Former NXT Diva Zahra Schreiber has made her first public statement since her release, taking to Instagram to issue an apology.
Zahra, who was released by the WWE last week after Nazi imagery was found on her Instagram, stressed that she is not an anti-Semite, writing:
“Let me start this off by saying how grateful I am and how fortunate I feel to have had my time with WWE. It truly was my dream job. Last week WWE made a decision to release me from my contract due to posts I made on social media years ago, long before I was ever employed by them. I understand why that decision was made, but it broke my heart and my spirit. I don’t want my mistakes to reflect on WWE or how incredible they are as a company. The responsibility is my own…
Now, I want to take the time to apologize to everyone who was offended by my posts. I am so sorry. I would like to make it very clear I am in no way, shape or form an anti-Semite, nor do I condone anti-Semitism. If one were to have looked deeper into my post, one would have noticed that also in the photo was Marlene Dietrich. Marlene was a Polish actress who opposed Nazism and fought for the oppressed during WWII. To me the photos and relics were nothing more than a story. I now see it was insensitive of me and in poor taste, which is why I had attempted to delete them long ago.
On an aside, a family member of mine took part in the White Rose Movement (Germans trying to end Nazi domination), which is where my interest in the Holocaust actually stemmed from. Also, documented deeper on my Instagram from years ago are photos of me at Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany, and I noted there how disturbed I was by the entire place. Unfortunately, social media rarely notices positivity, and can be an evil place where opinion is easily manipulated to fit the circumstance.
I take full accountability for the things I did post, but those out there who are creating Twitter exchanges that never happened or have manufactured other conversations that never took place really need to check themselves and realize how much harm they are actually doing.
Everything I’ve worked for and dreamt of is gone. In an instant, I lost it all. But I can’t let this define my life. I know who I am as a person. I’m as human as anyone else. I’ve made mistakes like we all do. I hope those I’ve offended can forgive me. All I can do now is learn and move forward trying to be better every day.”
She would follow this up with a tweet thanking her supporters, saying:
“Someone is always gonna be offended. You either said too much or you didn’t say enough. That came from the heart. Thanks for the support.”
Schreiber’s Instagram and Twitter accounts are both currently locked and cannot be viewed unless followed.
Lana has sustained an injury that has put her in-ring debut on hold.
According to WWE.com, Lana suffered a Colles’ fracture to her wrist while working out in the ring prior to yesterday’s live event.
WWE.com spoke to senior ringside physician, Dr. Scott Amann, who explained the injury and revealed that she will likely have to undergo surgery, which will put her out of active competition for four months:
“During a training session [Sunday] afternoon, Lana had sustained an injury in the ring. We attended to her and noticed that she had a deformity of her wrist. We obtained X-rays which showed a Colles’ fracture and [we put her] in a splint. Most of these Colles’ fractures do better surgically than non-surgically, especially in younger patients. Most likely this will require an operation, which will take her out of active competition for approximately four months.”
Lana addressed the injury in two tweets today, writing:
Welcome back to another edition of the Joshi Roundup! Since we are in a holiday this will be a shorter column this week. Let’s get right to the news!
Joshi News
Photo: battle-news.com
As Kana works her way towards her “hiatus” starting on September 15th, she is making her final rounds in the different promotions she wrestles in. On September 4th she wrestled in REINA for the last time, and relinquished her championship there. Kana and Syuri have been in a long-time feud, but put their differences aside as they teamed in the main event against Konami (Kana’s protege) and Makoto. Afterwards everyone posed and danced as isn’t unusual in Joshi, as Kana gave her final farewell. Kana has one more week of wrestling in Japan, leading to her own event on September 15th. After that… who knows? (Source)
Photo: battle-news.com
In more explosive news, the legendary Dump Matsumoto teamed with TARU to beat Atsushi Onita and Chigusa Nagayo for the Blast King Tag Team Championship! This is a tag title in a promotion called “Super Fireworks,” where the main events are generally barbed wire explosive death matches. Dump Matsumoto is afraid of nothing of course and withstood the violence to win her first title in many years, and while it doesn’t have the prestige of the AJW Championship she held 30 years ago it is still a noteworthy accomplishment.(Source)
Event Results
In the last week we have had three more days of results from the Stardom FIVE STAR GP. Unfortunately, Kris Wolf received a concussion in her match against Io Shirai and was forced to miss this week, hopefully she will return to action soon. Here are the results:
For the standings, Queen Maya currently leads the Blue Stars Block by two points, while Io Shirai is first in the Red Stars Block as she is one point ahead of Hudson Envy.
Ice Ribbon also had a big event on September 6th, featuring Kana’s last Ice Ribbon match. Here are the main results:
And Stardom returns on September 9th (my birthday!) as well with four matches in the tournament in addition to a Wonder of Stardom Championship match:
Red Stars: Kaori Yoneyama vs. La Rosa Negra
Blue Stars: Chelsea vs. Starfire
Red Stars: Kris Wolf vs. Mayu Iwatan
Blue Stars: Haruka Kato vs. Kairi Hojo
Wonder of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai vs. Queen Maya
Wrestler Spotlight: Aoi Kizuki
I want to take a moment to look at a lesser-known wrestler today, Aoi Kizuki. Even in Joshi circles, Kizuki frequently flies under the radar as she wrestles for Ice Ribbon, which is not a large promotion. Kizuki also was a late bloomer, as even though she debuted back in 2005 she did not win her first singles title until June of this year. Still, she is only 26 years old (they debut young) and she has been tearing it up this year, getting wins over such wrestlers as Tsukushi, Kurumi, and Mio Shirai. Here she is with the ICExInfinity Championship and the Union Pro Fly to Everywhere World Championship:
Photo: battle-news.com
And here is a move I just saw her do for the first time this week, normally she does a swivel body press, but this is a reverse swivel body press:
Kizuki appears to be finally hitting her stride, as she currently is at the top of Ice Ribbon and is only getting better. If you get a chance to see a match of hers I’d recommend it, she is a very entertaining wrestler and hopefully will continue to grow over the next several years.
Next Week
Next week I will be back with more news and I will spotlight a new wrestler as well. I hope everyone enjoys their holiday, and if you have any suggestions for the column, let us know! Also if you have any Joshi questions feel free to hit me up on Twitter, I can be found at @purocentral.
On this week’s Main Event, we have Naomi and Sasha Banks taking on Paige and Becky Lynch. After Charlotte found her way to the top of the contender’s list for Nikki Bella‘s Divas championship, it’s probably only right that Becky and Paige are looking to blow off a little steam. Especially Paige; she looked mighty pissed when she couldn’t put Sasha away on Monday night’s Raw.
Pre-match, Naomi, Sasha and fellow Team B.A.D member Tamina join JoJo for an interview backstage.
Naomi and Sasha aren’t interested in talking about what happened at Summerslam, when they were eliminated first from the Divas bout. Instead they’re focusing on tonight, and their match with Pasty Paige and Becky Lame. They plan on leaving them lying. Naomi and Sasha peace out, and Tamina saves a little something extra for JoJo.
Onto the match!
Paige and Becky head out first, accompanied by the number one contender Charlotte. Despite appearances on Raw, Paige, Becky and Charlotte appear to be on the same side right now. They look on, united, as they await the arrival of Naomi and Sasha.
Naomi looks like a frickin’ badass, guys.
She and Becky look to start the match. Naomi messes about a little while first, not wanting to get down and dirty with her opponent just yet. Becky has enough and comes off the ropes swinging, before a quick back and forth ends with Naomi on the mat and her arm locked up by Becky. Naomi plays a little dirty here, grabbing Becky by the hair and then stamping on her foot to get her to release the hold. It works long enough for Naomi to get Becky good and up her butt. Becky retaliates, as you would, with a big dropkick off the ropes to the face.
Naomi tumbles to the outside, and Paige tags in for her team.
Paige hangs Naomi up on the second rope, then delivers her thunderous knee to the chest. She drags Naomi to the centre of the ring and pins her, but only gets a two count. Naomi scuttles over to her corner and tags in Sasha. The crowd awaits this confrontation with some excited murmurs, as Sasha steps up the Paige-shaped plate. We’ve been waiting since Monday to see them really kick it off, and here we go.
