It might have cost Natalya’s team a victory in the 10-Woman Tag Team Match main event this past Monday night, but Ronda Rousey sent a powerful message to the Raw Women’s locker room by attacking Mickie James: You don’t mess with The Baddest Woman on the Planet, and you definitely don’t mess with her friends.
As Mickie recovers from Rousey’s excruciating armbar — an act of retribution after Mickie’s cheap shot on Natalya — how will she, Alexa Bliss and The Riott Squad respond to that act of aggression?
This past weekend (April 27th), the WWE held their Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia. The show was the first televised wrestling event that permitted children and women to attend with the condition that they were accompanied by men.
Although the event excluded any female talents from competing, WWE’s ad promoting their dual branded PPVs, which features some of WWE’s female Superstars, aired during the event:
One day later, Saudi General Sports Authority released the following apology, translation courtesy of Reddit:
“The General Sport Authority would like to apologize to the viewers and attendees of last night’s WWE event that took place in Jeddah, over the indecent scene involving women that appeared as an ad before a segment. It would like to confirm it’s total disapproval of this, in the shadow of its commitment to eliminate anything that goes against the communities values.
The authority has made sure to ban showing of any segment that involves women wrestling or any scenes related to it, and stipulated that to the company (WWE). The authority also disapproved any promotional stuff with pictures or videos showing women in an indecent way, and emphasized on commitment of this rule. And it’s a commitment that the authority would still commit to forever in all of it’s events and programs.”
Despite not making the trip, PWInsider reports that the WWE is have paid their female talent as if they worked the show.
According to The Riyadh Report, the WWE will return to Saudi Arabia for another show in November, this as part of a 10 year deal between the WWE and the Saudi government:
This outrageous statement by the Saudi Sports Authority comes several days after Triple H, Vice President of Live Events and Creative, issued a comment saying WWE wants to bring women over to compete in the future.
What are your thoughts on this latest story? Let us know in the comments below!
To hype the third season premiere of Total Bellas, Brie Bella spoke with Sports Illustrated about Nikki Bella and John Cena‘s breakup, competing in the Royal Rumble, Daniel Bryan‘s return to the ring, and more.
On John and Nikki’s breakup: “The one thing I have to say about John and Nicole, and all of us in the Bella family, is that we know what we signed up for. This was Total Bellas 3 and we were going to see Nicole and John’s journey all the way to the altar. Obviously, there is going to be one episode missing because there is no wedding. So many people have so many questions where John and Nicole are at, and why everything happened, and I think this season will answer a lot of those questions. I give them a lot of credit for opening up their lives.
“We all told ourselves we had to be an open book. If you’re going to do reality, you need to do the good and the bad. I think that’s why so many people love Nicole and me. We’re real and honest. There are some really intimate conversations between Nicole and John. I think my sister is just like, ‘Other women go through this,’ and she wants them to feel like they’re not alone.”
On competing in the Women’s Royal Rumble: “I was so honored they called me, and I couldn’t believe I could get in the ring with Lita, Trish, and Asuka. I still can’t believe my name was on the same list as Molly Holly. Someone needed to pinch me. Molly came up to Nicole and me and was like, ‘I’ve been dying to meet you guys, I love Total Bellas.’ And I was like, ‘Wait, what? You watch it?’ And she said, ‘Yes, thank you for having women wrestlers recognized in the mainstream world.’ And I was like, oh my gosh, Molly Holly just paid me a compliment.”
On Daniel Bryan’s return to the ring: “The night before WrestleMania, it was actually really cute, he couldn’t sleep because he was so excited. I told him, ‘Think of everything you’ve done to get here.’ So to go from one night where we couldn’t sleep because we were both so sad to another night where we couldn’t sleep because we were so excited, that was so crazy. I’m so proud of him. He’s healthy, he deserves to be in that ring. It shows that with passion and dedication, you can truly accomplish anything.”
Tenille Dashwood, formerly known as Emma, has had a whirlwind of opportunities so far since being released by WWE. She’s been booked solid since February and even took part in ROH’s Women of Honor Championship tournament – with fans speculating if this could be the first of many titles she’d capture.
Even in defeat, Tenille’s participation in the tournament drew eyes to the Women of Honor promotion. Wrestling fans who’ve never even seen WOH before tuned in to see her and were made aware of other women in the division, giving all the stars an exposure boost.
Gone are the days when leaving WWE meant a wrestler would work for pennies, if she could even find work at all.
Men like the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega have become successful on their own and most recently Cody Rhodes has proven that life goes on after WWE.
This is Tenille’s mission, to show other women that being successful on the indies can be done.
“Cody is very passionate about what he does and he’s very smart,” Dashwood told Cageside Seats in an interview. “I actually talk to him all the time, he’s a good friend of mine. We actually talked recently about me being in Ring of Honor and basically I think he’s done a great job of going out on his own and doing things his way. That’s exactly what I want to do as well. To still keep that name and keep in the spotlight and continue my regular bookings moving forward.”
Other women such as Saraya Knight and Aja Kong have built legacies outside North America’s prime wrestling real estate. Saraya is part of a wrestling dynasty in the UK, with her whole family involved in some aspect of the wrestling business, and at 46 is still wrestling.
Whereas Aja Kong did appear briefly in WWE in the mid 90s. Her rise was cut short as Alundra Blayze was fired before a match could occur between the two. At 47, Aja continues to wrestle, most recently with SHIMMER and then next month with Pro Wrestling Eve. And her reputation most definitely precedes her.
Recently crowned WOH Champion Sumie Sakai has been wrestling in America and with ROH since 2001.
