Sunday, January 12, 2025

Deonna Purrazzo Provides Two Names She Sees As Next IMPACT Hall Of Famers

The IMPACT Hall of Fame currently have two of the biggest Knockouts to ever do it inducted. Those two names are Gail Kim and Awesome Kong. But who may come next in line to be included with these two legends.

Former three-time Knockouts World Champion Deonna Purrazzo was asked who she thought would be potential next names for IMPACT’s Hall of Fame. While speaking with MuscleManMalcom she had the following to say –

“A few people came to mind at first. I think Tara would be an amazing option. We saw her come back to IMPACT and have a couple matches, and I love Lisa. I think what she’s done, and she was so ahead of her time. I don’t necessarily know that she gets all the credit for it, so I would love to see her inducted into the Hall of Fame. I think Mickie is always going to be a contender. She’s kind of still on her hiatus from IMPACT right now. We don’t know what’s happening. But if she decided to maybe step away from in-ring competition and do something else, I feel like she would definitely be the next woman to be inducted, for sure,” Purrazzo said.

Purrazzo was also asked about the upcoming IMPACT 1,000 event and The Virtuosa named Gail Kim as a legend she would want to face at that event. She went over the upcoming Emergence event that takes place on Aug. 27 and her rematch with Trinity to try and become a four-time Knockouts World Champion.

As for Mickie James, she will be returning to the ring at RevPro event and you can see Malcolm’s interview with her below.

Maxxine Dupri Talks About Being New To The WWE Women’s Locker Room

Alpha Acadamy’s Maxxine Dupri recently spoke with DS Shin of Ring the Belle and had a lot to say on being new to the women’s locker room.

She opens up in the interview about Chelsea Green becoming her big sister and ride partner. Dupri says that she doesn’t get the credit she deserves and that she is a pure soul to work around. She gives credit to Liv Morgan welcoming her with open arms and helping her showing her around on her first day on the main roster.

Shin states that many people are comparing Dupri’s start to that of Hall of Famer Trish Stratus‘ early career. As fans are watching her grow much like they did Stratus. Dupri says that Stratus is so sweet and iconic and helped her with how to present herself.

They also talk about making singlets sexy and bond over Total Divas. Dupri states that Total Divas was a favorite of hers and says that the storyline between Natalya and Summer Rae does not get talked about enough.

You can view the full interview below.

The IInspiration Talk About Choosing IMPACT After WWE Release, What’s Next For Them

The IInspiration (The IIconics in WWE) spoke recently about their time in 2021 when released from WWE and making the decision to go to IMPACT. The duo Peyton Royce (Cassie Lee) and Billie Kay (Jessie McKay) were released by WWE after six years with the company.

After their time with WWE was over, they confirmed that they were a package deal and wanted to remain together wherever their next venture would take them. They joined IMPACT Wrestling later that year and they rebranded themselves as The IInspiration. They became Knockouts World Tag Team Champions during their first match and debut at the 2021 Bound For Glory event.

In a new interview with Nick Hausman of Haus of Wrestling, McKay spoke about why they chose to go with IMPACT when they did.

“It just felt like the right step to make. It was something that we had spoken about together. There are a lot of things that have to come together to make something work, and IMPACT just came together. It was the right time for us, it felt good, we liked their schedule, it being a little bit more relaxed because we had been at home out of the wrestling bubble for a little bit and we knew that we wanted to try and maintain that balance. We had known all of the girls in the locker room, never worked them inside of the ring so it was just an exciting time for us. We also just had a fun time rebranding and evolving our characters. I remember Cass came over one day and I said, we can do this and this and this and it was kind of like getting the ball rolling, and she’s like, oh, what about this? It was just really fun. We had kind of lost that fun and we hadn’t teamed up for so long, so it was kind of like re-sparking our love for tag team wrestling at the moment.” (Fightful)

After just over six months with the company, the team and best friends decided to take a step away from the ring and professional wrestling. Since then, Lee has gone on to have her first child with Shawn Spears from AEW and McKay is currently pregnant with her first child. There last match in IMPACT was at Rebellion in April 2022 where they dropped the titles to The Influence (Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood). The duo are about to start their third season of their podcast.

Lee has stated that she is starting to train for the ring again. She wants to continue with a tag team.

You can view the interview in full below.

