the first time in a long time. She speaks highly of the city as she worked many shows for the SHIMMER promotion before joining WWE. She speaks on the evolution of her gimmicks starting from her time in SHIMMER all the way to being Almost a Superhero.
“For me, there’s always a part of me in every stage. I think if you’ve been on this journey with me. Whether it was in SHIMMER at the Berwyn Eagles Club coming to cheer me or boo me, and then the NXT Nikki, and then the Nikki that was a tag team with Alexa, and then Nikki when me and Alexa parted. And then you’ve got now. And I think it’s all been different parts and different layers of the personality. We’ve just spent the last five years exploring that, developing that. So I think if you’ve been on the ride with me, and this roller coaster ride with me, buckle up! Because we’re about to go to even more amazing heights.”
No matter what Nikki is doing she always continues to have a smile on her face and her fans are loving it.
Credit to DS and Ring the Belle for this interview and go subscribe to Ring the Belle’s YouTube channel.
How are you likely Nikki’s reign as champion so far? Do you see her retaining at SummerSlam? Leave your thoughts below.
Former NXT Superstar Vanessa Borne, real name Danielle Kamela, has shown interest in appearing for NWA Empowerrr. The all-women’s event is geared to take place on Aug. 28 and names are starting to be revealed on who will take part in the event.
Mickie James who is spearheading the event has also added on some incredible women to help her produce the event such as Gail Kim, Madusa, Jazz, and LuFisto. James has announced a lot of potential for the card so far that includes:
Women’s Invitational Tournament
Return of the NWA Women’s Tag Team Championships
Deonna Purrazzo will be defending her IMPACT Knockouts Championship
Kamille will be facing the winner of either The Bunny vs. Leyla Hirsch with her NWA Women’s World Championship on the line
Well well well… Back to business folks! 2 incredible competitors. 1 Championship Opportunity of a lifetime. Who wants a shot at “The Burke” Who really wants to face Kamille? Who wants to make #HERstory at #EMPowerrr I can’t wait! ? vs ??#NWAWomensChampion@AEW ???? @nwahttps://t.co/k3eoGwciOI
While taking part in a signing at East Coast Autograph Auctions, Kamela had the following to say about her interest to appear for Empowerrr.
“I have and I think what Mickie [James] is doing is really amazing. I think what they’re [NWA] doing with the all-women’s pay-per-view is really cool and I never got to be a part of Evolution so I think — to think about competing in an all-women’s tournament like that is exciting and yeah, I would definitely consider doing that.” [h/t – Post Wrestling]
Kamela also spoke highly on many talents she worked with while in WWE. She held Kairi Sane, Mia Yim, Dakota Kai, and Serena Deeb in high regard.
“Oh man, there are a lot [of people I liked working with in NXT]. I loved working with Kairi [Sane] because I thought we could always tell the best stories and they were the most fun. She was willing to be playful but serious. I loved working with Kairi, Dakota Kai, always loved working with her. I thought we had really good matches and chemistry. There’s so many, I can’t — there’s no one I didn’t like not working with in NXT because they all brought something different but I would say that Kairi was one of my favorites, Dakota was one of my favorites, Mia [Yim], I had a few matches with Mia that I really enjoyed so, there’s so many great girls there that are so much fun to work with and they all bring something different and unique.”
“This picture is from the Mae Young Classic when I wrestled Serena Deeb and that was — actually that probably was my favorite match within NXT or you know, that umbrella because I think Serena is one of the best and this was when I was new in my career and she really just kind of helped me throughout that whole process of planning a match so I would have to say Serena Deeb is another one of my favorite competitors.”
Would you like to see Kamela be involved with Empowerrr? Join the discussion below and check back with Diva Dirt for new information on the upcoming event as it is disclosed.
Nikki A.S.H. became RAW Women’s Champion the night after Money in the Bank when she cashed in her briefcase on Charlotte Flair. Flair herself had just become champion at Money in the Bank after defeating Rhea Ripley. The three now find themselves booked with the title on the line for the upcoming SummerSlam event.
Flair pinned Nikki last week in a non-title match. The feud continues tonight with them facing off in a No Holds Barred Match. Flair sent a message to Nikki over the weekend at a house show in Detroit. She says that she is going to teach Nikki how to be a champion and will humiliate her and punish her.