Sasha looks to take control, but Paige catches her leg mid-air and slams her face first into the mat. Ouch. Paige winds Sasha up in the middle of the ring, forcing Sasha to crawl toward the bottom rope in an effort to escape. She does, so Paige drags her instead to her corner and tags in Becky. Some smart double teaming follows, before Becky covers Sasha. Sasha kicks out after one, and Becky goes right after Sasha’s arm.
Sasha’s careful not to get caught up; she steers Becky back toward her own corner, where Naomi is waiting to tag in. She does just that, and smacks Becky hard in the face while Sasha holds her in place. The referee sends Sasha out of the ring, and we’re back down to two.
Some more quick back and forth between Becky and Naomi. Becky attempts to roll up Naomi, but fails to notice when Naomi tags out to Sasha. She quickly gathers her wits and lays a big one on Sasha as she enters the ring. But the numbers prove too much and Naomi slams Becky’s head hard into the mat. Paige is livid on the outside, calling for the referee. Meanwhile, Sasha lays into Becky with some hard kicks. She goes for the pin but can’t get the win just yet.
Naomi now in the ring and going for the win. Becky kicks out yet again. Another quick tag in and out for Team B.A.D. Great tactics from these two, as they wear down Becky and keep her from tagging out to her partner.
Sasha and Becky go at it in the corner, but Becky makes a break for it and brushes fingertips with Paige! Sasha trips her opponent, making quick work of her, before steam-rolling ahead into Paige and knocking her off the apron.
HEELing, you’re doing it right.
Sasha ploughs Becky into her and Naomi’s corner, while Paige tries to storm the ring and take out Sasha. The referee stops her and, while he’s distracted on one side, Naomi takes advantage on the other. She beats on Becky in the corner, keeping the Lass Kicker down. Sasha mocks their opponents. Team B.A.D have it all figured out tonight!
More team work from Sasha and Naomi, who are really laying into Becky. She manages to break free once more, and she’s so close to tagging out. Naomi rolls quickly out of the ring and drags Paige back down from the apron. As Charlotte tends to Paige, Naomi and Sasha go right after Becky in the ring.
Sasha’s well in control now, but Becky’s a fighter. She manages to shove Sasha out of the ring after a failed roll up attempt, and while Sasha comes back quick to try and keep Paige out of the action once more, Becky saves her own skin with a big kick to Sasha’s mid-section.
Paige is livid when she finally gets the tag! She pummels Sasha with numerous clotheslines and not one, but TWO big knees to the face. She then goes for the pin, hoping to send a short and simple – bit definitely not sweet – message. But Sasha kicks out. It’s no sweat to Paige as she knocks Naomi off the apron.
That’s not quite enough to dissuade Team B.A.D however. Despite her best efforts, Paige is bested when Sasha manages to roll her up off the distraction by Naomi! It’s one, two, three and it’s over! Paige looks gutted, as she adds another loss to her list this week.
Thoughts: I really enjoyed this match. It was a little slow for me to begin with, in the sense that I didn’t really feel invested. As much as I love Naomi, and I really do, I felt like I was waiting for the Sasha/Paige fall out from Raw. I am hoping we’ll get a one on one between them on Monday night, because I feel like it would kick some serious ass. Becky took it like a pro this match, and she really did hang in there for a good long while! Naomi continues to be a badass, and if you disagree then you’re wrong. But for me, the star on this week’s show is the BOSS. Sasha, I salute you.
Bayley‘s first challengers may be two of NXT’s fastest rising stars.
The Wrestling Observer (via Lords of Pain) is reporting that plans have the new NXT Women’s Champion taking on Dana Brooke first, with Eva Marie taking up the challenge afterwards.
The report states that there is a desire behind the scenes to “validate” Eva Marie by making her Women’s Champion and crafting a story around her proving her critics wrong.
Speculation has Dana facing off with Bayley at the next NXT TakeOver event on October 7th and Eva getting her shot at NXT TakeOver: London on December 16th.
NXT holds its next set of television tapings on September 10th.
Sarah Stock is the latest addition to NXT’s coaching team, according to a new report.
The Wrestling Observer (via Lords of Pain) is confirming earlier speculation, reporting that Stock has signed a deal with the WWE to coach at the Performance Center.
The report speculates that Stock – a two-time TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion – will begin her new job in November, as she is booked to compete in Japan through October. She recently announced her departure from CMLL, where she had been competing for over a decade.
She has previously completed temporary coaching stints at the WWE Performance Center, spending a week there back in April.
Summer Rae drove a major wedge between Lana and Dolph Ziggler, putting him in a compromising position on Raw and alleging on SmackDown that she has been having an affair with him.
Winners: The Beautiful People (34%)
Vote for the Star of the Week ending September 5th, 2015 (Poll Closed)
Tonight, SHINE Wrestling presented SHINE 29, headlined by a SHINE Championship match between champ Santana Garrett and Allysin Kay.
The night would prove to be disastrous for Allysin, as she would lose both her title shot and control of her stable. Against her wishes, April Hunter and Taylor Made would sign a deal with SoCal Val to merge Valkyrie with Valifornia.
The show also saw the return of Leah Von Dutch, who wrestled her first match in nearly four months.
Jessicka Havok also made her presence felt, getting a big win and taking out her frustrations on an erstwhile ally.
Su Yung def. Luscious Latasha with an airplane spin into a Michinoku Driver. After the match, Su spits red mist in Latasha’s face and applies a mandible claw, shoving the referee away when he tries to get her to stop. The referee then reverses his decision, naming Latasha the winner.
Jessicka Havok def. LuFisto via the Air Raid Crash.
Leah Von Dutch def. Brandi Wine (w/ Leilani Kai) when Brandi taps out to a modified camel clutch.
Vanessa Kraven def. Athena with a sitout powerbomb. Post-match, Jessicka Havok comes to the ring, tells the crowd to “give it up” for Athena and challenges Vanessa Kraven to SHINE 28 rematch. Kraven declines. When Athena tells Jessicka to “let it go”, Havok hits her with a chokeslam.
SHINE Championship match: Santana Garrett def. Allysin Kay to retain the SHINE Title after bridging a reverse hurricanrana into a pin.
Post-match, SoCal Val comes to the ring and reveals that against Allysin’s wishes, Valkyrie has merged with Valifornia. Allysin is furious with Taylor and April, hitting April with a stunner to close the show.
This week’s SmackDown had quite a few twists up its sleeve – shocker, right? Usually SmackDown puts Diva feuds on cruise control. Here, though, we were treated to significant developments in the Lana/Summer Rae feud and the Divas Title picture.
Lana and Summer brought their feud – and Summer’s scandalous accusations – to MizTV, while Charlotte surprised Nikki Bella with a bit of news that probably has the Bella Tron quaking in fear. Let’s dive in!
Our first Divas segment is the Maury MizTV confrontation between Lana and Summer:
We join The Miz in the ring, where he introduces his first guest, Summer. Miz asks Summer to explain exactly what happened on Monday night when Dolph Ziggler was caught with his pants down. Summer says the moment was “unfortunate”, but it was exactly as she said it was: he invited her into his locker room for what she thought would be an attempt to bury the hatchet. Out of nowhere, Summer admits to lying. What about?
She says there’s more to the story than she let on: when she went into Dolph’s locker room, he brought her close in his arms and he kissed her. Miz is appalled. Instantly, it went from passion to guilt, because she was betraying Rusev. She accuses Dolph of seducing her. As she wraps up her story, Dolph and Lana make their entrance, heading to the ring to add their two cents.
Before Dolph or Lana can take the mic, Miz reminds them that MizTV is a classy show and instructs everyone to behave like adults. Dolph accuses Miz of trying to stir the pot, but Summer pleads with Lana to not be naive. She admits that she and Dolph have had an “on and off thing” for a while now. Dolph adamantly denies this, saying that the only thing that will ever be between them is a retraining order.
Summer breaks out what she claims is evidence of their undeniable chemistry, queuing up video from a June 2014 episode of WWE Main Event on which she locked lips with Dolph in an effort to make Fandango jealous. She starts to reference “encounters” between them in suspicious detail when Lana strikes, tackling her out of her chair and pummeling her.
Dolph pries Lana off of Summer, but she shoves him away and leaves in a huff. Dolph gives chase while Summer screams at Lana, calling her a bitch and telling her she can’t handle the truth. She throws a shoe after her. Nice arm! That LFL training hasn’t gone to waste, I see.
