This week on TNA Impact, the TNA Knockouts were given some good time, and delivered in a 8-woman tag team match. On Raw we also saw a multi-woman match when Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim and Eve Torres faced Maryse, Michelle McCool and Layla

TNA Knockouts – March 22, 2010 Impact Match:
8-Knockouts Tag Team Match
Tara, Angelina, Sarita & Taylor vs. Daffney & The Beautiful People

—TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky made their way to the ring first, with Lacey Von Erich. Daffney then made her entrance with Tara’s spider Poison. A recap was shown of Destination X (TNA Knockouts – Destination X 2010 results), followed by Tara making her way to the ring, with intent to regain her spider. Daffney threatened to step on the spider; however, the Beautiful People attacked Tara from behind. As the 4-on-1 beat-down preceded, Angelina Love, Sarita and Taylor Wilde ran down and made the save, which was followed by a commercial.

Back from the commercial break, the match was on it’s way, with Angelina Love making a pin attempt on Madison after hitting a flying clothesline. Taylor was tagged in, and came of the top ropes with a double arm sledge. She then got a neck-breaker on Velvet who was tagged in, and she proceeded to tag in Sarita. Sarita then suffered a snapmare and a kick from Velvet, who then tagged in Lacey. Lacey, then hit an actual good forearm and then a kick; however, she botched a dropkick bump. Madison was tagged in, which didn’t fair well, Tara then hit her with her slingshot leg-drop for a cover. Tara didn’t fear well after being clocked by Daffney, a triple team then followed. Daffney was tagged in, and taunted Tara with the spider. Tara then grabbed Daffney by the neck, which was done nicely; however, Velvet was tagged in. Soon, the match fell apart, with all the ladies brawling inside the ring and at ringside. What followed was finisher after finisher by each woman. Which was interesting to see the current finishers for each girl…with Madison Rayne and Sarita especially. The match ended with Daffney hitting her “Lobotomy” on Tara for the win.

Winner(s): Daffney & The Beautiful People

Thoughts: After coming off a good Knockouts match at Destination X, this was great action, and great continuity. With the exception of Hamada and ODB, this was essentially the entire Knockouts Division. In which case, despite all the loses, they are not in an entirely bad place. The weaker wrestlers in the match; Velvet Sky did great, and so did Lacey, despite botching Sarita’s drop kick. Not-to-mention Lacey should be commended on taking and selling the Widow’s peak well. With more training, Lacey has a bright future. Most importantly, the Knockouts got decent TV time!, and we are moving forward with the feud between Daffney and Tara.

WWE Divas – March 22, 2010 Raw Match:
Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim & Eve vs. Maryse, Michelle & Layla

—The Slam of the week was shown, which was highlights from last week’s Divas run-ins (March 15, 2010 Raw report). Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim and Eve were shown in the ring, accompanied by Mickie James and Kelly Kelly at ringside. Maryse, Michelle McCool and Layla then made their way to the ring, accompanied by Vickie Guerrero and Alicia Fox.

Michelle and Gail started the match, with Gail hitting an early headscissors take down. She dominated until Michelle countered her offense into her “faith breaker” finisher for the win. This was under a minute, with no tags.

Winner(s): Maryse, Michelle & Layla at 58 seconds

Thoughts: While Gail and Michelle worked together well as usually, this was pretty pathetic. Considering, amazing athletes like Beth Phoenix, Gail and McCool were in the ring, it seemed like an afterthought. The male wrestlers got their WrestleMania XXVI build; however, at this time, it is still unclear what Divas match we will see at WrestleMania XXVI.

On this week’s Smackdown, Beth Phoenix took on independent wrestler She Nay Nay, and Michelle McCool, Mickie James, Layla and Natalya competed in a Divas Costume Contest.

On Friday’s edition of Smackdown we saw Beth Phoenix destroy the young Jenny Brooks (aka She Nay Nay). It is rare that WWE goes out of their way to bring in unknown female talent to work as Jobbers. We could all remember years back Victoria wrestled Mercedes Martinez, Melissa Anderson & Talia Madison. Although this match wasn’t as competitive as those encounters, Beth Phoenix seems to be on this new road to becoming the major player she truly is. Expect to see more of Beth Phoenix the coming weeks as she seems to be Michael Hayes new pet project. We could also see some new female faces have their 3 minutes of fame on a weekly basis. In the end Beth Phoenix showed her dominance and is on the road to becoming a major threat in the division once again.

