On Dec. 27, the final NXT Level Up will air. On it will be a six-woman tag team match.
Lainey Reid, Wendy Choo & Kali Armstrong vs. Carlee Bright, Kendall Grey & Layla Diggs
It was confirmed on Dec. 19 that NXT Level Up is coming to an end.
Tay Melo Set For In Ring Return With Her STARDOM Debut
AEW’s Tay Melo is ready for her in-ring return and it will also be her STARDOM debut. She has been out of action for two years as she gave birth to her first child.
At New Year Dream, in tag team action on Jan. 3, Melo will team up with Mina Shirakawa to challenge Athena and Thekla. This will also be Athena’s debut for STARDOM.
Melo’s last TV match for AEW was a Street Fight in January 2023 where she teamed with Anna Jay in a loss against Ruby Soho and Willow Nightingale.
As for Athena, she has been the ROH Women’s World Champion now for over two years. She defeated Billie Starkz for the second year in a row at Final Battle.
The full card for New Year Dream is as follows:
- Rian & Honoka vs. Mizuki Kato & Yuma Makoto
- Nanami & Lady C vs. Saya Iida & Momo Kohgo
- Hina & Ranna Yagami vs. ZONES & Soy
- Mina Shirakawa & Tay Melo vs. Thekla & Athena
- High Speed Battle Royal: Saki Kashima vs. Yuna Mizumori vs. Waka Tsukiyama vs. Cohaku vs. Matoi Hamabe
- Hanan & Manami vs. Ruaka & Rina
- Sendai Girls Junior Title: Chi Chi (c) vs. Aya Sakura
- AZM, Miyu Amasaki & Mei Seira vs. Mayu Iwatani, Koguma & Hazuki
- Saori Anou, Natsupoi & Sayaka Kurara vs. Dump Matsumoto, ZAP & Natsuko Tora
- Maika & HANAKO vs. Yuu & Chihiro Hashimoto
- Tam Nakano vs. Unagi Sayaka
Toni Storm Picks Up A Christmas Win On 34th St.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! AEW Dynamite is on 34th St. in New York City tonight and we look to get some women’s action as it’s the go-home show before Worlds End this Saturday.
First, we catch up on the story amongst the TBS Champion and NJPW Strong Women’s Champion, Mercedes Moné, and Kris Statlander. After their TBS title match at Full Gear, the two look to go for round two this Saturday at Worlds End.
It’s Toni Time this Christmas, as Toni Storm goes at it tonight against Taya Valkyrie, with Deonna Purazzo at Valkyrie’s corner. Storm had recently “re-introduced” herself to the AEW roster, but Valkyrie and Purazzo aren’t buying her act.
Storm looks to show a test of sportsmanship, but Valkyrie hands it to Storm on the early goings of the match and proceeds to give her a special “gift” for Christmas.
This match is entirely all Valkyrie, and Storm doesn’t seem like she’s wrestling like a former AEW Women’s World Champion. Valkyrie continues to punish Storm until Storm manages to cradle her up for a surprise win.
What did you think of AEW Dynamite tonight? Where does the story of Toni Storm pick up from here? Let us know in the comments below!
The Unholy Union Win in NXT Return! Kelani Jordan Targets Cora Jade
Hey everyone!! Merry Christmas from yours truly, hope everyone enjoys their holiday! NXT recap will be much shorter today.
- Stephanie Vaquer defeated Cora Jade in a singles match. Post-match, Kelani Jordan attacked Cora Jade with a kendo stick.
- The Unholy Union (Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn) triumphed over Fatal Influence (Jazmyn Nyx & Jacy Jayne) in a tag team bout.
- Kayden Carter and Katana Chance intervened to prevent Fallon Henley from interfering in the tag match.
- A backstage confrontation between Kelani Jordan and Lola Vice set up a match for the December 31st episode of NXT
Stephanie Vaquer vs. Cora Jade
The Unholy Union vs. Fatal Influence
IYO SKY Advances in Women’s Intercontinental Title Tournament!
Happy Holidays all! Short Raw recap this week, let’s dive right in!