Later on, after a cool video package highlighting what went down on Raw, we join Renee Young and Team PCB in interview mode:
Charlotte expresses her excitement for Night of Champions, stressing that she wouldn’t be where she is today without Paige and Becky Lynch.
Paige says she’s happy that the bullseye is finally on Nikki Bella’s Divas Title. It’s about time, she says. She admits she’s disappointed that she nor Becky could be number one contender, but she’s glad that at least one member of Team PCB has earned the title shot.
Becky agrees, vowing that she and Paige will be right by Charlotte’s side at Night of Champions, cheering her on.
Charlotte says she’s not taking this lightly – she’ll take on the challenge with style, grace and a little bit of flair. Wooooo!
Team Bella then appears on the scene with some mocking applause for Charlotte. Nikki congratulates her, but reminds her that it’s not her winning Beat the Clock time that matters: it’s the time on the Bella Tron, which is counting down the days, hours and seconds until she becomes the longest reigning Divas Champion in WWE history. Tick tock, chirp Alicia Fox and Brie.
On that topic, Charlotte has a bit of news: she has petitioned The Authority to have her title match before Nikki breaks the record. It hasn’t been approved yet, but if it is, she vows to win the title and steal the record away from Nikki. Well, that was a twist!
After a commercial break, we join Naomi, Sasha Banks and Tamina Snuka of Team B.A.D. at ringside. Tamina’s in the ring, ready for combat. Charlotte then makes her entrance, Becky and Paige by her side. The referee signals for the bell, and we’re off!
They circle each other slowly before tying up, Tamina shoving Charlotte away easily. Charlotte gets to her feet and consents to a test of strength, but Tamina opts to twist her wrist instead. Charlotte takes hold of Tamina’s other hand and starts the battle for control. The two struggle for a bit before Tamina drops Charlotte with a knee to the midsection, breaking the hold.
Tamina pulls Charlotte to her feet and sends her into the ropes, leveling her withe clothesline on the return. She covers Charlotte for the pin, but she kicks out. Tamina pulls her to her feet and toys with her, delivering a headbutt and choking her in the corner. She snapmares Charlotte into a seated position and kicks her square in the back.
Once on her feet, Charlotte is whipped into the corner, but fends off Tamina’s attack, hitting her with a big boot and flattening her. This buys Charlotte some time, but she’s just as slow to get to her feet as Tamina is. They stand at the same time, but Charlotte’s quicker on the draw, nailing Tamina with a series of chops. She hits a neckbreaker and a spear, nailing Tamina with a definitive Natural Selection that’s enough to keep her down for the pin. Charlotte wins!
Team PCB celebrates in the ring, but are interrupted by Team Bella, who summon the Bella Tron. The clock counts down as we are reminded that Nikki is set to break AJ Lee‘s record in less than two weeks. Strangely, I was surprised to hear AJ’s name mentioned here. I thought “nameless record holder” would suffice for the WWE. Nice to see they’re not completely ignoring their own history, even if this whole record-breaking is an attempt to nullify her.
Thoughts: I haven’t been crazy about the more over-the-top stuff in the Lana/Summer feud. The silly stuff only gives the smarks reason to dismiss it when they should be getting hyped for Lana’s in-ring debut. I liked this segment, though, because it kind of threw doubt into the veracity of Dolph’s story. Sure, Summer’s a manipulator who clearly lied about what happened on Monday, but her detailed accounts of her alleged affair with Dolph made me wonder if he’s not as innocent as he seems. This gray area is an unexpected twist to the story, and I really like it. It’s more than just Summer pissing off Lana by hitting on Dolph – it’s her pushing Lana to a breaking point by isolating her from her one ally.
I’m excited to see what Night of Champions has in store for them. If it’s a Mixed Tag Team match, Lana and Dolph will have to make up between now and then, but if it’s a single match between Lana and Summer, maybe Lana can continue on her angry, stubborn solo path. I’d prefer that, honestly, because it’s fresher, but I can understand if the WWE doesn’t want her very first match to be a singles PPV match. That might be tossing her into the deep end.
Of course, this assumes that they’ll have a match at Night of Champions at all. But, come on, after the SummerSlam bait-and-switch, they have to have a match here, right? Right??
Charlotte and Tamina’s match was extremely short, but I wasn’t bothered by that, since the story surrounding it was fleshed out enough that this didn’t feel like a throwaway segment. I do think Team B.A.D. deserves better – much better – than being an afterthought, though.
It was interesting to see Charlotte on defense for much of the match, since she’s been so dominant since landing on the main roster. It allowed Tamina to look stronger than she has in a long while, which is nice. Hell, it was nice enough to see Tamina wrestle in a singles match – it gave her the opportunity to do things that are a bit more fresh than the usual tag match booking allows. I liked the test of strength in the open – you don’t see that often in Divas matches these days, and it was a cool way to sell her strength advantage. Charlote’s method of victory – a quick burst of offense leading to the Natural Selection – sold her athleticism while not completely squashing Tamina. After all, Charlotte beat her quickly, but only after getting her ass kicked for much of the match.
It’s an interesting twist to have Charlotte petitioning to have the Divas Title match moved up to before Nikki breaks the record. It did seem a little too convenient for this much-hyped match to take place safely after the record was broken. I wonder what could happen if her petition is granted. Obviously, she won’t win, but what happens then? What happens to the Night of Champions match? Do Paige or Becky get a shot at the title? Does Sasha assert herself here? I don’t really care what happens – I’m just glad to see a twist. Things have been so uninspired lately, I can’t help but be interested in anything that might serve as a swerve. Your move, Stephanie McMahon!
Every Friday, the Social Media Catch-Up will bring you a roundup of our favorite social media postings by the women in wrestling and present them to you here. Have you found a post we should include next week? Send it in.
Here’s our first batch:
Lana and Dolph Ziggler may not be a real life couple, but kudos to these two crazy kids for keeping kayfabe alive. Lana posted several adorable photos of the “couple” at Disney World this week, but this sweet smooch has to be our favorite. The Archer reference doesn’t hurt, either:
TNA Knockout Gail Kim shared an adorable pic of her getting a big smooch from an equally adorable pup. It looks like the wrestling community aren’t the only ones who adore the former Knockouts Champion:
Revenge is sweet, though, as evidenced by the shiner Lana gave Summer on SmackDown. Summer tweeted a photo of her black eye sans caption, proving that a picture really is worth a thousand words:
Leva Bates (or, as NXT fans know her, Blue Pants) posted this tribute to Scream director Wes Craven who passed away earlier this week. Leva is known on the indies for her cosplay ring attires and this is definitely one of her most memorable:
Nothing is cooler than getting a sneak peek at the latest gear the Divas will be wearing. Charlotte revealed stunning new ring gear that she debuted on this week’s SmackDown. It goes with her shirt colors and logo perfectly:
A photo posted by MsCharlotteWWE (@charlottewwe) on
What good is a road trip without a group selfie? Paige posted this pic that would send any Diva fan into a frenzy. She’s riding down to Miami along with Alicia Fox, Eva Marie, Rosa Mendes and what appears to be Tough Enough finalist Amanda. Hmmm….
Amanda fueled speculation in an Instagram post of her own, musing, “Everything happens for a reason.” Fans have taken the ball and run with it, wondering if the Tough Enough runner up has already been signed by the WWE:
A photo posted by Amanda Saccomanno (@mandysacs) on
Brie Bella showed Mama Bella and Grandma Bella some birthday love this week by sharing this gorgeous family photo. Three generations in one photo, great sight and a sweet sentiment:
Fans have been speculating for a while, but Natalya made it official this week: the next season of Total Divas filming is officially underway. WWE’s resident cat lady shared this photo of her family watching Total Divas while being filmed for Total Divas. Reality meets reality. Insert your Inception references here:
Knockouts Champion Brooke shared a stunning photo from a recent photoshoot. Brooke, who many know to be an ardent animal lover, is pictured with two prized possessions here: a fierce dog and the Knockouts Title. Beauty and the beast:
A photo posted by ?BROOKE ADAMS? (@realbrookeadams) on
Contrary to how stunning they all look, it takes some work to make a Diva look absolutely flawless. Eden let us in on her secret to her stunning beauty, her make up artist, who is apparently her husband Stardust:
The Divas Champion is usually killing it in front of the camera, but Nikki Bella showed a new side of herself this week, sharing this photo of herself snapping away with some heavy duty camera equipment backstage. No word on what she was taking pictures of, though; possibly the Bella Clock counting down to 296?:
How fabulous is Torrie Wilson looking 8 years after her WWE departure? The former Playboy covergirl posted this photo of her laughing in a relaxed tank top and shorts:
Tough Enough may be wrapped up for the season, but what’s wrong with reminiscing? Lita posted this photo of the women of Tough Enough: herself, Renee Young and Paige:
Last, but not least: Mama Bella is making a second appearance on our first social media wrap-up. She may not be a wrestler, but she birthed Nikki and Brie Bella, so we felt her post was worthy of inclusion. The Total Divas scene-stealer announced her engagement to none other than former Raw General Manager John Laurinitis! Who would have guessed the two were an item? Hmmm….looks like the Bellas may be the newest family of wrestling royalty:
Each Friday, The Wrap will wrap up the week in women’s wrestling by compiling the week’s smaller news stories, rumors and gossip – anything not normally covered by Diva Dirt. Got a tip for next week? Send it in.
