NXT’s Dani Palmer, who has been out of action since January, returned to the ring on the Aug. 23 episode of NXT Level Up.
Palmer had been out of action due to requiring double hip surgery. In her return she faced Fatal Influence member Jazmyn Nyx. Palmer looked very impressive in her return, but Nyx hits the pele kick to get the pin and victory.
Palmer also took part in tonight’s NXT live show in Fort Pierce, Florida. She lost to Izzi Dame.
Recently, WWE confirmed that much like the men, the women will be participating in their own Speed tournament to crown a Women’s Speed Champion. This will air exclusively on the X social media platform.
WWE Speed features matches with three-minute time limits. Championship matches have five-minute time limits.
The tournament first round brackets are as follows.
The WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships will be defended at the upcoming Bash in Berlin event on Aug. 31.
In an announcement by SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis, the champions Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre will defend against former champions Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill. This is the second match to feature women that has been confirmed for the premium live event. The other is Rhea Ripley & Damian Priest taking on the Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan & Dominik Mysterio.
The Unholy Union and Blair Davenport vs. Naomi, Jade Cargill, and Bianca Belair
Former three-time WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee (Mendez) is having her autobiography “Crazy is my Superpower” developed to air on A&E.
The autobiography was written in 2017 and has gone on to become a New York Times Best Seller. Since then, it had been mentioned that it would turn into a show. Since then, not much was heard about the project up until now when Mendez mentioned that it was still being developed and will air on A&E.
“It was an interesting struggle at first because I am the most private person in the world. I share nothing. I’m a brick wall. When you do have a lot of people listen to you, the things you say matter. There is value in that and you have to be considerate. I was willing to share this life lesson I learned embracing my mental health struggles. That’s a piece of me I’m willing to share with the world, if it can help other people. My book is very much about growing up in poverty, growing up homeless, and not understanding the mental illness that was getting in my body and within my family. Really starting to embrace these things in the world seen as negatives and turning them into armor and weapons and making them my greatest strengths. That’s been a huge part of my creative process, embracing this weird fucked up mind that I have,” said Mendez.
This came up while speaking with TheComicon along with Aimee Garcia about their “Day of the Dead Girl” project. Mendez and Garcia have previously worked on a GLOW comic together.
Additional information about Mendez’s memoir on A&E is not known at this time. It was recently reported that she will appear in an upcoming film “Sacramento” which features Michael Angarano, Michael Cera, and Kristen Stewart.
*Please note that this article will contain sensitive topics including gun violence*
Former WWE Superstar Ronda Rousey has issued an apology which she very well knows should have been given 11 years ago.
In 2012 a tragedy took place which has become all too common in the United States. At Sandy Hook Elementary School in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, 26 people (20 children and 6 adults) were brutally killed in a school mass shooting. After this, Rousey watched and then shared a conspiracy video which would deny the shooting. She labeled the share with “extremely interesting, and must-watch.” Rousey would take down the video but then follow up that tweet in 2013 with “asking questions and doing research is more patriotic than blindly accepting what you’re told.” (as of the time of this writing, this post is still up).
You can see the apology post below.
You can read what Rousey wrote below:
I can’t say how many times I’ve redrafted this apology over the last 11 years. How many times I’ve convinced myself it wasn’t the right time or that I’d be causing even more damage by giving it. But eleven years ago I made the single most regrettable decision of my life. I watched a Sandy Hook conspiracy video and reposted it on twitter. I didn’t even believe it, but was so horrified at the truth that I was grasping for an alternative fiction to cling to instead. I quickly realized my mistake and took it down, but the damage was done. By some miracle it seemingly slipped under the media’s radar, I was never asked about it so I never spoke of it again, afraid that calling attention to it would have the opposite of the intended effect – it could increase the views of those conspiracy videos, and selfishly, inform even more people I was ignorant, self absorbed, and tone deaf enough to share one in the first place.