Trinity Picks Up Singles Win Before Emergence Title Defense

The last IMPACT before Emergence kicked off with Knockouts World Champion Trinity taking on Jody Threat for the first time ever.

They stayed evenly matched as Trinity slid to avoid a clothesline and landed a big splits on Threat only for Threat to toss Trinity with a suplex. Threat landed the double knees in the ropes, but Trinity held on to prevent another suplex. After more back and forth, Trinity connected with the Full Nelson Bomb into the cover for the win.

We heard from MK Ultra as they previewed their four-way tag team title match set for Sunday’s Emergence. It will mark the first defense of their reign, but they are ready for the challenge.

We also saw one more video package highlighting Trinity and Deonna Purrazzo‘s rivalry ahead of their rematch that appears to be one of the headlining Emergence matches, if not the main event.

IMPACT Wrestling did not tweet out clips from this week’s show out of respect to Bray Wyatt, who tragically passed away on August 24 at the age of 36.

While no matches have been announced for next week, we do know the two title matches confirmed for Emergence in Toronto:

  • Knockouts World Championship: Trinity (c) vs. Deonna Purrazzo
  • Knockouts World Tag Team Championship: Killer Kelly & Masha Slamovich (c) vs. The Death Dollz vs. The Coven vs. Gisele Shaw & Savannah Evans

What did you think of this week’s IMPACT? Sound off with your thoughts below!


Check it out! Ring Post Journal’s 2022 Women’s Wrestling Year in Review is now available on Amazon in digital, paperback, and hardcover formats internationally. Relive the entire year in one book with a news timeline, detailed results, and win-loss records for WWE, AEW, IMPACT, NWA, and more!

Bray Wyatt Passes Away At Age 36, Wrestling World Mourns

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The wrestling community has lost a larger than life entity as Bray Wyatt (real name Windham Rotunda) has passed away at the age of 36. Triple H broke the news just moments ago.

Diva Dirt is known for its coverage of women’s wrestling, but Wyatt had a large hand in entertaining fans over the years. He made his debut in WWE in 2009 and his creative mind has been entertaining millions ever since.

For fans of women’s wrestling Wyatt was well known for our enjoyment of the dark side of Alexa Bliss in recent years. Bliss had always spoken highly of her time working with Wyatt and this allowed her to take her character to new heights.

Windham leaves behind his wife and former WWE ring announcer JoJo, and their two young children. He also has two children from his previous marriage. The couple got engaged in 2022.

With the news breaking, several talents are sharing their stories and condolences. You can read some below.

Diva Dirt sends our deepest condolences out to the family and friends of Windham Rotunda.


IYO SKY vs. Zelina Vega Women’s Title Match Set For Aug. 25 SmackDown

The WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY will be putting her title on the line for the first time against Zelina Vega on this Friday’s SmackDown. Vega holds a previous victory over the now-champion the night before SKY cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase at SummerSlam.

Per WWE.com

As IYO SKY continues to clash with the likes of Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair and Asuka, the competition for the WWE Women’s Championship has increased with the news that the high-flying titleholder to set to put her gold on the line against The LWO’s Zelina Vega.

After Rey Mysterio’s United States Championship triumph, can Vega draw inspiration from The Legendary Luchador and bring the WWE Women’s Title into the honored Latino faction?

Check in with Diva Dirt on Friday night to talk about this match live.

Ruby Soho Sets Sights On TBS Title During Last Dynamite Before All In

The August 23 episode of AEW Dynamite served as one of the go-home shows to AEW All In London.

The featured women’s bout saw Ruby Soho take on Skye Blue. Ruby attacked Skye off the bat, which led to the two brawling at ringside. Once the action officially started, Soho dictated the pace despite Blue firing back with strikes when she could.

During the break, Soho began picking up steam with dropkicks and a crossbody off the top. Skye Fall connected for a nearfall. After several reversals, Soho landed No Future to score the three-count. This was Soho’s third Dynamite win over Blue this year.

Before her victory, Soho seemingly called her shot against TBS Champion Kris Statlander at All In.

This Friday’s Rampage will be headlined by an All In preview as AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida and Britt Baker team up to take on The Outcasts’ Toni Storm and Saraya. No women’s match has been announced for Saturday’s Collision yet.

What did you think of this week’s Dynamite? Sound off with your thoughts below!