Here’s this week’s roundup, in no particular order:
* Leva Bates, AKA Blue Pants, may have heat on her in the NXT locker room. According to a report, the resentment stems from her being pushed heavily by NXT while still being able to take indy bookings and sell her own merchandise. (The Wrestling Observer via Lords of Pain)
* In July, it was reported that Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas‘s sister Mika Rotunda received a WWE tryout. This week, it was revealed that she had actually tried out for a ring announcer position, not a wrestling one. (Lords of Pain)
* Dolph Ziggler fueled speculation that he and Lana a real life item in an interview with Miami’s Chris Van Vliet. (YouTube)
* No Divas match has been announced yet for the October 3rd Madison Square Garden live event set to air on the WWE Network, but Team Bella is advertised for the show. (Lords of Pain)
* Sunny responded to reports that the WWE isn’t happy with her behavior, from her “Skype sessions” to her recent run-ins with the law. She took to her Facebook page, writing that she hasn’t received a check from the WWE since 2012 and sees no reason to amend her behavior just to make the WWE look “good.” (Facebook)
* Contrary to initial confusion, Charlotte was not involved with her husband Bram’s domestic violence arrest. Reports state that, though the couple split earlier this year, they are not yet divorced. On September 10th, they will have the final hearing for the dissolution of their marriage. (PWInsider via Lords of Pain)
* WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, the father of Diva Tamina, was arrested in Pennsylvania on Tuesday in connection to the 1982 death of his then-girlfriend. He has been charged with third degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. (Lords of Pain)
* Chyna is still campaigning for a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame, enlisting celebrities for video endorsements. One of the most notable comes from actress Jennifer Tilly. (TheRealChyna.com)
* Emma‘s surprise win on NXT is reported to have originally been meant for Charlotte. Reports state that, though the finish was botched, there was no heat on anyone involved. Becky Lynch was said to be especially upset with the finish. (The Wrestling Observer via Lords of Pain)
* Nikki Bella might receive a special celebration on the September 14th episode of Raw when she breaks AJ Lee’s record for longest Divas Title reign. (Cageside Seats)
* Speaking of Nikki: the Divas Champ recently sat down with Complex to talk about the custom Nikes she wore to the ring at SummerSlam. (YouTube)
* Dean Ambrose made some rare personal comments about his relationship with Renee Young, showering her with praise and saying that she’s “far too good” for him. (Cageside Seats)
* The man shot at the WWE Performance Center on Monday had demonstrated obsessions with several Divas, including AJ Lee and Lita. He is said to have asked about Lita during an incident with authorities in early August. (Lords of Pain)
* There is speculation that longtime indy wrestler Cat Power might soon be getting a WWE tryout. (Squared Circle Sirens)
* Gail Kim touched on her controversial tweet about Bayley and Sasha Banks‘s match at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, clarifying that her intent was “not to bash any other company at all” and that she loves what the NXT Divas division has been doing. (Channel Guide Magazine)
* Tough Enough winners Sara Lee and Josh are starting their training at the WWE Performance Center this month. Sara made the move to Orlando yesterday. (Lords of Pain)
* Paige will appear at this weekend’s Wizard World San Jose. She’s set to be there on Saturday from 3pm to 6pm. (Wrestling Inc)
Tough Enough finalist Amanda may already be on the WWE’s radar.
Amanda, who came in second to Sara Lee in the final vote over a week ago, has reportedly been training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.
According to PWInsider (via Lords of Pain), Amanda was also in attendance at this week’s tapings in Florida. The report speculates that the WWE is already interested in signing her.
Amanda fueled speculation all on her own this week, appearing in Instagram post alongside Divas Paige, Alicia Fox, Eva Marie and Rosa Mendes while on the road to Miami:
A photo posted by Amanda Saccomanno (@mandysacs) on
Despite not winning the competition, Amanda continues to tweet from her @ToughAmanda Twitter account, which may be yet another indication that she’s staying in the WWE fold.
Happy September Knockouts fans and welcome to this week’s Impact Write-Up. September is a fun month as it’s the start of the cool fall season, pumpkin flavored coffee, a fresh start for returning students and just happens to be my birthday month. For TNA, there is a sense of importance behind the September month this year, as it is still rumored to be TNA’s last month on Destination America; right before TNA’s Bound For Glory event. TNA just can’t catch a break can they? We’re keeping an eye on you TNA but for now let’s move on to this week’s program.
After the newly recruited Dollhouse member, Rebel, joined Jade and Marti Bell in a three-on-one attack to Velvet Sky under the orders of Taryn Terrell, Velvet has asked for an open mic segment this week to speak her mind against her attackers. Also throughout the week’s show, the tug of war for power between TNA President Dixie Carter and GFW founder Jeff Jarrett reaches new heights, as the pieces for an all out battle for all of TNA’s marbles begin to fall into place.
Our show picks up right where we left off last week, following Karen Jarrett’s revelation of being the one behind the series of backstage attacks within TNA, ultimately betraying the company she once worked for to help elevate her husband’s GFW promotion. Along with the other members of the GFW troupe (where I spy Lei’D Tapa in the mix), Karen joins her husband in the ring as he delivers an opening message to Dixie Carter.
Jeff summarizes everything that has happened ever since his return to TNA this year, from winning the King of the Mountain title at Slammiversary to being inducted to TNA Hall of Fame. He calls out Dixie Carter and tells her that he genially tried to help her, by giving her a taste of how great a show can be when he is running things as evident by the GFW vs. TNA show he booked just a few weeks ago.
Karen then borrows the mic from her husband to give her two cents on where she stands in all of this. She says that she did what she had to do to ensure that Jeff would get what he deserves. She explains that with the help of Chris Mordetzsky, she was able to take out both Bully Ray and Drew Galloway as a way to fully support her husband for his hard work, unlike the Impact Zone fans who jump the bandwagon of whatever new name comes to TNA.
Jeff thanks his wife and finishes his message to Dixie Carter by reminding us of the shares he still has within the TNA company to declare a hostile corporate takeover with the boys (and girl) of the GFW roster! How will Dixie respond?
The GFW clan begin to make their first mark against TNA by capturing the TNA Wold Tag Team titles from The Wolves. Karen Jarrett revealing that through her good friend (and member of the GFW roster) Magnus, she was able to get a hold of his Feast or Fired Tag Team briefcase that he never cashed in. With the Wolves already being beaten down by the GFW guys, the Jarretts found it to be the perfect time to cash in the briefcase on behalf of the team of Trevor Lee and Brian Meyers, who become the new TNA Tag Team champions after a very chaotic and clustered style tag team match. That’s one point for GFW!
TNA even up the score when Bobby Roode manages to regain the King of the Mountain title for TNA by defeating PJ Black. This prompts the Jarretts and GFW to return to the six sided ring once again, claiming they won’t leave this time until they speak to Dixie!
Dixie’s new entrance music and right away a shouting match between her and Jeff begins. Dixie claiming all she ever wanted to do was to work with Jeff. For his part, Jeff says they were once a great team until she took away his power to replace him with multiple leaders who have failed miserably
Dixie counters Jeff’s comments by stating that Jeff made the decision to leave TNA while she stayed with the company since day one. When the talk of ownership stake begins, Dixie makes Jeff an offer: a winner take all match! Dixie would put up her majority of ownership stake against Jeff’s minority stake. Jeff has his team assembled through his GFW roster while TNA stars Drew Galloway, the Wolves and Bobby Lashley stand by their boss lady Dixie Carter. The Lethal Lockdown style tag match between the two teams takes place in two weeks.