Quinn McKay has now had two chances to get into the ROH Women’s Title Tournament, which is kicking off this weekend on July 31. Her prior two chances were in matches, first against Angelina Love and then Mandy Leon. McKay fell short to both members of The Allure, however, Board of Directors Maria Kanellis Bennett was far from impressed when Leon won via brass knuckles.
This time, the decision is in the hand of the fans. McKay could take the last spot in the tournament if the fans vote for her to be in it. If you want to see McKay get a chance to chase the gold, head on over to the Ring of Honor Experience Facebook group and vote her in. The link is in the Twitter post below.
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) July 26, 2021
The full brackets are as follows:
Do you want to know your favorite’s thoughts on their first-round match-up? Their plans on claiming the title?
Tweet us your questions relating to the ROH Women’s Championship Tournament to be answered on an upcoming #ROHWD Roundtable hosted by Lenny Leonard! pic.twitter.com/HeHfoFOSDi
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) July 15, 2021
A preview of the tournament will take place tomorrow on YouTube that you can view at the link below.
Check back in with Diva Dirt as we will continue to have coverage of the ROH Women’s Title Tournament.
Toni Storm made her highly anticipated official debut on this week’s SmackDown and she is ready to climb to the top of the blue brand. She faced Zelina Vega in her debut match.
Although Vega was motivated to pick up a win after failing to become Ms. Money in the Bank, she was no match for the debuting Storm. Storm picked up the win with her Storm One finisher which commentary announced as her evolution. From Storm Zero to Storm One.
Also on SmackDown was a rematch for the SmackDown Women’s Championship between Bianca Belair and challenger Carmella. The match took place at Rolling Loud Festival in Miami, Fla. Belair won with the K.O.D.
Check back in with Diva Dirt for all of your news on the women from the SmackDown brand.
Nikki A.S.H. took no time in cashing in her Money in the Bank contract and is your new RAW Women’s Champion. This is Nikki’s first-ever singles title in WWE. She is a former two-time Women’s Tag Team Champion with Alexa Bliss.
She cashed in after the main event which saw now-former RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair in a rematch against Rhea Ripley. Flair had defeated Ripley on Sunday at Money in the Bank to become a five-time RAW Women’s Champion and 11-time Women’s Champion in total.
The rematch main event ended in disqualification when Flair clobbered Ripley in the head with the championship belt on the ramp. As Flair took time to gloat and hear that she was still the RAW Women’s Champion as a result of the disqualification, Ripley took the fight back to her. After Ripley had decimated Flair just enough, the Almost a Superhero Nikki rushed towards the ring with the briefcase in hand.
NIKKI A.S.H. CASHED IN HER #MITB CONTRACT TO BECOME THE NEW #WWERAW WOMEN'S CHAMPION!!!!
She asked for the match to start as she was cashing in, she climbed up to the turnbuckle waiting for the bell to ring. Once Flair was on her feet, Nikki hit a crossbody to get the three count on The Queen to become the RAW Women’s Champion for the first time in her career.
This makes the third time that Flair has been cashed in on. Previous Money in the Bank winners Carmella (2017) and Bayley (2019) both cashed in on Flair to each become SmackDown Women’s Champion. Carmella is the only briefcase holder to hold the briefcase for longer than one day.
What are your thoughts on Nikki’s win? Join the discussion below!!
Quinn McKay has been suffering at the mercy of The Allure (Angelina Love and Mandy Leon) for months now. As a Ring of Honor backstage interviewer and host, McKay has been mocked and told that she isn’t a wrestler.
McKay tried to become an early entry into the upcoming ROH Women’s Title Tournament as she faced Love in her ROH debut match. She suffered a defeat which gave Love a Bye in round one of the tournament. On the most recent ROH TV episode, McKay got one more shot as she faced Leon to try and get the last spot in the tournament brackets.
Leon came out with the win, but it was far from clean as her Allure teammate was the deciding factor. McKay had the Tangerine Dream submission locked in, which was causing Leon to tap. Love, however, had the referee distracted so he didn’t see it. As the ref was arguing with McKay who knew she had won, Love slipped the brass knuckles to Leon.
Leon then used the brass knuckles to the head of McKay as the ref was still arguing with Love. Leon then got the three count.
