Post by King Munshun on Feb 23, 2011 20:12:34 GMT -5
So, here's something that me and americamamushi came up with, after the dismal failure slight disappointment of our first TNM fed idea, Angel STAR Pro. We both like female wrestling, and we always kinda wanted to do a TNM women's fed, with varying degrees of success.
I said to him, "What we SHOULD do... is a women's version of the NWA." Then he said, "What, are you serious?" and I said, "YES, I AM!" And he was all, "God, no!" And then there was lots of begging and he finally said yes. Thus, the WWI was born.
A few notes about it: Yes, all the women are original. Yes, some (read: most) are clones of male wrestlers. No, we don't feel bad about this. ...Yeah, we feel kinda weird about it sometimes, but not BAD weird.
...Anyway, yeah, we realize this will make it a little harder to identify with the girls since they haven't been on TV, or any of the indies you know. So, we'll make an extra effort to introduce you to them, and their characters will get fleshed as the fed progresses. However, you'll probably recognize who a lot of them are based on anyway, so that'll help you out.
We welcome constructive criticism, and any other comments you might have, so long as theypraise our genius are positive and helpful. Thanks, and I hope you actually enjoy what you read.
Premise
It was the year 2009, and two life-long best friends had a dream. A dream of a women’s wrestling promotion that wouldn’t be looked down on by the other so called “better” male promotions in the industry. A promotion that would venerate women for their athleticism and talent, not for their bust size or hair color. A place where feuds and storylines would be a little deeper than the usual “I’m prettier than her!” fare of the others. A company where women wrestlers could ply their trade without being relegated to a secondary position, or used as props for the men, or have their matches employed as bathroom break cues for the viewing audience.
Unfortunately, what they got was a promotion that was besieged by zombie pirates, became the accidental starting point for an android takeover of the planet, and lots and lots of Monopoly.
However, they didn’t let this stop them.
The promotion that those two friends started, based out of Japan, became the jump-off point for a new era in women’s professional wrestling. It would become the nexus of a grand experiment that would bind together other promotions all over the world into a single alliance, inspired by the bygone era of the territories in the United States.
This alliance would be known as Women’s Wrestling International.
The Alliance
Women’s Wrestling International is comprised of eight individual promotions that are located all over the world. The following is a list and brief description of these promotions and their owners.
Angel STAR Pro (ASP)
ASP is the company that was started by best friends Holden Powers and Kenta Sawada. They grew up together in America with wrestling in their blood, both of them being second generation wrestlers. One day, after being released from a Mexican prison (the details behind their incarceration are a highly guarded secret), Holden announced to Kenta his intention of opening a women’s wrestling promotion in Japan, and asked his old friend if he’d like to run it with him. Following that, he informed Kenta he had forged his signature on all the documents, so Kenta was going to have to help him run it, no matter what.
So, the two boys went to Japan and with their associates - Jerry, a lackluster member of the Ninja Security Force, and Triple J, who… ah, well, his involvement was as complicated as it was integral - opened up the company known as Angel STAR Pro.
Most of the footage the company shot during this time has been lost due to a series of explosions that decimated much of Tokyo, which Holden adamantly claims were not his fault. However, when the promotion wasn’t being attacked by undead pirates or gynoids intent on subjugating the entire human race, they put on some really solid women’s wrestling. The company was on the upswing when Holden announced his idea for a global alliance of similar promotions, in the vein of the old NWA in the United States. Before Kenta could share his thoughts on the idea, Holden informed him he had already purchased his own promotion in America and signed 80% of ASP’s talent to exclusive contracts. He then shook his best friend’s hand and bid adieu to all the “Asian poon” he had enjoyed over the years.
ASP is now solely owned and operated by Kenta Sawada… so for all intents and purposes... nothing has really changed in that regard. ASP is the crown jewel of joshi wrestling and Kenta intends to keep it that way now that he doesn't have Holden doing what Holden does, which usually is screw with Kenta.
ASP is based out of the Amaterasu Arena in downtown Tokyo, Japan and tours throughout the country.
Ladies Wrestling Federation (LWF)
The LWF is owned by Holden Powers, one of the co-creators of Angel STAR Pro. Holden enjoyed great success in the men’s promotion, the American Skull Crushers Wrestling Alliance, despite an almost cripplingly over-inflated ego. He’s generally despised by his peers and employees, since he loves the camera and takes advantage of every opportunity to steal the scene. On the booking end of things, he prefers a Sports Entertainment style of booking: long, intricate, sometimes ludicrous storylines and bigger than life characters. His rosters usually tend to be heavy with big, powerhouse women who are primarily brawlers rather than technical experts, and the heels tend to outnumber the faces. There are rumors he bought the LWF with stolen pirate treasure, however he adamantly denies the validity of these stories and reminds everyone that there’s absolutely no way to prove them because all the pirates are dead.
The LWF is based out of New York, and usually tours the North-East of the United States, from Illinois to Virginia, all the way up to Maine.
Hermanas de Lucha Libre (HLL)
The premier women's only lucha libre federation in Mexico for a long time, HLL is finally getting the attention it deserves. Started in the late 70s by Martin Natividad, it is now run by his daughter, Antonia, after her father's recent passing. While she is new to running the show, she's not new to the business, growing up around it her entire life. Not to mention she is receiving help from her father's right hand woman and former multiple time HLL champion, La Paloma (Mother of current star “A Hija de Palima”).
HLL is based in Mexico City and promotes throughout central and northern Mexico.
Main Event Wrestling (MEW)
MEW is owned by Annabelle Hannaford, the daughter of the late longtime wrestling promoter General George A. C. Hannaford. Anna grew up in the business and has cultivated a lifelong appreciation for the female aspect of the sport. She always wanted to open her own promotion and, when she got her inheritance from the old man, she discovered she had enough to purchase a sock. Just one. The left one. This was because her father’s promotion had been decimated when the territories died, and he became a bitter, psychotic old man who kept reliving the Battle of Little Bighorn in his bathrobe while a resident of Woodview Old Folks Convalescent Center.
Despite being destitute, Annabelle continued to harbor dreams of her own women’s wrestling promotion. She took that left sock and she sold it for twenty-five cents. Then she took that quarter and put it in a slot machine in Atlantic City and won twenty dollars with it. Then she took that twenty dollars and bet it all on 17 black.
Then she lost everything again.
But THEN, she found ANOTHER quarter out on the street, and she used that one in ANOTHER slot machine, and won another twenty bucks! She took that twenty bucks and, in a winning streak that is still talked about to this day, she managed to accumulate one hundred thousand dollars in a single evening, and managed to make it out of the casino alive with her knees unbroken! She then took that one hundred thousand and invested it, and eventually, Annabelle found herself with a tidy sum, more than enough to purchase her own wrestling promotion.
Unfortunately she realized shortly after trademarking the company name (which was inspired by her kitten’s favorite saying), Annabelle realized that, despite being the daughter of a wrestling promoter, she didn’t really have the slightest idea of how to go about running the company. So, she eventually hired an unemployed booker by the name of Heywood Shores, a man who, with his wild white hair and thick-rimmed glasses, looks like he could have escaped from the same old folks home her father eventually died in. Questions of sanity aside, Heywood still has enough in him to book a decent show. He prefers to promote talent over ludicrous storylines and characters, but there’s also the terrifying possibility he might someday book Lindsay Lohan into a title reign.
Main Event Wrestling runs shows almost exclusively in the South-Eastern United States, from Kansas down to the great state of Texas, all the way East to North Carolina and Florida.
New Hokkaido Pro Wrestling (NHPW)
Dingo Khan was a powerhouse worker in joshi wrestling, feared for her strength, ruthlessness and spinning backfist. A former ASP star, she had jumped ship to the rival All Hokkaido Pro prior to its closing due to bankruptcy. Out of the ashes of the AHPW, Khan opened up the NHPW. Unlike its predecessor, NHPW has a sports entertainment flavor added to it's puroresu style and also tends to favor lighterweight works and the lucharesu style. While not as influential in Japan as the AHPW was, the NHPW looks to be in good shape since opening its doors.
The NHPW is based out of Sapporo, Japan and promotes almost exclusively on the island of Hokkaido.
Female Underground Extreme Revolution (FUXR)
FUXR is owned by Jade Catlynne, the half-sibling of Holden Powers. Jade has a strained relationship with her brother, mostly stemming from their time spent in the ASC, but she hesitantly accepted his offer when he came to her with the WWI concept. Using the funds she saved while she was an active wrestler, she purchased an old warehouse in Los Angeles and refitted it with bleachers and a wrestling ring, seeing the site as an homage to the old ECW arena. Jade earned fame competing in hardcore matches with men as well as women, she favors a hardcore, almost garbage style of promotion. She filed a trademark for Hardcore Showcase Wrestling, but the papers were altered after they left her hands. Jade has her suspects (Syxx), but no proof. So, now she runs the company known as FUXR, and anyone who makes any derogatory comments about the company acronym get punched in the face.
FUXR is based out of Los Angeles, and runs shows throughout the South-West all the way to Colorado and New Mexico, although people in the Four Corners region are usually too debilitated with heat stroke to bother watching wrestling.
American Women's Wrestling (A2W)
Gloria Radcliff is a name that is revered the world over by anyone with the least bit of knowledge of women’s professional wrestling. She is the grizzled veteran that helped build the sport into what it is today. While at 71 and now retired, she’s still going strong on the booking end of things, having run the A2W in a few different incarnations for almost 40 years. Now back with the women’s wrestling boom, she plans to put on her favored style of legitimate athletic talent and solid traditional wrestling, keeping everything that has always been great about wrestling's past while mixing it fluidly with the modern to help drive the business to new heights.
A2W is based out of Seattle, Washington and promotes throughout the North-West all the way to Minnesota.
Pro Wrestling Future (PWF)
Genevieve Powers is a retired wrestler from France, and also a distant relative of Holden Powers and Jade Catlynne. While she was an active competitor, she was known for her hard-hitting style and her painful submission moves. She was one of the best heels in the United Kingdom, so it comes as no surprise that her personal promotion is based out of it. Initially a training ground the company that employed her, it broke away when she retired and became a full fledged promotion in its own right. Genevieve joined the WWI for the chance to get her company worldwide recognition.
PWF is based out of London, and tours the UK and most of Europe.
WWI Showcase - February 20th, 2011
The WWI debuted with a special dubbed Showcase, intended to be the alliance’s version of Wrestlemania. The show emanated from the LWF’s home arena in New York City, and the bulk of the program consisted of a 32 woman tournament to decide the first ever Women’s Wrestling International World Champion. Much like the old NWA, the WWI World Champion will tour the various regions and subordinate promotions, drawing attention to the various products across the globe while, at the same time, exemplifying the best in women’s professional wrestling.
Each fed owner selected four women from their rosters, and each woman was assigned a number, one through thirty-two. The brackets were set up randomly. This was achieved by giving Kenta’s “assistant,” Triple J, a series of numbered ping pong balls (each number representing a competitor), and noting the order in which he ate them.
The show’s hosted by Holden Powers and Kenta Sawada, the owners of the LWF and ASP, respectively.
The first round of the World Title Tournament was broadcast on free TV, as a special teaser for the big show. Round 2, all the way to the Finals, was broadcast as a pay-per-view event, with special discounts given to those who watched the pre-show and spotted a special code word they could use when they ordered the program. Unfortunately, as it was later revealed, nobody spotted the code word because it was three inches tall on the base of Holden’s microphone. For those curious, the code word was “big black ass.” Nobody knows why. Holden picked the code word and didn’t tell anyone what it was, or indeed that there was a special promotion at all, before the show hit the air.
WWI World Title Tournament - Round 1
MAX Geisha pinned Clarissa Hymen with the Shining Witch in 0:17:26.
Rating: *** ½
The opening contest pitted New York native and self-proclaimed ‘Celebutante’, Clarissa Hymen, against “Jigoku Senshi (Hell Warrior)” MAX Geisha. Clarissa, signed with the LWF, is a dangerous technical wrestler despite her bubble-headed personality, and was in control for much of the bout. Geisha’s face ran red when she was busted open after headbutting Clarissa, a move which the brunette strongly complained to the official. Geisha also seemed to possess shades of the Great Muta, as she landed on her feet following a botched moonsault attempt on the Hymen Heiress. In the end, Clarissa was caught off guard by the Hell Warrior’s Shining Witch kick, and lost the bout. She complained more to the ref afterward, but the decision was final.