The show opened with The Pure Fusion Collective (Sonya Deville, Zoey Stark, and Shayna Baszler) making their way to Adam Pearce’s office. Sonya demanded Kairi Sane’s spot in the Women’s Intercontinental Championship tournament, confident she deserved the opportunity. Pearce, channeling his inner Santa, gave them the opposite of what they wanted—declaring that Iyo Sky was already set to take the spot. The Collective was not jolly about the news as Pearce exited stage left.
With tension mounting, Iyo Sky hit the stage for her triple threat match, ready to prove why she earned her place.
Women’s Intercontinental Title Tournament Quarterfinals
Iyo Sky vs. Alba Fyre vs. Natalya
The bell rang, and Iyo wasted no time going for a sneaky rollup on Natalya, scoring a near fall. Natalya powered Iyo to the mat and followed up with her signature back stomp, only to have Alba Fyre interrupt with a well-timed trip. Fyre tossed Natalya into the steel steps with authority!
Iyo sprinted across the ring and launched herself with a flawless suicide dive, crashing into Fyre at ringside. Back in the ring, Iyo’s momentum continued with a springboard dropkick that grounded Fyre. But Alba fired back—literally—with a Tornado DDT that planted Iyo, followed by a front suplex that sent Sky flying into Natalya. The crowd popped as Alba climbed the top rope and nailed a Swanton Bomb on both opponents, but the resulting pin attempts weren’t enough to seal the deal.
Fyre shifted gears, locking Natalya in a tight head-and-arm submission. Natalya escaped, showing her veteran instincts, and turned the tide with a brilliant double Sharpshooter on both opponents but Alba managed to leverage out.
Iyo capitalized. She yanked Natalya into the ropes with a brutal neckbreaker and followed with a crisp springboard moonsault to the outside, taking out both Fyre and Natalya. Back in the ring, Iyo ascended to the top rope, but Fyre intercepted, delivering a stiff shot to the back. Natalya wasn’t done yet, returning to the fray with a picture-perfect German Suplex to Fyre. Final moments saw Iyo land her Over The Moonsault on Natalya for the decisive pinfall victory.
Winner: Iyo Sky
Raw teased further cracks within The Judgment Day as Liv Morgan was spotted backstage in a tense moment with the group. Subtle glances and whispered words suggest the faction may not be as united as they claim—stay tuned for what’s brewing there.
Meanwhile, Natalya had a lighthearted exchange with R-Truth during the post-show segment. Fun? Sure. Meaningful? Doubtful.
And that’s pretty much it for Raw last night! Nattie had a segment with R-Truth in the post show that will likely need to nothing. Liv Morgan was featured backstage with the Judgement Day, further cracks being planted there. Nikki Cross did some shenanigans during the W6 stuff. A quiet week with the holidays coming up and the Raw on Netflix Premiere near. Hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday!
Maxxine Dupri And Anthony Luke Get Engaged
WWE Superstar Maxxine Dupri has announced her engagement to NXT Superstar, Anthony Luke. She shared the news on Instagram with a caption that says “status: FOREVER.”
Dupri made her SmackDown main roster debut in 2022 and has since moved to Raw and is part of Alpha Academy with Otis and Akira Tozawa. As for Luke, he has yet to debut on TV, but has been working NXT live events since his debut in April.
Congratulations to the happy couple!
Spoilers: AEW Dynamite Tapings For Dec. 25
AEW has chosen to tape its Dynamite episode this week due to the Christmas holiday. Below you will find the match spoilers. Since this episode has been pre-taped and plus it being Christmas, there will be no Discussion Post this week.
- Toni Storm def. Taya Valkyrie
Raw Discussion Post: 12.23.24
- WWE Women’s Intercontinental Tournament Match – Alba Fyre vs. Natalya vs. TBD
Momo Watanabe Finalizes Wrestle Dynasty’s International Women’s Cup Match
STARDOM was the last promotion to qualify a participant for the upcoming NJPW x AEW Wrestle Dynasty International Women’s Cup. They hosted a mini tournament which landed Momo Watanabe the winner.
Watanabe now joins Athena (ROH), Willow Nightingale (ROH), and Persephone (CMLL) in the upcoming match.
Also at Wrestle Dynasty on Jan. 5, Mercedes Moné defends the NJPW STRONG Women’s Title in a Title vs. Title match against RevPro British Women’s Champion Mina Shirakawa.