The Board of Directors and facilitator of the ROH Women’s Title Tournament, Maria Kanellis Bennett was on commentary. She wasn’t happy with what she saw and stated that she can do what is necessary about this outcome. Maria still has one final spot to fill for the tournament. She will be making some big announcements in the next few days.
After what I witnessed tonight, I have two announcements that I will be making over the next few days. #TheBoardhttps://t.co/rVrM1gjbDK
— MariaKanellisBennett (@MariaLKanellis) July 20, 2021
For the full listing of the upcoming tournament brackets, you can click here.
— MariaKanellisBennett (@MariaLKanellis) July 15, 2021
McKay may not have been able to celebrate this win, but she does have something in her personal life to celebrate. She did get engaged over the weekend to her now fiance Dak Draper. Draper is also in Ring of Honor. Congratulations to the happy couple!
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair received an absolute electric reception when crowds returned on last night’s SmackDown. She successfully defended her title against a determined Carmella but the Most Beautiful Woman in all of WWE wasn’t happy with this last-minute booking.
Because Carmella wasn’t “prepared” for her match, she is getting another one. The two will clash again next Friday on the July 23 episode of SmackDown.
Belair appeared on Talking Smack after their match and provided a response to Carmella who says she wasn’t ready because she only had six days to prepare. The champ says people like Carmella tend to go on Twitter and act like they aren’t bothered when they are. So if Carmella wants a rematch then she can have that because Belair is a fighting champion.
Alright Knockout fans, we’ve made it to Slammiversary.
IMPACT! currently has three matches involving the Knockouts planned for the event. The matches are as follows:
Pre-Show – Knockouts Tag Team Championship
Fire ‘N Flava (c) vs. Havok & Rosemary
Mixed Tag Team Match
Tenille Dashwood & Brian Myers vs. Matt Cardona and TBA
Knockouts Championship
Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs. TBA – Mystery Opponent
Fire ‘N Flava (c) vs. Havok & Rosemary for the Knockouts Tag Team Championships
After spending some time trying to best each other to get to the Knockouts Championship, Havok and Rosemary realized that they may be better off together. Havok consistently having the back of Rosemary has led to this partnership forming and has made Rosemary now wanting Havok to fully commit and join Decay.
Fire ‘N Flava has been against their opponents getting a title shot feeling they haven’t earned it. Since then, Rosemary & Havok have had a chance to prove they are on the same page and defeated Kimber Lee and Su Yung to become the number one contenders. This match was recently moved to the pre-show.
Havok holds a singles victory over Tasha Steelz heading into this match and Rosemary defeated Kiera Hogan in June.
Predictions:
Nick: This one I can see go either way and now that it has been moved to the pre-show it makes me doubt that Havok & Rosemary will win. However, I feel as though the push and focus have been more on Havok & Rosemary over Fire ‘N Flava so I will still be with them as the winners and new champions.
John: Huge mark for Rosemary and she and Havock make a great team. Fire ‘N Flava has been good champions but it is time to take the titles to the dark side. Rosemary and Havok as new champions
Tenille Dashwood & Brian Myers vs. Matt Cardona & TBA
This match certainly was a last-minute surprise. On this past week’s IMPACT, Dashwood said hello to her real-life ex- Matt Cardona, and not in the nicest way. After hitting a low blow on Cardona, Dashwood was revealed to be the person that Brian Myers needed to help take down his former lifelong friend. Although this was a random booking, it doesn’t even need a build up due to the history of the three involved.
What is the wildcard here is who will Cardona pick as his partner? Since this match was announced, Cardona has spent a lot of time on Twitter saying who his opponent will NOT be. Most recently confirming that it will indeed not be Vickie Guerrero.
Nick: With Chelsea Green showing up to ROH and announcing that she still has about a month left of rehabbing her arm, her being her real-life fiance’s partner seems less likely. That is unless she is playing it up and she really is ready to get back in the ring. I am guessing that Taylor Wilde will return as Cardona’s mystery partner based on her friction with Tenille prior to her time off TV. I have Cardona and whoever his partner is winning.
John: If it’s not Chelsea Green what are we even doing here? I fully expect to see the ‘Hot Mess’ return to IMPACT alongside Cardona to take out Dashwood and Brian Myers.
Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs. Mystery Opponent – Knockouts Championship
This match has the most buzz surrounding it and Purrazzo has done a wonderful job building up the match essentially by herself. She has had the help of Gail Kim and Scott D’Amore to punch home the excitement, but without someone across the ring from her yet, she has had to do all the work.
Gail has told her to get prepared for the fight of her life and that this match will not only change our world but Deonna’s as well. Those words alone make it sound like her opponent is going to be tough to beat. Purrazzo has gone through the entire Knockouts Division (other than Taylor Wilde) and since Slammiversary last year she is a two-time champion and seems to be unstoppable.
D’Amore has continued to tease recent WWE releases as being possible opponents for Purrazzo, but only when the bell is about to ring will we truly find out.
Predictions:
Nick: Deonna will retain. Regardless of the opponent, Deonna will, and for a few reasons. One, because of her future bookings which require her to still be a champion, and two I feel they will have her surpass the longest reign held by Taya Valkyrie. Now, this doesn’t take away from a great match that we hopefully are about to watch. Chelsea was my go-to choice, but as already mentioned that seems less likely now. Mickie James makes the most logical choice here. The rumor is it will not be someone currently on the Knockouts Roster.
John: Deonna is easily the best Knockouts Champion in years and as Nick says will retain. For the mystery opponent, I’m hoping for someone way out of left field like Jazzy Gabert, Serena Deeb or even NWA World Women’s Champion Kamille accompanied by Mickie James.
Along with Mickie and Chelsea, Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay, formerly known as The IIconics, are two more women who many are hoping to see at this event.
What are your picks for these Knockouts matches at Slammiversary? Comment below and check back in with Diva Dirt later today to join the Slammiversary Discussion Post.
NXT Superstar Xia Li is reportedly planned to have a dark match prior to this week’s SmackDown. Fightful Select is reporting this was the plan as of Tuesday. An opponent has not been named at the time of this writing.
EDIT: Since this posting, Aliyah has been confirmed as Xia Li’s opponent.
Li joins several other NXT talents that have had dark matches over the course of the past number of weeks. Tegan Nox, Scarlett, Shotzi, and Toni Storm have all been included on that list. Nox and Shotzi debuted on SmackDown last week and came out with a win in tag team action by defeating the Women’s Tag Team Champions of Natalya and Tamina. A video package started airing last week showing that Storm is coming to the blue brand as well.
At this time, Fightful has not heard of any plans of Li being called up. However, the plan is to continue to have NXT talent work dark matches prior to RAW and SmackDown now that fans will be in attendance.
Li has the biggest opportunity of her career coming up on next week’s NXT as she will be challenging Raquel Gonzalez for the NXT Women’s Championship. She has been a part of a very popular NXT stable at the moment along with Boa and Mei Ying, known collectively as Tian Sha.
Check back in with Diva Dirt for any further news on NXT talent being utilized for the main roster.
NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez has a new challenger and that is Xia Li.
Prior to Li stepping up to Gonzalez, the champion was at ringside supporting her tag team partner Dakota Kai as she faced Ember Moon. Moon is now officially a singles competitor again as Shotzi Blackheart has now moved on to SmackDown with Tegan Nox.
Kai and Moon put on another clinic of a match and Kai was able to pick up the win. Afterward, the lights went out and Xia Li emerged.
Li tells Gonzalez that she is standing in her way. Gonzalez accepts the challenge and says she hopes she shows up this time and tells her to take a good look at the belt. Li then left the ring and the match is booked.
Next week Li challenges Gonzalez with the NXT Women’s Championship on the line.
Monday’s RAW didn’t just signify the go-home show for the red brand when it comes to Money in the Bank but it was the last show of the ThunderDome era. This show was pre-taped and fans will be returning regularly to WWE shows starting with this Friday’s SmackDown.
With that being said, a Fatal 4-Way match took place between the four women representing RAW in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match which will take place this Sunday, July 18. Naomi, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, and Nikki A.S.H. all wanted to get a leg up heading into the event by pulling out a win.
A match that started out as a Fatal 4-way became a Triple Threat after Bliss disappeared. Earlier in the night, Eva Marie and Doudrop came to Alexa’s Playground. And although Bliss and Doudrop seemed friendly, Bliss wasn’t keen on the fact that Eva tagged along when she wasn’t invited.