Nastasha Teshka pinned Alex O'Shea with the Embalming in 0:15:19.
Rating: **** ¼
The self-proclaimed “Queen of the Undead,” Nastasha Teshka, stands over six feet tall! She’s an example of the kind of talent found in the LWF - big, imposing, tough girls who can beat the crap out of each other. She’s also very creepy, with dark makeup around her eyes and stringy hair that hangs in and obscures her face. Before the match, she spoke of sacrificing the souls in the WWI Title tournament to fuel her quest for the gold, but her unsettling monologue was cut off by the arrival of the PWF talent, Alex O’Shea. Alex leads the Ladies of the Shamrock, a collection of like-minded, red-haired Irish girls who put up with absolutely no BS, especially from the English. Alex use mostly hit and run techniques on the much larger Nastasha, tossing her out of the ring multiple times to catch a breather and also to frustrate the Queen of the Undead. However, Alex was eventually destroyed by a series of moves from Nastasha - an inverted power bomb, a short clothesline, and a top-rope power bomb. Alex put up no resistance after that, and was finally put away with Nastasha’s patented Embalming Tombstone piledriver.
Ikuko Yoshioka pinned Katsue Nijo with the Shining Axe Kick in 0:12:22.
Rating: ** ½
Ikuko is a no-nonsense grappler from Angel STAR Pro. Her opponent, Katsue Nijo, is a light-hearted catgirl from New Hokkaido Pro Wrestling. Ikuko was firmly in control in the early goings, putting Katsue through a series of increasingly painful holds, and it seemed like The Kat was in serious trouble. She mounted some offense in the later minutes of the bout, trying to torque Ikuko’s abdomen with a couple of stretches, but it didn’t seem to phase Yoshioka much. She brought The Kat down with a dropkick to her knee, and then finished the pretty kitty off with her Shining Axe Kick to the head.
Excalibur defeated Carrion Mellori by countout in 0:01:40.
Rating: **
Excalibur stands at 5’10”, and she firmly established why she is one of the PWF’s pre-eminent brawlers in her first round contest against Carrion Mellori. Carrion is a hardcore wrestler out of FUXR, but is primarily known for her time in the ASC alongside Jade Catlynne, where their complicated relationship revolved around Mellori’s fondness for pain. Carrion lost this match almost entirely on her own, botching a flying leap onto Excalibur on the outside, landing on her face on the ringside floor. Big Red spent a few moments adding insult to Carrion’s injury, finishing up her assault by German suplexing the smaller girl, the back of her head connecting with the guard rail and splitting her open wide. Carrion laid in a spreading pool of blood from the back of her scalp as Excalibur claimed a countout victory.
Donna Gallows defeated Syxx by countout in 0:14:00.
Rating: ** ¾
Donna Gallows is a professional dominatrix turned professional wrestler, employed by the LWF. Syxx is NOT Sean Waltman, she’s a professional slut turned professional wrestler, reluctantly employed by FUXR. Donna employs an impressive arsenal of grapples and submission moves, while Syxx mostly favors high flying and brawling tactics. The two women brawled for much of the contest, Donna seemingly not wanting to bother trying to wear the smaller girl down, but pummel her into submission. Syxx finally had enough of Donna’s assault after taking her Bow To Your Better Tombstone piledriver. Amazingly, she managed to kick out of the subsequent pinfall, but then left the ring and walked to the back, taking a countout loss.
Miasma pinned SM Bitch with the Meaningful Lyric in 0:15:45.
Rating: ***
SM Bitch, a member of the MEW roster and proud of the fact her name was not censored off the showbill, started off the contest with a promo denouncing FUXR wrestler Miasma, and the emo/goth subculture. She talked about how people like Miasma mutilate their bodies for pleasure, and about how they take recreational drugs to ‘escape’ from their lives. She calls Miasma weak, and expresses her own superiority by living a clean, straight edge lifestyle. The ghoulish Miasma merely smirks in reply, and begins the contest. Bitch showed off her technical accolades, reversing and countering much of Miasma’s offense, but eventually the match deteriorates into a brawl, a style that Miasma is much better suited for. Miasma surprised Bitch with her Meaningful Lyric DDT, and seemed to prove that, while SM Bitch leads a cleaner lifestyle, Miasma might be the better wrestler.
Avispa made Florence Delanore Rhodes submit to the Grounded Octopus Hold in 0:12:36.
Rating: ****
Avispa is the mother of the newly debuted La Hija de Avispa. She's in the twilight years of her career. While she never quite reached the same level of success as her peers, she has been a solid force in women's lucha libre and HLL. Her entrance is cut short by the abrupt arrival of the Modern Day Cowgirl, FDR, who attacks her from behind and announces her intention to send Avispa “back over the border.” FDR showed why she was one of the top brawlers in the LWF, but Avispa demonstrated her many years of expertise, contorting FDR’s big frame with a series of swastika submission moves that gradually wore the cowgirl down. FDR’s plans to send Avispa home were dashed when she tapped out to her Grounded Octopus Hold.
Rei Tatsuko pinned Kayla Ripley after a moonsault bodyblock in 0:14:14.
Rating: ** ½
Rei Tatsuko is a charismatic worker from Angel STAR Pro. She’s proven herself in ASP, has miles and miles of stamina, and is a tough opponent for anyone to overcome. “Killer” Kayla Ripley hails from Toronto. She grew up in a house full of brothers and that, coupled with the omnipresence of hockey, turned her into one tough little cookie. Kayla definitely put Rei through her paces in this match, continually taking the bout outside the ring where she bounce Rei off the guardrails like a pinball. Even when back in the ring, Kayla continue to demolish Rei with clotheslines, punches and chops. But Rei ate it all and came back for more, surprising Kayla with a deadly piledriver and then putting the match away with a moonsault bodyblock.
Jeanelle Powers pinned Athena Miralles with the tornado DDT in 0:14:34.
Rating: *** ½
[Leon Powers interfered against Athena Miralles.]
Jeanelle Powers is the daughter of PWF owner, Genevieve Powers. She as trained from an early age to be exactly what her mother was - the BEST. She was accompanied to the ring by her brother, Leon, a pro wrestler in his own right with one of the UK’s male companies. Athena Miralles fights for HLL, and she truly believes she is God’s gift to lucha libre… Literally. Garbed in plain white robes and a Spartan helmet, she believes she was sent by the Gods to compete in the Earthly realm. She and Jeanelle have one thing in common, though, as Athena also believes she is descended from the best and is destined to BE the best. Jeanelle proved herself to be an excellent grappler, but she spent a good portion of the bout shying away from Athena’s brutality and begging for mercy when things got to be too tough. It seemed at times that Jeanelle was legitimately afraid of the Heaven-sent brawler, but at others it seemed to be just a lure to get the smug and self-assured Athena to lower her guard and leave an opening for Jeanelle to exploit. Jeanelle took a hellacious beating, but ended up stunning Athena with a dropkick, followed up with a tornado DDT that put her down for a three count. Athena did not seem happy about this in the least, complaining to the referee that this was NOT the Gods’ desire. Jeanelle, however, just looked happy to be leaving with her life.
Yumako Shima pinned Heidi DiMarco with the Lariat in 0:20:56.
Rating: ****
This match was a meeting of pure brawlers. Yumako Shima is a big, thick powerhouse from New Hokkaido Pro Wrestling. She epitomizes the traditional Japanese strong style, and everything she does looks like it shoots completely off the pain scale. Heidi DiMarco, on the other hand, is a stunning blonde from MEW that’s over six feet tall. She loves pounding her opponents into pulps and pinning what remains of them for the victory. The bout was a true life example of the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object, as both women smacked, kicked, punched and slammed the daylights out of each other for over twenty minutes, in and out of the ring. Neither woman came out as a clear fore-runner in the match until Yumako laid Heidi low with a SERIES of lariats that would have made Stan Hansen proud.
Black Inahara made PUNK Nakata submit to the STF in 0:19:48.
Rating: *** ¼
Black Inahara is a dirty fighter from NHPW, never one back down in a fight, but also unwilling to pass up an opportunity to gain an advantage by any means necessary. PUNK Nakata, employed by ASP, is exactly what she claims to be: a punk, mohawk proud and hardened by a life of being slammed around in the mosh pits. The match was even odds early on, but soon Inahara took control, punishing PUNK with move after move. Towards the end, Inahara seemed to try everything she could think of to keep Nakata down for a three count, but the resilient raver kept kicking out. She took her down with a waistlock suplex, a German suplex, and then locked her in the STF, but PUNK managed to fight her way out of the hold! Inahara slammed her down with a power bomb, and then another waistlock suplex, but could still only get a two count. Finally, she applied her STF for a second time, and PUNK was stuck in the middle of the ring with nowhere to go, her strength slowly sapped by the brutal hold. After a tremendous effort, Nakata was finally forced to submit.
Rosa Tigre made Roxxy Knox submit to the Quebradora Lagunero in 0:17:41.
Rating: ** ¾
Rosa Tigre is one of the most experienced women on the HLL roster, having begun her wrestling career at the tender age of 15. “The Violent Dream” Roxxy Knox comes from A2W, with a stellar amateur wrestling background, but one she doesn’t like to rely on too heavily. Instead, Roxxy is right at home in the middle of a riotous, all out brawl. Roxxy shows her fondness for brawls and rule bending right off, bringing a chair into the ring and attempting to drop Rosa onto it with a Death Valley Driver. Tigre turns the tables, drilling Roxxy’s head into the steel with a DDT. The two continued to brawl from there, spilling out of the ring where Roxxy was knocked into the steel ring steps and suffered a pair of backbreakers. Eventually the bout returned to the ring where Roxxy was put through the Nudo Lagunero and finally the Quebradora Lagunero by Rosa, and she finally tapped out.
Triple X pinned April Shields with the Negative Influx in 0:20:52.
Rating: *** ¾
Triple X is the self-styled Franchise Player of Main Event Wrestling, and promises to bring the WWI gold home to Florida. April Shields is one a rookie in MEW, but a squeaky clean, All American one. She exudes good cheer as she skips down to the ring, but all that disappears when she meets the full brunt of XXX’s formidable skill. April tried to take the initiative early, but XXX blocked most of her attempts and punished the newcomer for trying. XXX bounced her off the ropes with a Hotshot and then brutalized her in the corner with a series of chops that blistered her ample chest. Finally, after 20 minutes of torture, XXX put her away with her Negative Influx double underhook faceslam.
Sappho defeated Megan Curci by countout in 0:15:14.
Rating: **
Sappho is a rail thin and strangely alluring member of the FUXR roster. She joined along with five others, all of them out of work porn stars who were looking to make a quick buck like many of their peers by experimenting with pro wrestling. What shocked everyone, though, is just how technically gifted these women were, and Sappho is chief amongst them. Megan Curci is a distinguished member of the PWF roster, and as a cultured and esteemed member of the wrestling world, her distaste at having to lower herself to compete with someone like Sappho is evident as soon as the former porn star enters the ring. Megan seemed hesitant to even lock up with Sappho, and the skinny grappler used that to her advantage, grabbing the British socialite in a wristlock that was quickly countered. The two women exchanged holds for minutes, until the battle spilled to the ringside area. Eventually, Megan looked like she was fed up with her opponent, and allowed herself to be counted out.
Cammy Gale defeated La Hija de Paloma by countout in 0:03:22.
Rating: **
Cammy Gale is #1 in her own book. She’s cocky, arrogant, and unfortunately for the rest of the women on the A2W roster, she has the skill to back her boasts up. And what boasts she doesn’t make on her own, her ever present manager, Joanna Teasley, will happily make for her. Hija de Paloma is the daughter of the seminal woman in lucha libre, La Paloma, The El Santo of women’s wrestling in Mexico. Hija de Paloma hasn't quite reached her mother’s level yet, but she’s young, and while those are pretty big shoes to have to fill, she’s definitely on her way. Cammy and Hija de Paloma engage in a pretty straightforward contest, until the bout went to ringside. De Paloma attempted to jump onto Cammy with a somersault bodyblock off the apron. Unfortunately for her, Gale ducked out of the way and de Paloma plopped unceremoniously onto the ring floor. She was clearly hurt, but Cammy didn’t waste any time worrying over her condition. She returned to the ring and waited for Hija’s countout loss. Even though Hija de Paloma is willing to put her body on the line to achieve victory, the gamble did not pay off for her this evening.