Check it out! Ring Post Journal’s 2022 Women’s Wrestling Year in Review is now available on Amazon in digital, paperback, and hardcover formats internationally. Relive the entire year in one book with a news timeline, detailed results, and win-loss records for WWE, AEW, IMPACT, NWA, and more!

WWE Grand Slam Champions – Who Could Be Next?

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Being a Grand Slam Champion in WWE is certainly a milestone to reach. Up until the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships were introduced in 2019, the option for women to earn Grand Slam status didn’t exist. Since then, women were able to achieve such status and five women have done so.

They are(in order of accomplishment) – Bayley, Asuka, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, and Rhea Ripley.

For those who may not be familiar with what a Grand Slam Champion for the women may be, here is what needs to be achieved.

Raw Women’s Title (now-WWE Women’s Title)

SmackDown Women’s Title (now-Women’s World Title)

NXT Women’s Title

WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles

All four titles listed need to have been won to earn this accolade. There are a few women who are Triple Crown winners and are just one title away, the NXT Women’s Title, from winning all four pieces of gold.

Alexa Bliss

Alexa Bliss has been a Triple Crown winner since 2019. She won the Women’s Tag Team Championships with Nikki Cross on two occasions and in 2022 briefly with Asuka. She is a former three time Raw Women’s Champion and two time SmackDown Women’s Champion.

The one piece of gold that has not happened for Bliss is the NXT Women’s Title. She did not have the honor of being that titleholder while on the NXT brand. However, with other talent returning to NXT for a run on that brand, anything can happen. Bliss is currently out of action due to pregnancy.

Becky Lynch

Much like Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch is missing that fourth piece of the puzzle, the NXT Women’s Title.

Unlike Bliss though, Lynch didn’t become a Triple Crown Champion until 2023. She won the Women’s Tag Team Titles with Lita to get this honor. She is a four time (and inaugural) SmackDown Women’s Champion and a two time Raw Women’s Champion. Lynch held both he Raw and SmackDown Titles when she defeated Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair in a Winner Takes All match. That was the first women’s match to main event a WrestleMania. She has the most combined days as champion with the Raw belt.

During her time in NXT, Lynch sat by and watched her other Four Horsewomen get the NXT gold. She never did get the title before her call up so that is the title that keeps he from the Grand Slam status. On the Aug. 22 2023 episode of NXT, the current NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton mistakenly called Lynch a former NXT Champion. To this, Lynch responded saying that she hasn’t won that title …. yet.

Ronda Rousey

Rousey became a Triple Crown Champion in 2023 when she secured the tag team pchampionships along with Shayna Baszler. Just like the two women before, Rousey hasn’t won the NXT Women’s Championship. However, unlike the prior women, Rousey never had a run in NXT. She is a former Raw Women’s Champion and a former two time SmackDown Women’s Champion.

Currently, Rousey’s status with WWE is unknown. It seems unlikely for her to have an NXT run to get that much needed gold for the Grand Slam status.

IYO SKY

IYO SKY is the most recent woman to become a Triple Crown winner and is just one title away from collecting all four. She is currently the WWE Women’s Champion (formerly Raw Women’s Champion) and has won both the NXT Women’s Championship and the WWE Women’s Tag Team alongside Dakota Kai on two different occasions.

SKY, unlike the prior women on this list, has the hard to obtain NXT title. She just now needs the Women’s World Title (formerly SmackDown Women’s Title) and that seems incredibly obtainable. SKY is also a former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion with Zoey Stark to add that extra bit of success.

Fun fact, SKY may not be a Grand Slam Champion (yet) but she is considered the first one for STARDOM.


Now that we went over the Triple Crown Champions who could become Grand Slam Champions, let’s look at the women who are half way there. The women below have at least two out of the four titles needed.

Carmella

Carmella has won both the SmackDown Women’s Championship and a WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship with Zelina Vega. There was a big gap between her singles gold and tag team gold but both had memorable moments. She will need the NXT Women’s Title (which could be a good reign for her) and the now-WWE Women’s Championship.

Carmella is currently out of action due to her pregnancy. She has stated she wants to return but is not going to rush it.

Shayna Baszler

Shockingly to say, Shayna Baszler has not won singles gold on the main roster since being called up in 2020. Baszler is a former NXT Women’s Champion and a former three time Women’s Tag Team Champion (twice with Nia Jax and once with Ronda Rousey). She still needs bot singles titles on the main roster.