Santana is a model example of someone who’s been able to capture multiple titles and prestigious accolades and still go strong.
Stardom is a promotion featuring Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani who’ve been seen on Lucha Underground as part of the Black Lotus Triad, in turn leading to more exposure to bigger audiences. This also lead to WWE signing Mae Young Classic winner Kairi Sane.
WWE’s developmental NXT TV Show and the MYC has been a launching pad for several talent – as NXT uses “local” talents as enhancements to help signed talent go over occasionally. Jazzy Gabert, aka Alpha Female, made a career outside WWE and her appearing in the MYC alone helped boost her status and let fans see how wonderful she is.
Even though these women may not be signed, they’ve still be able to gain opportunities to continue their career, ultimately reaping rewards that would have been unfathomable even 20 years ago.
Women like Mickie James, who resigned with WWE in 2016, made a name for herself outside of WWE after she left in 2010, taking part in Impact Wrestling during the rise of the Knockout Division.
And Gail Kim has broken barriers for women to control their careers and become successful household names without ever stepping into a WWE ring again after leaving for good in 2011.
Other women such as Celeste Bonin and more recently Rosa Mendes and Katarina Waters are even making their way back to the ring after extended absences.
There’s no better time than right now to be on the independent circuit. WWE is not the end all be all and women can strive for anything, becoming successful and in demand just like the men. Opportunities are plentiful and as a fan of women’s wrestling, it’s encouraging to see.
“When I left and saw what was out there, it’s been amazing,” Dashwood said to Cageside Seats. “The companies that I’m working for every weekend, they’re putting women in the main event. That’s really special for me to be put in that position. And to be able to showcase women’s wrestling on the main event of the show. That’s awesome. Women’s wrestling is very popular right now. And everyone is going with that trend and that’s why these companies are picking up their game and taking advantage of that, too.”
What do you think about this topic? Do you think Tenille’s success can be a model for other women who’ve left WWE? Who do you want to see continue their careers in another promotion? Sound off in the comments below.
Hola Knockouts and welcome to this week’s Impact Write-Up! It’s the Redemption fallout show and after scoring a win over Kiera Hogan at Sunday’s event, Impact has awarded Taya Valkyrie with a shot at the Knockouts Championship, which Alliesuccessfully defended against Su Yung at the same event. Will the newest addition to the Knockout roster Tessa Blanchard make an appearance? Let’s find out!
For those of you who may have missed it, Eddie Edwards and his teammates Moose and Tommy Dreamer conquered the team of Sami Callihan and oVe at Redemption. Unfortunately for Edwards, his rage towards Callihan ran so deep that during his bloody attack on the latter, he accidentally struck his wife Alisha Edwards, thus sending her to the hospital.
Instead of being by his wife’s hospital bed, Eddie arrives at the Impact Zone and runs into Tommy Dreamer, who is sporting a Lucha Underground T-Shirt? Oh… could the Temple get a bit of a Hardcore touch for Season Four? Dreamer tries to talk some sense into Eddie but Eddie isn’t here for it. He shoves off Dreamer’s advice and continues his hunt towards oVe.
Eddie arrives at the Impact Zone and proudly takes credit for putting Callihan in the hospital. Despite this, Eddie’s job isn’t done – he still needs to send oVe to the hospital! He calls them to the ring, going as far as threatening to their wives in the hospital? What the hell is going on with Eddie!?
The oVe Crist brother duo run down to the ring but Eddie immediately cleans house. Edwards pulls a kendo stick from under the ring when suddenly a ghastly video and music plays in the Impact Zone. We see a Callihan roll his way in a wheelchair to Alisha Edward’s hospital room. He carries flowers and balloons and says he just wants to “talk” to Alisha. Eddie leaves oVe in the ring and dips out!
Later in the show, Eddie makes his way to his wife’s hospital bedside and asks where Callihan is. Alisha explains that he just wanted to talk which upsets Eddie even more. He questions Alisha as to why she would talk to him but Alisha slaps back questioning why her husband would leave her there? OKAY!
Eddie leaves his wife’s bedside (AGAIN) to hunt Callihan down to lay another beatdown. The man is already in the hospital Eddie! The madman tries to use a pillow to suffocate Callihan but doctors pull him apart.
And now our Knockouts Championship match:
Loving the bunny ears Allie but don’t let them distract you! Taya cuts Allie off in the middle of her entrance and decks her with a clothesline. Taya grabs a handful of Allie’s hair and tosses her across the ring to lay boots to the head. The champion suffers chops to chest from a corner but quickly responds some of her own.
Allie shoves Taya headfirst to the middle turnbuckle but misses a running dropkick. Taya sends Allie to the ropes and tries to go for a kick of her own but the champion sidesteps to avoid it. Allie begins to build momentum with a series of clotheslines and side Russian Leg Sweep for a two count.
The Knockouts get to their feet and Taya uses her strength to bring Allie down with a side suplex and scoops Allie to set her up for the Road to Valhalla. Allie fights out and puts Taya away with a Best Superkick Ever and Codebreaker combination.
The celebration gets cut short when a train of Undead Brides make their way to the ring with a coffin! The lights go off just as Allie approaches the mysterious coffin and when the lights come back on, Su Yung is in the ring! She strikes Allie with a high knee and takes her down with a draping pedigree from the second rope!
As Yung begins to drag Allie towards the coffin the lights go out again! When they come back on, the returning Rosemary is in the ring face to face with the Undead Bride. Before any punches can be thrown, the lights go out one final time and this time when they come back on, Yung has vanished. Rosemary checks in with her Demon Bunny partner to close out this week’s Knockouts segment.