Sarah Medford pinned Kristie Kang after a figure-four leglock in 0:19:50.
Rating: ** ¼
Sarah Medford of A2W is the epitome of the cerebral, intelligent wrestler. Everything she does is carefully planned and harshly executed. Kristie Kang (NHPW) is a young high flyer and fairly new to the business, but has managed not to get an ego from getting too much attention too quickly. This was a long bout with neither girl having a clear advantage. Kristie relied heavily on her fleet feet and aerial expertise, while Sarah took every opportunity to ground Kang with her rolodex of submission grapples. Every time Kristie hit her, Sarah seemed to come back and hit her harder. Eventually, Sarah caught Kristie on a rebound with a stiff elbow to the face that dropped the youngster to the mat and left her prey to a figure-four leglock. The pain was too much, and Kristie’s shoulders remained on the mat for too long, earning her a pinfall loss.
That bout brought the free portion of Showcase to an end. Holden and Kenta thanked the audience that tuned in and expressed their desire to see them come back for the pay-per-view broadcast that was beginning shortly. Once on the air, they wasted no time in getting on with Round 2.
Nastasha Teshka pinned MAX Geisha with the Embalming in 0:10:30.
Rating: *** ¼
It looked like this contest was going to end early, as Nastasha wasted no time drilling Geisha into the canvas with the Embalming, but amazingly the Hell Warrior kicked out at two! The battle then went on for ten minutes, Geisha paying the Undead Queen back for the finisher with flying forearms and stiff kicks, and Nastasha using every advantage she can get, choking MAX Geisha out with her boots and lifting her up in the air and throttling her with both hands. The brawl spilled to the outside at one point, and Geisha proved that zombies do bleed by ramming Nastasha into the steel steps. Geisha rolled an unresponsive Teshka back into the ring, but before she could take advantage of her opponent’s difficulty, Nastasha unexpectedly sat up! She rose to her feet like a reanimated corpse and drove Geisha’s head into the mat with a second Embalming, one that Geisha was unable to overcome.
Excalibur defeated Ikuko Yoshioka when Ikuko Yoshioka passed out in the
Heaven's Will in 0:09:31.
Rating: ***
Big Red’s gameplan seemed to be “take everyone out as quick as possible and avoid fatigue.” She opened the match with a German suplex and quickly followed the maneuver up with her Heaven’s Will arm triangle choke finisher. Much to Ex’s chagrin, however, Ikuko fought her way out of the hold after only a few seconds. Ex changed tactics and punished Ikuko with blows and wore her down with headlocks, while Yoshioka tried to mount an offense. She took Big Red down with a backbreaker and kept her off balance with a spinning headscissors. She tried to go for her Shining Axe Kick, but Excalibur was able to deflect it and knock Ikuko off her feet with a brutal lariat. Ex then repeated her earlier strategy, dropping Ikuko with a German suplex that was quickly followed by the Heaven’s Will. This time, Ikuko was unable to fight her way out, but instead of tapping, she merely succumbed to the pain and passed out.
Miasma pinned Donna Gallows with the Meaningful Lyric in 0:14:16.
Rating: *** ½
Before the match, Miasma sat beneath the turnbuckles and read a poem she said she’d written after her first match. The poem told the story of a young girl who was picked on and bullied at school, by children who were very much like Donna Gallows. The little girl ate so much hate and bile and depression that eventually it had to all come spilling out. So one day, on the playground, the little girl wrapped the chain of a swingset around one of her abuser’s heads and strangled her until she passed out. The little girl was expelled from school, but she felt so much better. Miasma ends the poem by saying the little girl grew up to become a sexual deviant and a professional dominatrix. Miasma reflects on the fact that, if Donna Gallows had just seen a therapist for her rage issues, she might not be there tonight, about to be beaten by someone like herself. Miasma ended her diatribe with “Woe is me,” and then Donna made her entrance. The dominatrix hit the ring, obviously incensed at Miasma’s little poem, but the dour brawler didn’t give Donna the chance to vent her anger. She laid into her with fists, then drove her down with a dropkick. Donna eventually battled back, punishing Miasma for her mockery and demanding that the girl ‘submit’. The bout spilled to the outside, and the girls stretched the referee’s count by slamming each other into the guardrails and ring steps. Miasma gained the upper hand by driving Donna’s head into the ringside floor with the Meaningful Lyric DDT, but Gallows managed to re-enter the ring before the 10 count. Miasma rewarded her for her determination with a second Meaningful Lyric, and the dominatrix was unable to kick out of three.
Rei Tatsuko pinned Avispa with the Epic Driver in 0:09:05.
Rating: *** ¼
Rei was in control of this one from the early goings. She seemed to have the seasoned veteran’s number, pummeling her with fists and kicks and rarely leaving an opening for Avispa to retaliate. The fight went outside, and even there Avispa couldn’t get an advantage, eating a brain buster on the floor. Rei rolled Avispa back into the ring, and the vet tried to make one last offensive push, catching Rei’s foot after a kick attempt and trying to pull her down with a dragon screw, but Rei quickly countered with an enzuigiri. Rei sealed her victory with the Epic Driver.
Jeanelle Powers pinned Yumako Shima with the tornado DDT in 0:07:01.
Rating: *** ¼
Jeanelle tried much of the same tactics that worked so well over Athena earlier in the evening. She ate a lot of Yumako’s offense, returned with some of her own, and then begged for mercy when things looked bad. She gained an early advantage via the use of a chair, springing off it and taking Shima down with a whip quick rana, but was unable to secure the three count there. They continued to trade blows, Jeanelle showing off more of her high flyer credentials with a shooting star press off the top turnbuckle, but still Yumako refused to be shut down. Eventually, Jeanelle surprised Yumako with another rana off the top rope, but was still unable to get three. As Yumako regained her feet, Jeanelle hit her with her patented tornado DDT, and that finally put the big brawler from NHPW away.
Black Inahara defeated Rosa Tigre by countout in 0:15:55.
Rating: ** ¾
Inahara was in control of this one in the early goings. She rammed into Rosa with a shoulderblock off the ropes, then assaulted her with kicks, and then another diving shoulderblock when Rosa tried to sit up. Inahara attempted a figure-four leglock, but Rosa countered with a small package that didn’t even earn a two count. Rosa fought back with slaps and chops, but Inahara countered with a stiff punch and then a kick that doubled Rosa over. Inahara hit Rosa with a double underhook backbreaker, then attempted her Quebradora Lagunero finisher, but Rosa quickly grabbed the ropes in just a few seconds. As punishment for this, Inahara hit her with two power bombs in a row, each time Rosa kicking out before three. Inahara attempted a third, but was sent over the top rope by Rosa. Tigre quickly climbed to the top turnbuckle and attempted to slam into Inahara with a cross body, but Inahara easily anticipated her opponent’s intentions and moved out of the way. For the second time that night, Inahara dodged an aerial attack and her opponent paid the price. Rosa slammed painfully into the ground. To ensure her opponent was down, Inahara nailed her with a German suplex, bouncing the girl’s head off the floor once again. Rosa was unable to answer the referee’s ten count, and Inahara advanced to round 3.
Triple X pinned Sappho after a small package in 0:09:34.
Rating: ** ¾
At the beginning of the match, Triple X assured Sappho that she was NOT about to let a porno slut walk out of this show wearing the WWI World Title. Sappho answered this by slapping XXX across the face, and the brawl was on. Blows were exchanged until Sappho got the upper hand and caught X in an abdominal stretch, but X managed to escape before too much damage was done. Things went back and forth from there, mostly fists and kicks, but X slowly began to chip away at Sappho’s stamina with sleeperholds and Boston crabs. XXX whipped Sappho into the ropes and then took her down with a running neckbreaker drop, but only got two on a subsequent pin attempt. She followed this up with a fistdrop, but still couldn’t manage a three. Then she put Sappho in a punishing STF, but the former porn starlet managed to escape quickly. Sappho tried to make a comeback after that, punishing X with her fists. XXX tried to cut this attack off quickly by kicking Sappho and setting her up for the Negative Influx, but Sappho countered with a backdrop and then managed to hit X with her own finisher, a top-rope double underhook faceslam called the Awakening of Sappho. Unfortunately, the Franchise Player wasn’t finished so easily, and kicked out of Sappho’s pin at two. Sappho tried to continue the attack by bodyslamming X, but X sneakily countered with a small package that the porn starlet was unable to escape from.
Cammy Gale pinned Sarah Medford with the Picture Perfect-Plex in 0:10:24.
Rating: ***
[Joanna Teasley interfered against Sarah Medford.]
Much of this match was spent outside. Cammy threw Sarah between the ropes almost as soon as the match began, slammed her down with a bodyslam, followed it up with a vertical suplex, then ran her into the ringpost before sliding back into the ring. Joanna Teasley came around to try and distract Sarah so she couldn’t answer the referee’s count, but Sarah smacked Joanna down and rolled back into the ring. The girls brawled in the ring for a bit before they ended up outside again, this time with Sarah ending up piledriven onto the floor. Sarah looked to be out cold, but just barely managed to slip back into the ring before she was counted out. Cammy took her liberties with the clearly shaken Sarah, putting her in a sleeper that almost did her in. Somehow, Sarah found the determination to lift her arm the third time the referee checked it, and power out of the hold. She couldn’t hold on much longer, though, as Cammy subjected her to a barrage of punches, chops, and kicks, followed by shoulderblock while Sarah was backed into the corner. Cammy finally ended Sarah’s championship hopes with her Picture Perfect-Plex.
That bout brought an end to round 2. Round 3 begins with the effects of fatigue beginning to settle in, and the accumulated wounds slowing everyone down.
Excalibur defeated Nastasha Teshka when Nastasha Teshka passed out in the Heaven's Will in 0:18:04.
Rating: ****
Excalibur went with the strategy that had worked so well for her all night long: hit them with everything she’s got right out of the gate. A belly-to-back suplex, a fistdrop to Nastasha’s forehead while she was on the mat, a hiptoss once she was back up, then a snap suplex, then Big Red dropped on top of Nastasha and locked her in a deadly cross-face submission, one that the Undead Queen barely managed to get out of. Nastasha was back up quick, favoring her arm, and tried to gain an advantage over Ex. Ex kicked her, but Nastasha showed no pain, instead she hooked and slammed Ex with a Northern Lights bomb. She followed that up with a power bomb, but only managed to get a two count. Nastasha started choking Excalibur out, but the Irish brawler fought her off with a facerake. Ex tried for a vertical suplex, but Nastasha fought her off with a flurry of punches and then dripped Ex up with a drop toe hold. While Ex was down, Nastasha tried to choke her out with her boot, but broke off when the referee threatened her with disqualification. The Undead Queen continued to press her advantage, dropping Big Red with a jack-knife power bomb, but could only get two. She attempted a bodyslam, but Ex managed to counter with a front facelock, wearing the gothic beauty down. Once she felt Nastasha was sufficiently weakened, she locked her into the Heaven’s Will, but Nastasha managed to grab the ropes and break the hold. Big Red worked on the weakened Undead Queen with a series of suplexes, dropping her on her head time and time again, before finally locking her into the Heaven’s Will once more, this time dead center in the middle of the ring. There was nowhere for Nastasha to go, and finally she was unable to answer the referee when she checked on her.
Miasma pinned Rei Tatsuko with the Meaningful Lyric in 0:09:54.