I drafted a thousandth apology to include in my last memoir, but my publisher begged me to take it out, saying it would overshadow everything else and do more harm than good. So I convinced myself that apologizing would just reopen the wound for no other reason than me selfishly trying to make myself feel better, that I would hurt those suffering even more and possibly lead more people down the black hole of conspiracy bullshit by it being brought up again just so I could try to shake the label of being a “Sandy Hook truther”.
But honestly I deserve to be hated, labeled, detested, resented and worse for it. I deserve to lose out on every opportunity, I should have been canceled, I would have deserved it. I still do.
I apologize that this came 11 years too late, but to those affected by the Sandy Hook massacre, from the bottom of my heart and depth of my soul I am so so sorry for the hurt I caused. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain you’ve endured and words cannot describe how thoroughly remorseful and ashamed I am of myself for contributing to it. I’ve regretted it every day of my life since and will continue to do so until the day I die.
And to anyone else that’s fallen down the black hole of bullshit. It doesn’t make you edgy, or an independent thinker, you’re not doing your due diligence entertaining every possibility by digesting these conspiracies. They will only make you feel powerless, afraid, miserable and isolated. You’re doing nothing but hurting others and yourself. Regardless of how many bridges you’ve burned over it, stop digging yourself a deeper hole, don’t get wrapped up in the sunk cost fallacy, no matter how long you’ve gone down the wrong road, you should still turn back.
TNA heads to Bound for Glory in October, but tonight on TNA Impact! the Knockouts are setting the field for what’s to come, but continuing the grudges that are still held.
Tonight’s Knockouts action kicks off with Rosemary taking on one-half of TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champions, Alisha Edwards. The other half of Team Malisha, Masha Slamovich, watches on and continues to be a key player in their success and a problem for Rosemary.
Rosemary gets the upper hand on Edwards throughout the match, but Slamovich attempts to put a halt to this momentum. The team of Spitfire who has had problems with Malisha in the past, broke up the distractions from Slamovich for Rosemary to hit her finisher for the win.
Next, we hear from Ash By Elegance, responding to TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace, after issuing a warning last week. Ash says this match between them will be on her terms and that it will be a “Match By Elegance.”
After Matt Cardona crashed Steph De Lander’s wedding and honeymoon, she is forced to tag with Cardona tonight and take on her wedding party of PCO, Rhino, and Xia Brookside. But, Cardona is not fit to wrestle and sends in Kon and Madman Fulton to tag with her tonight. Unfortunately for Cardona, his plan backfires and the SDL wedding party is in full sync for them to gain the win.
Next, we hear from Grace responding to Ash’s “Match By Elegance” proposal and accepts the stipulation.
What did you think about TNA Impact tonight? What is a “Match By Elegance?” And can Rosemary continue to keep this soul-snatching going for some gold? Let us know in the comments below.
AEW Dynamite is overseas tonight in Cardiff, Wales as it’s the go-home Dynamite before AEW’s biggest show of the year All In. Tonight’s show kicks off with a contract signing with TBS Champion Mercedes Moné and Britt Baker before their bout for the title this Sunday.
It’s immediately a war of words, and Baker touts herself as the foundation of the AEW Women’s Division and before there was a “CEO” there was a “DMD.” Cardiff doesn’t take too kindly to “The CEO” but reminds them that she’s been “All In” and putting women’s wrestling on the map since she was 10 years old. Baker admits to Moné’s legacy but makes it clear she wants to face the girl who inspired future wrestlers like her and wants to beat that same girl this Sunday.
Baker then proceeds to take out Moné’s muscle, Kamille, for getting on her nerves and sends the Moné Corporation falling, with “The DMD” holding the TBS belt up high.
“Timeless” Toni Storm is scheduled to defend her AEW Women’s World Championship against Mariah May at All In. But, Saraya looks to challenge for the title tonight and take the championship back to her home country of England, just in time for All In.
The two begin to get caught in a tussle of sorts, but Saraya manages to gain the upper hand with cannonball to the outside and using plentiful sort of familiar offense.