After all the TNA and GFW drama, the time has come for our Knockouts segment of the night. Stone Cold Velvet Sky makes her way to the ring and starts off by saying there are a number of reasons as to why she’s kept to herself since returning to TNA. The landscape of TNA and the Knockouts division has changed since Velvet’s first day with the company. Velvet goes on by calling out Taryn to come down to the ring for having her doll minions attack her last week.
Taryn responds to Velvet but is from a the safe shelter of her Pillow Talk room. Through the big screens of the Impact Zone, Taryn says her doctors have advised her to remain calm after she broke her hand. Taryn continues by recalling her first days in TNA and being compared to Velvet as the “hot girl” of TNA.
Although they’ve yet to cross paths, Taryn assures she would destroy Velvet. After all, Taryn is a star with an impressive resume that include multiple movie and TV roles while Velvet just looks like she stepped out of a Hot Topic store. In conclusion, Taryn tells Velvet that she needs to learn to play with the dolls of the Dollhouse, thus leading for the Dollhouse to come out and begin their hunt to Velvet.
The Dollhouse surround the ring and although Velvet tries to fight off all three members of the Dollhouse on her own, she is at a disadvantage as the numbers pile up against her. It doesn’t take long for Velvet to find herself being attacked by all three members of the Dollhouse again.
However, this time things take a different turn as both Angelina Love and Madison Rayne come out to make the save for Velvet. As the Impact Zone begin a “Beautiful People” chant, The Dollhouse are cleared out of the ring and Angelina announces the return of an edgier, badass new and improved Beautiful People!
Thoughts: Last week, we were treated to two heel turns coming from Karen Jarrett and a very random Rebel. This week, we were treated to two face turns from Angelina Love and Madison Rayne.
As with Rebel’s heel turn last week, I’m just finding this Face turn for Angelina and Madison to be completely random. It has been a few months since we’ve actually seen either Madison or Angelina on an episode of Impact and the last time they were actually on, BOTH women were FEUDING with Velvet! Are we just supposed to ignore those mini-feuds didn’t happen? Was this done just so that TNA can realign the Beautiful People again?
This is where I just feel the importance of some kind of mini backstage segment or explanation is needed, as we are still to wonder how this was all planned out with the Beautiful People. Perhaps some kind of message from Angelina along the lines of “Only WE are allowed to pick on Velvet because she’s one of us” would’ve helped instead of this confusing matter. It all just comes off as a very lazy way of booking thing.
Still, I did see some positives in all of this. Number one being that Madison Rayne is FINALLY being used; she has been so under utilized this year. I also like that this now gives the Dollhouse a chance to sort of try and rebuild themselves after their many losses to Gail Kim, Awesome Kong and Brooke. While Velvet’s promo wasn’t spectacular, I did like her stand up attitude to Taryn. It help set up for the Dollhouse versus Beautiful People feud that is on the rise, a feud that I’ve secretly always wanted to see. However, given Angelina’s real life pregnancy, we may have to wait a while before we see this full fledged feud between these Knockout stables.
Speaking of Brooke, it is a shame that she continues to take these TV breaks despite being the champion. It almost makes me feel like taking the title off Taryn was for nothing as even Taryn has managed to stay on TV despite not physically being there.
As for the Dixie/Jarretts fiasco, I’m glad to see Dixie regain her composure against Jeff. There were those blurred lines of trying to keep things kayfabe and all but the hints of “realism” from Jeff Jarrett still having share holds in TNA made for an interesting segment. Of course, this is all leading up to another big TNA Lethal Lockdown match but Dixie looked much more confident in her promo this week than she ever had before and Karen Jarrett has always been brilliant as a heel.
That’s it for this week Knockout fans, hasta luego!
Summer Rae is featured in the September issue of Iron Man magazine, which hit newsstands earlier this week.
To celebrate the big feature, WWE.com spoke to Summer about the shoot and took us behind the scenes in a video featurette.
On booking the shoot: “‘Iron Man’ loved my message about having a healthy lifestyle. I got the shoot on my own, which I am very proud of.”
Her pre-shoot diet: “I was dieting leading up to [the shoot]. Five days before, I began carb cycling and pulled water. I usually eat a [candy bar] beforehand. I am very depleted before a shoot like that and low on sugar. This time, though, I went with rice cakes and almond butter.”
Advice she received about dealing with public attention: “Zeb Colter would say he is never bothered when people asked him for an autograph; when I should be bothered is when they stop asking.”
Summer also spoke about The Dean Thomas Moinet Foundation, her family’s North Carolina-based charity that was established to help “medically fragile” children and their families. You can read the full interview on WWE.com.
New NXT Women’s Champion Bayley recently spoke to WWE.com about her monumental victory at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, sharing her emotional experience before, during and after the big match.
Her reaction upon winning the title: “All I could do was cry. I was crying because of everything I’ve been through to get there, how I got there, who I was in there with, how many people were there with us, how important it was and because I was literally living the dream.”
The importance of proving herself: “In the past two championship matches I felt like I may have let some fans down who believed in me because I just couldn’t get it done. I felt like my family just felt sorry for me because I couldn’t get the big one. I needed to prove to them and to myself that I could accomplish my dreams.”
Her pre-match jitters: “I was confident before I walked out there but so nervous that I was sick to my stomach. I couldn’t even watch the promo package leading into the match because I was so emotional. It was one of the most overwhelming moments in my life. It may be the most magical moment I’ll ever have in wrestling or life. Hearing the crowd react like that was something I’ve never heard before. After the match, Vince McMahon shook both our hands. Everyone was giving us hugs. Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and even my favorite Diva, Lita, were there to say how proud they were of us. It was just amazing.”
Her message for the WWE Universe: “I want every single person out there with a dream, no matter what it is, to know that it is possible. And it’s possible to do it your way, the way you believe in. Nobody can deny your heart. It sounds so cheesy, but Sasha Banks and I had the same dream since we were 10 years old, and wrestling brought us together to prove that anything you want to do is within reach! And it can be special. You just have to believe in yourself.”
Following their shocking reunion on last night’s Impact, Angelina Love, Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky – also known as The Beautiful People – spoke about why they joined forces again.
Angelina mused that they gave the world exactly what they wanted by reuniting. Madison took issue with people classifying it as a “repackaging” of The Beautiful People, saying that they’ve always been there for business, and that is what their reunion is about.
Velvet makes a bold prediction, saying that their alliance signals the beginning of the end for The Dollhouse. She promises that the three of them will take The Dollhouse down.
This week’s NXT took its first bold post-TakeOver step towards the future, showcasing two of the Divas division’s future stars: Alexa Bliss and Eva Marie. With a new Women’s Champion and a clear path to the top, both Divas had big opportunities to make their case for stardom.
Alexa took on Blue Pants, seeking revenge for the interference that cost Blake and Murphy their NXT Tag Titles at TakeOver. Eva, meanwhile, faced off with the newly re-christened Billie Kay.
Before we could get to those, though, we were treated to another ominous promo hyping the debut of Nia Jax:
Those are some big promises, Nia. No pressure!
This is followed directly by our first Divas match of the evening: Miss Bliss vs. Miss Pants:
Off the bell, Alexa locks in an arm submission, but Blue Pants is quick to power out. Before she can reach freedom, though, Alexa slams her to the mat by her head. She covers her for the pin, but only earns a two count. Still confident, Alexa stands up and presses a boot to the side of Blue Pants’s face, twisting her neck. She pulls her to her feet and sends her into the corner, but is fended off with a back elbow by Blue Pants.
Before Blue Pants can take control, though, Alexa comes charging into the corner, driving her shoulder into her midsection repeatedly. She snapmares Blue Pants into the center of the ring and, despite some resistance, locks in the arm submission again. The crowd gets behind Blue Pants and she starts to feel it, but before she can power out, Alexa hooks a leg around her free arm, keeping her right where she wants her.
Still, Blue Pants finds a way to turn the tides, rolling backwards so that she pins Alexa to the mat. The referee counts the pin, but Alexa kicks out and immediately cradles Blue Pants into a pin of her own. Blue Pants kicks out.