Currently, Baszler seems to be returning to her NXT ways and has the top of the division in her sights. She may become at least Triple Crown winner sooner than later.

Raquel Rodriguez

Raquel Rodriguez has only been on the main roster for nearly a year and a half, as she debuted in April 2022. She has become a three time Women’s Tag Team Champion as she held that gold with Aliyah and Liv Morgan twice. Rodriguez also had a lot of success in NXT as she is a former NXT Women’s Champion. She needs both main roster titles and has an opportunity on Sept. 2 at Payback to win one of them. She is facing Rhea Ripley for the World Women’s Championship.

Rodriguez hasn’t held tag gold for any large extended period of time. This includes being a two time NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion with Dakota Kai.

Liv Morgan

Liv Morgan has turned into a fan favorite and has had a tremendous 2022 and a solid 2023 up until her recent injury. Her winning the SmackDown Women’s Championship was off of her Money in the Bank cash-in and she is a former two time tag champ with Raquel Rodriguez.

Being with WWE since 2014, Morgan has had a lengthy career already but really started leaning into her popularity over the past couple of years. She is only 29 years of age and could go for many more years and if done right, many more championships.

Natalya

The longest WWE veteran of the locker room, Natalya has yet to become even a Triple Crown winner let alone Grand Slam Champion. She is a former SmackDown Women’s Champion and previously held the Women’s Tag Team Championship alongside Tamina.

It seems incredibly odd that Natalya hasn’t had a few more pieces of gold in her history. She is a former Divas Champion but unfortunately that isn’t included in the criteria. Natalya has to have at least one more run with a title, perhaps one she hasn’t won yet.

Nikki Cross

Nikki is another one like Shayna, Liv, and Raquel who has been heavily used in the tag team division. She is a former three time tag team champion and also cashed in (much like Liv and Carmella) to become a Raw Women’s Champion.

Her Raw Women’s Championship was won perhaps at the wrong point of her career. A gimmick change and little reaction from the crowd had her only holding that title for only a month. If there comes a time for Nikki to have a singles reign again to get closer to becoming a Grand Slam Champion then hopefully it pans out better. She was another missed opportunity to be the NXT Women’s Champion from her time in NXT.

Bianca Belair

It is hard to believe that Bianca isn’t even a Triple Crown winner yet. But what sets her apart from the other women who are half way there is that she has held both singles titles on the main roster.

She is a former two-time Raw/WWE Women’a Champion and a former SmackDown Women’s Champion. She won both the Raw and SmackDown belts at WrestleMania, the latter being in the main event against Sasha Banks. She has recently become the longest reigning champion in the modern era on the main roster.

Could Bianca take a trip back down to NXT to grab that title or perhaps find herself a tag team partner?

Who do you think will reach Grand Slam Champion in their career? Someone on this list or someone who will eventually get to the list?

Raquel Rodriguez Comments On NXT Heatwave Appearance

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The number one contender for Rhea Ripley’s Women’s World Championship made a surprise appearance on this week’s NXT Heatwave.

She was the reason for Ripley’s loss as Ripley was teamed with Dominik Mysterio taking on Lyra Valkyria and Dragon Lee. Rodriguez pulled Ripley off the entrance and fought with her to the back. This allowed Lee to get the win for himself and Valkyria.

In a WWE Exclusive, Rodriguez said –

“As of yesterday, I have been medically cleared for action, and I made my point pretty obvious to Rhea when I went out there and announced to her that it will be her versus me at Payback for the Women’s World Championship. So I came here tonight because I wanted to remind Rhea who she’s messing with. Not too long ago, we had our Last Woman Standing Match in this arena, and I put her through that stage floor. I plan on doing the same thing at Payback. She will be looking up at Raquel Rodriguez, your winner and your new Women’s World Champion,” Rodriguez said.

Chelsea Green & Piper Niven Cleanse The Tag Title Belts From Their Curse

It has been wildly joked about how the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship belts are cursed. They have been plagued with injuries, bad booking, and even walk outs. For the current champions Chelsea Green and Piper Niven they will have no more bad luck.

Using various products to cleanse the belts, Green posted on TikTok the methods that Niven was using. Niven also responded to it on her social media.

Niven became tag champ by default when she returned last week and took the empty spot in Green’s tag team. Her original partner and champion Sonya Deville was the last victim of the “curse” when she tore her ACL.