Impact Wrestling would go on to also announce two Knockouts matches for next week where Rosemary will meet Su Yung once again and we’ll see a Redemption rematch between Taya and Kiera Hogan:
NEXT WEEK – we keep all the momentum from #Redemption18 rolling as we have another LOADED episode of IMPACT!
The Demon Assassin vs. The Undead Bride, Knockouts action, the X-Division title on the line and a MUST SEE Six Man Tag. You can't miss it. #IMPACTonPoppic.twitter.com/U115y9dISD
Thoughts: The show after any live PPV is always a reset mode for Impact.
On one side, we were treated to what was essentially a title rematch between Allie and Taya from Impact’s co-event show with Lucha Underground show from earlier this month. This isn’t exactly anything new per se and I wish that the Knockouts were given more than five minutes for match. I’m not sure why Impact cuts down on time when they seem to have some to spare whenever they air throwback matches throughout the show… but that’s another story!
At the very least, Impact tried to take away the random free handout feeling to the match by falling back on Taya’s Redemption win and it’s another title defense Allie can claim. Let’s hope next week’s Redemption rematch between Taya and Kiera Hogan gets a reasonable amount of time.
With Tessa Blanchard now on Impact, I’m a bit surprised she didn’t make any appearances, in the ring or backstage, during the this fallout show. Personally, I found her commentary during Redemption a bit distracting but a fresh face like Blanchard is someone who I would think Impact would want to formally introduce as soon as possible but time will tell.
Of course the more talked about and exciting part of the night was the aftermath of the Knockouts title match. You knew this feud between Su Yung and Rosemary was bound to happen and I really enjoyed the set up for it! Rosemsry return was so great and what better way than by making the save to her Bunny pal Allie and promoting their Demon Bunny brand!
I was always unsure how Rosemary would do as babyface with her gimmick but she’s been killing at and I think a feud with the likes of Su Yung will do wonders for both.
The Sami Callihan/Alisha/Eddie Edwards storyline is an interesting one for me. While Alisha still seems to just serve as a way to further Eddie’s darker character, it’s different compared to last year around this time when the husband and wife team were feuding with their former friends in Angelina Love and David Richards. Now we’re seeing Eddie fighting with himself, his wife and his enemies. I’m invested in this storyline and curious to see how the rest will play in the weeks ahead.
What did you think of this week’s Impact? Are you enjoying the Edwards/Callihan storyline? Are you looking forward to next week’s show? Let us know in the comments below!
This past Sunday night at Redemption, Taya Valkyrie did just enough to defeat Kiera Hogan. As a result of the victory, Taya has earned a match against Allie for the Knockouts Championship. Allie was able to get the best of Su Yung on Sunday.
The collision between Allie and Taya will be epic. Will tonight be the night Taya Valkyrie captures Knockouts gold?
While Taya and Kiera were involved in a great match on Sunday, the attention of our announcers and viewing audience was on the newest Knockout to sign with IMPACT Wrestling, Tessa Blanchard. Tessa joined the announce desk during the match to announce that she is the newest Knockout on IMPACT Wrestling and will be making her in-ring debut sooner rather than later.
What does this mean for the future of the Knockouts Division? It means that the competition has gotten that much better and that much more intense. Tessa Blanchard is someone who comes to IMPACT with a lot of buzz. After tonight we will see if the target remains on Allie or if Taya Valkyrie becomes Knockouts Champion on an all new and always unpredictable IMPACT Wrestling.
Congratulations are in order for former Impact Wrestling Knockout Taylor Wilde. The former Knockouts Champion and her husband David have welcomed a baby boy to their family named Taylor John Roynon.
In a post from her official Instagram account, Taylor Wilde, real name Shantelle, revealed that she gave birth 10 days early on April 20th:
Steffanie Newell (formerly known on the independents as Nixon Newell) was recently interviewed by WWE.com. Newell was signed by WWE last year. However, a few weeks after reporting to the Performance Center, Newell tore her ACL. This injury prevented her from competing in the Mae Young Classic and forced her to miss several months of action. Newell recently made her NXT debut at a house show, teaming with Dakota Kai in a losing effort against Vanessa Borne and Reina Gonzalez. Below are highlights from the interview:
How the injury happened: It happened during training. It was just a fluke accident. I was running a drill. My foot stayed perfectly forward, but my body turned the other way, and I dislocated my knee and tore my ACL at the same time. Luckily, as soon as I hit the mat, my knee popped back in, so it was one less thing I had to deal with. But it happened literally two or three weeks after I arrived at the WWE PC, so the timing was very inappropriate with the Mae Young Classic being so close as well. As soon as I hit the mat, I knew something was wrong and I knew deep down I was out of the Mae Young Classic. When I got injured, I was crying — not because of the pain, but because I knew I was out of the Mae Young.
On how she coped every day while being unable to train: It was devastating … very mentally challenging to be around it and see it every single day. But I have such a great support system with my friends, the coaches and the doctors. They were so incredibly supportive. Although I was away from my family, thanks to technology like FaceTime, they were able to help me and give me boosts, reminding me of how hard I have worked and telling me that I just needed to keep my head up and keep working like I have been for the last few years, because I finally am where I deserve to be.
On when she was cleared to begin training again: I want to say it was about two months ago. I was able to get in the ring with one-on-one sessions, doing cardio, and then eventually I was able to do some wrestling. Honestly, I was just so happy to even be in the ring and do rope running. I used to dislike doing cardio, but being able to do that just helped so much, mentally more than anything. It picked my spirits up knowing that I was in the home stretch. It was a very exciting time for me.