Alexa repeatedly strikes out at Blue Pants, but her attacks are dodged, and she’s knocked to the mat thrice, two kicks and a Northern Lights suplex doing the job. Blue Pants bridges the suplex into a pin, but Alexa manages to kick out. Alexa retreats into the corner and Blue Pants charges at her, but she gets nothing but turnbuckle.
When she stumbles backwards, Alexa drops her to the mat with a leg sweep. Alexa does a back handspring into a double knee drop to Blue Pants’s stomach. With Blue Pants prone, Alexa climbs to the top rope and goes flying off of it with the Sparkle Splash, pinning her for the win.
A bit later, it’s time for Eva vs. Billie. Get your booing voices ready!
As Eva makes her entrance, Billie’s already in the ring, getting neither a fancy entrance nor a coat bequeathed to her from Ric Flair. She’s eager to prove herself some more, though, because she takes control right from the start of the match, catching Eva in a waistlock. Eva elbows herself free, though, and locks in a side headlock. Billie shoves her off into the corner, but Eva uses the ropes as leverage and hops right over her when she charges in for a follow-up attack.
When Billie turns around, she’s greeted with a mocking air kiss from Eva. She rejects it, kicking Eva right in the kisser. She covers Eva for the pin, but Eva kicks out easily. Billie locks in a headlock, but she doesn’t hold it for long, Eva standing and backing her into the corner to free herself. She drives a few shoulders into Billie’s midsection before backing off at the referee’s insistence. She doesn’t stay back for long, though, repeating the attack ferociously.
Eva pulls Billie back towards the center of the ring and hits her with a suplex, pinning her. Billie kicks out. Eva props her up and locks in an abdominal stretch. Billie soon gets to her feet and pulls Eva into a small package pin, but Eva kicks out. Billie heads to the corner, only to be hit with a back elbow from Eva. She stumbles towards the middle of the ring and is laid out by Eva’s forearm. Eva runs the ropes and hits Billie with a senton. She covers her for the pin, but only gets a near fall. She tries again, only to get the same result.
With the pins not working, Eva goes back to the abdominal stretch. She manages to hold it on longer this time, but Billie eventually powers out, prying Eva’s limbs off of her. Billie tosses Eva to the mat and hits her with a series of clotheslines, dropping her with a suplex before going for the pin. Eva kicks out. Or did she? Well, she did in kayfabe. The match continues.
Eva fends off Billie in the corner and hits the Sliced Red #2, pinning her for the win to the tune of Full Sail’s jeers.
Thoughts: Alexa vs. Blue Pants was pretty much a squash match, but I suppose that could be considered classic Blue Pants. It worked, too, making Alexa look like more of a threat than ever. It’s not like Blue Pants is hindered by this, either, since her whole schtick is her buoyant optimism. Getting squashed isn’t going to kill her gimmick – it’ll just enhance it. In that way, that match was pretty much “mission accomplished” all around.
Alexa looks more and more at home as a heel. I love her character – it’s like what a T&A-era Trish Stratus could have been if she had NXT’s trainers at her disposal. Bitchy and bullying, but with a bit of spunkiness, too.
I’ve seen some negativity over the Eva/Billie match (shocker!), but I have to say that this is absolutely the best Eva’s ever looked in the ring. I’ve always said that ring presence goes a long way, and Eva’s got it here: she doesn’t look unsure or lethargic, as she had in the past. I can even see improvement from her match last week, which is odd, considering this was taped before that one. It just goes to show how much having an experienced opponent helps – not just in executing the moves, but in having confidence. Eva looks so much more confident facing off with Billie, who has years of experience under her belt, than she did with Carmella, who is just as green as she is.
Eva still had her sketchy moments, being a bit sluggish in receiving Billie’s offense and not kicking out properly. Full Sail gave her a lot of shit for that, and I can understand why they would, since it’s a dumb mistake to make, but let’s not forget that Becky Lynch did the same thing in Brooklyn and didn’t get nearly as much grief for it. I’m sure things would have been different if the referee pretended Becky kicked out, but I can’t imagine the crowd would have booed her the way they did Eva. Truth be told, the Full Sail crowd was just looking for a reason to give her “bad heat” – heat that couldn’t be mistaken for genuine heel heat. She performed really well in most of the match, though, so they must have been thrilled that she botched right in the knick of time. At some point, it just comes across as mean spirited, seeing a bunch of grown men taunt a woman for trying to live up to their expectations. Sure, we Diva fans haven’t been kind to her either – far from it – but it’s kind of sadistic to see it play out like that on television. Having that many people dead set against her has got to rattle her confidence, but if she’s made it this far, I’m sure this won’t faze her.
Eva isn’t a wrestling prodigy by any means, but you can’t deny she’s progressing. She’s developing a presence in the ring, which will be the foundation for every improvement she makes. She’s starting to look like she belongs in there, which is half the battle. I admit that I didn’t have much confidence in her abilities, but a lot of that had to do with how unnatural she looked in the ring. I thought if she never locked down her ring presence, she’d never sell herself as a wrestler. She’s achieved that, though, so the doors are wide open now. I’m a believer – not in the sense that I think she’ll be the biggest star the Divas division ever saw, but rather that hard, focused training pays off. Eva’s had opportunities few will ever see, and while that may be unfair, at least they’re not going to waste.
She’s got a big believer in WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley, too:
Mick is such a class act, but he wasn’t doing all of that as some sort of charity – well, charity for Eva Marie, that is. He genuinely sees big potential in her, and I can see where he’s coming from. I don’t know if she’ll be having TakeOver-quality matches anytime soon, but she’ll definitely surpass most Diva fans’ early expectations. It’ll be fun to see how far she progresses over the next few months. I just hope the WWE takes it slow with her, because if they try to push her too quickly, it could blow up in their faces. Fans aren’t inclined to support Eva, to say the least, so they’ll have to walk a tricky line with her, giving her the gradual underdog booking while maintaining a heel persona that will allow them use the crowd’s distain to their advantage. It’s definitely unprecedented, which is probably why I’m excited to see it.
Alexa and Eva are clearly two of the biggest stars-to-be in the NXT Divas division, and their strengths as heels – Alexa in her ability to do the “bitchy bubblegum” thing and Eva in her capacity to make Full Sail foam at the mouth – make them big assets for the WWE, but it all depends how the WWE chooses to use them. If the past year of NXT’s greatness has proven anything, though, it’s that they know how to cultivate talent. I’ve got faith.
The WWE may be making the final moves to secure a handful of new talents.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer (via Lords of Pain), Kana and Nikki Storm are scheduled to take the final WWE medical tests in October, which would indicate that both are on the verge of signing, if not signed already.
A report from the Observer last week stated that Kana was already under contract, so Storm could be in the same scenario.
Kana is currently scheduled to appear at Stardom in Japan in October, but it is being said this will likely be her farewell. She is expected to start with WWE in November. Storm – a competitor on TNA’s British Boot Camp 2 – is also working regularly, performing for Pride Wrestling in the UK this Saturday.
The Observer also confirmed earlier reports on former TNA Knockout Sarah Stock, who was rumored to be joining NXT as a coach. The new report states that she is indeed expected to sign soon.
The other hotly-rumored signing – that of Athena – has yet to be confirmed by a a reliable source. If it’s true, her timeline might line up with Kana and Nikki’s and see her join the roster in November.
WAGS star and former Divas Champion Kelly Kelly was recently a guest on the Stone Cold Podcast, where she discussed a variety of topics including the bizarre origins of her “exhibitionist” character in ECW.
On the gimmick, which had her strip nearly naked in front of the crowd, Kelly revealed that none other than Vince McMahon helped demonstrate the signature dance:
“My first day I was in Vince’s office and he’s like, ‘I have this whole idea. I have this whole plan for the dance I want you to do.’ So he showed me this whole dance. I was dying because I was like 19 years old and watching Vince McMahon and WWE for my whole life and now I’m sitting here with Vince McMahon and you’re showing me how to dance. It was the funniest.”
Kelly also answered the question that has been on Diva fans’ minds since her debut: where exactly did her name come from?:
“I guess there’s a Cheers episode where one of the guys is singing about the girl and the song is like, ‘Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly’, so that’s what I’ve always heard.”
Her first months in the company weren’t a breeze, though, as she revealed that she and fellow Diva Alicia Fox weren’t respected by the more seasoned wrestlers:
“The guys were pretty rough because the guys had been there for a long time, the ones who had growing up wanted to wrestle for WWE for their whole lives and they had been working their whole lives to be here, and they see me and Alicia Fox come in as these models, so we definitely got not the best treatment from the guys – they definitely gave us a hard time, so that was rough too.”