This week also featured a Divas Costume Contest featuring Mickie James dressed as Elektra, Michelle McCool dressed as a “She-Devil”, while Natalya dressed up as a “Matador” and Layla dressed surprisingly as Michael Jackson. Although Layla got surprising support from the crowd in one of the most unique choice of costumes, Mickie James in the end, for the third year in a row, once again won the divas costume contest. But in Costume contest tradition, the divas brawled. It seem all eyes were on Mickie James and the three women were about to take her out, but a miscommunication between Natalya and Layla could have made this attack a major failure but Michelle outsmarted Mickie once again by taking her out. The segment wasn’t as good as it could have been, but it served its purpose.

On another note, Vickie Guererro, dressed as princes, came out with her latin boy toy Eric Escobar standing at ringside. Escobar could really benefit from the amount of heat Vickie draws.

—Last Night, the WWE Divas competed in a SummerSlam Pre-Show match. Beth Phoenix got the win, in a 15-Diva Battle Royal. The match will be seen on the SummerSlam DVD release.

Among the celebrities in attendants was legendary rocker Slash. He had the following to say after the match on his twitter account…

WWF female wrestlers look like a bunch of pissed off strippers…WWE, I mean

Awch!.

According to gerweck.net, Traci Brooks’ Playboy shoot will not be seen in the magazine. However, it will be available on Playboy’s website.

Update on Traci Brooks and Playboy magazine. At present, Traci is not slated to appear in the publication due to a Farrah Fawcett Tribute. While Brooks will not be in the Magazine, her pictures will not go to waste as they will be featured on Playboy.com.

Reaction: If this turns out to be true, it will be a huge low blow for TNA. How much “promotion” are they really receiving from a web only shoot? Certainly a huge fraction of potential publicity has been lost. How about the Knockouts not being able to make it into the magazine yet the WWE Divas have covered the magazine time and time again? Talk about being second-rate.

Beth Phoenix vs Candice Michelle for the WWE Women's title booked for No Mercy

When Beth Phoenix caused Candice Michelle to break her clavicle in October 2007, the then-Women’s Champion admitted the injury and being unable to compete took her to a “really dark place.”

Now, it’s the Candy-coated Diva’s opportunity to once again shed some bright light on her career when she battles Phoenix for the Women’s Championship at No Mercy, the very show at which the Glamazon won her first title over Candice.

Since her recent comeback, a determined Candice has already fired a shot across the bow of the S.S. Glamazon by pinning her in a Six-Diva Tag Match. Pinning Phoenix in a tag match, however, is hardly the same as tackling her one-on-one.

To quench her thirst for revenge after months on the shelf, the Candy-coated Diva will have to counter The Glamazon’s overwhelming size and strength advantage with a combination of both quickness and agility.

And while revenge is a dish best served cold, Beth may be on too much of a hot streak to oblige. Ever since The Glamazon captured the title from Mickie James at SummerSlam, she has been dominating both her opponents and the opponents of her boyfriend, Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella.

Will Candice’s renewed sense of determination and desire for revenge be enough to overcome the dominating force that is The Glamazon?

Regardless of the outcome, one thing is certain, there will be No Mercy. Catch the event live, only on pay-per-view.

Stacy Keibler as Karen in Samurai Girl

Over the years in the world of wrestling numerous women have attempted to use their fame as a stepping-stone towards acting ventures. However, their apparent crossover into pop culture—in most cases—didn’t always work out as planned. Others, especially with the recent WWE Diva Search contests, were aspiring models and actresses to begin with. Despite countless attempts, none have managed to reach any noteworthy success as an actress. The success story of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson whom has stared in a number of blockbusters including: Gridiron Gang, The Game Plan, The Scorpion King, and Walking Tall. The question is—can a female who rose to fame in the WWE or TNA Wrestling become a future Hollywood success story?

Perhaps the most tragic case is Joan Marie Laurer, better known as Chyna, who craved the Hollywood spotlight after her departure from the WWF. Her top accomplishments to date have been as herself on realty shows; “The Surreal Life,” and “Celebrity Rehab.” Her Hollywood story couldn’t have been complete without her own sex tape; 1 Night in China, with another former WWF wrestler; Sean Waltman aka X-Pac. Realistically, who wants to cast Chyna? Her horrible voice and physical presence doesn’t exactly lend itself to her accomplishing much in Hollywood. On the other hand, a woman that is casting friendly is Stacy Keibler.