On the feelings she had right before her NXT debut: It was just this jumble in my head. The nerves were taking over, but also the excitement. It was a very chaotic experience in my mind, but as soon as the music hit and I went through that curtain, it felt like home. I felt like I was finally where I belonged, out in front of that crowd in the NXT ring.
On the response from fans regarding her NXT debut: I was surprised with the reception that I had. I didn’t know if anybody knew me, but people started chanting “You deserve it,” which almost brought me to tears in the ring. I looked at Dakota, and she’s like, “Let’s try to keep it together.” Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan, who are both dear friends of mine, made the trip to be there in person. [To have] the respect of my peers and my colleagues — with how they reacted before, during and after the match — means the world to me. It genuinely makes my heart so happy. It makes me so emotional, but in the best way possible, to know that they feel that way about me. It means the absolute world.
Newell also discusses her friendship with Dakota Kai, setbacks she faced during rehabilitation and previous injuries she has had.
Hi guys! Welcome to this week’s review of NXT. On last week’s episode, we saw Candice Lerae and Zelina Vega make their NXT television in-ring debuts, with Candice securing the win. On this week’s episode, we found out who Candice’s next opponent will be, as well as who future opponents for Shayna Baslzer could be.
A video package was aired that highlighted current NXT women’s champion Shayna Baszler. Baszler talks about how she came to NXT with an aura surrounding her. Moreover, Baszler talked about how quickly she set herself apart from every other woman in the locker room. Baszler also mentioned how members of the NXT women’s division settled for being taking second place.
Video packages were then aired that highlighted potential challengers for Shayna Baszler: Nikki Cross, Aliyah, Kairi Sane, Lacey Evans, Vanessa Borne and Candice LeRae. Each woman, with the exception of Nikki Cross, had their own particular comments to say to put down Baszler and make it known that they were coming for the NXT women’s championship.
https://youtu.be/x3eZoU1wF4Q?t=5m58s
One woman that was not mentioned in a video package was Dakota Kai. Footage aired of an interview that took place between Cathy Kelly and Dakota Kai earlier in the day. Cathy tried getting comments from Dakota regarding the standoff her and Baslzer had last week. However, Kai was reluctant to address what happened. Before Kai could leave the interview, Shayna appeared. Shayna asked Kai how it felt knowing that her dream of coming to the performance center had turned into a nightmare with Baszler being the champion. Baszler walked off, leaving Kai looking intimidated.
After a recap of Candice’s win over Zelina Vega last week, the announcers informed us that on next week’s program, Candice LeRae will go one on one with Bianca Belair. Following that announcement, a video package aired that highlighted why Bianca Belair refers to herself as the “est of NXT.”
Candice LeRae also appeared at the side of Johnny Gargano following an attack by Tomasso Ciampa. Gargano had to be taken to a nearby hospital, with Candice riding along to make sure he was okay.
Thoughts: I am very glad that they are continuing the story between Shayna Baszler and Dakota Kai. I know I’m repeating myself, but I am all for a full-fledged story between those two. This program has the potential to build Dakota Kai up as a strong underdog babyface. Someone who was able to overcome their fears and topple their bully. It would be a great story to see unfold. I thought her and Shayna performed really well in the segment tonight. Hopefully, NXT keeps the ball rolling with this storyline.
The placement of the video packages that highlighted members of the NXT women’s division was a little awkward. But it was a nice touch to showcase some of the talent that the NXT women’s division has. I remember NXT using a similar format about a year ago when the women discussed Asuka‘s reign. It makes it seem harder to predict who will be the first woman to challenge Baszler, which is something I really enjoy.
In particular, I’m glad that Aliyah got a mention. That girl has been working hard for a while down at the Performance Center. Her recent match with Ember Moon was enjoyable, albeit short. I’m hoping that she gets the chance to perform and shine in upcoming weeks.
I am looking forward to Candice LeRae and Bianca Belair to face off next week. Bianca has really impressed me ever since I watched the Mae Young Classic. I think that girl is going to be a huge star one day. My hope for this match is that we get a match that has a decent amount of length. That’s one of the things that hasn’t happened as of late for women’s division matches on NXT. To me, one of the best ways to build up the division again is to have those lengthier, back and fourth matches. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, lengthier television matches are what made the NXT women’s division three years ago a lot of fun to watch. Those girls got a platform and the time to showcase their skills. There is a lot of talent within NXT’s women division currently. And hopefully moving forward, that talent is showcased through longer matches.
What did you guys think of this week’s episode? Who do you think will be the first to challenge Shayna Baszler? Do you think Dakota Kai will stand up to Baszler? Let us know in the comments below!
Tonight an all new episode of NXT airs on the WWE Network, starting at 8/7 C on the WWE Network.
No official matches or segments have been announced regarding the NXT women’s division. However, as seen on last week’s programming, Shayna Baszler has made her intentions for running the NXT women’s division known. As Shayna’s reign as NXT women’s champion begins, there’s no telling who her first challenger will be.
Hey, Diva-Dirt faithful! Mykel here filling in to discuss last nights’ Smackdown! We saw seven women on the blue brand in various capacities, so let’s jump into it! Note, these aren’t in chronological order.
First, there’s Asuka and Becky Lynch backstage walking past an injured and beat up American Dragon Daniel Bryan.
We see the IIconics in the ring where they run down Asuka and Becky Lynch from their accents to their perceived belief that they are better than Asuka because Queen Charlotte dispatched of her and they put a hurtin’ on her. What follows is a tag match.
