Lionesses of Wrestling - From The Ground Up

[Blake Trask]

Lionesses of Wrestling XIII: Live!

 

Masked Damsel (Abbi alter ego) vs. Sakuyama

Ophelia Oswell vs. Samba Barnes

Lottie Lace vs. Rolling Rhiannon Jones

OM2 (Oswell alter ego) vs. Ronin (Sakuyama alter ego)

Cap’n Swann (Ellen alter ego) vs. High Executioner

 

Saturday, week 1 April 2020

Gloucester Street Youth Centre

Attendance: 43

Not broadcast

Commentary: None

 

 

• The champion in action first up and whatever ill-effects she may have been suffering from her defence against Lace, she certainly isn’t showing them tonight. The Masked Damsel delves into her box of dirty tricks, but Sakuyama is very scrupulous about keeping the referee’s eye on the ball, and Damsel comes close to getting disqualified more than once. Bereft of her cheap tactics, Damsel really doesn’t have much in the locker, and Sakuyama dismantles her en route to picking up an easy win. — E
   
   
  
• Samba Barnes is in the ring for her big announcement. However, before she can get to revealing what it is, Svenja Schwartz interrupts her. She mocks Barnes, telling her that she can try and build the anticipation for as long as she wants, nobody here cares. Barnes fires back that it’s funny Svenja should say that, since she seems to be under the mistaken impression anyone cares about her. They go nose to nose, and Schwartz starts shoving Barnes around, laughing at her and daring her to make something of it with her dud arm… and Barnes says that that’s her announcement! She sheds the sling and throws a big bomb at Svenja’s face! Svenja is staggered and then dispatched to ringside! Barnes grabs the mic again and says that she’s all fit to compete! — D-
   
   
  
• A great return from injury and a great debut here for ‘The Exeter Executioner’ Ophelia Oswell, who is a great striker with excellent precision. In spite of this, though, Barnes is fired up and the crowd is behind her for this return, and it’s all Oswell can do just to slow her down. Ultimately, It was never going to be her night, and Barnes, flinging Oswell hither and thither with suplexes and huge throws, romps to a feel-good victory. — E+
   
   
  
• Lottie Lace puts in a good shift against a second debutant, ‘Rolling’ Rhiannon Jones. Much like her 21CW namesake, Jones enjoys trying to string suplexes together, though she also has a variety of chops in her arsenal, including a few that wouldn’t go amiss in Lace’s previous stomping grounds in Japan. Lace adjusts swiftly though, and manages to fight out of a triple vertical suplex and strike back with a triple german sequence, then hits the Penalty Kick for a well-earned win. — E
   
   
  
• The so-called OM2 is probably best described as a neon biker, as her in-ring outfit is straight up fluorescent. She might fight in suspiciously similar vein to Ophelia Oswell, but she’s certainly one of the better disguises we’ve seen. She couldn’t cut more of a contrast to the serious and dark-clad Ronin, who swiftly puts paid to OM2’s fun-loving ways and turns this one into a striking match. The hard-hitting bout is suddenly and brutally terminated as Ronin ducks under a high kick and drops OM2 with a rising, spinning elbow, and then cleans up with a roundhouse. — E+
   
   
  
• As Ronin rises, Ellen Ward comes out from backstage. She tells Ronin simply that if she wants a fight, she’s got one. Ronin nods curtly in agreement. — D
   
   
  
• Abbi Archer comes out next, and after a short delay, Swann and Bakshi join her in rampantly raucous fashion. Archer asks for Sakuyama to come out, and the champ does so. Abbi explains that she doesn’t blame Sakuyama at all for focusing on the title last week, and she’s glad she was able to get a win tonight. She hopes that Sakuyama doesn’t think that Abbi was imposing on her, and says that they’re still friends. Stakuyama agrees, and apologises, offering Abbi a hug. Swann cheers and goes to the turnbuckles, hyping the crowd. Bakshi tries to get in on the hug and Sakuyama breaks off, pushing her away; it’s very awkward. As a little bit of a standoff ensues, there’s a commotion: Countess and Executioner through the crowd! They enter behind Abbi! Sakuyama freezes! Bakshi shouts, shoving Abbi out of the way and taking a loaded glove shot intended for her! The jig is up and Countess/Executioner bail. Swann dramatically cradles her fallen shipmate, and vows to take on Executioner in her place! Sakuyama and Archer share an awkward moment of eye contact as the ring is cleared for the main event. — D-
   
   
  
• Swann demands blood in this one, and she’s all over Executioner initially, throwing the surprised hangwoman onto the back foot. An early flying dropkick gets two, and Executioner rolls to ringside to recuperate. She takes some pointers from Countess and reenters, managing to defend herself from the next part of Swann’s assault and then counter a new rush with an exploder. Swann isn’t going to just lie down though, and she kicks out furiously. The momentum swings both ways, and Executioner eventually manages the win with a superplex, two feet on the ropes, and Countess holding on for extra leverage. — E+
  

 

SHOW RATING: E+

[Blake Trask]

Lionesses of Wrestling XIV: Live!