Mercedes Moné vs. Kris Statlander II Added To AEW Worlds End
A second women’s match has been added to AEW Worlds End which takes place on Dec. 28. Kris Statlander has previously stated she isn’t finished with the TBS Championship. She has been wanting to become a two time champion and her loss at Full Gear against Moné has only continued to fuel her.
On the Dec. 21 episode of Collision, Statlander defeated Penelope Ford. Moné came out afterwards and said she will show Statlander at Worlds End that she is the greatest TBS Champion of all time.
Other happenings in the women’s division:
Jamie Hayter vs. Julia Hart set for Jan. 1 Dynamite
Mariah May (c) vs. Thunder Rosa will take place for the AEW Women’s World Title in a Tijuana Street Fight at Worlds End. They brawled on the Dec. 21 episode of Collision.
The Vendetta introduce themselves to Toni Storm
Shelly Martinez Talks Bray Wyatt: Says Her Name Was Brought Up To Be Sister Abigail
Shelly Martinez recently sat down with Ring the Belle and talked about a conversation she had with the late Bray Wyatt.
“I was so intrigued by Bray Wyatt, of course. I can’t even remember what year it was. Maybe 2014, 15. And I’m not here to whatever, This is what he told me. He was like, ‘you know they’ve thrown your name around about being Sister Abigail.’ He’s like, ‘I’m a big fan of what you and Kevin used to do.’ And he started marking out for me. And I was like, you’re marking out for me. And so I was like, whoa, that’s crazy.”
The character of Sister Abigail has always been a bit of a mystery as we have skated around the identity. While Alexa Bliss was with Wyatt, she was unofficially considered that role. Now, Nikki Cross, who plays Abby the Witch in the Wyatt Sicks, is considered to be a version of Sister Abigail herself according to some commentary remarks.
For the full interview with Martinez you can watch below.
Zeuxis Defeats La Jarochita In Singles Match
Hello everyone, last Friday night, La Jarochita had her first singles match since her nine-month absence against The CMLL Women’s World Champion, Zeuxis.
With the parallels in these two wrestlers’ careers, they were able to have a competitive match, in which La Jarochita got the first fall with an impressive submission.
Zeuxis got her back by making her tap out in the second fall with a submission move of her own.
The CMLL Women’s Champion ended up getting the win with her double underhook lifting knee facebreaker.
Who would you like to see Zeuxis face next? Let us know in the comments below!
Penelope Ford vs. Kris Statlander Added To Holiday Bash Collision
A match has been booked for the Holiday Bash edition for Collision on Dec. 21. Penelope Ford vs. Kris Statlander is set based of what happened on Rampage.
On Dec. 20 Willow Nightingale defeated Harley Cameron, however Ms. Harley has made a new friend – Penelope Ford. The two would attack Nightingale post match. Where this story gets tricky, and speaking of friends, who comes to save Nightingale but…Statlander?
Also on Collision we will hear from the TBS Champion, Mercedes Moné.
Athena Retains ROH Women’s World Championship In Main Event!
In the most anticipated match of the night and the main event we had the rehash of last year’s match where Athena defended her ROH Women’s World Championship against her minion and former protegé, Billie Starks.
Billie made her way to the ring wearing a USA-themed outfit inspired by the first Women’s of Honor World Champion, Sumie Sakai.
Athena came out in an amazing two-face-insired look. Showcasing her ring outfit after removing her two color wig and bedazzel blazer. Wearing a green and blue sparkly outfit.
The match was more of a fight, between the two of them. You could tell about their relationship history through the way they hit each other. Athena took control by working on Billie’s leg. Billie was able to recover after Athena distracted herself from the match by talking to Billies mom, Mrs. Starkz.
Other highlights of the match saw Starkz do the Alabama slam into the ring apron, followed by a diving swanton bomb to the outside of the ring and a lifting facebuster for a near fall.
After Athena hit Billie and the referee with a suicide dive and after an interference from Lexy Nair, Athena was able to remove the protection from the second turnback to hit Billie in the head and to then finish her with the O face for the win.
Athena has been an amazing champion so far and, I think she is the best part of ROH, we already knew how good she is in the ring ever since her indy days, but I feel she has shown a lot of character work and consistency all around during her reign.