Saraya looking for another Wembley moment for herself spikes Storm with a sunsetflip powerbomb but cannot seem to put out Storm.
In a last-ditch effort, Storm locks lips with both Harley Cameron and Saraya and hits a Storm Zero to defend her title. Just as Storm can celebrate her win, May arrives to bludgeon Storm with her heel and gains the upper hand heading into Wembley.
What did you think of tonight’s AEW Dynamite go-home show? Who has what it takes to go All In this Sunday? Let us know your predictions and thoughts below!
And Ash by Elegance makes four.
The fourth woman gets added to Black Label Pro’s (BLP) Wrestle Combine set for Sept. 4 in Chicago at the promotions Crowning Glory event.
This rounds out the four women who will be competing:
Ash has been working with TNA since her WWE release and has been in the championship picture fighting against Grace.
The votes are in, and the Diva Dirt readers have proclaimed that IYO SKY(c) vs. Bayley at WrestleMania 40 has been the best match of the year (so far).
This match won by only six votes which separated it from the runner up. Below you will find the top 10 (11 due to a tie) matches out of the 43 that were up to vote for.
We thank everyone for participating and voting. There was a total of 1,207 votes.
Tonight is the last Dynamite before this weekend’s All In event.
Black Label Pro (BLP) has been announcing its participants in their upcoming wrestling combine for its Crowning Glory event. The event will be taking place in Chicago on Sept. 4.
There will be four women and four men invited. A third woman hs been confirmed and that is former NXT Women’s Champion, Mandy Sacs (Rose). She is added to previously announced TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace and former WWE Superstar Xia Zhao (Li). The fourth woman is yet to be confirmed.
This will be Sacs return to the wrestling environment since her WWE release in December 2022.
Grace will also be in a match against Rachel Armstrong.
Britt Baker is set to challenge for the TBS Championship against the champion Mercedes Moné at the upcoming All In event this weekend.
Just added for tonight’s Dynamite will be a contract signing for the upcoming match. Last encounter had Kamille handle Baker which led to Moné standing tall.
Already set for tonight, Toni Storm will be defending the AEW Women’s World Title against Saraya. Storm will be facing Mariah May at All In.
Welcome to the weekly NXT recap!
We start off in a familiar setting, the NXT parking lot! Karmen Petrovic was scheduled to participate in tonight’s Gauntlet match but was removed after being attacked by Izzi Dame. Brinley Reece is stepping in as her replacement.
Lola Vice vs. Wendy Choo
The match started with Wendy Choo immediately taking control, attacking Lola Vice with a series of strikes and locking in a sleeper hold. Lola managed to break free by backing Wendy into the corner, but Wendy stayed on the offensive, blocking kicks and throwing Lola into the turnbuckles. Lola finally countered with a kick to the gut and a short-arm kick, but Wendy reversed into another sleeper hold, adding a double chop to the throat.
Wendy maintained her dominance, battering Lola in the corner and landing a snap suplex for a near fall. However, Lola fought back with knee strikes and a scissor kick to Wendy’s back. Wendy responded with a powerslam, forcing Lola out of the ring as the match went to a commercial break.
Back from the break, Wendy was still in control, executing a snapmare and wrenching Lola’s neck. Despite Lola’s attempts to fight back, Wendy’s aggression increased, hitting a big kick and slamming Lola’s head into the mat. Lola eventually turned the tide, landing rapid-fire spin kicks and a hip smash, but Wendy countered with a sunset flip and another sleeper hold. The match neared its finish when the Women’s North American Champion entered the ring. She was met with a discus lariat that was meant for Wendy, but Lola hit Kelani. This distraction led to Wendy hitting Lola with a modified pillow (it had the NA Title belt in it) to get the three count and the win.
Winner: Wendy Choo
After the match, Kelani, furious over Wendy’s win, challenged her to a title match at No Mercy, even attacking Wendy with the pillow that had the championship inside.
A vignette aired featuring Jacy Jayne and Fallon Henley, who criticized the NIL (Next In Line) talents, claiming they were handed opportunities that they themselves had to earn. The two declared themselves the leaders of the division, taking a particular shot at Jazmyn, one of the new talents.