Rating: ** ¾
Miasma didn’t waste time with poems or talking this time, instead she hit the ring and kicked Rei and went for the Meaningful Lyric, but Rei threw her off. Rei whipped Miasma into the ropes and caught her with a hiptoss, then picked her up and whipped her again, this time tossing her with a backdrop. She continued to repeat this process, whipping Miasma around and hitting her with clotheslines, suplexes, hiptosses and backdrops. Miasma tried to reverse the whip, but Rei re-reversed it and once again sent Miasma into the ropes. Miasma went for a shoulderblock, but Rei dodged and tried to hit her with an elbow, bit Miasma managed to avoid it and throw an elbow of her own, which Rei also avoided. Just as Rei moved to attack Miasma again, the dark poet countered with another kick and managed to nail the Meaningful Lyric. Unfortunately for her, Rei kicked out with authority before the three count. Miasma let Rei up and she ran into the ropes, but Miasma caught her with a drop toe hold, then quickly got on top of her and pinned her head to the mat with her boot. Rei kicked her heels and tried to get Miasma’s boot off her head, but the dark poet didn’t let her up until the ref threatened disqualification. They grappled, Rei whipped Miasma into the ropes again, buried an elbow in her gut, then ran into the ropes and went to plant a kick in the side of Miasma’s head, but the girl moved and kicked the side of Rei’s knee, dropping the girl to her knees. Miasma attempted to drop her leg on the back of Rei’s head, but she rolled out of the way. Miasma stumbled after her, fell on her, and started blatantly choking Rei on the mat. The referee counted off, but Miasma didn’t release the hold until she was on the verge of being disqualified. Miasma attempted to climb the turnbuckles, but Rei quickly got up and threw her off. Before Miasma recovered, Rei climbed and then dove off and slammed into Miasma on the mat, rolling with the move and catching the dark poet in a pinfall. She only managed two. Rei quickly attempted another aerial move, but Miasma rolled away and Rei went splat on the mat. Miasma pulled her up and then slammed her back down with a power bomb, but only managed two. Miasma pulled Rei up and tried to put her in a headlock, but Rei pushed her off and into the ropes. Miasma rebounded and caught Rei in a swinging neckbreaker. When Rei groggily regained her feet, Miasma hit her second Meaningful Lyric, and Rei was finally unable to kick out before the three count.
Jeanelle Powers defeated Black Inahara when Black Inahara passed out in
a Fujiwara armbar in 0:05:48.
Rating: **
Black Inahara was riding on the mistakes of two women going into this match, while Jeanelle had barely managed to scrape by with her victories. Powers took the initiative in the contest, trying for a flying headscissors, but Inahara simply threw her off. She laid into Jeanelle with punches and kicks, and the two exchanged blows for a few moments. Jeanelle got Inahara in a choke sleeper, but she was able to escape relatively quickly. Inahara tried for a Samoan drop, but Jeanelle countered into a crucifix, but only got two. When she was back up, Jeanelle whipped Inahara into the ropes, dropped her with a hiptoss, then attempted a rolling senton, but only managed to drop her back across Inahara raised knees. Inahara dragged Jeanelle up and tried to put her on the turnbuckle, but she fought her off. In response, Inahara rebounded off the ropes and caught Jeanelle with a Yakuza kick to the head, but she wouldn’t stay down for Inahara’s pinfall attempt. Jeanelle quickly rolled out of the ring once the cover was broken and retrieved a chair from ringside. She returned to the ring with it, dropped it, and tangled with Inahara. They grappled, Jeanelle got the upper hand, lifted Inahara off her feet, and then bodyslammed the woman right onto the chair. While Inahara writhed in pain, Jeanelle caught her in a Fujiwara armbar. Jeanelle wrenched on her arm, increasing the pain, and that coupled with Inahara’s fatigue and the impact of the chair forced the woman to eventually pass out.
Triple X pinned Cammy Gale after hitting her with a foreign object in 0:14:38.
Rating: ****
[Joanna Teasley interfered against Triple X.]
The bout opened up with Cammy catching Triple X with a kick to her middle as she rebounded off the ropes. Cammy then turned to the crowd and milked the moment, letting everyone know she was #1 and getting a wave of boos in response. The two traded blows for awhile after this, neither gaining an upper hand but just punishing the other one. Cammy tried for a sleeperhold, but Triple X countered with a go-behind, which was in turn countered again by Cammy. X got away from Cammy and tried to get a time out, but obviously didn’t get one. They brawled more after this, exchanging increasingly wearied blows, until Cammy tried for a headlock takedown. X threw her off, into the ropes, then rammed her down with a shoulderblock. Before Cammy could recuperate, X grabbed her ankle and twisted it around. Cammy crawled across the mat, X trying to hold her back the entire time, until she managed to snag the bottom rope and break the hold. Cammy got up, but was heavily favoring her ankle. X set her up for the Negative Influx and nailed her with it. She went for the pin, but Joanna Teasley put Cammy’s foot on the rope, breaking the count. While the ref was busy warning Joanna, Cammy got up and blindly snagged X in a sleeperhold. X lunged forward and snagged the ropes, breaking the hold and getting the ref’s attention. X turned around and was caught in Cammy’s Picture Perfect-Plex, but amazingly kicked out at two. Both girls were down momentarily, but X managed to get up first, and catch Cammy in a Boston crab before she could get up. Cammy agonized in the hold until she managed to drag herself and X toward the ropes and get out of it. X pulled her up, kicked her, then hit her with another Negative Influx, but she was again foiled in her victory attempt when Joanna put Cammy’s foot on the rope again. While the referee was again distracted, dealing with Joanna, Triple X slipped from the ring and retrieved something from under the apron. Cammy was just up but groggy on her feet when X returned, carrying with her a sledgehammer. Joanna tried to draw the ref’s attention to X’s illegal object, but the ref was too concerned with warning Joanna about breaking up pins. X gripped the sledge in both hands and drove it into the side of Cammy’s head, dropping the girl to the mat where she did not move again. X slid the hammer out under the bottom rope, dropped onto Cammy and hooked a leg. Then the ref finally turned, noticed the pinfall, and counted the three. Joanna had a conniption at ringside, shouting about how Cammy had been robbed, and that the referee had screwed Cammy deliberately. Triple X merely swaggered back up the ramp, after kicking the sledgehammer back under the apron, smugly assured of her victory.
That bout signaled the end of the third round. The final four were Excalibur and Jeanelle Powers from the United Kingdom based Pro Wrestling Future, Miasma from Female Underground Extreme Revolution, and Triple X from Main Event Wrestling. It’s interesting to note that all four women were considered villains in their respective companies.
Excalibur made Miasma submit to a full nelson in 0:07:33.
Rating: ****
Excalibur surprised everyone with a sudden change in tactics. Whereas before she had simply bulled her away through each of her matches, earning victory through sheer brute force and her Heaven’s Will submission, in this one she displayed her impressive technical skill, gradually wearing Miasma down through a series of painful holds. She immediately put Miasma in an armbar, which Miasma fought out of in a few seconds. Miasma lifted Big Red up and tried to drop her onto the top rope, but Ex countered it into a Thesz press, which in turn became an impromptu pinfall, but only earned two. When they were both back up, Ex drove Miasma down with a Death Valley Driver, then quickly locked her into an octopus hold. Miasma managed to fight her way out of the hold, only to earn a few brutal shots from Ex as her reward. Ex slammed her into the mat with a full nelson faceslam, and then abruptly locked in the Heaven’s Will. Miasma struggled and fought, and eventually worked her way out of the hold after enduring nearly a minute of it. Miasma tried to fight back, but fatigue and pain were taking their toll. Ex seemed as if she were playing with the dark poet, like a lion softening up a kill for the best flavor. Ex caught her with an ankle lock, and Miasma just barely managed to grab the bottom rope. Ex pulled her up, and then dropped her with a clothesline. Miasma was clearly out, and Ex smiled as she lifted the girl up and then locked her into a full nelson. Ex gradually let Miasma’s dead weight drop until the dark poet was seated on the mat and Ex was kneeling behind her, still in the hold. Eventually, Miasma weakly tapped out on Ex’s upper arm, and Big Red advanced to the finals.
Triple X pinned Jeanelle Powers after a jack-knife power bomb in 0:05:42.
Rating: *** ¾
Jeanelle tried to go with her high flying arsenal to start with, taking XXX down with a flying headscissors. She went for X’s legs, but X punched her away before she could do anything. X scrambled to her feet and drove Jeanelle back with a flurry of punches and chops, then dropped her with a power bomb that only got two. Once Jeanelle was up, X situated her on the turnbuckle and then dropped her with a ring-shaking superplex. X allowed Jeanelle to regain her feet, then ran into the ropes. Jeanelle swung and missed with a lariat, X rebounded and Jeanelle swung and missed again. As she turned for a third attempt, X smashed into her and drive her forearm into Jeanelle’s face. She pinned her, but only got two. X pulled Jeanelle to her feet and whipped her into the ropes, and Jeanelle surprised X with a spear that drove her to the mat. With the wind driven from her stomach, she was unable to defend herself when Jeanelle dropped onto her with a rolling senton. However, she was able to kick out of Jeanelle’s pin attempt at two. Jeanelle was up before X. She leapt onto the ropes and sprung off them with a moonsault, dropping across X’s stomach, but only got another two count. Both of them were worn out and barely there, but they still managed to get up. They exchanged blows. Triple X managed to capture Jeanelle and drive her into the canvas with a piledriver. She got up, brought Jeanelle to her feet, and lifted her up and then drove her down with a jack-knife power bomb, holding the move for a roll up pin. Finally, Jeanelle was unable to kick out, and Triple X advanced to the finals.
The final match of the tournament, for the WWI World Championship, started almost immediately, leaving Triple X with almost no time to recover. Despite that, she was able to counter Excalibur’s opening clothesline into a crucifix and get a quick two count. Ex yanked Triple X to her feet afterwards and whips her into the ropes. XXX rebounded, ducked under a clothesline attempt by Big Red, but then got whacked off her feet by a flying clothesline. Excalibur dropped an elbow on her while she was down. Excalibur pulled her to her feet again, and XXX immediately twisted Big Red’s arm around in a wristlock. Excalibur countered the move, locking XXX in a wristlock of her own, but XXX countered again and then whipped Big Red into the ropes. She followed Excalibur and hit her with a clothesline just as she rebounded, sending them both over the top rope to the outside. They both struggled to their feet as the referee counted. XXX grabbed Excalibur and whipped her head first into the ringpost, then caught her as she bounced off and suplexed her backwards, into the guardrail. XXX wearily climbed back into the ring, and she was joined a few seconds after by Big Red, wearing a crimson mask either from her trip into the post or the guardrail. XXX grappled with Excalibur, but before she could execute whatever move she was attempting, Big Red pulled her down and suddenly had her in the Heaven’s Will. XXX struggled while the crowd went wild, thinking they were witnessing Excalibur’s victory. The seconds ticked away, and the referee asked XXX if she wanted to surrender, but XXX shook her head no. She inched closer and closer to the ropes while Big Red torqued down on the hold, increasing the pain, at the same time blinking through the scrim of blood covering her face. Eventually, the Franchise Player inched her fingers around the bottom rope, and Excalibur was forced to break the hold. XXX grimaced, trying to work the ache out after escaping the hold. Excalibur struggled back to her feet, her pale skin and freckles obscured by a red sea. The two combatants squared off and then advanced. Excalibur missed with a clothesline, XXX went for a sleeperhold, but Excalibur managed to feint around behind her and attempted a suplex, but XXX wiggled out of her grip and turned. Excalibur lunged, and Triple X whipped her foot out, caught the redhead squarely in the stomach which doubled her over, then set her up and delivered her Negative Influx double underhook faceslam. Excalibur bounce off the mat and flipped over, landing on her stomach, and allowing XXX to collapse on top of her in a weak attempt at a pinfall. Regardless of the cover, both of Big Red’s shoulders were on the mat, and the referee made the count. Excalibur was unable to kick out, and Women’s Wrestling International had its first World Champion.
Triple X pinned Excalibur with the Negative Influx in 0:07:40.
Rating: ****
(Triple X won the WWI World Title.)
Card rating: *** 1/4
Card observations: In no way was Triple X favored to win this contest. It looked from the outset that Excalibur had it in the bag. Triple X pulled her victory out by the skin of her teeth, and a rematch between these two is inevitable.
Regardless of the method, Triple X is the WWI World Champion, and her first appearance will be with her home fed, Main Event Wrestling, in two weeks.
Cammy Gale has a legitimate grievance against the World Champion, due to her underhanded method for victory. It’s rumored that Cammy’s representative, Joanna Teasley, is contemplating legal action against MEW and its “biased officials.”