Becky and Asuka take control during the opening of the match, which faces normally do until the heels slow down the middle portion, Becky makes the hot tag to Asuka who cleans house. Lynch comes back in and is distracted and eats the pin via roll up.
We also see The Glow Queen herself, Naomi, who seems to be involved in The Bludgeon Brothers/The Usos feud telling her man about her misgivings.
Later on in the night we see Naomi, ahem, shake what her mama gave her to distract Eric Rowan to give Jimmy Uso the win.
Finally, we have a royal showdown between the Queen and the Princess. After replaying her highlight reel as well as listing ad nauseam for the viewing audience and those at home, out comes the Queen. Charlotte was playing no games and laid out the Champ with what looked like a head slam/table pushover combination? It looked kind of sloppy, but anyway, it left the Queen standing tall.
Oh, yes, also the Afterthoughts, excuse me, Absolution (Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose) made their debut on….WWE.com mocking Becky Lynch for costing Asuka her debut match on SmackDown Live.
Thoughts: I’m so here for Carmella’s mic work. She’s playing the cocky braggadocious heel to perfection. What she lacks in the ring, she makes for with character work. It was a good idea to have Charlotte have the last word in this exchange so to speak. I’m curious as to who will come out on top in this feud and see if the Princess can hang with the Queen or just be another pretender to the throne.
Then, well, The IIconics are comfortable on the mic, so that gets an up, but their kind of paint by numbers promos give me Laycool tease, and the only thing I liked about their promo was their delusion in thinking they were the best. As for their match, it was the right choice for them to go over like Billie should have last week, and each lady played her role well. My concerns are for the losing team, however, how much is Asuka going to lose? Is this going somewhere? What the hell is going on with Becky Lynch? Ever since losing her title in that admittedly lackluster reign and dodgy at best programme with Alexa Bliss, she’s been just blowing in the wind, either give her a good feud or “trade” her.
Onto Naomi, I love that WWE is giving her a chance to mix it up with the boys, and she has already given us an ICONIC remix of Paige’s theme. In all seriousness, this feud keeps Naomi visible and gives her something to do with people she has chemistry with, and I did get my entire life watching her do her thing on the apron. I wonder if the Bludgeon Brothers are going to bring in a female neutralizer? Or just, well, do the job themselves? So many questions. Then Absolution. They were booked poorly on Raw and they aren’t doing so good if their debuts are anything to go off of, hopefully, we can see an IIconic/Absolution feud for the heavily hinted Women’s Tag Titles? Who knows?
Final Grade: B-
What did you think of this week’s SmackDown? Who are you rooting for at Backlash? What do you think will happen next week? Sound off in the comments!
This weekend WWE will host its biggest event ever dubbed “The Greatest Royal Rumble” on Friday, April 27. But, there’s a catch, no women are allowed on the card.
Triple H, Vice President of Live Events and Creative, is defending WWE’s decision to have the event in Saudi Arabia despite the restrictions placed on the female talent.
“I understand that people are questioning it, but you have to understand that every culture is different and just because you don’t agree with a certain aspect of it, it doesn’t mean it’s not a relevant culture,” Triple H said, according to The Independent. “You can’t dictate to a country or a religion about how they handle things but, having said that, WWE is at the forefront of a women’s evolution in the world and what you can’t do is affect change anywhere by staying away from it.”
Men and families are permitted to attend the show; women may only enter if they are accompanied by a man. He hopes to affect change by having women compete there in the near future.
“While, right now, women are not competing in the event, we have had discussions about that and we believe and hope that, in the next few years they will be,” Triple H said. “That is a significant cultural shift in Saudi Arabia. The country is in the middle of a shift in how it is dealing with that—the position is changing, and rights are changing, as are the way women are handled and treated in society. We think that’s a great thing and we’re excited to be at the forefront of that change.”
In March journalists and fans began to question WWE’s decision to hold a “huge” event minus its women’s division during a time when women have been stealing the show in landmark events.
WWE recently celebrated making progress in the Middle East and made history in Abu Dhabi by featuring Sasha Banks vs Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship.
What do you think of Triple H’s statements? Sound off in the comments below.
On the rise of Women’s Wrestling: It’s phenomenal. When I started wrestling in Scotland, it never even occurred to me that you could be a women’s wrestler. It took going to a school and asking if I could come to realize that this was something you could do here. And to see what it’s like now… we’re not just part of the show, a feature or novelty, we are one of the main attractions. I’m really proud of all the girls for all the hard work they’ve put in and we’re slowly taking up more space – you can see the boys are starting to sweat a wee bit!
On her Title vs. Title match against Toni Storm: That was a huge match. Not only was it personally important for me to defend the title in Japan but it was a double title. That kind of match doesn’t happen often, so it was a lot of pressure! I was a wee bit freaked out about it at the time but I’m really glad that that’s what they decided to do with it. It elevated the match. We’ve wrestled from literal working men’s clubs in Yorkshire in front of maybe 50 people to working in the bigger promotions in the UK, getting to go to Japan and WWE. It almost feels like every time we get to do it, it gets a little fuller circle. I love the story that we have all through our careers. We’re always evolving because we know each other so well and we have to think like each other and remember everything we can dish out and try to always take it one step more.
On intergender wrestling: With the way women wrestling is going now, I think it’s just a period of time before we break out into the guy’s division and mix it a little bit in there. If we were to take gender out of the equation, you’ll quite happily sit there and watch a very skinny hundred aa nd twenty-pound guy going with a heavyweight and that’s believable, whereas I’m definitely heavier than that, but it’s not believable for me to wrestle a cruiserweight mid-size guy? When you put it like that I really have to disagree with people, and even at that it’s wrestling, we’re telling stories!