No Mercy Gauntlet Eliminator
The Gauntlet Eliminator match featured competitors entering every three minutes. The match started with Wren Sinclair and Sol Ruca exchanging quick pin attempts and grappling for control. Adriana Rizzo was the next to enter, making an immediate impact with high-flying moves and suplexes. Despite her energy, Rizzo was eliminated after Sol hit a powerbomb.
Brinley Reece entered during the commercial break and immediately demonstrated her strength by suplexing both Wren and Sol simultaneously. Kendall Grey entered next, taking out Brinley Reece next with a neckbreaker and pinning her for an elimination.
Grey continued her assault on Sol and Wren, using a mix of belly-to-belly suplexes and fireman’s carry takedowns. However, Sol countered Grey’s attacks, delivering a gorilla press slam and a surfboard submission hold. Just as the match reached its climax, Jaida Parker entered as the final participant, quickly taking control with Kendal Gray and Wren Sinclar being eliminated next.
Sol and Jaida exchanged intense blows. Sol nearly secured the win with a springboard splash, but Jaida countered with a Falcon Arrow-type slam and then followed up with the Drive By, securing the victory.
Winner: Jaida Parker
Parker was interviewed after the match. She declared herself the new force in the division and made it clear that while Roxanne Perez may be a great champion, Jaida Parker is next in line for the title.
Meta-Two as Lexis King called them, had a backstage segment. They are not only unimpressed with King, but they are having an issue as former athletes who broke into the business of Fatal Influence’s from earlier in the night.
Booked for next week’s NXT:
Karmen Petrovic vs. Izzi Dame
Jacy Jayne & Fallon Henley vs. Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson
Congrats to Jaida on the big win, I was a bit nervous for her after the match because she was either selling extremely well or a bit rocked after that sit-out powerbomb spot (which was a great improvise by Sol). Still, I’m really looking forward to Roxanne vs. Jaida as this could be Parker’s big breakout match.
NXT taped a second episode on Aug. 20 to air on Aug. 27.
Below you will find the spoilers that are provided by Fightful’s Corey Brennan.
Other notes:
Karmen Petrovic is not believed to be injured, and her removal from the gauntlet on Aug. 20 episode was said to be storyline when Fightful asked.
For those hoping for a Giulia or Stephanie Vaquer debut, no surprise appearances are currently listed for the show.
Introducing – Fatal Influence.
The trio of Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, and Jazmyn Nyx have been named collectively as Fatal Influence.
On the Aug. 20 episode of NXT, a vignette aired of all three women. Jayne and Henley discuss all the time they fought and clawed their way to make it to where they are. Jayne and Henley have a history together growing up in the business.
They feel that they are the leaders of the division and they aren’t fans of all the athletes who have huge social media followings that have been signed as of late. Only one they have embraced is Nyx because she has seen who the real influencers are.
The trio have been working together shortly after Henley became heel.
“We are the example. We are the leaders. We are the Fatal Influence.”
Tonight’s NXT will determine who Roxanne Perez faces at No Mercy to defend her NXT Women’s Title.
Indie wrestling promotion Black Level Pro is working on building its Crowning Glory event which will be taking place in Chicago. BLP is partnering with Draft Kings for this event.
At this show they will feature a four women and four men combine which will have a series of events to see who is the strongest, fastest, and most athletic. Of the women chosen so far are TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace and former NXT talent Xia Zhao (Li). The other two women have not been confirmed at this time.
For the men, we have TNA talent Moose, former NXT and AEW talent Parker Bordeaux, and former WWE talent Mike Rallis (Riddick Moss) who will be accompanied by his wife, Tenille Dashwood (former WWE talent Emma and TNA). This event will take place on Sept. 4.
Below you can see the invites for Grace, Zhao, and Rallis w/Dashwood.
The most recent episode of WWE Main Event taped on August 19 and will air August 22. Below you will find the results for the women.
