After a lengthy break from Diva action in FCW, we are back this week as on September 11th we were presented a non-title match between current Queen & Divas Champion, Aksana (complete with new music which brings back fond memories of TV Show, The Mole) and relative newcomer, Audrey Marie. Can Audrey score the upset? Or will Aksana continue to plow over the division as she cements her status as the best of the best?
Check it out below!
Out first comes Audrey Marie, decked out in cotton candy-type gear (thanks Eric). She slaps a few hands on her way to the ring, as she awaits the competition. New espionage type music hits, as Aksana steps onto the entrance way with her darker look. After some fine announcing by Cameron Lynn (Ariane Andrew), the bell sounds and things get underway. The two lock up, as Audrey takes the champion over with a side headlock takedown. Aksana reverses it into a roll up, but just for a near fall before Audrey takes control again.
They both get to a vertical base, as Audrey is Irish Whipped into the ropes. She runs back and manages to smartly reverse it, tossing Aksana into the opposing side. She takes Aksana down with a hip toss for a two count. From there, Audrey takes control of the match again with another side headlock takedown, only Aksana counters into a leg lock that Marie manages to break. Audrey applies a front face lock, but Aksana simply lifts her into the air (that bodybuilding past coming to good use, eh?) and backs her into the corner.
She pounds Audrey’s head into the turnbuckle and proceeds to level her back with a few vicious kicks. Aksana tosses her down to the mat and covers for a near fall, before grabbing Audrey into an abdominal stretch. The champion shows her ring smarts by grabbing onto the ropes to add pressure behind the referee’s back, before breaking the hold. Aksana chokes Audrey on the ropes using her leg, but then throws her back and scores another close call.
Aksana irish whips Audrey into the corner, but she manages to elbow the champion in the face as she charges forward. Marie lifts her legs up and places them around Aksana’s head, then proceeding to kick her using the back of her calf. Audrey then ascends to the second rope and leaps off with a nice spinning heel kick for a two count. She goes for a face lock, but Aksana counters into a small package for barely even a one count before Audrey kicks out.
Aksana goes towards the ropes, but Audrey applies a reverse headlock, and looks to go for her finishing maneuver, which she calls “The Round-Up”, only Aksana manages to dodge out of way and she crashes down to the mat in pain. Hook of the legs by the Champion for a one count, before picking Audrey up and taking control. She goes to send Marie into the ropes, but Audrey reverses it. Aksana slides under the legs and drills Audrey with the Devo Drop Spinebuster to officially gain the pinfall and victory!
After the match, Aksana picks Audrey up and sends her flying outside the ring. She blasts her back first into the ring apron, before throwing her down into the steel barricade! Aksana then lifts Audrey up and throws her into the steel steps, as Aksana poses over her and declares that this is NOT FINISHED. A devilish Aksana then makes her way to the back, as the segment comes to an end.
Right before his match with Leo Kruger, Bo Rotundo is seen backstage about to make his entrance to the arena. He is soon stopped by Aksana, as she confronts him in near tears. She manages to blurt out “It’s your brother!” although Bo, now seeming to have a new attitude as well since aligning with Aksana, simply ignores her and goes to compete in his match rather than seeing what was wrong with his brother, Husky Harris. As he heads out, the camera pans into our Champion, who reveals that her tears were fake, as she smirks to the camera to show her approval of this new version of Bo Rotundo.
Thoughts: When I saw this match on paper, I was a little worried to review it. Audrey is still really new, and I wasnt sure if Aksana was to the level to control it, but the match was actually not bad to me. There was a little bit of a confusion spot after the spin kick, but they recovered and got to the finish. Audrey looked better in this match than her past two showings, and I’m excited to see how the next match in this series will be. The aftermath was also really cool as they seem to be portraying Aksana’s new attitude as deadly, instead of comical like in the past.