On wanting to inspire others: If you’re talented and if you’re hard working everything else shouldn’t matter, it’s all superficial. I don’t believe that being skinny or being fat makes a difference to how good a character or wrestler you are. I don’t think it affects your ability to tell a story. I don’t want girls or guys to look at me and believe in me. I want people to look at me and think ‘she can do what she wants to do in life, I can do what I want to do in life.’ For me that’s more important than just representing people in wrestling, it’s giving people confidence to do what they wouldn’t normally have done. When I was younger I had great role models growing up in life but because I didn’t see them very much in the field that I wanted to do, I just didn’t think it was something that was possible.
Viper also discusses representing ICW wherever she goes, why the promotion feels like home to her and Netflix’s GLOW bringing a new audience to women’s wrestling.
What did you think of the interview? Do you agree with Viper’s POV? Would you like to see more intergender wrestling take place? Let us know in the comments below!
Renee Young overlooked tonight’s (April 24th) contract signing for the title rematch. She first introduced Carmella to the ring. As Young got ready to bring out Flair, Carmella grabbed Young’s mic to address the lack of respect she’s received from the WWE Universe since becoming the SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Carmella replays a highlight reel from last week’s Mellabration and demands to receive a standing ovation for it this time around. When she doesn’t get it, Carmella orders for the highlight reel to be played again but this time it gets cut short when Flair comes out.
Flair makes her way to the ring and takes her seat at the table. Carmella continues to gloat and taunt Flair on being the SmackDown Women’s Champion. Young asks for Carmella to take her seat as Flair signs the contract. Flair then Woos! in front of Carmella’s face, drives Carmella’s head to the table and flips the table on the SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Tonight, Asuka makes her SmackDown in-ring debut when she teams up with Becky Lynch to take on the IIconics Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, who will also be making her SmackDown in-ring debut.
One week after Asuka arrived on SmackDown LIVE as part of the Superstar Shake-up, The Empress of Tomorrow will make her official in-ring debut as a member of the blue brand when she teams up with Becky Lynch to battle The IIconics.
Asuka’s stunning SmackDown arrival came this past Tuesday when she saved Becky and Charlotte Flair from a three-on-two beatdown at the hands of SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella and Billie Kay & Peyton Royce of The IIconics.
The duo of Kay & Royce has certainly been causing a stir since they debuted on SmackDown LIVE, particularly when they attacked Charlotte, which led to Carmella successfully cashing in her Money in the Bank contract. But will The IIconics be ready for Asuka?
Tonight will see a contract signing between the SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella and Charlotte Flair to make their Women’s Title rematch at Backlash official:
The WWE Universe is still reeling from Carmella’s shocking Money in the Bank contract cash-in that saw her take the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Charlotte Flair.
The Queen isn’t waiting very long to invoke her rematch clause against The Princess of Staten Island. Tonight on SmackDown LIVE, the two will sign the paperwork to make their SmackDown Women’s Championship rematch official for WWE Backlash on Sunday, May 6. What will happen when these two rivals meet in the squared circle?
Rosa Mendes retired from WWE competition in 2017 a year after the birth of her daughter. Now she’s training for a comeback to the ring – with her first match in three years taking place on May 19 for MCW Pro Wrestling at a high school in Hampstead, Md.
In an interview with Sporting News, Mendes explains her training regimen and what brought her back to the squared circle as she prepares to step back into the ring.
She spends four-plus hours participating in drills and taking bumps inside a wrestling ring along with 20 other students at MCW Pro Wrestling Training Center.
After the training session concludes, Mendes does her part in helping the students clean the facility, including mopping the floor.
“I want to make history as a woman that was known as just a pretty face and garnish to a fierce in-ring competitor, and I won’t stop until I make that happen,” said Mendes.
Her goal is to gain enough experience to be booked on the independent scene every weekend and eventually make it mainstream again. She doesn’t see her age (38) as an issue.
“I feel like I look younger than I did five years ago,” she said. “People are shocked when I tell them my age, and I’m very proud of looking and feeling this good at 38. I’ve never been this strong and healthy, so I feel as though I should take advantage of this time in my life to fulfill my dream of becoming a strong competitor.”
Despite criticism from fans she says she’s training so that one day she’ll be able to have the greatest match of her career.
“I love the business so much, and I’m extremely passionate about it, but some of the fans don’t see that because they really haven’t seen me in the ring very much,” Mendes said. “But the real reason I’m doing this is for myself. I want to be proud of my in-ring ability. I want to know what it feels like to have an amazing match.”
“Wrestling and the business is a huge part of what has molded me into the strong woman and mother I am today,” she says.
Are you excited about this news? Do you want to see Rosa back in the ring? Who do you want to see Rosa face? Where do you want to see her booked? Sound off in the comments below.
According to PWInsider, she is dealing with a shoulder issue and that doctors advised her to take some time off to let heal.
Today, April 24, Tenille updated fans on her status, saying that she’s well rested and feeling better than before:
The past couple of weeks my body forced me to slow down. However after some much needed rest, massage & active release therapy I’m back in the gym & feeling like myself again! Sometimes that break you’re desperately trying to fight is exactly what your body needs to kick start! pic.twitter.com/Kzs6KEOjjd
She’s been on a roll since her departure from WWE, receiving bookings left and right since February and appearing in Women of Honor. Follow her on twitter to see where she’ll appear next.