Green and Niven haven’t defended the gold yet but were able to pick up a win over Katana Chance and Kayden Carter on the Aug. 21 episode of Raw.

Do you think with Green and Niven wiping the curse away the future of the tag division can flourish?

Fatal 4-way Number One Contender Match Set For NXT Aug. 29

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As a result of what went down on the Aug. 22 episode of NXT, we will have a number one contender match for the NXT Women’s Title next week. The competitors will be Gigi Dolin, Kiana James, Blair Davenport, and Roxanne Perez.

The match came about during the champion’s return. Tiffany Stratton took to the ring and boasted on how good Tiffy Summer has been. How she won the title and then went on to defended it twice against Thea Hail.

Stratton continued to gloat saying she would become the best and most successful NXT Women’s Champion. Better than Bayley, Asuka, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. One thing was wrong by that statement, Lynch was never NXT Women’s Champion.

Regardless, this started the four women that will vye for a shot at the title to come out one by one. A brawl broke out once Perez joined the women in the ring. She said she had something to tell Stratton but all that was, was a forearm to the face. Stratton rolled out of the ring to run for safety while the for competitors brawled.

Back to Stratton calling Lynch a former NXT Women’s Champion in her promo, Lynch called her out on social media. This led to Stratton responding by saying she may have misspoke but Lynch is irrelevant regardless.

The first women’s match of the night was Ava in her first singles match on TV as she took on Ivy Nile. The match was short, but Ava looked better in the ring over what she has shown previously. In the end, Nile would win with a submission. The rest of Schism and their followers jumped on the ring apron to help Ava and taunt Nile.

Ava was rescued by two of the Schism followers. In two further segments, Ava called out Nile to find her at the Schism tree. Eventually Nile would show up but when Ava tried to tell the two Schism followers to get her, they were revealed to be The Creed Brothers. Nile attacked Ava while the Creed Brothers say they want a final match with the Dyad and if they win they will be reinstated to NXT.

The other match of the night involved Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley and North American Champion Dominik Mysterio facing Lyra Valkyria and Dragon Lee. The match came down to the number one contender and Ripley’s next opponent at PaybackRaquel Rodriguez showing up.

Rodriguez neutralized Ripley which led to Dragon Lee getting the win for him and Valkyria as he pinned Mysterio.

A backstage segment took place between Thea Hail and Jacy Jayne. It was taped after their match last week where Jayne beat Hail after Andre Chase inadvertently cost the match loss for Hail. Jayne gave advice to Hail telling her that she will get through it

NXT Heatwave Discussion Post: 08.22.23

Tonight’s NXT episode is its Heatwave special and there are two women’s matches set on the card.

We will see Ava in her first singles match on television take on Ivy Nile.

A mixed tag team match will also take place as the Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley and North American Champion Dominik Mysterio will take on Lyra Valkyria and Dragon Lee.


We will also hear from the NXT Women’s Champion, Tiffany Stratton.

Feel free to discuss below.

Lynch vs. Stark Falls Count Anywhere Booked For Aug. 28 Raw

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Becky Lynch and Zoey Stark will face off again, this time in a Falls Count Anywhere match set for next week’s Raw.

On the Aug. 21 episode of Raw, Lynch had a promo which included both Stark and Trish Stratus. It has been confirmed that Stratus will take on Lynch in a steel cage match at Payback on Sept. 2. Whereas Stratus intends to win her first time entering a steel cage, Lynch plans on winning the opposite of a steel cage match – falls count anywhere against Stark next week.

Also on Raw, Kayden Carter and Katana Chance took on the new tag team champions Chelsea Green and Piper Niven in a non title bout. The champions were victorious.

Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez Confirmed For Payback

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The Women’s World Championship will be defended at Payback on Sept 2 as the champion Rhea Ripley is set to take on Raquel Rodriguez.

On the Aug. 21 episode of Raw, Ripley had a match against Candice LeRae.

The champ took on and defeated Indi Hartwell last week, but now had to take on LeRae as both women came to Rodriguez’s aide a couple of weeks back. Ripley had another quick match as LeRae tapped out to the Prism submission.

Post match, Ripley and Dominik Mysterio were celebrating her victory on the ramp when Rodriguez’s music hit. Rodriguez came out with a crutch but much to Ripley’s shock, Rodriguez was in fact cleared.