This is Vice’s first look with the main roster. She previously has worked with Valkyria in NXT.
Other than watching NXT this evening, you may want to catch the newest episode of Celebrity Family Feud. This will air on ABC at 8PM ET, check your local listings.
The women of WWE will be facing off against the men of WWE. This episode was taped in April and will feature the following teams:
Michin, Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Zelina Vega, and Sonya Deville to take on Angelo Dawkins, Montez Ford, Bobby Lashley, Austin Theory, and LA Knight.
This wouldn’t be the first time WWE took to Celebrity Family Feud. Prior episodes have included The Bella Twins family, and a team of Liv Morgan, Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, Bayley, and Natalya.
Ronda Rousey still doesn’t like Vince McMahon.
The former multi-WWE Women’s Champion at one point was rumored to have a one-on-one match with Becky Lynch. This was as a result from their first ever women’s main event at WrestleMania that also included Charlotte Flair in 2019.
Rousey was a recent guest on Chris Van Vliet’s Insight podcast. She was asked if she knew why the singles match with Lynch never took place. Her response was rather short but to the point.
“I don’t know, Vince (McMahon) is an 80-year-old asshole.”
When Van Vliet continued to say there is no “love lost” here, Rousey replied, “No. Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, Bruce Prichard. They can all suck a dick.”
Rousey did, however, speak highly of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. “They’re fantastic, I love them.” Rousey has gone on record recently in another interview to say she wishes she could have wrestled in the current Triple H regime. She stated that Triple H is the one that believed in her.
Rousey announced that she is currently pregnant with baby number two in July with People Magazine.
The Aug. 20 NXT is going to have huge implications for one NXT talent as we will find out who is taking on Roxanne Perez at No Mercy. Perez, who has been champion since April, has successfully defeated many in the locker room. But now she will get to face someone who has never had a NXT Women’s Title opportunity.
A No Mercy Gauntlet Eliminator match is set to take place. Six women who were picked from a random draw: Sol Ruca, Jaida Parker, Karmen Petrovic, Kendal Grey, Adriana Rizzo, and Wren Sinclair to participate in this match. The winner gets Perez at No Mercy.
Also, after Wendy Choo took out the NXT Women’s North American Champion Kelani Jordan last week, she will be facing Lola Vice. Vice and Tatum Paxley were in a heated match during the time of Choo’s interruption that took out Jordan on commentary. Vice won the match, but her new baby face side won’t stop there as she wants to have the back of Jordan and take out Choo tonight.
Don’t forget to return to Diva Dirt tonight to chat about the NXT Divas together live during the show!
We’re back with another episode of Monday Night Raw! Let’s dive right into the action.
First piece of women’s action has Ivy Nile working out when she was approached by Chad Gable, Julius Creed, and Brutus Creed. Gable welcomed her to the American Made team, acknowledging that Nile had given Maxxine Dupri a chance. Gable assured her that they were not finished with the Wyatt Sicks.
Ivy Nile vs. Maxxine Dupri
Maxxine Dupri made her entrance with Otis and Akira Tozawa but headed to the ring alone. Ivy Nile, accompanied by Chad Gable and the Creed Brothers, also made her entrance and then proceeded to the ring on her own.
The match started with Nile turning her back to Dupri, who took advantage by dropkicking Nile from behind. Dupri followed her to ringside, suplexed her, and even tossed her over the broadcast table. However, once back in the ring, Nile regained control with a kick and some hard-hitting punches.
Suddenly, the Wyatt Sicks’ eerie lighting began to dim, and their entrance theme played. Nile turned around to find Nikki Cross standing in the ring. Michael Cole finally identified Cross, saying she believes herself to be Abby the Witch.
Gable and The Creeds joined Nile to try and help, but all of the Wyatt Sicks entered including Uncle Howdy. Cross took down Nile and the two ended up rolling out of the ring.
