 |
| Jessicka Havok won't have this easy a time tossing around Alpha Female Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
When Denver Colorado (the man, not the place!) purchased Women's Superstars Uncensored in 2012, the company was mired with an image crisis. The former owner had an unsavory reputation and a big mouth, and the perception of the company was, in a word, sleazy. The shame of it all was that the promotion always had some great wrestlers on its roster, like the ubiquitous Mercedes Martinez and the take-no-prisoners Jessicka Havok. What that roster needed, however, was a change in direction. Eighteen months after said purchase, saying that WSU has done a 180 in terms of image is safe at the very least. Mutiny, their sixth show since the purchase by the Beyond Wrestling promoter, looks to be their most star-studded and ambitious card to date.
The most noteworthy person booked on the show and the most indicative of the bold new direction of the company has to be Alpha Female. The German monster has made waves in seemingly every country in the world except the United States, making headlines in her epic feud with Jenny Sjodin in England and building upon that initial splash through several tours of respected joshi promotions in Japan. Her name was near the top of every wishlist for wrestlers coming to America, and WSU may be the only company able to book her.
Alpha has been appearing on the TNA Impact European tour and has garnered interest to be part of a revamped Knockouts Division. While TNA has allowed its wrestlers to appear on independent cards around the country and world, its policy on whether those appearances can be distributed on any kind of video are restrictive. Effectively, the company will have frozen out SHIMMER and SHINE from getting Alpha on their cards in the future if and/or when they offer her something to sign. Basically, the first and last chance for folks to see her in an indie ring before she heads off to TNA might just be Saturday.
If Alpha could only wrestle one match in WSU, then she had to face the one in the American indies most like her, right? Saturday, she'll get the chance to square off against Havok, who may or may not be WSU Champion by the time the match rolls around. Both wrestlers are tall, strong, and imposing, and they have the potential to shake the Flyers Skate Zone to its foundations. Describing their impending tilt as a clash of the titans seems like an understatement, and with this match possibly being Alpha's last stop before TNA, I think both wrestlers will want to put a little extra juice behind each strike.
The only person keeping Havok from entering the exhibition as Champion would be Shanna, who was originally scheduled to face off against Havok at the show. However, because the chance to have Alpha appear was so fleeting, her Championship opportunity was bumped to the secret show that will be held Friday (if you want to be a part of that, e-mail Colorado at beyondwrestling@gmail.com). Her consolation prize is teaming with Chris Dickinson against the team taking Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and YouTube by storm, Candice LaRae and Joey Ryan. The two teams will vie for a spot in the annual Queen and King of the Ring Tournament, which last year was won by Athena and AR Fox.
Athena was to use the tournament as a springboard to get one final showdown with Havok for the WSU Championship at Uncensored Rumble last year, but an unfortunate injury suffered the night before at the company's first secret show sidelined her for the rest of 2013. Another wrestler who was promised a title shot before injuries derailed her was LuFisto, who was to get a shot at the Queen and King show title shot before she got hurt at the SHIMMER WrestleCon show. Despite prolonged absences, their claims to the title have not been forgotten, and they will wrestle to decide the next contender to Havok (or Shanna).
Two old grudges will also come to heads with gold on the line. Ezavel Suena will take her long-simmering beef with Spirit Champion Marti Belle to lucha de apuesta levels. The two have been trading barbs and cheap shots with each other for nearly two years, and in what should be the final battle, each will wager something dear to them. Belle will put the title up for grabs, while Suena will wager her mask. Another match that has been brewing since 2012 has been for the Tag Team Championships. Allysin Kay and Sassy Stephie have held the titles without much of a challenge for over two years, but Annie Social and Kimber Lee gave the two all they could handle in a non-title match at Full Steam Ahead until a leg injury derailed Lee. Finally, the two teams will clash for the belts at long last.
Also on the show, Mickie Knuckles will return to battle Jewells Malone in an uncensored rules match. Knuckles engaged in total war with Saraya Knight at Blood and Thunder and emerged victorious, while Malone has both made her mark in WSU as well as Beyond Wrestling, where she was one of the breakout stars of Tournament for Tomorrow II weekend. Rounding out the televised-on-Internet pay-per-view card will be an advertised grudge match between international superstar Jenny Rose and indie tour de force Veda Scott.
The live crowd will get to see a NWA Women's Championship defense from Barbi Hayden against Santana Garrett. Like Alpha, Garrett is bound for TNA, but the ink on her contract is already dry, so she can't appear for the people who aren't able to make it live. Hayden won the title a couple of weeks ago in Houston, and televised or not, her first defense will be stiff. Hania the Howling Huntress, Neveah, and Christina von Eerie have all been announced for appearance as well, although their matches have not been set yet.
While the old WSU had its fans and will continue to face scrutiny from people who enjoyed it under the prior owner, I don't think their improvement in perception is an arguable point right now. The old WSU wouldn't have even tried to bring over Alpha Female or been able get this many talented wrestlers from all corners of the globe under one roof. The production values are better, the veneer is cleaner, and the associations are at least higher-profile. Say what you want about Combat Zone Wrestling, but that company is in the midst of cleaning up its image too. Wrestling is at its best when the people producing it take the art seriously, and Mutiny is the best example yet of WSU's culture change making it one of the most valued players on the scene today.