SM Bitch is also rumored to be upset following her loss to Miasma in the first round. Following the bout, Bitch was heard saying that she shouldn’t have lost to a self-centered dope fiend like Miasma, and that she was counting the days until she could get a second chance at her. With SM Bitch employed by Main Event Wrestling, and Miasma under contract by FUXR, it’s unclear when these two will get an opportunity to lock up again.
I said to him, "What we SHOULD do... is a women's version of the NWA." Then he said, "What, are you serious?" and I said, "YES, I AM!" And he was all, "God, no!" And then there was lots of begging and he finally said yes. Thus, the WWI was born.
A few notes about it: Yes, all the women are original. Yes, some (read: most) are clones of male wrestlers. No, we don't feel bad about this. ...Yeah, we feel kinda weird about it sometimes, but not BAD weird.
...Anyway, yeah, we realize this will make it a little harder to identify with the girls since they haven't been on TV, or any of the indies you know. So, we'll make an extra effort to introduce you to them, and their characters will get fleshed as the fed progresses. However, you'll probably recognize who a lot of them are based on anyway, so that'll help you out.
We welcome constructive criticism, and any other comments you might have, so long as they
Premise
It was the year 2009, and two life-long best friends had a dream. A dream of a women’s wrestling promotion that wouldn’t be looked down on by the other so called “better” male promotions in the industry. A promotion that would venerate women for their athleticism and talent, not for their bust size or hair color. A place where feuds and storylines would be a little deeper than the usual “I’m prettier than her!” fare of the others. A company where women wrestlers could ply their trade without being relegated to a secondary position, or used as props for the men, or have their matches employed as bathroom break cues for the viewing audience.
Unfortunately, what they got was a promotion that was besieged by zombie pirates, became the accidental starting point for an android takeover of the planet, and lots and lots of Monopoly.
However, they didn’t let this stop them.
The promotion that those two friends started, based out of Japan, became the jump-off point for a new era in women’s professional wrestling. It would become the nexus of a grand experiment that would bind together other promotions all over the world into a single alliance, inspired by the bygone era of the territories in the United States.
This alliance would be known as Women’s Wrestling International.
The Alliance
Women’s Wrestling International is comprised of eight individual promotions that are located all over the world. The following is a list and brief description of these promotions and their owners.
Angel STAR Pro (ASP)
ASP is the company that was started by best friends Holden Powers and Kenta Sawada. They grew up together in America with wrestling in their blood, both of them being second generation wrestlers. One day, after being released from a Mexican prison (the details behind their incarceration are a highly guarded secret), Holden announced to Kenta his intention of opening a women’s wrestling promotion in Japan, and asked his old friend if he’d like to run it with him. Following that, he informed Kenta he had forged his signature on all the documents, so Kenta was going to have to help him run it, no matter what.
So, the two boys went to Japan and with their associates - Jerry, a lackluster member of the Ninja Security Force, and Triple J, who… ah, well, his involvement was as complicated as it was integral - opened up the company known as Angel STAR Pro.
Most of the footage the company shot during this time has been lost due to a series of explosions that decimated much of Tokyo, which Holden adamantly claims were not his fault. However, when the promotion wasn’t being attacked by undead pirates or gynoids intent on subjugating the entire human race, they put on some really solid women’s wrestling. The company was on the upswing when Holden announced his idea for a global alliance of similar promotions, in the vein of the old NWA in the United States. Before Kenta could share his thoughts on the idea, Holden informed him he had already purchased his own promotion in America and signed 80% of ASP’s talent to exclusive contracts. He then shook his best friend’s hand and bid adieu to all the “Asian poon” he had enjoyed over the years.
ASP is now solely owned and operated by Kenta Sawada… so for all intents and purposes... nothing has really changed in that regard. ASP is the crown jewel of joshi wrestling and Kenta intends to keep it that way now that he doesn't have Holden doing what Holden does, which usually is screw with Kenta.
ASP is based out of the Amaterasu Arena in downtown Tokyo, Japan and tours throughout the country.
Ladies Wrestling Federation (LWF)
The LWF is owned by Holden Powers, one of the co-creators of Angel STAR Pro. Holden enjoyed great success in the men’s promotion, the American Skull Crushers Wrestling Alliance, despite an almost cripplingly over-inflated ego. He’s generally despised by his peers and employees, since he loves the camera and takes advantage of every opportunity to steal the scene. On the booking end of things, he prefers a Sports Entertainment style of booking: long, intricate, sometimes ludicrous storylines and bigger than life characters. His rosters usually tend to be heavy with big, powerhouse women who are primarily brawlers rather than technical experts, and the heels tend to outnumber the faces. There are rumors he bought the LWF with stolen pirate treasure, however he adamantly denies the validity of these stories and reminds everyone that there’s absolutely no way to prove them because all the pirates are dead.
The LWF is based out of New York, and usually tours the North-East of the United States, from Illinois to Virginia, all the way up to Maine.
Hermanas de Lucha Libre (HLL)
The premier women's only lucha libre federation in Mexico for a long time, HLL is finally getting the attention it deserves. Started in the late 70s by Martin Natividad, it is now run by his daughter, Antonia, after her father's recent passing. While she is new to running the show, she's not new to the business, growing up around it her entire life. Not to mention she is receiving help from her father's right hand woman and former multiple time HLL champion, La Paloma (Mother of current star “A Hija de Palima”).
HLL is based in Mexico City and promotes throughout central and northern Mexico.
Main Event Wrestling (MEW)
MEW is owned by Annabelle Hannaford, the daughter of the late longtime wrestling promoter General George A. C. Hannaford. Anna grew up in the business and has cultivated a lifelong appreciation for the female aspect of the sport. She always wanted to open her own promotion and, when she got her inheritance from the old man, she discovered she had enough to purchase a sock. Just one. The left one. This was because her father’s promotion had been decimated when the territories died, and he became a bitter, psychotic old man who kept reliving the Battle of Little Bighorn in his bathrobe while a resident of Woodview Old Folks Convalescent Center.
Despite being destitute, Annabelle continued to harbor dreams of her own women’s wrestling promotion. She took that left sock and she sold it for twenty-five cents. Then she took that quarter and put it in a slot machine in Atlantic City and won twenty dollars with it. Then she took that twenty dollars and bet it all on 17 black.
Then she lost everything again.
But THEN, she found ANOTHER quarter out on the street, and she used that one in ANOTHER slot machine, and won another twenty bucks! She took that twenty bucks and, in a winning streak that is still talked about to this day, she managed to accumulate one hundred thousand dollars in a single evening, and managed to make it out of the casino alive with her knees unbroken! She then took that one hundred thousand and invested it, and eventually, Annabelle found herself with a tidy sum, more than enough to purchase her own wrestling promotion.
Unfortunately she realized shortly after trademarking the company name (which was inspired by her kitten’s favorite saying), Annabelle realized that, despite being the daughter of a wrestling promoter, she didn’t really have the slightest idea of how to go about running the company. So, she eventually hired an unemployed booker by the name of Heywood Shores, a man who, with his wild white hair and thick-rimmed glasses, looks like he could have escaped from the same old folks home her father eventually died in. Questions of sanity aside, Heywood still has enough in him to book a decent show. He prefers to promote talent over ludicrous storylines and characters, but there’s also the terrifying possibility he might someday book Lindsay Lohan into a title reign.
Main Event Wrestling runs shows almost exclusively in the South-Eastern United States, from Kansas down to the great state of Texas, all the way East to North Carolina and Florida.
New Hokkaido Pro Wrestling (NHPW)
Dingo Khan was a powerhouse worker in joshi wrestling, feared for her strength, ruthlessness and spinning backfist. A former ASP star, she had jumped ship to the rival All Hokkaido Pro prior to its closing due to bankruptcy. Out of the ashes of the AHPW, Khan opened up the NHPW. Unlike its predecessor, NHPW has a sports entertainment flavor added to it's puroresu style and also tends to favor lighterweight works and the lucharesu style. While not as influential in Japan as the AHPW was, the NHPW looks to be in good shape since opening its doors.
The NHPW is based out of Sapporo, Japan and promotes almost exclusively on the island of Hokkaido.
Female Underground Extreme Revolution (FUXR)
FUXR is owned by Jade Catlynne, the half-sibling of Holden Powers. Jade has a strained relationship with her brother, mostly stemming from their time spent in the ASC, but she hesitantly accepted his offer when he came to her with the WWI concept. Using the funds she saved while she was an active wrestler, she purchased an old warehouse in Los Angeles and refitted it with bleachers and a wrestling ring, seeing the site as an homage to the old ECW arena. Jade earned fame competing in hardcore matches with men as well as women, she favors a hardcore, almost garbage style of promotion. She filed a trademark for Hardcore Showcase Wrestling, but the papers were altered after they left her hands. Jade has her suspects (Syxx), but no proof. So, now she runs the company known as FUXR, and anyone who makes any derogatory comments about the company acronym get punched in the face.
FUXR is based out of Los Angeles, and runs shows throughout the South-West all the way to Colorado and New Mexico, although people in the Four Corners region are usually too debilitated with heat stroke to bother watching wrestling.
American Women's Wrestling (A2W)
Gloria Radcliff is a name that is revered the world over by anyone with the least bit of knowledge of women’s professional wrestling. She is the grizzled veteran that helped build the sport into what it is today. While at 71 and now retired, she’s still going strong on the booking end of things, having run the A2W in a few different incarnations for almost 40 years. Now back with the women’s wrestling boom, she plans to put on her favored style of legitimate athletic talent and solid traditional wrestling, keeping everything that has always been great about wrestling's past while mixing it fluidly with the modern to help drive the business to new heights.
A2W is based out of Seattle, Washington and promotes throughout the North-West all the way to Minnesota.
Pro Wrestling Future (PWF)
Genevieve Powers is a retired wrestler from France, and also a distant relative of Holden Powers and Jade Catlynne. While she was an active competitor, she was known for her hard-hitting style and her painful submission moves. She was one of the best heels in the United Kingdom, so it comes as no surprise that her personal promotion is based out of it. Initially a training ground the company that employed her, it broke away when she retired and became a full fledged promotion in its own right. Genevieve joined the WWI for the chance to get her company worldwide recognition.
PWF is based out of London, and tours the UK and most of Europe.
WWI Showcase - February 20th, 2011
The WWI debuted with a special dubbed Showcase, intended to be the alliance’s version of Wrestlemania. The show emanated from the LWF’s home arena in New York City, and the bulk of the program consisted of a 32 woman tournament to decide the first ever Women’s Wrestling International World Champion. Much like the old NWA, the WWI World Champion will tour the various regions and subordinate promotions, drawing attention to the various products across the globe while, at the same time, exemplifying the best in women’s professional wrestling.
Each fed owner selected four women from their rosters, and each woman was assigned a number, one through thirty-two. The brackets were set up randomly. This was achieved by giving Kenta’s “assistant,” Triple J, a series of numbered ping pong balls (each number representing a competitor), and noting the order in which he ate them.
The show’s hosted by Holden Powers and Kenta Sawada, the owners of the LWF and ASP, respectively.
The first round of the World Title Tournament was broadcast on free TV, as a special teaser for the big show. Round 2, all the way to the Finals, was broadcast as a pay-per-view event, with special discounts given to those who watched the pre-show and spotted a special code word they could use when they ordered the program. Unfortunately, as it was later revealed, nobody spotted the code word because it was three inches tall on the base of Holden’s microphone. For those curious, the code word was “big black ass.” Nobody knows why. Holden picked the code word and didn’t tell anyone what it was, or indeed that there was a special promotion at all, before the show hit the air.
WWI World Title Tournament - Round 1
MAX Geisha pinned Clarissa Hymen with the Shining Witch in 0:17:26.
Rating: *** ½
The opening contest pitted New York native and self-proclaimed ‘Celebutante’, Clarissa Hymen, against “Jigoku Senshi (Hell Warrior)” MAX Geisha. Clarissa, signed with the LWF, is a dangerous technical wrestler despite her bubble-headed personality, and was in control for much of the bout. Geisha’s face ran red when she was busted open after headbutting Clarissa, a move which the brunette strongly complained to the official. Geisha also seemed to possess shades of the Great Muta, as she landed on her feet following a botched moonsault attempt on the Hymen Heiress. In the end, Clarissa was caught off guard by the Hell Warrior’s Shining Witch kick, and lost the bout. She complained more to the ref afterward, but the decision was final.