Rhea Ripley warned Damian Priest that his upcoming match with Dominik Mysterio was a trap. Priest acknowledged that it was indeed a trap but stated it was worth it to get his hands on Dom. Priest vowed that they wouldn’t stop until they passed judgment on what he called “this lame-ass Judgment Day.”
Damian Priest made his entrance for his scheduled match with Dominik Mysterio. However, before the match could begin, Carlito, JD McDonagh, and Finn Bálor attempted to ambush Priest. Despite being outnumbered, Priest managed to fend them off, delivering superkicks to Carlito and JD while Bálor fled the scene.
Inside the ring, Rhea Ripley confronted Dominik, blowing him a kiss before headbutting him. Priest followed up with a punch, and the duo began to clear off the commentary table. Ripley teased putting Dominik through the table, but Liv Morgan intervened, attacking Ripley from behind with a steel chair.
The brawl escalated as Priest was beaten down in the ring by the four members of Judgment Day. Carlito delivered a Backstabber to Priest, while Liv sent Ripley crashing into the ring post, commentary table, and steel steps. Liv continued her assault, eventually throwing Ripley into the ring post.
With Priest incapacitated, Bálor hit a Coup de Grace, and Morgan followed up with Oblivion on Ripley. Dominik climbed to the top rope and executed a Frog Splash on Priest. The segment ended with the Judgment Day standing tall over the fallen Priest and Ripley.
Triple Threat for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles
The main event featured a Triple Threat match for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles with Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn facing Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane, and the team of Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark, who were accompanied by Sonya Deville.
The action kicked off before the bell, with all six women brawling. The match officially began once Sane and Baszler were the only two left in the ring. Early on, Sane and Sky performed dives on their opponents, leading into a commercial break.
Returning from the break, Sane attempted her Insane Elbow on Baszler but was countered with boots to the midsection. Baszler then applied her submission finisher, but Fyre tagged in just in time. Dawn executed a Backstabber on Baszler who kept Sane in the Kirifuda Clutch, setting up Fyre to hit a Swanton Bomb onto the pile of competitors. Fyre then covered Baszler for the victory.
Winners: The Unholy Union (Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn)
Solid storytelling last night, with the tag match in particular being very good and action packed. Maxxine showed great aggression in the match but the major talking point from the segment was it seems like Nikki Cross found her first victim in this new role as Sister Abigail. The Liv/Rhea storyline continues to be a focal point throughout the show, adding more depth to the upcoming mixed tag match at Bash in Berlin.
After consulting with Diva Dirt readers, we’ve come up with at least 43 matches so far in 2024 that we could vote on which one is the best. The matches are from various different promotions and since we are eight months into the year, let’s see which ones stack up.
Below you will find a poll where you can vote up to 10 choices to rank the best matches this year (so far). The results will be posted on Thursday!
Happy voting!
Advertised for tonight’s Raw, there will be two matches:
It is being reported by Fightful Select that Saraya’s current contract with AEW is wrapping up. The report is saying she could wind up as a free agent in the next few months but could also have an extension.
Per Fightful Select:
Saraya, formerly known as Paige, has held world titles in All Elite Wrestling, WWE and NXT. However, within a few months, she could end up on the free agent market, sources tell Fightful. We’ve learned that the “Fighting With My Family” inspiration’s deal with AEW extends until at least September, where there were option years, but instead something else is likely on the table.
The nature of the option years has been up for debate internally, as sources claimed each side held them. However, we can confirm that the two sides have at least been in talks regarding extending the current deal for a year, whether it be with a new contract, or the option being exercised.
Saraya became AEW World Champion at All In, but lost the championship to Hikaru Shida a few weeks later. She was forced into retirement for nearly five years due to a neck injury. Saraya noted in 2022, that during a conversation with Triple H upon her departure, the door was left open, and it was the previous regime’s decision to not retain her.
While Saraya doesn’t officially have a match at AEW All In, she is planned for the show. She’s scheduled to compete for the AEW World Title on Wednesday as well.
Saraya had been out of action with her career ending neck injury in WWE since 2017. AEW cleared her to compete when she joined them in 2022.