What do you think of this news? Are you planning on seeing her in action? Who do you want to see her face? Sound off in the comments below.
The Superstar Shake-Up last week changed up RAW and after seeing the developments on SmackDown… I’ll be honest and say that I think RAW drew the short straw. So to prove me wrong, the WWE decided to follow last week’s format with the men and put the women in a 5-on-5 tag match in this week’s main event! Sweet! Well, let’s have a look at how it went down.
Ahead of the tag match, Renee Young caught up with RAW’s latest acquisitions Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, and Sarah Logan: The Riott Squad. She brings up their attack on Sasha Banks and Bayley, questioning their motives. Now for the first time, I could understand Sarah Logan and she basically says that they want the division to be scared. Riott compares her Squad to tear gas, claiming that they are messy and unpleasant, leaving their victims in tears and in pain… girl come back at tell me that when you all haven’t been defeated several times.
Now onto my highlight of the night, Alexa Bliss’ PSA “A Moment of Bliss”. She warns the WWE Universe about bullies, taking the victim role, giving a perfect ‘charity donation’ speech where she recounts a story of Nia Jax stealing a homeless person’s burrito. She warns the women that they shouldn’t be ‘silent accomplices’ to Nia’s bullying. She ends by revealing that she’ll be getting her title rematch against Nia Jax at Backlash for the RAW Women’s Championship.
Just before the match, the face team of RAW Women’s Champion Nia Jax, Ember Moon, Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley have a little prep talk. Moon states that she’s not scared by the Riott Squad and Jax threatens Bliss saying that mocking her is bad for her health. As the team head off, besties turned frenemies Bayley and Sasha Banks are left behind, but Bayley walks off before she can say anything.
Onto the big match, which seemed to go down like a nice exhibition match for all of the women. The Riott Squad play the numbers game to take over Sasha Banks, who plays her classic role of the damsel in distress. Ember Moon gets a tag in to showcase her signature impressive flurry of offence including a nice suicide dive (psst… Sasha, that’s how you do it) and that leads us to the commercial break.
When we come back from the break, Banks is once again being worked over by Logan, but Mickie James tags herself into the match as the Riott Squad seemed to be keeping themselves in the match. Eventually Natalya finds herself in the match and it’s great to see these ladies working together 8 years later. Natalya gets the upperhand and locks in her Sharpshooter, but Logan goes right for the chop block that looks like it could have popped out Natalya’s whole lower leg. As she limps to the corner, James gets super heel on us and boots her right in the injured leg and medics tend to Natalya on the outside.
Bayley and Ruby Riott continue in the ring, but soon Nia Jax gets tagged in. She makes easy work of Riott with a press slam and leg drop, but the entire heel team break up the pin. The match breaks down with all of the women brawling to the outside, but The Champ has other plans… Jax literally bowls through everyone with a crossbody/splash type thing from the apron!
There’s one women she didn’t catch, the villainous Mickie James who heads back into the ring… and once again lays out Natalya with a baseball dropkick and she continues the beatdown. Before she can continue, ‘Bad Reputation’ hits the speakers and Ronda Rousey comes out to help her mate. Once again, Mickie goes for a baseball dropkick but this pisses off Rousey. She jumps into the ring and attacks Mickie with the armbar after a sick judo takedown. She wrenches Mickie’s arm, causing the disqualification finish and goes to help her friend Natalya back up the ramp.
The commentators sign off and yeah… I guess that’s the end of RAW… no ring announcement, no cutaways to the other women.. Right.
Thoughts: Well, as I said at the top of this article, the roster suffered from this year’s Shake Up. I’m not dismissing the talent, but everything and everyone is just a bit all over the place, which was really felt in this week’s ‘big tag match’.
Let me start on a positive note though, I friggin’ loved the ‘Moment of Bliss’ PSA. Yes it was corny, but the music, the delivery, the script – the closest thing I could compare it to would be Trish’s ‘Kiss of Death’ promo for Lita, it was perfect. I know I wasn’t a fan of the fat-shaming angle, but this twist with Bliss claiming she’s the victim is a creative way to keep her character strong. Let’s just say that it was a lot better than those awful Nikki Bella promos where she spoke about Brie stealing her boyfriend. However, I can’t be the only one who noticed Bliss stayed out the ring and wore her baggy t-shirt merch over her usual attire. *sips tea*
Now onto the less positive things… The Riott Squad. I just can’t take them seriously as a threat. We’ve seen them lose to everyone on SmackDown, they looked weak at Royal Rumble and they tried to look strong at WrestleMania, but it didn’t click. There is potential there, but these girls just aren’t clicking. I really do like Ruby Riott, but you can’t even tell that she’s the leader. You need them ambushing the likes of Ember and Bayley backstage, you need them 3 on 1 surrounding Nia Jax, you need them actually causing riots. At the moment, I’m not seeing anything exciting… except Liv trying to stand out by making her tongue blue…
Then we have the end to last night’s action… what the hell was that. God bless @thatsroode on Instagram for making this, because it’s exactly what came to mind when I watched it:
Was fun to see her go for a move like that, but then what followed was just weird. I was all here for Mickie James to go superheel and own Natalya like that, but Rousey made her look like her bitch in about 2.5 seconds. I feel a group of us say this every week, Rousey made lightwork of Sonya Deville whose whole schtick is the MMA chick. Then we have Mickie James this week, a 6 time Women’s Champion who was made a light meal out of. Sure the takedown looked slick AF, but damn they could have at least let her kick her a bit.