Stacy Keibler made her way into the wrestling world in 1999, winning WCW’s Nitro Girl Contest. After WCW folded, she worked with the WWE until 2006. Her time in the WWE landed her a spot on ABC’s, “Dancing with the Stars,” in which she placed third. She should have won by all means, but who could compete with the teenage girls voting for Drew Lachey? The show marked the end of her wrestling career, but the beginning of her acting career. While Stacy Keibler came up short of being a good wrestler in the ring, she proved to be an amazing dancer and now, a future sought after actress. Doors opened for her after Dancing with the Stars, mainly because of a deal with ABC (American Broadcasting Company). She appeared on episodes of “George Lopez,” “What About Brian,” an episode of “October Road,” and now co-starring in ABC Family’s mini-series; “Samurai Girl.”

Unfortunately, anyone tuning in on the first 2-hour night of “Samurai Girl,” to see Stacy Keibler would have been disappointed. The first night featured and established protagonists; Brendan Fehr as Jake Stanton; Steven Brand as Severin; Jamie Chung as Heaven; Kyle Labine as Otto and Saige Thompson as Cheryl. The antagonists were also established to be Heaven’s Father (Anthony Wong) aided by Kenneth Choi as Sato, with countless henchmen at their disposal. So how did Stacy fit into this equation? Very well… in fact she rightfully earned her co-starring title despite not being seen on the first night.

Stacy Keibler kissing Brendan Fehr in Samurai Girl

Stacy was introduced the second night as “Karen,” the ex-fiancé of Brendan Fehr’s Jake Stanton character, which was a huge turn in the story, seeing that romance was already established between Jake and the heroine; Heaven (Jamie Chung). Stacy played her role well as the innocent ex-girlfriend, thrusting the story into a love triangle. However, she wasn’t just an ex, as by the end of the night, she murdered another character that was introduced; “Dr. Fleming,” who was the budding love interest of supporting actress Saige Thompson. “I come in about halfway through the series,” Stacy said to MSN…”I come in right in the nick of time…I really do stir the pot.”

On night three, Stacy Keibler’s “Karen,” became the main villain of the show and Heaven’s adversary. “I kind of become Heaven’s nemesis in a way. We duke it out a little bit here and there. You’ll have to watch to see our big ol’ fight scenes that we have. (MSN Interview)” All along, she was an assassin, who in the past worked for Heaven’s father. However she in return took down the Tasuke Kogo (Anthony Wong) empire and seemingly killed his right hand man “Sato.” In the end, Stacy died at the hand of the heroine; Heaven (Jamie Chung), in their final battle, after being stabbed with a sword to the back. The action between Stacy and Jamie was great; Stacy even added her signature cartwheel to the fight scene which was worked in well. Both ladies did their own stunts. Over-all, great stuff for Stacy’s reel and résumé.

The fact is Stacy has a great shot at major success as an actress. Despite what wrestling naysayer may say, she has situated herself as a Hollywood socialite and has been working her way up. “Samurai Girl” was not Stacy Keibler’s break out acting performance. That recognition would have to go to Jamie Chung, who for those who don’t know, starred in 2004’s The Real World: San Diego–Perhaps even more complex than being a past wrestling star, is using a reality show as a stepping-stone to acting. Jamie Chung rose to the occasion and the prize goes to her. Where Stacy goes from here should be interesting. She certainly has it in her to land and execute a breakout performance that would potentially get her just a little closer to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson status—which may be damn near impossible.

- Arron Carlton

On this week’s Smackdown! (August 5th), Victoria (Lisa Marie Varon) received a rematch against “Brie Bella,” who made her Smackdown! debut the previous week by defeating her.

Once again, the match was nothing spectacular…Brie Bella made the switch with her sister Nicole Bella after crawling under the ring, who picked up the victory after a roll-up. The crowd wasn’t really into the match, however as noted last week, I feel as if The Bella Twins can be huge for the WWE if the story is done right. These girls are decent in the ring, however not great by any means…a select few current WWE ladies such as Beth Phoenix, Natalya, Mickie James and Victoria could wrestler circles around them.