Nastasha Teshka pinned Alex O'Shea with the Embalming in 0:15:19.
Rating: **** ¼
The self-proclaimed “Queen of the Undead,” Nastasha Teshka, stands over six feet tall! She’s an example of the kind of talent found in the LWF - big, imposing, tough girls who can beat the crap out of each other. She’s also very creepy, with dark makeup around her eyes and stringy hair that hangs in and obscures her face. Before the match, she spoke of sacrificing the souls in the WWI Title tournament to fuel her quest for the gold, but her unsettling monologue was cut off by the arrival of the PWF talent, Alex O’Shea. Alex leads the Ladies of the Shamrock, a collection of like-minded, red-haired Irish girls who put up with absolutely no BS, especially from the English. Alex use mostly hit and run techniques on the much larger Nastasha, tossing her out of the ring multiple times to catch a breather and also to frustrate the Queen of the Undead. However, Alex was eventually destroyed by a series of moves from Nastasha - an inverted power bomb, a short clothesline, and a top-rope power bomb. Alex put up no resistance after that, and was finally put away with Nastasha’s patented Embalming Tombstone piledriver.
Ikuko Yoshioka pinned Katsue Nijo with the Shining Axe Kick in 0:12:22.
Rating: ** ½
Ikuko is a no-nonsense grappler from Angel STAR Pro. Her opponent, Katsue Nijo, is a light-hearted catgirl from New Hokkaido Pro Wrestling. Ikuko was firmly in control in the early goings, putting Katsue through a series of increasingly painful holds, and it seemed like The Kat was in serious trouble. She mounted some offense in the later minutes of the bout, trying to torque Ikuko’s abdomen with a couple of stretches, but it didn’t seem to phase Yoshioka much. She brought The Kat down with a dropkick to her knee, and then finished the pretty kitty off with her Shining Axe Kick to the head.
Excalibur defeated Carrion Mellori by countout in 0:01:40.
Rating: **
Excalibur stands at 5’10”, and she firmly established why she is one of the PWF’s pre-eminent brawlers in her first round contest against Carrion Mellori. Carrion is a hardcore wrestler out of FUXR, but is primarily known for her time in the ASC alongside Jade Catlynne, where their complicated relationship revolved around Mellori’s fondness for pain. Carrion lost this match almost entirely on her own, botching a flying leap onto Excalibur on the outside, landing on her face on the ringside floor. Big Red spent a few moments adding insult to Carrion’s injury, finishing up her assault by German suplexing the smaller girl, the back of her head connecting with the guard rail and splitting her open wide. Carrion laid in a spreading pool of blood from the back of her scalp as Excalibur claimed a countout victory.
Donna Gallows defeated Syxx by countout in 0:14:00.
Rating: ** ¾
Donna Gallows is a professional dominatrix turned professional wrestler, employed by the LWF. Syxx is NOT Sean Waltman, she’s a professional slut turned professional wrestler, reluctantly employed by FUXR. Donna employs an impressive arsenal of grapples and submission moves, while Syxx mostly favors high flying and brawling tactics. The two women brawled for much of the contest, Donna seemingly not wanting to bother trying to wear the smaller girl down, but pummel her into submission. Syxx finally had enough of Donna’s assault after taking her Bow To Your Better Tombstone piledriver. Amazingly, she managed to kick out of the subsequent pinfall, but then left the ring and walked to the back, taking a countout loss.
Miasma pinned SM Bitch with the Meaningful Lyric in 0:15:45.
Rating: ***
SM Bitch, a member of the MEW roster and proud of the fact her name was not censored off the showbill, started off the contest with a promo denouncing FUXR wrestler Miasma, and the emo/goth subculture. She talked about how people like Miasma mutilate their bodies for pleasure, and about how they take recreational drugs to ‘escape’ from their lives. She calls Miasma weak, and expresses her own superiority by living a clean, straight edge lifestyle. The ghoulish Miasma merely smirks in reply, and begins the contest. Bitch showed off her technical accolades, reversing and countering much of Miasma’s offense, but eventually the match deteriorates into a brawl, a style that Miasma is much better suited for. Miasma surprised Bitch with her Meaningful Lyric DDT, and seemed to prove that, while SM Bitch leads a cleaner lifestyle, Miasma might be the better wrestler.
Avispa made Florence Delanore Rhodes submit to the Grounded Octopus Hold in 0:12:36.
Rating: ****
Avispa is the mother of the newly debuted La Hija de Avispa. She's in the twilight years of her career. While she never quite reached the same level of success as her peers, she has been a solid force in women's lucha libre and HLL. Her entrance is cut short by the abrupt arrival of the Modern Day Cowgirl, FDR, who attacks her from behind and announces her intention to send Avispa “back over the border.” FDR showed why she was one of the top brawlers in the LWF, but Avispa demonstrated her many years of expertise, contorting FDR’s big frame with a series of swastika submission moves that gradually wore the cowgirl down. FDR’s plans to send Avispa home were dashed when she tapped out to her Grounded Octopus Hold.
Rei Tatsuko pinned Kayla Ripley after a moonsault bodyblock in 0:14:14.
Rating: ** ½
Rei Tatsuko is a charismatic worker from Angel STAR Pro. She’s proven herself in ASP, has miles and miles of stamina, and is a tough opponent for anyone to overcome. “Killer” Kayla Ripley hails from Toronto. She grew up in a house full of brothers and that, coupled with the omnipresence of hockey, turned her into one tough little cookie. Kayla definitely put Rei through her paces in this match, continually taking the bout outside the ring where she bounce Rei off the guardrails like a pinball. Even when back in the ring, Kayla continue to demolish Rei with clotheslines, punches and chops. But Rei ate it all and came back for more, surprising Kayla with a deadly piledriver and then putting the match away with a moonsault bodyblock.
Jeanelle Powers pinned Athena Miralles with the tornado DDT in 0:14:34.
Rating: *** ½
[Leon Powers interfered against Athena Miralles.]
Jeanelle Powers is the daughter of PWF owner, Genevieve Powers. She as trained from an early age to be exactly what her mother was - the BEST. She was accompanied to the ring by her brother, Leon, a pro wrestler in his own right with one of the UK’s male companies. Athena Miralles fights for HLL, and she truly believes she is God’s gift to lucha libre… Literally. Garbed in plain white robes and a Spartan helmet, she believes she was sent by the Gods to compete in the Earthly realm. She and Jeanelle have one thing in common, though, as Athena also believes she is descended from the best and is destined to BE the best. Jeanelle proved herself to be an excellent grappler, but she spent a good portion of the bout shying away from Athena’s brutality and begging for mercy when things got to be too tough. It seemed at times that Jeanelle was legitimately afraid of the Heaven-sent brawler, but at others it seemed to be just a lure to get the smug and self-assured Athena to lower her guard and leave an opening for Jeanelle to exploit. Jeanelle took a hellacious beating, but ended up stunning Athena with a dropkick, followed up with a tornado DDT that put her down for a three count. Athena did not seem happy about this in the least, complaining to the referee that this was NOT the Gods’ desire. Jeanelle, however, just looked happy to be leaving with her life.
Yumako Shima pinned Heidi DiMarco with the Lariat in 0:20:56.
Rating: ****
This match was a meeting of pure brawlers. Yumako Shima is a big, thick powerhouse from New Hokkaido Pro Wrestling. She epitomizes the traditional Japanese strong style, and everything she does looks like it shoots completely off the pain scale. Heidi DiMarco, on the other hand, is a stunning blonde from MEW that’s over six feet tall. She loves pounding her opponents into pulps and pinning what remains of them for the victory. The bout was a true life example of the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object, as both women smacked, kicked, punched and slammed the daylights out of each other for over twenty minutes, in and out of the ring. Neither woman came out as a clear fore-runner in the match until Yumako laid Heidi low with a SERIES of lariats that would have made Stan Hansen proud.
Black Inahara made PUNK Nakata submit to the STF in 0:19:48.
Rating: *** ¼
Black Inahara is a dirty fighter from NHPW, never one back down in a fight, but also unwilling to pass up an opportunity to gain an advantage by any means necessary. PUNK Nakata, employed by ASP, is exactly what she claims to be: a punk, mohawk proud and hardened by a life of being slammed around in the mosh pits. The match was even odds early on, but soon Inahara took control, punishing PUNK with move after move. Towards the end, Inahara seemed to try everything she could think of to keep Nakata down for a three count, but the resilient raver kept kicking out. She took her down with a waistlock suplex, a German suplex, and then locked her in the STF, but PUNK managed to fight her way out of the hold! Inahara slammed her down with a power bomb, and then another waistlock suplex, but could still only get a two count. Finally, she applied her STF for a second time, and PUNK was stuck in the middle of the ring with nowhere to go, her strength slowly sapped by the brutal hold. After a tremendous effort, Nakata was finally forced to submit.
Rosa Tigre made Roxxy Knox submit to the Quebradora Lagunero in 0:17:41.
Rating: ** ¾
Rosa Tigre is one of the most experienced women on the HLL roster, having begun her wrestling career at the tender age of 15. “The Violent Dream” Roxxy Knox comes from A2W, with a stellar amateur wrestling background, but one she doesn’t like to rely on too heavily. Instead, Roxxy is right at home in the middle of a riotous, all out brawl. Roxxy shows her fondness for brawls and rule bending right off, bringing a chair into the ring and attempting to drop Rosa onto it with a Death Valley Driver. Tigre turns the tables, drilling Roxxy’s head into the steel with a DDT. The two continued to brawl from there, spilling out of the ring where Roxxy was knocked into the steel ring steps and suffered a pair of backbreakers. Eventually the bout returned to the ring where Roxxy was put through the Nudo Lagunero and finally the Quebradora Lagunero by Rosa, and she finally tapped out.
Triple X pinned April Shields with the Negative Influx in 0:20:52.
Rating: *** ¾
Triple X is the self-styled Franchise Player of Main Event Wrestling, and promises to bring the WWI gold home to Florida. April Shields is one a rookie in MEW, but a squeaky clean, All American one. She exudes good cheer as she skips down to the ring, but all that disappears when she meets the full brunt of XXX’s formidable skill. April tried to take the initiative early, but XXX blocked most of her attempts and punished the newcomer for trying. XXX bounced her off the ropes with a Hotshot and then brutalized her in the corner with a series of chops that blistered her ample chest. Finally, after 20 minutes of torture, XXX put her away with her Negative Influx double underhook faceslam.
Sappho defeated Megan Curci by countout in 0:15:14.
Rating: **
Sappho is a rail thin and strangely alluring member of the FUXR roster. She joined along with five others, all of them out of work porn stars who were looking to make a quick buck like many of their peers by experimenting with pro wrestling. What shocked everyone, though, is just how technically gifted these women were, and Sappho is chief amongst them. Megan Curci is a distinguished member of the PWF roster, and as a cultured and esteemed member of the wrestling world, her distaste at having to lower herself to compete with someone like Sappho is evident as soon as the former porn star enters the ring. Megan seemed hesitant to even lock up with Sappho, and the skinny grappler used that to her advantage, grabbing the British socialite in a wristlock that was quickly countered. The two women exchanged holds for minutes, until the battle spilled to the ringside area. Eventually, Megan looked like she was fed up with her opponent, and allowed herself to be counted out.
Cammy Gale defeated La Hija de Paloma by countout in 0:03:22.
Rating: **
Cammy Gale is #1 in her own book. She’s cocky, arrogant, and unfortunately for the rest of the women on the A2W roster, she has the skill to back her boasts up. And what boasts she doesn’t make on her own, her ever present manager, Joanna Teasley, will happily make for her. Hija de Paloma is the daughter of the seminal woman in lucha libre, La Paloma, The El Santo of women’s wrestling in Mexico. Hija de Paloma hasn't quite reached her mother’s level yet, but she’s young, and while those are pretty big shoes to have to fill, she’s definitely on her way. Cammy and Hija de Paloma engage in a pretty straightforward contest, until the bout went to ringside. De Paloma attempted to jump onto Cammy with a somersault bodyblock off the apron. Unfortunately for her, Gale ducked out of the way and de Paloma plopped unceremoniously onto the ring floor. She was clearly hurt, but Cammy didn’t waste any time worrying over her condition. She returned to the ring and waited for Hija’s countout loss. Even though Hija de Paloma is willing to put her body on the line to achieve victory, the gamble did not pay off for her this evening.