The five-time Knockouts Champion married TNA commentator Josh Mathews late last month, the news being announced on Josh’s podcast and reported by TNA Insider.
The pair were congratulated prior to their nuptials by TNA exec John “Big” Gaburick:
The new season of the Diva Search may be over before it even begins.
The Wrestling Observer (via Lords of Pain) is reporting that the revival of the Diva reality competition may not happen after all. The reason behind this uncertainty is said to be the troubles encountered by Tough Enough.
The issues with Tough Enough – among them low ratings, a lack of enthusiasm from fans and a format that may have undermined its original intent – have given those in the WWE “cold feet” about embarking on another talent-seeking reality show.
The report doesn’t put a nail in the Diva Search’s coffin, though, simply stating that officials are going “back and forth” on whether or not to go forward with it.
Recent reports had the show undergoing a restructuring to avoid problems similar to those faced by Tough Enough, but still had the show airing on the WWE Network in late 2015.
This week’s Total Divas bounced back in the ratings, drawing 1.020 million viewers according to TV by the Numbers.
This is up from last week’s season low 920,000 viewers for “It’s a Beautiful Life?” and is among the higher numbers drawn this season.
The episode also returned to its season high 0.5 rating in the 18-49 demo.
Total Divas‘s follow-up WAGS, which stars former Diva Kelly Kelly, drew 630,000 viewers and a 0.4 rating this week. This should be considered a ratings increase, as this is the first time the show made it onto the ratings charts.
Still riding high from being crowned the number one contender to the Divas Title, Charlotte spoke to Michael Cole in this week’s WWE.com sit down interview, talking about her title shot at Night of Champions, Divas Champion Nikki Bella, the pressure the comes with being a second generation wrestler, the Diva Revolution and more.
She says her recent success doesn’t feel real, as she started at NXT only three years ago. She admits that she never pictured herself being in this position.
Charlotte reflects on how, four years ago, she was still working as a personal trainer. She credits her late brother Reid Flair with helping her realize that wrestling was a dream she could pursue.
On the influence her father, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, has on her career, she says she feels the pressure every day. She says she loves carrying on his legacy with her Figure Eight finisher, the “WOOOO!”s and the chops, but admits that she wonders if people think she’s just a “rip off” of her father or if she’s only in her position due to nepotism. To counter that, she’s worked hard her entire life, playing every sport imaginable with the goal of being the best.
Charlotte comments on Nikki Bella’s advice to “go back to NXT”, saying that it makes her blood boil to have someone like Nikki dismiss her. She says that when she was NXT Women’s Champion, she was a fighting champ, always seeking opportunities to challenge and better herself.
She says the Diva Revolution is about empowering women all around the world – she wants to teach women and girls to chase their dreams. She acknowledges how hard it is to be a woman, feeling constant pressure to fit a standard, and expresses her hope that she can inspires others to be themselves.
Charlotte closes out the interview with a simple statement: Nikki is all about Nikki, and the Diva Revolution is bigger than her.
On paper, WWE booking three Divas matches last night, all under three and half minutes would normally be a sentence that would turn a Divas fan’s stomach. In the past, we would have just been thankful that it was three matches and not one. Fast forward to 2015 and in the midst of a Diva Revolution and that sentence doesn’t sound so bad. Yes the matches were short, yet the Divas were either featured or hyped in every hour of Raw’s three last night, and the one-night storyline was really fun too. Who would have thought that a match of three minutes and twenty one seconds would be considered acceptable? I think it was and I’ll explain why a little later…
After Sting opens the show, the fallout from his promo is captured backstage between Stephanie McMahon and Seth Rollins. Seth says that Sting is spitting in the face of The Authority. Whilst Steph was angry that Sting pulled his stunt last week, she (and her Egyptian bangles) tells Seth to look at his title match in a different way. Beating Sting would really cement his credibility as champion and he needs to wake up and see that. Awkwardness mounts between the pair when Triple H is namedropped, and Steph says that Sting was right, Seth Rollins is nowhere near as Triple H, yet. You could cut the tension with a spork.
Lana and Summer Rae are in the spotlight next, and it all kicks off once Summer gets Rusev disqualified in his SummerSlam rematch against Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler hit the Zig Zag and was going to pin Rusev, yet Summer broke up the pin and went batshit on Ziggy. Lana charges in as the timekeeper goes crazy and her and Summer scrap on the mat. It is Lana who has the last laugh (for now) as Dolph picks her up, allowing her to blast Summer in the face with a kick.
After the match, Renee Young catches up with Dolph and Lana. Both are ecstatic with the win, yet Dolph says he would rather have won with a three count. Dolph hits the showers, and Renee hypes the Dudley Boyz in a piece to camera. Whilst this is going on, Summer Rae sneaks into Dolph’s locker room in the background. This is getting JUICY!
Side note: Utilising Renee to hype the rest of the show whilst having a story happen in the background was brilliant! Totally loved that.
Our first match of the evening follows our first two doses of Lana and Summer drama. Competing first in the Beat the Clock challenge is Becky Lynch, and she is going to face Team Bella’s Alicia Fox. Before that can happen though, Divas Champion Nikki Bella is in the ring with Foxy and Brie Bella.
Nikki says that she wants to share each and every precious moment of her career with not only the Bella Army, but the whole WWE Universe. With that in mind, and to fuel her own ego, she introduces The Bellatron! Her patronising tone isn’t heard for long however, as the much more fist-pump triggering theme of the Lass Kicker booms through the speakers. Becky is flanked by Charlotte and Paige, and I love that all three of them are present for each other’s matches tonight. They are supporting each other, yet deep down want to beat each other too. DRAAAAAMA!
Side note: If WWE won’t allow the girls to call each other bitches, can they stop scripting “b” or “b-word” into promos? It is so annoying. Like last week’s Nene Leakes reference, this was totally out of character for Becky. WWE have been pushing her well, yet they need to curb those catty remarks and celebrity references from Becky’s dialogue.
Bex and Alicia engage in a major pin-fest to start the match, both looking to put away the other as quickly as possible. Becky traps Alicia in a hammerlock, ironic considering Alicia absolutely hammers her face in with a big boot shortly after. Alicia throws Becky across the ring with a hairgrab takeover and then she showcases how much of a veteran she is. She stomps on Becky’s hand and chokes her across the ropes in a cold, calculated display.
Following a dropkick, Foxy traps Lynch in a chinlock. A three minute match really doesn’t need a rest hold. I did like that Becky was looking at the clock though as she was getting the life squeezed out of her; go Becky telling that story with her eyes!
Becky soon fights back however, battling away with elbows, uppercuts and clotheslines. She drops Alicia with a sweet T-bone suplex too yet she can only muster a two count. Becky tries to hit another slam, yet Alicia counters into a roll-up. Becky then crisply reverses that pin into the Dis-Arm-Her and Alicia taps quicker than she jumped into bed with Edge. Holy 2007, Alicia Fox as a wedding planner reference! Becky has set the time to beat at 3:21!
Next up, we get to see how irrelevant the Intercontinental Title scene is when Summer Rae slays Ryback‘s interview backstage. And by slay, I meant that she killed it. Although her performance did slay me in the modern sense of the word too. Anyway, no-one, including WWE seem to care about what Ryback had to say as the camera pans from him to a giggling Summer Rae, who is seen running from Dolph Ziggler’s locker room with his clothes. Dolph appears at his dressing room in just a towel – ooh err! I’m sure many fans are wishing Summer had stolen that towel too…
We go back to the arena for our next notable segment, the second Beat the Clock match featuring Brie Bella and Charlotte. After we witness a minitron clip of Charlotte mentioning her lineage again.
Side note: We get it WWE. Charlotte is related to Ric Flair.
Brie’s tactic is really interesting for this match, and she aimed to annoy Charlotte with ever move. She was all about running and less about fighting. As soon as the bell rang, Brie scurried away between the ropes, ensuring Charlotte had hardly any options to strike her and potentially secure a win. Brie eventually had Charlotte chase her on the outside, resulting in Brie clocking (pun intended) Charlotte square in the face with a hard forearm shot.