Victoria vs Brie Bella. Photo: (C) WWE

– Regarding the recent release of Cherry (real name Kara Drew), 33, she was said to not be a favorite among key people in World Wrestling Entertainment as some of them believed she wasn’t thin enough to be WWE Diva. She originally got in due to her partnership with Deuce & Domino as the act was well-received by the creative team when they were in Ohio Valley Wrestling. Additionally, most of the women in the WWE are either in the company for bikini speads, or in some cases, because they can wrestle well, and she didn’t fit either category particularly well. It’s also interesting to note that Cherry handled most of the business with the office for both Deuce & Domino. (source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Credit: Rajah.com)

– Mickie James landed the guest appearance on the USA Network show Psych because James Roday – the lead actor of the show as the faux-psychic character Shawn Spencer – is a big wrestling fan and personally requested her services after he found out about the episode’s scheduled storyline. James told ComedyCentric.com that she spending a lot of time on skates while filming the show. However, she also said it was no big deal since she had prior exposure through her mom’s former job at a place called Skateland. (Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Credit: Rajah.com)

Katie Lea did an interview for a new article on the Daily Star…

Katie Lea (Katarina Waters)

INTERVIEW WITH KATIE LEA
5th September 2008

In this WORLD EXCLUSIVE Patrick Lennon speaks to WWE star Katie Lea...

ANYONE who tells you todays WWE Divas are vacuous airhead bimbos with as much wrestling ability as me haven’t met Katie Lea.

Granted, about two years ago, after an ill-advised talent cull, the womens division better resembled a beauty pageant than a wrestling roster, populated as it was by bikini contest wannabes with all the wrestling experience of the remedial class in a hairdressing college.

Make no mistake about it, womens wrestling is back with a vengeance in WWE.

Having been made a laughing stock with Playboy pillowfights and Thanksgiving bastings in a kids swimming pool, WWE bookers have got their brains in gear and re-engaged the girls.

In the mix for top spot of a talented group is our very own Katie Lea, a national treasure in the making. The story of Kat Waters is a vindication of one womans dedication, passion and application to her dream, and it all began in Blighty.

Stalwart fans of the British scene will remember Nikita from the FWA rings, a standout, sexy performer who would stop at nothing to wrestle, and take sick bumps to make her name in a mysogenistic industry. She hit the big time with a developmental contract in 2006, and hasn’t looked back on her trip to the big time.

The last time we met, she stretched me out pretty well (pictured), so I was happy she was on the other end of a phone across the pond this time. She is blooming, and happy with her lot, and tv was worth the wait, she says

“It’s awesome, I’m having the time of my life. You appreciate it all the more now. I am grateful for every day I had in OVW, because now I get a chance to apply what I’ve learned. At the time, you are desperate to get on and take the next step, but now I’m very glad of the time I spent there.”

Ever the pragmatist, Kat is delighted with the top of the wrestling tree, but as ever she looks at her career objectively. WWE is not a place to be starstruck, she tells me.

“When you’re doing it, all the time you’re thinking I’m at work, this is normal, but sometimes you look around at the people backstage or peer through the curtain at the thousands of people in the arenas and it’s just crazy.”

The much lamented womens division is changing for the better, the arrival of Beth Phoenix, who was a training mate and rival in OVW, and the marked improvement of Mickie James all contributing factors. Gail Kim being pinched from TNA will redress the perceptive balance away from mere tits and ass in the eyes of fans.

“I think there are a lot of very good girls on Raw and Smackdown, ” Katie says. “There’s a lot of effort put in and the producers are taking it very seriously, I think the division is on the way up.”

“Audiences see the guys more as the hero figures and the girls as glamorous. We are not seen as superhumans. In terms of match quality, I would say the girls are the same as the guys now.”

WWE are due back on our shores in November, and Katie isn’t sure what reception to expect from the WWE masses, who may not appreciate her lineage here. She muses.

“Probably a lot of people don’t know about my background, because they are strictly WWE fans, unlike the internet fans. I’m certainly curious to see what the reaction is to me, if they boo me or whatever I don’t care. I’m always glad to come home to the UK.

Whoever visits a WWE show can be sure of one thing, they are getting a quality and polished performer who has earned her place in the limelight.

Love her or hate her, this young woman has the world at her feet. She’s not above playing with you either, telling me,

“It’s actually my birthday on the 10th November, so maybe I can get them to sing happy birthday to me…”

Womens Champion before the end of the year. You heard it here.

MANY and various spiky complaints puncturing the FT inbox this week concerning the decision to move the live broadcast of Unforgiven from Sky Sports 1 to Sky Sports 3 this weekend.