What was then more weird was how they walked up and the rest of the women’s division were forgotten about. Did Jax get her hands on Bliss? Is there friction between Alexa/Mickie and the Riott Squad? What about Sasha and Bayley? They literally just forgot about everyone else and I guess that could be seen as a foreboding sign of what’s to come from the RAW women’s division… everyone squashed and all attention on Ronda Rousey.
Now, I get it, she’s a big deal, female Lesnar, blah blah blah, but the fact is that she’s still not a strong wrestler. It’s not worth squashing an entire division for and I kinda feel sorry for all of them since they’ll be putting her over, Ember, Bayley, Sasha until dun dun dun… Charlotte Flair. *rolls eyes* You lot hated on Asuka’s streak because it made predictable booking, but at least her NXT opponents were made to look equal and get the upperhand. Let’s also add the fact that Asuka can wrestle her ass off. Don’t get me wrong, I have faith in Rousey and she impressed me at WrestleMania, but this booking won’t be healthy for everyone else.
What did you think of last night’s RAW? Did you like the booking of the big tag match? Did you enjoy Alexa’s PSA as much as I did? What did you think of Rousey owning Mickie? Write in that comment section and I’ll be reading!
The WWE have announced that at Backlash, Alexa Bliss will get her rematch for the Raw Women’s Champion against Nia Jax. Jax won the title from Bliss at this year’s WrestleMania.
You can read WWE.com‘s announcement briefing below:
At WWE Backlash, newly-crowned Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax will look to thwart the always-dangerous former titleholder Alexa Bliss in a WrestleMania rematch.
There was a time when Jax and Bliss were best friends (or so we were led to believe). The Irresistible Force could always be counted on to help The Goddess of WWE hold onto her title whenever she was in a jam. Their relationship came crashing down, however, when Bliss was caught mocking her longtime cohort backstage on The Road to WrestleMania. Then, at The Show of Shows, Jax rose above the hate and bested Five Feat of Fury to lay claim her first Raw Women’s Championship.
Just because something is heroic, however, does not mean it’s destined to continue. After several attempts to paint Nia as the bully rather than the victim, Bliss made it known that she’s gunning for her fifth Women’s Title in a highly anticipated rematch against Jax at WWE Backlash.
The Raw Women’s Champion is a truly imposing force, possessing the talent and the attitude (not to mention the DNA) to thrive on her throne for a very long time, but the cunning and ruthless former champion will stop at nothing to once again take her place at the head of the pack.
As it was previously reported, going forward WWE’s PPVs will now be dual branded shows with SmackDown.
WWE’s Backlash airs Sunday May 6th on the WWE Network.
This past Monday night, the landscape of Monday Night Raw shifted dramatically with the arrival of such Superstars as Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal, Natalya, The Riott Squad, Bobby Roode, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and others looking to make a name for themselves in their new surroundings.
What new alliances and rivalries will emerge now that these new competitors have made Team Red their home?
After releasing an editorial speculating on how Paige can make “controversial” decisions – such as creating a female tag division and bringing back Talking Smack – as SmackDown’s new GM, WWE is continuing to tease the possibility of women’s tag titles.
In a special pictorial gallery WWE showcased several dominate teams the women’s division has to offer, past and present. This gallery includes:
In March a rumor surfaced on Reddit that WWE was looking at reintroducing Tag Titles for the women’s division. The announcement would come closer to SummerSlam, according to reddit user /u/dvizzle a.k.a BeltFanDan.
Even though she’s out of action right now, Nikki Bella supports this idea:
Hey @RealPaigeWWE ?????????????? Brie and I would love to put the SnapBack, Nike kicks, jersey, flannel, headband, and twin power back on in that WWE ring! Feeling pretty ICONIC…. ? N https://t.co/2N7csMewUr
Women in the division, ranging from Sasha Banks to former Superstar Lita, have made comments supporting reactivating the titles.
“I would love that. I think we have enough women on the roster now to actually have a women’s tag division. We’ve been given multiple storylines but at the same time, it’s very hard to accomplish something if you’re not actually fighting for anything,” Banks said during an interview with Sky Sports in January. “Only one woman can go after the women’s championship and I think if we had tag team championships we’d be able to create way more interesting storylines. We have tag matches all the time, every single week, so I say why not get a championship involved in that?”
Could WWE be testing fan reactions with these ideas? What do you think? What other teams should be added to the list? Sound off in the comments below.
Former two-time Knockouts Champion Winter, real name Katarina Waters, is being advertised for Impact’s June 1st and 2nd television taping in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Other Knockouts advertised for the show include Allie, Su Yung, and Kiera Hogan.
Following her release from the WWE, where she competed under the name Katie Lea Burchill, Winter made her Impact debut in October 2010 as an admirer of Angelina Love. The two would go on to capture the Knockouts Tag Team Titles by defeating the team of Madison Rayne and Tara.
During her singles competition, Winter would have two very brief runs with the Knockouts Championship when she defeated Mickie James at 2011’s Hardcore Justice and then defeating her again later in the same year at No Surrender.
Winter parted ways with the company in 2012.
Update 04/23/18:
Impact Wrestling confirmed via Twitter of Winter’s return to Impact:
During a recent interview with Women’s Pro Wrestling Weekly, Winter discussed the possibility of her returning to either WWE or Impact Wrestling:
I would definitely consider that for sure. Probably more Impact because there is more freedom to do other things. And I’m a big fan of Lucha as well and they do things like the talent crossover. So that would be definitely something I would be interested in getting involved in.
What are your thoughts on Winter’s return to Impact? How would you book her return? Who would you like to see her feud with? Let us know in the comments below!