I felt that both did a great job with the storytelling In and outside the ring. Congratulations to both of them. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for them and the ROH roster in 2025.
What do you think of the results? Let us know in the comments below!
Women’s Tag Team Champions Decided In Main Event; The Era Of “Red, White, and Green” Is Just Getting Started
Friday Night SmackDown aired as a pre-taped broadcast this week from inside the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
The women’s action began with a video package recapping the match between Chelsea Green and Michin for the Women’s United States Championship at Saturday Night’s Main Event last weekend. An interview filmed after the show aired where Chelsea Green told “Bryan” (Byron) Saxton that she always knew her championship victory was going to happen, and that while Byron might be surprised, she is not, having been wrestling for the past ten years. She worked her entire life to be an overnight success, and this is her time as she is now in the history books, where she belongs. She would have been there three years ago, but she was released; she would have been there in 2015, but she wasn’t hired, a reference to her stint on that year’s edition of Tough Enough alongside Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, and others. Now is the time, and as we saw on her social media accounts, she spent the next day going to Disneyland.
Nia Jax and Candice LeRae are speaking backstage when Tiffany Stratton walked in to wish them good luck for their Women’s Tag Team Championship match against Bianca Belair and Naomi, mentioning that she couldn’t wait to be there ringside to have their hands raised. LeRae interjects, mentioning that her and Jax think it is best for Stratton to stay out of the match. She does add, however, that Stratton could take some notes to see what a championship victory looks like, but if she wants to help, she could get some champagne, balloons, and streamers after LeRae and Jax win the titles. Stratton then walks off awkwardly after LeRae tells her that they need to keep strategizing.
Women’s Tag Team Champion Bianca Belair and Naomi are interviewed by Byron Saxton just before the main event tag team match. Bianca states that it has been a rough couple of weeks, and while she will eventually find out who attacked Jade Cargill, she’s not going to allow what happened to Jade to get her and Naomi stripped of the titles because she knows that’s what Nia and Candice want, and she is not going down without a fight. Thankfully, she has Naomi, who tells her she’ll always have Bianca’s back. Naomi knows how important the titles are to Bianca and Jade, and they are important to her as well, which is why she’s going to go out there and do everything she needs to in order to walk away as Women’s Tag Team Champions.
The two teams then make their entrances and the match was on! The EST was inside the ring for most of the match, with Jax and LeRae doing their best to try and put her away throughout. Naomi was eventually tagged in to much fanfare, launching hits against the Irresistible Force and powerbombing her to the point of the Women’s Champion bleeding on her forehead.
Tiffany Stratton would make her way out, Money in the Bank briefcase in hand, trying to give it to Jax, but the referee would notice and the Queen of the Ring winner was sent onto the floor at ringside. Naomi would pin The Poison Pixie after a split-legged moonsault to get the victory and become Women’s Tag Team Champions with Belair, and the show would end with both women raising their championships in the air.
Make sure to share your thoughts on this week’s episode of SmackDown in the comments below, and have a happy and safe holiday season!
Red Velvet Victorious In ROH Women’s TV Title Defense
Tonight, at Final Battle, Red Velvet put her ROH Women’s World TV Championship on the line against Leyla Hirsch.
Leyla Hirsch entered first dressed in white, while the champion made her entrance in the company of NYC-based musician RED, wearing a Christmas-esque green and red outfit.
After a competitive fight, Red Velvet was able to cheat her way to a win, taking advantage of Hirsch’s arm/shoulder injury by hitting her with a wrench after distracting the referee.
Red embraced herself and celebrated her win on her way out.
Regardless of the result, both competitors were impressive with their performance. With the double turn adding a new layer to their feud, this seems to be far from over.
What do you think about the match? Let us know in the comments below!
Hanako wins ROH Debut at Final Battle Zero Hour
Hi everyone, during the zero hour at ROH Final Battle, Harley Cameron faced Stardom’s Hanako in a singles match.
Hanako defeated Harley Cameron in her debut ROH match. Using her height advantage, she was able to succeed and score her first win in ring of honor, with a torture rack sitout facebuster.
You can watch the match in the zero-hour video on YouTube.