Sarah Medford pinned Kristie Kang after a figure-four leglock in 0:19:50.
Rating: ** ¼
Sarah Medford of A2W is the epitome of the cerebral, intelligent wrestler. Everything she does is carefully planned and harshly executed. Kristie Kang (NHPW) is a young high flyer and fairly new to the business, but has managed not to get an ego from getting too much attention too quickly. This was a long bout with neither girl having a clear advantage. Kristie relied heavily on her fleet feet and aerial expertise, while Sarah took every opportunity to ground Kang with her rolodex of submission grapples. Every time Kristie hit her, Sarah seemed to come back and hit her harder. Eventually, Sarah caught Kristie on a rebound with a stiff elbow to the face that dropped the youngster to the mat and left her prey to a figure-four leglock. The pain was too much, and Kristie’s shoulders remained on the mat for too long, earning her a pinfall loss.
That bout brought the free portion of Showcase to an end. Holden and Kenta thanked the audience that tuned in and expressed their desire to see them come back for the pay-per-view broadcast that was beginning shortly. Once on the air, they wasted no time in getting on with Round 2.
Nastasha Teshka pinned MAX Geisha with the Embalming in 0:10:30.
Rating: *** ¼
It looked like this contest was going to end early, as Nastasha wasted no time drilling Geisha into the canvas with the Embalming, but amazingly the Hell Warrior kicked out at two! The battle then went on for ten minutes, Geisha paying the Undead Queen back for the finisher with flying forearms and stiff kicks, and Nastasha using every advantage she can get, choking MAX Geisha out with her boots and lifting her up in the air and throttling her with both hands. The brawl spilled to the outside at one point, and Geisha proved that zombies do bleed by ramming Nastasha into the steel steps. Geisha rolled an unresponsive Teshka back into the ring, but before she could take advantage of her opponent’s difficulty, Nastasha unexpectedly sat up! She rose to her feet like a reanimated corpse and drove Geisha’s head into the mat with a second Embalming, one that Geisha was unable to overcome.
Excalibur defeated Ikuko Yoshioka when Ikuko Yoshioka passed out in the
Heaven's Will in 0:09:31.
Rating: ***
Big Red’s gameplan seemed to be “take everyone out as quick as possible and avoid fatigue.” She opened the match with a German suplex and quickly followed the maneuver up with her Heaven’s Will arm triangle choke finisher. Much to Ex’s chagrin, however, Ikuko fought her way out of the hold after only a few seconds. Ex changed tactics and punished Ikuko with blows and wore her down with headlocks, while Yoshioka tried to mount an offense. She took Big Red down with a backbreaker and kept her off balance with a spinning headscissors. She tried to go for her Shining Axe Kick, but Excalibur was able to deflect it and knock Ikuko off her feet with a brutal lariat. Ex then repeated her earlier strategy, dropping Ikuko with a German suplex that was quickly followed by the Heaven’s Will. This time, Ikuko was unable to fight her way out, but instead of tapping, she merely succumbed to the pain and passed out.
Miasma pinned Donna Gallows with the Meaningful Lyric in 0:14:16.
Rating: *** ½
Before the match, Miasma sat beneath the turnbuckles and read a poem she said she’d written after her first match. The poem told the story of a young girl who was picked on and bullied at school, by children who were very much like Donna Gallows. The little girl ate so much hate and bile and depression that eventually it had to all come spilling out. So one day, on the playground, the little girl wrapped the chain of a swingset around one of her abuser’s heads and strangled her until she passed out. The little girl was expelled from school, but she felt so much better. Miasma ends the poem by saying the little girl grew up to become a sexual deviant and a professional dominatrix. Miasma reflects on the fact that, if Donna Gallows had just seen a therapist for her rage issues, she might not be there tonight, about to be beaten by someone like herself. Miasma ended her diatribe with “Woe is me,” and then Donna made her entrance. The dominatrix hit the ring, obviously incensed at Miasma’s little poem, but the dour brawler didn’t give Donna the chance to vent her anger. She laid into her with fists, then drove her down with a dropkick. Donna eventually battled back, punishing Miasma for her mockery and demanding that the girl ‘submit’. The bout spilled to the outside, and the girls stretched the referee’s count by slamming each other into the guardrails and ring steps. Miasma gained the upper hand by driving Donna’s head into the ringside floor with the Meaningful Lyric DDT, but Gallows managed to re-enter the ring before the 10 count. Miasma rewarded her for her determination with a second Meaningful Lyric, and the dominatrix was unable to kick out of three.
Rei Tatsuko pinned Avispa with the Epic Driver in 0:09:05.
Rating: *** ¼
Rei was in control of this one from the early goings. She seemed to have the seasoned veteran’s number, pummeling her with fists and kicks and rarely leaving an opening for Avispa to retaliate. The fight went outside, and even there Avispa couldn’t get an advantage, eating a brain buster on the floor. Rei rolled Avispa back into the ring, and the vet tried to make one last offensive push, catching Rei’s foot after a kick attempt and trying to pull her down with a dragon screw, but Rei quickly countered with an enzuigiri. Rei sealed her victory with the Epic Driver.
Jeanelle Powers pinned Yumako Shima with the tornado DDT in 0:07:01.
Rating: *** ¼
Jeanelle tried much of the same tactics that worked so well over Athena earlier in the evening. She ate a lot of Yumako’s offense, returned with some of her own, and then begged for mercy when things looked bad. She gained an early advantage via the use of a chair, springing off it and taking Shima down with a whip quick rana, but was unable to secure the three count there. They continued to trade blows, Jeanelle showing off more of her high flyer credentials with a shooting star press off the top turnbuckle, but still Yumako refused to be shut down. Eventually, Jeanelle surprised Yumako with another rana off the top rope, but was still unable to get three. As Yumako regained her feet, Jeanelle hit her with her patented tornado DDT, and that finally put the big brawler from NHPW away.
Black Inahara defeated Rosa Tigre by countout in 0:15:55.
Rating: ** ¾
Inahara was in control of this one in the early goings. She rammed into Rosa with a shoulderblock off the ropes, then assaulted her with kicks, and then another diving shoulderblock when Rosa tried to sit up. Inahara attempted a figure-four leglock, but Rosa countered with a small package that didn’t even earn a two count. Rosa fought back with slaps and chops, but Inahara countered with a stiff punch and then a kick that doubled Rosa over. Inahara hit Rosa with a double underhook backbreaker, then attempted her Quebradora Lagunero finisher, but Rosa quickly grabbed the ropes in just a few seconds. As punishment for this, Inahara hit her with two power bombs in a row, each time Rosa kicking out before three. Inahara attempted a third, but was sent over the top rope by Rosa. Tigre quickly climbed to the top turnbuckle and attempted to slam into Inahara with a cross body, but Inahara easily anticipated her opponent’s intentions and moved out of the way. For the second time that night, Inahara dodged an aerial attack and her opponent paid the price. Rosa slammed painfully into the ground. To ensure her opponent was down, Inahara nailed her with a German suplex, bouncing the girl’s head off the floor once again. Rosa was unable to answer the referee’s ten count, and Inahara advanced to round 3.
Triple X pinned Sappho after a small package in 0:09:34.
Rating: ** ¾
At the beginning of the match, Triple X assured Sappho that she was NOT about to let a porno slut walk out of this show wearing the WWI World Title. Sappho answered this by slapping XXX across the face, and the brawl was on. Blows were exchanged until Sappho got the upper hand and caught X in an abdominal stretch, but X managed to escape before too much damage was done. Things went back and forth from there, mostly fists and kicks, but X slowly began to chip away at Sappho’s stamina with sleeperholds and Boston crabs. XXX whipped Sappho into the ropes and then took her down with a running neckbreaker drop, but only got two on a subsequent pin attempt. She followed this up with a fistdrop, but still couldn’t manage a three. Then she put Sappho in a punishing STF, but the former porn starlet managed to escape quickly. Sappho tried to make a comeback after that, punishing X with her fists. XXX tried to cut this attack off quickly by kicking Sappho and setting her up for the Negative Influx, but Sappho countered with a backdrop and then managed to hit X with her own finisher, a top-rope double underhook faceslam called the Awakening of Sappho. Unfortunately, the Franchise Player wasn’t finished so easily, and kicked out of Sappho’s pin at two. Sappho tried to continue the attack by bodyslamming X, but X sneakily countered with a small package that the porn starlet was unable to escape from.
Cammy Gale pinned Sarah Medford with the Picture Perfect-Plex in 0:10:24.
Rating: ***
[Joanna Teasley interfered against Sarah Medford.]
Much of this match was spent outside. Cammy threw Sarah between the ropes almost as soon as the match began, slammed her down with a bodyslam, followed it up with a vertical suplex, then ran her into the ringpost before sliding back into the ring. Joanna Teasley came around to try and distract Sarah so she couldn’t answer the referee’s count, but Sarah smacked Joanna down and rolled back into the ring. The girls brawled in the ring for a bit before they ended up outside again, this time with Sarah ending up piledriven onto the floor. Sarah looked to be out cold, but just barely managed to slip back into the ring before she was counted out. Cammy took her liberties with the clearly shaken Sarah, putting her in a sleeper that almost did her in. Somehow, Sarah found the determination to lift her arm the third time the referee checked it, and power out of the hold. She couldn’t hold on much longer, though, as Cammy subjected her to a barrage of punches, chops, and kicks, followed by shoulderblock while Sarah was backed into the corner. Cammy finally ended Sarah’s championship hopes with her Picture Perfect-Plex.
That bout brought an end to round 2. Round 3 begins with the effects of fatigue beginning to settle in, and the accumulated wounds slowing everyone down.
Excalibur defeated Nastasha Teshka when Nastasha Teshka passed out in the Heaven's Will in 0:18:04.
Rating: ****
Excalibur went with the strategy that had worked so well for her all night long: hit them with everything she’s got right out of the gate. A belly-to-back suplex, a fistdrop to Nastasha’s forehead while she was on the mat, a hiptoss once she was back up, then a snap suplex, then Big Red dropped on top of Nastasha and locked her in a deadly cross-face submission, one that the Undead Queen barely managed to get out of. Nastasha was back up quick, favoring her arm, and tried to gain an advantage over Ex. Ex kicked her, but Nastasha showed no pain, instead she hooked and slammed Ex with a Northern Lights bomb. She followed that up with a power bomb, but only managed to get a two count. Nastasha started choking Excalibur out, but the Irish brawler fought her off with a facerake. Ex tried for a vertical suplex, but Nastasha fought her off with a flurry of punches and then dripped Ex up with a drop toe hold. While Ex was down, Nastasha tried to choke her out with her boot, but broke off when the referee threatened her with disqualification. The Undead Queen continued to press her advantage, dropping Big Red with a jack-knife power bomb, but could only get two. She attempted a bodyslam, but Ex managed to counter with a front facelock, wearing the gothic beauty down. Once she felt Nastasha was sufficiently weakened, she locked her into the Heaven’s Will, but Nastasha managed to grab the ropes and break the hold. Big Red worked on the weakened Undead Queen with a series of suplexes, dropping her on her head time and time again, before finally locking her into the Heaven’s Will once more, this time dead center in the middle of the ring. There was nowhere for Nastasha to go, and finally she was unable to answer the referee when she checked on her.
Miasma pinned Rei Tatsuko with the Meaningful Lyric in 0:09:54.