 

Sea Dogs (Ellen & Rajni) vs. Gearhead & Fool’s Gold (Machinegun Marley & Rhiannon Jones)

Astrogirl (Countess) vs. Aviator Agarwal (Rajni)

Abbi Archer vs. Machinegun Marley

Dionne Grimes vs. Rhiannon Jones

Samba Barnes vs. Countess

Ellen Ward vs. Ronin (Sakuyama)

 

Saturday, week 2 April 2020

Gloucester Street Youth Centre

Attendance: 43

Not broadcast

Commentary: None

 

 

• The Sea Dogs open up the show with their usual swagger and raucous cheer. However, Cap’n Swann gets a modicum more serious than normal when she addresses the British champion, Sakuyama. Last week, she left Abbi Archer high and dry, an act which Swann deems to be utmost bilge-rattery, especially as this led to her beloved bosom buddy Bosun Bakshi being brutally beaten! After a beat, Sakuyama emerges and is angry at Swann’s insinuations. She didn’t react quickly enough and her friend got hurt, and Swann’s accusing her of doing it deliberately? That’s low. Bakshi asserts that LoW is in fact the company. Everyone groans. — D
   
   
  
• The pirates remain in the ring for the arrival of Gearhead and quote new unquote face, a luminescent figure clad in a shining tracksuit introduced as Fool’s Gold. (She is 100% Rhiannon Jones). Swann and Bakshi are very interested in focusing fire upon Fool’s Gold and spend an inordinate amount of time attempting to plunder her tracksuit top. This single-minded fixation enables Gearhead to really go to town with her striking, unloading hammer blow after hammer blow (yet not a single arm wrench? For shame). The Sea Dogs are forced to rally at ringside in a huddle with Polly, and here Gearhead overreaches, winding up lost at sea against the wily Dogs. She’s summarily dismantled, leaving Fool’s Gold to be the proverbial merchant vessel and consigning her to Swann’s Davy Jones’ Locker. — E+
   
   
  
• Someone very different out next, a figure dressed up as an astronaut. Well, that’s LoW for you. The spacewoman introduces herself as Astrogirl; the audio astute of the audience may recognise Countess’s voice, but honestly, she does a very good job of adjusting pitch and intonation to sound very different. She spends some time talking about how great space is and how awesome a rocket ship she has, which draws out a frankly appalled Aviator Agarwal. How can she like space so much, there’s no atmosphere! You can’t do air displays or tricks! Astrogirl says that uh. It’s space. It wins by default. This cannot stand! A match, right here and now! — D+
   
   
  
• What follows is definitively a comedy match. Astrogirl moves around in big leaps and slow motion hops, and Agarwal finds that her slams are ineffective; she can’t bring Astrogirl down with any force, she just pops straight back up again! This plays against Astrogirl too, though. She ends up sending herself careening backwards every time she strikes Agarwal, and an irish whip sends her pinwheeling across the ring instead. The finish comes as the first strains of Shinobi’s menacing theme begin to play, distracting Agarwal. Roll up—Agarwal kicks out, Astrogirl goes flying. Lightbulb moment! Agarwal simply dives on top of her! Astrogirl can’t push off with enough force! 1, 2, 3! — E+
   
   
  
• Abbi Archer is in action next against Machinegun Marley, and it says a lot about how far the fledgling company and its rookies have come in just a few short months when a match with myriad issues can hit a level that previous shows struggled to manage with main events. In brief, the workers can’t get on the same page, the referee can’t get out of the way, and Abbi can’t get out of her own head. A distracted-looking Archer manages to hit the Bullseye and collect a victory. — E
   
   
  
• Unfortunately the next match conspires to be worse. Call it the effects of her stint as Fool’s Gold earlier, but Rhiannon Jones has a serious off night against Dionne Grimes, and the two of them are green enough that they can’t really afford too much weighted against them. The major highlight is Grimes managing to kick out after Jones scores a trio of rolling vertical suplexes, feeding off the crowd reaction to claw her way back into the match and romp to a big win. — E-
   