SmackDown Discussion Post: 12.20.24
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles: Bianca Belair & Naomi (c) vs. Nia Jax & Candice LeRae
SmackDown Changing To Three Hours Starting In January
SmackDown is officially becoming a three hour show.
WWE has confirmed that starting on Jan. 3, the blue brand will be three hours long. Start time will still begin at 8 PM ET United States. This is the first time SmackDown will move to three hours in its history.
Raw will be moving to Netflix as of Jan. 6. It has been cut down to two hours since October, but has been rumored to return to three hours once it makes the move to Netflix. This hasn’t been confirmed by WWE as of the time of this writing.
Spoilers: NXT Tapings For Dec. 31
The next two weeks of NXT have already been taped. For the Dec. 24 spoilers you can click here. The Dec. 31 spoilers can be seen below:
- Kelani Jordan def. Lola Vice
- Meta-Girls def. Gigi Dolin/Shotzi and Katana Chance/Kayden Carter
- Izzi Dame def. Sol Ruca
Athena and Billie Tag Team Ahead of Final Battle, Billie Breaks Athena’s Spinner Belt
Hi everyone, ROH had their going away show last night before their Final Battle event.
First, we got a face off in a backstage segment, between the ROH Women’s World Television Champion Red Velvet and her challenger Leyla Hirsch.
The first match was a single bout between Lady Frost and Queen Aminata.
Queen Aminata was able to score the win, with her new submission finisher, which looked like a variation of the octopus.
Then Athena and Billie teamed up ahead of their title match at Final Battle. They faced local competitors, Blair Onyx and Missa Kate.
After shaking their hands respecting the code of honor, Athena started the match by tagging Billie and making her get into the ring.
Athena hit Billie in the back of her head, which allowed their competitors to take advantage and tag teamed her, then Athena tagged herself, threw Billie at them, and pretty much attacked everyone in the match including Billie, getting the win by submission.
Post match, Billie grabbed Athena’s spinner belt and broke it in front of Athena. They brawled. Billie hit security and Athena kicked Billie and continued to attack her, hitting her head on the steel steps and onto the belt.
This will be it for this episode. Final Battle airs tonight at 7 ET.
Mercedes Moné Responds To “Downgrade” Comment – “I Hate Stupid People”
AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Moné has had enough of the internet trolls.
Despite being a double champion, Moné also holds the NJPW STRONG Women’s World Title, she continues to get an onslaught of doubters on social media.
Moné was recently on an Instagram Live after defending the NJPW title against Hazuki. She noticed a comment that called the current status of her career a “downgrade.” She chose not to bite her tongue and said the following:
“I just saw someone say, ‘Downgrade has to be studied.’ Bitch. I am richer than I’ve ever fucking been, putting on the greatest matches that I’ve ever had, so shut the fu- I hate stupid people. I hate stupid people. I’m living my best life, the greatest life ever. It’s an upgrade baby, I went forward and I didn’t go back. It’s the best feeling ever to be rich in spirit, rich in your bank account, and just rich in life. It’s the best.”
Match Added To ROH Final Battle Zero Hour
A women’s match has been added to the ROH Final Battle preshow Zero Hour.
Harley Cameron will be taking on STARDOM’s Hanako. This makes the third women’s match overall for the event.
Final Battle – Dec. 20
- Harley Cameron vs Hanako – Zero Hour
- ROH Women’s World TV Championship – Red Velvet (c) vs. Leyla Hirsch
- ROH Women’s World Championship – Athena (c) vs. Billie Starkz
Athena vs. Starkz is listed as the double main event.
Spoilers: AEW Rampage Tapings For Dec. 20
Below are spoilers from the Dec. 18 tapings of AEW Rampage. They will air on Dec. 20 on its normal day and time slot. Courtesy of WrestleZone.
- Willow Nightingale def. Harley Cameron
- Penelope Ford attacks Willow Nightingale after the match, but Kris Statlander makes the save. Statlander and Nightingale have a staredown.
Report: NXT Level To Come To An End
The NXT Level Up program will be wrapping up and ending after tonight’s tapings according to a report by Corey Brennan of Fightful.
Prior to these last tapings, we will see Kendal Grey vs. Lainey Reid this Friday – Dec. 21.
NXT ran Level Up as a restructure of 205 Live. It has been on since February 2022.