Rating: ** ¾
Miasma didn’t waste time with poems or talking this time, instead she hit the ring and kicked Rei and went for the Meaningful Lyric, but Rei threw her off. Rei whipped Miasma into the ropes and caught her with a hiptoss, then picked her up and whipped her again, this time tossing her with a backdrop. She continued to repeat this process, whipping Miasma around and hitting her with clotheslines, suplexes, hiptosses and backdrops. Miasma tried to reverse the whip, but Rei re-reversed it and once again sent Miasma into the ropes. Miasma went for a shoulderblock, but Rei dodged and tried to hit her with an elbow, bit Miasma managed to avoid it and throw an elbow of her own, which Rei also avoided. Just as Rei moved to attack Miasma again, the dark poet countered with another kick and managed to nail the Meaningful Lyric. Unfortunately for her, Rei kicked out with authority before the three count. Miasma let Rei up and she ran into the ropes, but Miasma caught her with a drop toe hold, then quickly got on top of her and pinned her head to the mat with her boot. Rei kicked her heels and tried to get Miasma’s boot off her head, but the dark poet didn’t let her up until the ref threatened disqualification. They grappled, Rei whipped Miasma into the ropes again, buried an elbow in her gut, then ran into the ropes and went to plant a kick in the side of Miasma’s head, but the girl moved and kicked the side of Rei’s knee, dropping the girl to her knees. Miasma attempted to drop her leg on the back of Rei’s head, but she rolled out of the way. Miasma stumbled after her, fell on her, and started blatantly choking Rei on the mat. The referee counted off, but Miasma didn’t release the hold until she was on the verge of being disqualified. Miasma attempted to climb the turnbuckles, but Rei quickly got up and threw her off. Before Miasma recovered, Rei climbed and then dove off and slammed into Miasma on the mat, rolling with the move and catching the dark poet in a pinfall. She only managed two. Rei quickly attempted another aerial move, but Miasma rolled away and Rei went splat on the mat. Miasma pulled her up and then slammed her back down with a power bomb, but only managed two. Miasma pulled Rei up and tried to put her in a headlock, but Rei pushed her off and into the ropes. Miasma rebounded and caught Rei in a swinging neckbreaker. When Rei groggily regained her feet, Miasma hit her second Meaningful Lyric, and Rei was finally unable to kick out before the three count.
Jeanelle Powers defeated Black Inahara when Black Inahara passed out in
a Fujiwara armbar in 0:05:48.
Rating: **
Black Inahara was riding on the mistakes of two women going into this match, while Jeanelle had barely managed to scrape by with her victories. Powers took the initiative in the contest, trying for a flying headscissors, but Inahara simply threw her off. She laid into Jeanelle with punches and kicks, and the two exchanged blows for a few moments. Jeanelle got Inahara in a choke sleeper, but she was able to escape relatively quickly. Inahara tried for a Samoan drop, but Jeanelle countered into a crucifix, but only got two. When she was back up, Jeanelle whipped Inahara into the ropes, dropped her with a hiptoss, then attempted a rolling senton, but only managed to drop her back across Inahara raised knees. Inahara dragged Jeanelle up and tried to put her on the turnbuckle, but she fought her off. In response, Inahara rebounded off the ropes and caught Jeanelle with a Yakuza kick to the head, but she wouldn’t stay down for Inahara’s pinfall attempt. Jeanelle quickly rolled out of the ring once the cover was broken and retrieved a chair from ringside. She returned to the ring with it, dropped it, and tangled with Inahara. They grappled, Jeanelle got the upper hand, lifted Inahara off her feet, and then bodyslammed the woman right onto the chair. While Inahara writhed in pain, Jeanelle caught her in a Fujiwara armbar. Jeanelle wrenched on her arm, increasing the pain, and that coupled with Inahara’s fatigue and the impact of the chair forced the woman to eventually pass out.
Triple X pinned Cammy Gale after hitting her with a foreign object in 0:14:38.
Rating: ****
[Joanna Teasley interfered against Triple X.]
The bout opened up with Cammy catching Triple X with a kick to her middle as she rebounded off the ropes. Cammy then turned to the crowd and milked the moment, letting everyone know she was #1 and getting a wave of boos in response. The two traded blows for awhile after this, neither gaining an upper hand but just punishing the other one. Cammy tried for a sleeperhold, but Triple X countered with a go-behind, which was in turn countered again by Cammy. X got away from Cammy and tried to get a time out, but obviously didn’t get one. They brawled more after this, exchanging increasingly wearied blows, until Cammy tried for a headlock takedown. X threw her off, into the ropes, then rammed her down with a shoulderblock. Before Cammy could recuperate, X grabbed her ankle and twisted it around. Cammy crawled across the mat, X trying to hold her back the entire time, until she managed to snag the bottom rope and break the hold. Cammy got up, but was heavily favoring her ankle. X set her up for the Negative Influx and nailed her with it. She went for the pin, but Joanna Teasley put Cammy’s foot on the rope, breaking the count. While the ref was busy warning Joanna, Cammy got up and blindly snagged X in a sleeperhold. X lunged forward and snagged the ropes, breaking the hold and getting the ref’s attention. X turned around and was caught in Cammy’s Picture Perfect-Plex, but amazingly kicked out at two. Both girls were down momentarily, but X managed to get up first, and catch Cammy in a Boston crab before she could get up. Cammy agonized in the hold until she managed to drag herself and X toward the ropes and get out of it. X pulled her up, kicked her, then hit her with another Negative Influx, but she was again foiled in her victory attempt when Joanna put Cammy’s foot on the rope again. While the referee was again distracted, dealing with Joanna, Triple X slipped from the ring and retrieved something from under the apron. Cammy was just up but groggy on her feet when X returned, carrying with her a sledgehammer. Joanna tried to draw the ref’s attention to X’s illegal object, but the ref was too concerned with warning Joanna about breaking up pins. X gripped the sledge in both hands and drove it into the side of Cammy’s head, dropping the girl to the mat where she did not move again. X slid the hammer out under the bottom rope, dropped onto Cammy and hooked a leg. Then the ref finally turned, noticed the pinfall, and counted the three. Joanna had a conniption at ringside, shouting about how Cammy had been robbed, and that the referee had screwed Cammy deliberately. Triple X merely swaggered back up the ramp, after kicking the sledgehammer back under the apron, smugly assured of her victory.
That bout signaled the end of the third round. The final four were Excalibur and Jeanelle Powers from the United Kingdom based Pro Wrestling Future, Miasma from Female Underground Extreme Revolution, and Triple X from Main Event Wrestling. It’s interesting to note that all four women were considered villains in their respective companies.
Excalibur made Miasma submit to a full nelson in 0:07:33.
Rating: ****
Excalibur surprised everyone with a sudden change in tactics. Whereas before she had simply bulled her away through each of her matches, earning victory through sheer brute force and her Heaven’s Will submission, in this one she displayed her impressive technical skill, gradually wearing Miasma down through a series of painful holds. She immediately put Miasma in an armbar, which Miasma fought out of in a few seconds. Miasma lifted Big Red up and tried to drop her onto the top rope, but Ex countered it into a Thesz press, which in turn became an impromptu pinfall, but only earned two. When they were both back up, Ex drove Miasma down with a Death Valley Driver, then quickly locked her into an octopus hold. Miasma managed to fight her way out of the hold, only to earn a few brutal shots from Ex as her reward. Ex slammed her into the mat with a full nelson faceslam, and then abruptly locked in the Heaven’s Will. Miasma struggled and fought, and eventually worked her way out of the hold after enduring nearly a minute of it. Miasma tried to fight back, but fatigue and pain were taking their toll. Ex seemed as if she were playing with the dark poet, like a lion softening up a kill for the best flavor. Ex caught her with an ankle lock, and Miasma just barely managed to grab the bottom rope. Ex pulled her up, and then dropped her with a clothesline. Miasma was clearly out, and Ex smiled as she lifted the girl up and then locked her into a full nelson. Ex gradually let Miasma’s dead weight drop until the dark poet was seated on the mat and Ex was kneeling behind her, still in the hold. Eventually, Miasma weakly tapped out on Ex’s upper arm, and Big Red advanced to the finals.
Triple X pinned Jeanelle Powers after a jack-knife power bomb in 0:05:42.
Rating: *** ¾
Jeanelle tried to go with her high flying arsenal to start with, taking XXX down with a flying headscissors. She went for X’s legs, but X punched her away before she could do anything. X scrambled to her feet and drove Jeanelle back with a flurry of punches and chops, then dropped her with a power bomb that only got two. Once Jeanelle was up, X situated her on the turnbuckle and then dropped her with a ring-shaking superplex. X allowed Jeanelle to regain her feet, then ran into the ropes. Jeanelle swung and missed with a lariat, X rebounded and Jeanelle swung and missed again. As she turned for a third attempt, X smashed into her and drive her forearm into Jeanelle’s face. She pinned her, but only got two. X pulled Jeanelle to her feet and whipped her into the ropes, and Jeanelle surprised X with a spear that drove her to the mat. With the wind driven from her stomach, she was unable to defend herself when Jeanelle dropped onto her with a rolling senton. However, she was able to kick out of Jeanelle’s pin attempt at two. Jeanelle was up before X. She leapt onto the ropes and sprung off them with a moonsault, dropping across X’s stomach, but only got another two count. Both of them were worn out and barely there, but they still managed to get up. They exchanged blows. Triple X managed to capture Jeanelle and drive her into the canvas with a piledriver. She got up, brought Jeanelle to her feet, and lifted her up and then drove her down with a jack-knife power bomb, holding the move for a roll up pin. Finally, Jeanelle was unable to kick out, and Triple X advanced to the finals.
The final match of the tournament, for the WWI World Championship, started almost immediately, leaving Triple X with almost no time to recover. Despite that, she was able to counter Excalibur’s opening clothesline into a crucifix and get a quick two count. Ex yanked Triple X to her feet afterwards and whips her into the ropes. XXX rebounded, ducked under a clothesline attempt by Big Red, but then got whacked off her feet by a flying clothesline. Excalibur dropped an elbow on her while she was down. Excalibur pulled her to her feet again, and XXX immediately twisted Big Red’s arm around in a wristlock. Excalibur countered the move, locking XXX in a wristlock of her own, but XXX countered again and then whipped Big Red into the ropes. She followed Excalibur and hit her with a clothesline just as she rebounded, sending them both over the top rope to the outside. They both struggled to their feet as the referee counted. XXX grabbed Excalibur and whipped her head first into the ringpost, then caught her as she bounced off and suplexed her backwards, into the guardrail. XXX wearily climbed back into the ring, and she was joined a few seconds after by Big Red, wearing a crimson mask either from her trip into the post or the guardrail. XXX grappled with Excalibur, but before she could execute whatever move she was attempting, Big Red pulled her down and suddenly had her in the Heaven’s Will. XXX struggled while the crowd went wild, thinking they were witnessing Excalibur’s victory. The seconds ticked away, and the referee asked XXX if she wanted to surrender, but XXX shook her head no. She inched closer and closer to the ropes while Big Red torqued down on the hold, increasing the pain, at the same time blinking through the scrim of blood covering her face. Eventually, the Franchise Player inched her fingers around the bottom rope, and Excalibur was forced to break the hold. XXX grimaced, trying to work the ache out after escaping the hold. Excalibur struggled back to her feet, her pale skin and freckles obscured by a red sea. The two combatants squared off and then advanced. Excalibur missed with a clothesline, XXX went for a sleeperhold, but Excalibur managed to feint around behind her and attempted a suplex, but XXX wiggled out of her grip and turned. Excalibur lunged, and Triple X whipped her foot out, caught the redhead squarely in the stomach which doubled her over, then set her up and delivered her Negative Influx double underhook faceslam. Excalibur bounce off the mat and flipped over, landing on her stomach, and allowing XXX to collapse on top of her in a weak attempt at a pinfall. Regardless of the cover, both of Big Red’s shoulders were on the mat, and the referee made the count. Excalibur was unable to kick out, and Women’s Wrestling International had its first World Champion.
Triple X pinned Excalibur with the Negative Influx in 0:07:40.
Rating: ****
(Triple X won the WWI World Title.)
Card rating: *** 1/4
Card observations: In no way was Triple X favored to win this contest. It looked from the outset that Excalibur had it in the bag. Triple X pulled her victory out by the skin of her teeth, and a rematch between these two is inevitable.
Regardless of the method, Triple X is the WWI World Champion, and her first appearance will be with her home fed, Main Event Wrestling, in two weeks.
Cammy Gale has a legitimate grievance against the World Champion, due to her underhanded method for victory. It’s rumored that Cammy’s representative, Joanna Teasley, is contemplating legal action against MEW and its “biased officials.”
SM Bitch is also rumored to be upset following her loss to Miasma in the first round. Following the bout, Bitch was heard saying that she shouldn’t have lost to a self-centered dope fiend like Miasma, and that she was counting the days until she could get a second chance at her. With SM Bitch employed by Main Event Wrestling, and Miasma under contract by FUXR, it’s unclear when these two will get an opportunity to lock up again.