During the Fatal 4-Way, Doudrop and Eva made their way out to the ramp. A distraction caused Eva to be scared by Bliss and she tried to use her shoe to shoo her away. Doudrop then dumped Bliss over the barricade and that is where she disappeared from the match.
Now with only three women left, things really picked up in the match and it was Nikki who picked up the win after she pinned Asuka. Leading up to the pin, Naomi hit a swift kick from the ring apron to Nikki over the top rope. Asuka then delivered a codebreaker to Naomi in the ropes causing Naomi to fall to the outside taking her out of the equation. After a few pin attempts by Nikki, Asuka tried to lock in the Asuka Lock but Nikki had a unique roll through in order to get Asuka’s shoulders on the mat for the three count.
After picking up another victory in the Fatal 4-Way Match, Almost a Super Hero @NikkiCrossWWE is ready for the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. pic.twitter.com/uyqcKtLQhg
Elsewhere on RAW, we saw the build continue towards the RAW Women’s Championship match between the champ Rhea Ripley and challenger Charlotte Flair. The two will battle it out at Money in the Bank with the gold on the line and with Ripley trying everything she can to best The Queen. Flair has been using Flair’s tactics against her for a number of weeks now. In fact, it helped her retain against Flair at Hell in a Cell when she disqualified herself in order to keep the title.
In a refreshing match, Ripley faced one-half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions, Natalya. The two put on a stellar match that highlighted both women. Natalya was added to the Money in the Bank Ladder Match by WWE Authority Sonya Deville on social media prior to RAW taking place.
Prior to Nattie’s match with Ripley, she and Tamina continued to have issues with Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke backstage. The verbal assault turned physical after Tamina shoved Brooke before the tag champs walked away. Rose and Brooke are still gearing up to take the tag titles from the champs, they are just waiting for the match to be set.
Ripley ended up pinning Natalya and as to be expected, Flair jumped Ripley from behind with a chop block to the knee. Flair made sure that the champ and her opponent come Sunday wasn’t going to walk out of the last ThunderDome easily. She continued delivering the pain to Ripley’s knee as she wrenched it on the ring apron.
In a backstage interview with Flair, she makes an emphatic statement that she will become RAW Women’s Champion and that it is game over for Ripley. As Ripley tries to continue her championship reign since dethroning Asuka at WrestleMania, Flair will try to win the RAW Women’s Champion for the first time since 2016.
What did you think about this week’s RAW? Are you excited to get fans back?
Check back in with Diva Dirt for all your news on the women of WWE and coverage for Money in the Bank this Sunday on July 18.
Bayley’s injury that was reported earlier on Friday shook the SmackDown women’s division and put a wrench into the Money in the Bank plans. Bayley was set to face Bianca Belair for the SmackDown Women’s Champion at the July 18 event but due to an ACL injury during training, she is now out of action for at least nine months.
WWE Authority Sonya Deville had to find a suitable replacement for Bayley now that she is unable to compete. Prior to Deville making her announcement, Bayley had some words to give to the WWE audience.
I was pushed beyond my limit for all of you, as if I haven’t done enough for you. Have fun missing me. #SmackDownhttps://t.co/9bIJnL9cFz
Now, what happens with the SmackDown Women’s Title match? It is no longer on the Money in the Bank card but will be on the July 16 episode of SmackDown, the first show back with a live crowd. Belair will be facing and defending her title against a former SmackDown Women’s Champion and two-time Money in the Bank winner – Carmella.
The most beautiful woman in all of WWE will have the chance to become a two-time SmackDown Women’s Champion which means she will no longer be in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Before Deville could announce that last part, an irate Liv Morgan made her way to the ring. She was tired of seeing Carmella getting handing opportunities while she herself has earned them.
Deville then snapped back at her letting her know she should have let her finish. Because Carmella has been pulled from the MITB match, Morgan is now in. As Morgan leaves with a smile on her face, she says she hopes Carmella defeats Belair so that she can win the briefcase and cash in on her.
This of course caught the eye of Bianca Belair. She says that she will gladly take Carmella as her challenger. She sends a message to Bayley saying she looks forward to finishing their feud when she comes back.