The two went back and forth in the ring until Rodriguez got the better of the champion. Rodriguez ended the segment by saying she was cleared and will be challenging for the gold at Payback.

Join Diva Dirt on Sept. 2 to talk about this event live.

Raw Discussion Post: 08.21.23

Tonight’s Raw has nothing advertised for the women but we have Payback coming up in less than two weeks.

We found out last week that Trish Stratus and Becky Lynch will collide in a steel cage match. It is being advertised to take place at Payback but not confirmed.

Also, will we have Rhea Ripley finally defending her Women’s World Championship at Payback? Will Raquel Rodriguez be her opponent?

Last week we also saw the return of Piper Niven last week who is now one-half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions with Chelsea Green.

Giulia Retains NJPW STRONG Women’s Title At Multiverse United 2

Giulia retains her NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship in a huge Four-way match at Multiverse United 2. This event was a crossover event between NJPW and IMPACT.

The event took place in Philadelphia on Aug. 20. The other women in the match were Momo Kohgo, Deonna Purrazzo, and Gisele Shaw.

Giulia got the victory after pinning Shaw from a Northern Lights Bomb. Kohgo attempted to attack Giulia after the match but was dropped instead.

Tiffany Stratton Back In Action At NXT Live Event

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NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton has returned to the ring for the first time since her victory at The Great American Bash on July 30. She has retained her gold against Thea Hail at that event. Since then, the champion has been missing in action rumored to have had a concussion.

She faced Valentina Feroz at this live event and came out with the victory. Other results at the Aug. 19 show were as follows –

Kelani Jordan & Dani Palmer def. Blair Davenport & Izzy Dame

Ava def. Ivy Nile – this was Ava’s first singles match. She will have her first on TV singles match this Tuesday against Nile at Heatwave.

Trish Stratus Has First WWE Live Event Match In 18 Years

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WWE was still making its rounds in Canada over the weekend which had the Aug. 19 house show take place in Ottawa, Ontario. Hall of Famer Trish Stratus had her first house show match in 18 years. In a handicap match, Stratus and Zoey Stark were defeated by Becky Lynch.

Other results included –

Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) def. Natalya

WWE Women’s Championship: IYO SKY (c) def. Charlotte Flair and Asuka

Stratus is set to end her feud with Lynch inside a steel cage. The match is expected at Payback on Sept. 2.

Meta-Four Pick Up Victory At NXT Live Event

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Meta-Four picked up a victory on Friday at an NXT live event in Citrus Springs, Florida.

The stable featuring Lash Legend, Jakara Jackson, Oro Mensah, and Noam Darr defeated Lyra Valkyria, Roxanne Perez. Dragon Lee, and Eddy Thorpe. Valkyria and Lee are currently warming up to take on the Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley and the North American Champion Dominik Mysterio at Heatwave this coming Tuesday.

Also at this house show was the debut of Jade Gentile in the ring. She has been previously been seen on NXT TV back in April by the side of Grayson Waller. In this first bout she teamed up with Lola Vice and Elektra Lopez in a win against Jacy Jayne, Kiana James, and Tiana Caffey.

Other results involved Gigi Dolin defeating Karmen Petrovic. Petrovic also appeared on this weeks NXT Level Up in a loss to Jacy Jayne. Dani Palmer also defeated Brooklyn Barlow.

Damage CTRL Attacks Bianca Belair Backstage On SmackDown

Damage CTRL did not take their loss lightly on this week’s SmackDown.

The WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY along eith Bayley took on Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair. The final moments of the match had Flair tag in Belair and deliver a big boot on Bayley. This place Bayley in the KOD by Belair who got the pin.

Moments after the match, Belair was being interviewed as she was ambushed behind by all three members of Damage CTRL. They targeted the already injured knee of the EST as Dakota Kai offered the steel chairs to SKY and Bayley.

Beth Phoenix also appeared on this week’s show as she was there for Edge’s 25th Anniversary.

SmackDown Discussion Post: 08.18.23

As we get closer to Payback, tonight’s advertised match will include the WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY as she teams up with Bayley. They will be facing the team of Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair.

Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus Cage Match Advertised For Payback

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It seems the plan is, for now, is to have the steel cage match between Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus will take place at Payback.

After the rematch between Lynch and Stratus resulted in a double count out on this past episode of Raw, Adam Pearce confirmed their next encounter is in a cage.