Brie then jolted back into the ring and hoped Charlotte would be counted out. That wasn’t the case however and Brie made her first mistake. When Charlotte was on the apron, Brie ran at her hoping to knock her off, yet the Queen City Diva has recuperated enough and bashed Brie in the mush. Brie managed to regain her focus quickly by grabbing onto the ropes every chance she could yet Charlotte clearly thrives off of adrenaline as she handled the situation well and didn’t get frustrated *cough*like Paige*cough*.
Still holding the ropes, Brie kicked Charlotte in the knee yet Charlotte acted like she got hit in the face. This is not football and you are not Rivaldo, Charlotte. Hooray for the rare football reference here on Diva Dirt! Regardless of where she was kicked, it didn’t affect Charlotte too much, as she rebounded by hitting her kneeling hangman’s neckbreaker on Brie. Down on her knees, Brie was in prime position for Charlotte to deliver the Natural Selection, which she did successfully. Three seconds later and Charlotte is the new Diva to beat with a win in 1:40!
Lana and Summer’s saga continues next as Lana and Dolph talk about the shower “incident” from earlier on. Dolph says that as soon as she noticed Summer was in his locker room, he got a towel and hid his little zigzag. Lana is annoyed at Dolph because Summer saw him naked, yet she needs to get over it. Half of the past and present female employees of the WWE have been down and dirty with Dolph so, she isn’t the only one to have seen his junk!
After enough segments to fill a soap opera, the good times keep on rolling as it is time for our THIRD match of the night. Team PCB make their way out in the arena for the final time of the night, and Sasha Banks, Naomi and Tamina make their presence felt for the first time. Sasha’s theme gets a nice response from the crowd and not only does Paige have to beat the clock, she has to beat the Bank doing it! After a third minitron promo, this time from Paige, the match begins.
Paige charges in wildly and Sasha manages to shrug her off. Paige is thrown into the middle turnbuckle and Sasha stomps a mudhole into the Anti Diva. Sasha drops Paige on her back and tries to get the win for herself, which I absolutely love. A totally brash attitude and totally different game plan to what Brie had earlier in the night.
Paige hits a sunset flip and then the two exchange lightning fast pinfalls one after another. Paige ups the anti with a corner knee strike, a clout she follows up with a second knee direct to the chin. Those whacks aren’t enough to get the win, and Paige is left frustrated in the ring. Sasha takes advantage with some elbows, yet Paige regains her composure, reversing a hurricanrana attempt into the RamPaige!
Despite being left groggy, Sasha rolls under the ropes, and then Team B.A.D solidify Paige missing out on a win by pulling their Team B.A.D cohort to the outside. Paige throws Sasha back in and tries to lock in the PTO, yet the time runs out and Paige is left absolutely gutted in the ring. JBL brings up that maybe Team B.A.D should have been disqualified, and I wonder if that will play into a future story arc perhaps?
On Raw Fallout, the champ and challenger gave their thoughts on the newly-booked Night Champions match:
Our final installment in Summer Rae and Lana’s captivating cattiness is next, as we see Lana’s reaction to an interview that Renee Young did with Summer Rae during commercials.
Summer says that Dolph stuck his head out of his locker room, and told Summer to come inside. If Lana had seen both earlier segment involving Summer, she would know Summer was lying about that and stop sulking!
Anywho, Summer continues to BS and I am absolutely loving her elaborate scheme. She said that it seemed that Dolph was going to clear the air, something that she wants to do. Summer says that she was mesmerized by what happened next – Dolph got completely undressed in front of her! Summer says that Dolph and Little Zigs asked her to join him in the shower, and she only said no as she is obviously standing by Rusev. She said that she will never forget the image of the water dripping down “his glistening body”. Renee looks like she wishes she’d seen some that! Hilarious.
Summer continues by saying that Dolph gave her “the look”, and that it was clear Dolph was trying to seduce her! She says she will never forget the name of Goldust Dolph standing naked in-front of her. The plot thickens!
Finally, Mrs McMessiah herself, Stephanie McMahon was involved in an explosive main event segment with Seth Rollins, John Cena and Sting. Steph continues to push Rollins’ buttons, announcing he will be in two matches at Night of Champions!
Thoughts: It is easy to view last night’s Raw as a flop. Two matches lasted just one minute and forty seconds, whilst the other last three minutes and twenty one seconds. However, add that to entrances, constant promotion across the show for the matches and one-night storyline of determining a new #1 contender, a promo from Nikki Bella and the fact that last night featured the first ever Divas Beat the Clock challenge, then actually, the girls received a solid amount of time that actually progressed this story along nicely. I personally feel that we have had enough matches that whilst solid, have been lacking a storyline element necessary to get us to really, really care about them, instead of just care about them. We finally saw a story begin to develop last night.
I honestly thought Becky and Alicia put on a cute little match. Alicia’s big boot, the quick-fire pin attempts and Becky’s reversal into the Dis-Arm-Her were all nice highlights. Becky looked impressive, whilst still clocking up a respectable time in the challenge. She definitely came out of the night looking better than Paige.
I also enjoyed the interesting aspect to Brie and Charlotte’s match. It was blink-and-you’ll-miss-it short, yet JBL summed it up perfectly (I often find myself praising him a lot recently which is weird); Brie was too busy trying to run away and annoy Charlotte that she forgot to actually defend herself. Charlotte managed to grab her, seize an opportunity and put Brie away with the Natural Selection. Whilst a terrible finisher, I don’t think she has utilised it yet on the main roster, so her using it tonight was fresh. It is a much quicker move to pull off too, which makes sense as Charlotte was trying to win as fast as possible. She did just that, moving onto to Night of Champions to face Nikki.
Speaking of Nikki, I also enjoyed her in-ring promo. She looked utterly incredible, and the Bellatron countdown graphic is hilarious. Fun little touch. Whilst it reminds me of people like The Honky Tonk Man and Santino *vomits*, it plays into Nikki’s condescending, airhead character. “Look at me now, I even have my own Bellatron!” Whilst those exact words didn’t come out of Nikki’s mouth, you can imagine her saying just that.
Another sign of good booking was allowing Sasha to face Paige, and not a different member of Team B.A.D. Whilst choosing Tamina would continue the hype resulting from her epic Total Divas appearance, most fans don’t watch that show, and Sasha is so over on the main roster. Whilst having her appear in a match under two minutes long wasn’t the best way to promote her, it was better than nothing. She didn’t lose either, leaving Paige in a teary mess.
Speaking of that meltdown, I honestly see Paige turning heel after Night of Champions. She is so passionate about holding the Divas Championship, and I think that passion will eat away at her until it evolves into obsession. Paige and Charlotte would have an epic feud, and maybe Becky can even turn too to hark back to the Knight Dynasty days of SHIMMER?
Elsewhere, I LOVED the storyline development between Lana and Summer Rae this week. Summer was absolutely fantastic in every appearance. She threw caution to the wind in the ring and blew everyone’s wigs off in her interview with Renee! It was interesting to hear her say that she only didn’t succumb to Dolph’s advances because she is aligned with Rusev. Her dialogue made it seem that the two of them are more business associates as opposed to lovers. Despite their kiss before, I prefer that. Summer and Rusev should be working together; not every guy/girl pairing has to sleep together. Just ask Darren Young and Tamina. Oh, the glory days of NXT: Redemption…
Whilst Summer may have regressed in the ring over time, she is a phenomenal actress and she is my MVP for this week. She has the sultry, evil sass queen character down and I am HERE. FOR. IT!
I am also here for Stephanie, who continued to toy with Seth Rollins this week. Whilst he does deliver the goods in the ring, he doesn’t half go on whinging! Steph is doing all she can to get her investment to man up. I like that despite Steph wanting her man to win, John Cena’s words in the main event segment made it obvious that she doesn’t mind testing Rollins’ patience. He has bagged major victories/DQ losses as of late, yet only thanks to interferences, so she needs to put him in his paces like never before. If he loses his two matches at NOC, Steph won’t care as she will be rolling in the cash and she can select a new bloke to step up her plate anyway. The main event was such a fun segment and I do wonder if it will lead to Seth, or maybe even Trips and Steph turning face.
Moving onto SmackDown, I guess we’ll see Charlotte defeat Alicia or something. I would be intrigued to see Sasha speak up and decide that she deserves a chance as she “beat” Paige on Monday. Go on WWE, I’ll let you have that idea on me. You’re welcome.