The Money in the Bank Ladder Match participants is now: Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Naomi, Nikki Cross, Zelina Vega, Liv Morgan, and two more women to be announced.
Check out what else happened on SmackDown with the debut of Shotzi & Nox by clicking here.
Now dubbed as Shotzi & Nox, Shotzi Blackheart and Tegan Nox have officially made their debut on SmackDown. They faced the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina in a non-title match.
Nox just made her return to NXT this past Tuesday after being out action for nearly a year. Sidelined with her third ACL tear, Nox was written off NXT television after she was attacked backstage by Candice LeRae. Nox distracted LeRae during her and Indi Hartwell’s NXT Women’s Tag Team defense which resulted in a title change. Io Shirai and Zoey Stark became the new champions.
As for Shotzi, she was in a well-established tag team with Ember Moon. The duo were former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions and had a rivalry with Dakota Kai and NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez. Shotzi is now with Nox as Moon is staying in NXT. Moon took to Twitter to congratulate her now former tag team partner.
.@WWE Congrats @ShotziWWE You will always be my ttp 4 life! Show them what you can do! The #FirePit is no more but I am immensely proud of you!!!! #TCB ???
— Athena is ROH and All Elite! (@AthenaPalmer_FG) July 10, 2021
As for the match between the debuting team and the tag team champions, Shotzi picks up a huge win for her team after pinning the veteran Natalya. With the lack of tag teams on the main roster (mostly as a result of the WWE releases), this is a good start.
Shotzi and Nox aren’t the only call-ups coming. A vignette aired for the former NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm. Storm has worked a dark match with Nox recently and along with Shotzi and Scarlett have been rumored to be moved to the roster. There is no further news on Scarlett at this time.
After Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo successfully defended her championship in an open challenge to a debuting Lady Frost, she declared that she didn’t even need to know who her opponent will be at Slammiversary. IMPACT Hall of Famer and seven-time Knockouts Champion Gail Kim then joined her in the ring.
Although Purrazzo complimented Kim she also didn’t take too kindly that she interrupted her. She went on to say that she was going to accept the match that Kim was about to disclose to her thinking that she was going to face the legend herself. Kim then confirmed she is retired from the ring but let Purrazzo know that since the champion doesn’t need to know who her opponent is to defeat them, her opponent at Slammiversary is – a mystery.
The champion will find out who her opponent will be at the event. Kim tells her that she better prepare for the fight of her life.
With speculation already swirling on who Purrazzo’s opponent may be, she is not the only one who has to defend her title at the upcoming big event. The Knockouts Tag Team Champions Fire ‘N Flava will have to defend against Havok & Rosemary.
Havok & Rosemary earned their title match by defeating Kimber Lee and Susan on this week’s IMPACT. After Havok neutralized Susan, Rosemary hit a spear to get the pin and the victory for their team. In preparation for their tag team title shot, Havok will take on Tasha Steelz next week one-on-one.
Kimber had no choice but to consult Father James Mitchell after the match. She is tired of losing and now that Purrazzo has kicked her and Susan to the curb she is getting desperate. She has to go to her backup plan. She needs Su Yung back.
Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb with a K guested another All About Me. A show where whoever is invited on becomes the host and has to ask Dashwood a question. With Jazz appearing on this week’s show, Dashwood is upset that she has spent the entire year so far trying to get a tag team partner to win the Knockouts Tag Team Titles.
She has spent all this time and effort and feels that it isn’t her fault that everyone she has tried to team with ends up being the issue. Finally, she thought she had the perfect partner in Rachael Ellering (who is Jordynne Grace’s partner) because they had instant chemistry and she blames Jazz for messing things up. Jazz brought in Ellering to be Grace’s partner and played the peacemaker between the two when things were rocky.
The segment got intense and when Jazz thought that she was done with Dashwood, she was attacked from behind being thrown right into the camera. Moments later, Grace and Ellering found their friend laid out on the ground. They helped Jazz up and the duo is far from pleased. They cut a promo later saying that they are coming for Dashwood and Kaleb and a match is set between the two teams next week.
What did you think of this week’s IMPACT? Who do you think will be Deonna’s opponent? Will Havok & Rosemary become new tag champs? Join the discussion below!