Mutiny will take place Saturday at the Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ. The show starts at 3:30 PM, Eastern Standard Time, and it will be available live on iPPV. If you are so inclined, stick around for CZW's event afterwards.
The most noteworthy person booked on the show and the most indicative of the bold new direction of the company has to be Alpha Female. The German monster has made waves in seemingly every country in the world except the United States, making headlines in her epic feud with Jenny Sjodin in England and building upon that initial splash through several tours of respected joshi promotions in Japan. Her name was near the top of every wishlist for wrestlers coming to America, and WSU may be the only company able to book her.
Alpha has been appearing on the TNA Impact European tour and has garnered interest to be part of a revamped Knockouts Division. While TNA has allowed its wrestlers to appear on independent cards around the country and world, its policy on whether those appearances can be distributed on any kind of video are restrictive. Effectively, the company will have frozen out SHIMMER and SHINE from getting Alpha on their cards in the future if and/or when they offer her something to sign. Basically, the first and last chance for folks to see her in an indie ring before she heads off to TNA might just be Saturday.
If Alpha could only wrestle one match in WSU, then she had to face the one in the American indies most like her, right? Saturday, she'll get the chance to square off against Havok, who may or may not be WSU Champion by the time the match rolls around. Both wrestlers are tall, strong, and imposing, and they have the potential to shake the Flyers Skate Zone to its foundations. Describing their impending tilt as a clash of the titans seems like an understatement, and with this match possibly being Alpha's last stop before TNA, I think both wrestlers will want to put a little extra juice behind each strike.
The only person keeping Havok from entering the exhibition as Champion would be Shanna, who was originally scheduled to face off against Havok at the show. However, because the chance to have Alpha appear was so fleeting, her Championship opportunity was bumped to the secret show that will be held Friday (if you want to be a part of that, e-mail Colorado at beyondwrestling@gmail.com). Her consolation prize is teaming with Chris Dickinson against the team taking Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and YouTube by storm, Candice LaRae and Joey Ryan. The two teams will vie for a spot in the annual Queen and King of the Ring Tournament, which last year was won by Athena and AR Fox.
Athena was to use the tournament as a springboard to get one final showdown with Havok for the WSU Championship at Uncensored Rumble last year, but an unfortunate injury suffered the night before at the company's first secret show sidelined her for the rest of 2013. Another wrestler who was promised a title shot before injuries derailed her was LuFisto, who was to get a shot at the Queen and King show title shot before she got hurt at the SHIMMER WrestleCon show. Despite prolonged absences, their claims to the title have not been forgotten, and they will wrestle to decide the next contender to Havok (or Shanna).
Two old grudges will also come to heads with gold on the line. Ezavel Suena will take her long-simmering beef with Spirit Champion Marti Belle to lucha de apuesta levels. The two have been trading barbs and cheap shots with each other for nearly two years, and in what should be the final battle, each will wager something dear to them. Belle will put the title up for grabs, while Suena will wager her mask. Another match that has been brewing since 2012 has been for the Tag Team Championships. Allysin Kay and Sassy Stephie have held the titles without much of a challenge for over two years, but Annie Social and Kimber Lee gave the two all they could handle in a non-title match at Full Steam Ahead until a leg injury derailed Lee. Finally, the two teams will clash for the belts at long last.
Also on the show, Mickie Knuckles will return to battle Jewells Malone in an uncensored rules match. Knuckles engaged in total war with Saraya Knight at Blood and Thunder and emerged victorious, while Malone has both made her mark in WSU as well as Beyond Wrestling, where she was one of the breakout stars of Tournament for Tomorrow II weekend. Rounding out the televised-on-Internet pay-per-view card will be an advertised grudge match between international superstar Jenny Rose and indie tour de force Veda Scott.
The live crowd will get to see a NWA Women's Championship defense from Barbi Hayden against Santana Garrett. Like Alpha, Garrett is bound for TNA, but the ink on her contract is already dry, so she can't appear for the people who aren't able to make it live. Hayden won the title a couple of weeks ago in Houston, and televised or not, her first defense will be stiff. Hania the Howling Huntress, Neveah, and Christina von Eerie have all been announced for appearance as well, although their matches have not been set yet.
While the old WSU had its fans and will continue to face scrutiny from people who enjoyed it under the prior owner, I don't think their improvement in perception is an arguable point right now. The old WSU wouldn't have even tried to bring over Alpha Female or been able get this many talented wrestlers from all corners of the globe under one roof. The production values are better, the veneer is cleaner, and the associations are at least higher-profile. Say what you want about Combat Zone Wrestling, but that company is in the midst of cleaning up its image too. Wrestling is at its best when the people producing it take the art seriously, and Mutiny is the best example yet of WSU's culture change making it one of the most valued players on the scene today.
Mutiny will take place Saturday at the Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ. The show starts at 3:30 PM, Eastern Standard Time, and it will be available live on iPPV. If you are so inclined, stick around for CZW's event afterwards.