In international markets and on WWE Main Event, the cage match between the two is being advertised for the next premium live event on Sept. 2. Keep in mind this hasn’t been made official as the placement of the match outside of these markets.

With the show being just two weeks away, WWE hasn’t confirmed any matches female or male.

Charlotte Flair Names Opponents She Wants to Headline With At WrestleMania 40

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Charlotte Flair is already looking ahead to WrestleMania 40 and has recently spoken on who she would like to headline the biggest show with. While speaking with Sports Illustrated, Flair named Lynch, Bianca Belair, and Mercedes Mone as potential WrestleMania 40 opponents.

Flair has already headlined one previous WrestleMania where she main evented along with Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey in 2019.

“I loved WrestleMania 35,” says Flair. “Being in the main event, that was a surreal moment. When I walked out of the curtain that night, there was such a calmness. I used to be scared of my own shadow, and there I was, main-eventing New York-New Jersey.”

Mone was a surprise answer as the former Sasha Banks is currently working with NJPW.

Flair says, “We’ll see what WrestleMania XL brings, but you know what’s crazy? Think of how much better we are now than we were then. We’ve both grown so much, you can’t even compare it to before.”

As for adding Belair to the mix, Flair believes they will have a match regardless if it is at this upcoming WrestleMania or a future one –

 “Seeing Bianca handle her position as champion for so long, watching her do the interviews, the meet-and-greets, and carrying all of those responsibilities, I’m so proud of her. I know that type of pressure. She carried herself as a beautiful example of a WWE champion. And I love her competitiveness. We’re both very fiery. Whether it’s WrestleMania XL, WrestleMania 41, or WrestleMania 42, it’s going to happen.”

Tag Team Match Set For Aug. 18 SmackDown

A tag team bout is booked for tonight’s SmackDown. It will be WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY and Bayley taking on Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair.

Per WWE.com

The list of Superstars lining up to challenge WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY is growing. Damage CTRL, however, are out to prove that they run the blue brand. In a post-SummerSlam contest between Charlotte Flair and Asuka last week, SKY brought an early end to the showdown when she hit a double dropkick on Flair and Asuka and caused a no-contest.

As a result, Bayley and SKY will now take on Bianca Belair and Flair in a tag team matchup.

Can Damage CTRL make a major statement early in IYO’s reign?

Purrazzo Scores Victory As Multiverse United 2 Title Match Is Official

The last IMPACT before Multiverse United 2 saw Deonna Purrazzo go one-on-one with KiLynn King in the show’s opener.

The bout showcased Purrazzo’s technical skills against King’s strength while Taylor Wilde largely stayed out of it. King nearly won the bout with a Gotch-style neutralizer. But when she went for King’s Gambit, Purrazzo escaped and locked in the Fujiwara armbar for a third time. Purrazzo switched it to Venus de Milo to officially score the victory.

It was officially confirmed that Giulia will defend the NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship against Purrazzo, Gisele Shaw, and Momo Kohgo in a four-way this Sunday in Philly.

We also saw a three-way bout as Killer Kelly battled Savannah Evans and Jessicka. The bout kicked off with Jessicka and Evans having a staredown while Kelly tried to get involved. The tag champ was finally able to intervene with a double crossbody off the top rope. From there, all three women slammed each other around until Kelly planted Evans onto Jessicka with the DVD and pinned Jessicka for the win ahead of Emergence.

Next week on the Emergence go-home show, Knockouts World Champion Trinity battles Jody Threat in a non-title bout.

What did you think of this week’s IMPACT? Sound off with your thoughts below!


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Kiyah Saint To Debut On NXT Level Up

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WWE Performance Center recruit Kiyah Saint has taped her debut match for NXT Level Up.

The match was taped this week with her opponent being Kiana James. Saint has had one prior match at a live show in May where she teamed with Cora Jade in a defeat to Kelani Jordan and Thea Hail.

Saint, whose real name is Harleigh White, was signed with WWE last fall and was part of that large recruitment class. Names who have already debuted on TV from that class are Kelani Jordan, Karmen Petrovic, and Izzi Dame.

Unconfirmed, but this match should air in the next two weeks. Already previously taped matches coming up are Dani Palmer vs. Brooklyn Barlow and Jacy Jayne vs. Karmen Petrovic.