ROH Board of Directors member Maria Kanellis Bennett took to the company’s YouTube channel to hand out two more tickets to gold. ROH is just about to announce the brackets of the Quest for Gold Women’s Title Tournament, which we finally now know is set to kick off in three weeks. The brackets will be revealed this Sunday at Best in the World.
The two women who just received their tickets are Holidead and Marti Belle. Both names are popular on the indie scene and have appeared with major promotions. Holidead was recently seen on AEW Dark in a match against Nyla Rose. She has worked for many promotions including ROH and is a former SHINE Tag Team Champion with Thunder Rosa.
Belle has also worked with many promotions and is most known for time with IMPACT Wrestling as a member of the Dollhouse with Taryn Terrell and Jade (Mia Yim). She participated in WWE’s Mae Young Classic and she is a two-time SHINE Tag Team Champion with Jayme Jameson. Other than with SHINE she was recently with NWA until November.
With the addition of these two competitors, they join the list for the tournament as follows:
Angelina Love (first round bye)
Rok-C
Allysin Kay
Trish Adora
Mazzerati
Willow
Miranda Alize
Mandy Leon
Nicole Savoy
Max the Impaler
Alex Gracia
Sumie Sakai
Holidead
Marti Belle
Vita VonStarr was originally scheduled to be in the tournament but the stipulation was she would no longer interfere in the men’s matches. She could not keep to that promise and Maria removed her from the tournament. Allie Recks was offered a ticket to gold but was unable to accept it at this time due to injury to her knee.
With this list, there is one spot left. It was recently announced that Quinn McKay will receive another shot at gold. She will be facing Mandy Leon in under two weeks to see if she can earn her spot.
The winner of the Quest For Gold Tournament will become the new ROH Women’s World Champion with a new lineage. The prior title was deactivated in 2020 after former champion Kelly Klein’s contract was not renewed.
?BREAKING NEWS?@QuinnMcKay gets another opportunity to receive a ticket to gold! In order to earn her spot in the Quest For Gold tournament, she will have to get a victory over @MandyLeonxo.
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) July 6, 2021
Check back in with Diva Dirt to see how the brackets will shape up and follow along for the rest of the summer as we report on the tournament leading to a new champion!
The first-ever women’s champion in the history of ROH has finally received her golden ticket to the upcoming Quest for Gold Women’s Title Tournament. Sumie Sakai received a call from Board of Directors Maria Kanellis Bennett to receive the offer that she gladly accepted. With only a few spots left it makes sense for Sakai to be in this tournament. A tournament to crown a new champion for the new title.
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) July 7, 2021
Kanellis made another call to give out a second ticket to gold. This time it went to Allie Recks. In a heart wrenching moment, Recks wasn’t able to accept her ticket and place in the ROH Women’s Title Tournament. She explained that during her recent match with Max the Impaler on Women’s Division Wednesday her knee wasn’t feeling right and she tried to power through it. She found herself in surgery for her knee and due to her injury she will be out for at least eight to nine months.
. @AllieRecks earned her ticket to gold but unfortunately can not compete in the Quest For Gold Tournament due to injury.
We wish Allie a speedy recovery and look forward to welcoming her back as soon as she’s ready to compete again! #ROHWDpic.twitter.com/BrqphtOE84
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) July 7, 2021
On this week’s pre-taped Women Division Wednesday, Recks was in action teaming up with Gia Scott as they faced Sakai and Willow. Despite some disconnect between the team of Recks and Scott, Recks was able to secure a big victory as she speared Willow to get the pin.
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) July 7, 2021
Sakai joins the following women who will be in the upcoming tournament. The brackets will be announced this Sunday at ROH’s Best in the World.
Angelina Love (earned first-round bye)
Rok-C
Miranda Alize
Trish Adora
Allysin Kay
Nicole Savoy
Willow
Mazzerati
Mandy Leon
Max the Impaler
Alex Gracia
Sumie Sakai
Quinn McKay is getting another shot at entering the tournament as it was announced that she will face Mandy Leon in two weeks on ROH TV. Maria will also be handing out two tickets tomorrow. Who will be wrapping up the final spots?
Check back in with Diva Dirt for all news in regards to ROH rebuilding their women’s division and the search to crown a new champion.