FT went to our friends at Sky, brandishing the torch of indignance on your behalf, and were told the weekend sport schedules were stuffed as full as Berbatovs brand new gold wallet, so the axe fell on the wrestling.

A statement read, “It’s in order to fit the large amount of live sport we have on Sunday night/Monday morning. We also have the US Open Tennis Final that night which could well overrun past 1am on Sky Sports 1 & NFL on Sky
Sports 2.”

So the Americans are to blame either way. Lovely. Wrestling obviously nestles snugly at the foot of the priority table, unless we’re paying for it, which Vince will no doubt be delighted to hear.

Michelle McCool vs. Maryse Announced for Unforgiven

WWE.com announced today that Michelle McCool will defend the WWE Divas Championship against Maryse at Unforgiven.

At Unforgiven, proud Divas Champion Michelle McCool will risk the gold she has tirelessly fought for against the cunning Maryse in a match of toughness and sheer determination to be the top Diva on Friday Nights.

Since making history by overcoming Natalya to become the first-ever Divas Champion at The Great American Bash, Michelle has done everything in her power to bring integrity and class to her reign, while setting the bar high for her challengers. Her considerable ability is only surpassed by the belief she has in herself and what she is capable of inside the squared circle.

Maryse has demonstrated little respect for the champion and even less modesty, noting that the gold would look better around her waist. Tensions have built to a fever pitch as the sultry Diva has aggressively pursued the champion, going so far as to attack her prey at the conclusion of their tag team competition in recent weeks, initiating a knockdown brawl between the two. Maryse insists she is the sexiest of the sexy and desires nothing more than to capture the gold.

At Unforgiven, Michelle will attempt to silence her outspoken challenger once and for all. If Maryse hopes to unseat the All-American Champion, she will need to bring the skills to match her silver tongue.

Find out which of the Sexiest Women on Television will reign supreme by watching Unforgiven, live Sunday, Sept. 7, only on pay-per-view.

On last week’s Smackdown!, we saw Maryse move over Natalya Neidhart to become the number #1 contender for the Divas title after brawling with McCool—It was bad enough that Michelle went over Natalya at the The Great American Bash the become the first Divas Champion, now she’s taking a backseat while Maryse gets a title shot.

Women’s Wrestling in the WWE will continue to get flack for these very reasons. Natalie Neidhart, a third generation wrestler, part of the renowned Hart family, with years experience on both Maryse and Michelle—a woman who was in the right place at the right time to give the title some instant credibility, takes a back seat. The only redemption right now is perhaps this is a short rivalry that serves the purpose of Michelle having a successful Pay Per View title defense.

Candice Michelle returns to Raw. Photo: (c) WWE

On last night’s Raw (September 01, 2008), Candice made her television in-ring return in a Six-Diva Tag Team match along with partners Kelly Kelly & Mickie James against Beth Phoenix, Jillian Hall & Katie Lea. Candice Michelle picked up the win after rolling up Beth Phoenix.

Candice Michelle was portrayed as being equal to Beth Phoenix— going toe to toe against her as she tagged in, attacking with a kick, followed by tenaciousness forearms…the irony here is, just a couple of weeks ago, a much more capable wrestler Mickie James was booked as having to struggle against the power of the Glamazon, as with Melina Perez…Certainly not as absurd as Kelly Kelly being able to work competitive matches against Beth and pick up singles victories (as seen on last week’s Raw). Candice Michelle certainly has much more in-ring presence than Kelly Kelly, which was the highlight of her return–Did she look amazing or what? purely from a physical standpoint, which has a lot to do with her new look…

I certainly can’t forgive the botched headscissors takeover by Candice and a few shaky moments, with such a short time to execute her spots, she should have been flawless—all with taking into consideration ring rust, and the fact she and Beth had the opportunity the night before during a house show to get back in tune with each other.

Hopefully Micke James doesn’t get pushed to the side now that Candice is back.

Candice Michelle, Kelly Kelly & Mickie James vs Beth Phoenix, Jillian Hall & Katie Lea. Photo (c) WWE

Here’s the WWE.com results…

All eyes on her

Though Orton is still recovering from his injuries, former Women’s Champion Candice Michelle appeared on Raw fully healed and ready to go. The returning Diva worked together with Mickie James & Kelly Kelly to take on the team of Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix, Jillian & Katie Lea Burchill. In spite of The Glamazon’s boasts about her strength and power, Candice led her team to victory by pinning Phoenix, the woman who injured her months ago