   
  
• Samba Barnes vs. Countess makes for a very strong contest, not least thanks to them both having an instinctive understanding of one another’s styles and their role within the match. Countess has to use every trick in the book to cut Samba off from firing up too hard and prevent the train from leaving the station. Samba keeps coming back, a little stronger each time, a little closer to that big explosive finale. This match is hurt more than most by the inexperience of the wrestlers; they don’t quite have the psychology to pull together the story that they’re trying to tell, and that hurts it. Samba manages to slip out of yet another hold and gets enough separation to finally land a big crossbody. She’s all over Countess! Scoop slam! Clothesline! Clothesline! Dropkick! Executioner jumps onto the apron! The referee blocks her from interfering, but Svenja Schwartz slithers in from the far side of the ring and cheap shots Samba in the back of the head! She skedaddles, and Samba is dazed enough for Countess to sink her with the reverse bulldog and pick up the victory. — E
   
   
  
• A very good main event as Ellen Ward and Ronin look to settle the score in the ring. Ronin peppers Ward with precise punches and kicks, and Ward retaliates with much less elegant but no less nasty boxing combinations, left, right, uppercut. Ronin tries to take the sting out using throws and suplexes, but Ward fights through each impact in turn, demonstrating her grit and determination every step of the way. There’s an attempt to end it instantly with the roundhouse kick, and Ward ducks; as time wears on, it seems that Ronin is growing frustrated that she cannot put Ward away. The two exchange blows in the centre of the ring, roundhouse attempt—Ward catches the leg, pulls her in, exploder! Ronin staggers upright, glittering magician! Ellen Ward is victorious in what must be LoW’s best match to date! Ward gets hold of a microphone, and keeps it short and simple: Sakuyama. You’re next. — D-
  

 

SHOW RATING: D-

[Blake Trask]

 

I stepped back through the curtain to a cheer.

 

The girls were all waiting for me: Raj, Abbi, Sally, Samba, Rhiannon, Millie (AKA Countess) with a round of applause and several hearty pats on the back. I smiled and laughed, baffled but gratified.

 

“That match was lush, mate,” Samba chirped, giving me a big hug. “Absolutely nailed it.”

 

“It wasn’t that special—”

 

“Shut up and take the compliment, Disaster!” called Rajni. “By our standards, that was the Supreme Challenge.”

 

“How about you and Millie? That was proper tidy!” Rhiannon nudged Rajni, who looked legitimately taken aback.

 

“Uh, just a bit of a laugh, right?”

 

“None of that! Don’t do the same as Ellen!”

 

I took the opportunity of distracted Rajni to extricate myself from the crush a little bit, managing to redirect Samba’s exuberance towards a hapless Abbi, who didn’t even get the chance to react before entering the Samba Radius. I’d have to get Abbi back for that one later.

 

Instead, I found Sally, who flashed me with a smile. She was never one for going mental with celebrations, but we’d been mates long enough that I knew a pumped up Sally when I saw one.

 

“Absolute belter,” she said.

 

“You reckon?”

 

“Definitely. Fans were rowdy. Didn’t care it was me wearing this get up.” She gestured to her black Ronin garb.

 

I grinned. “How weird is it that we have fans?”

 

“No getting carried away, ey. Three and a bit months.”

 

“Yeah. Novelty.”

 

She nodded. I mulled it over. The initial excitement of a new promotion running regularly in London was propelling us right now, but it couldn’t last forever. Rajni was right on that point; promoting women’s wrestling in Britain was enough to get us attention, not sustain it indefinitely. What we had was the spark of interest. We had a lot of work to do to nurture it into a fire.

 

Still…

 

I looked back at Sal and gave her a nudge. “So we keep it up with matches like that, yeah?”

 

“Damn right.”

[Blake Trask]

Lionesses of Wrestling XV: Wildhearts

 

Assassin (Ellen) vs. Rajni Smith

Dionne Grimes vs. Abbi Archer

Svenja Schwartz & Machinegun Marley vs. Samba Barnes & Lottie Lace

Countess & High Executioner vs. Gearhead & OM2 (Marley & Ophelia Oswell)

Sakuyama © vs. Ellen Ward

 

Saturday, week 3 April 2020

Gloucester Street Youth Centre

Attendance: 61

Not broadcast

Commentary: None

 

 

• Rajni Smith is in the ring to open the show. As per usual, she’s got plenty of bants for the crowd, who let her have it big time. A surprising emergence from backstage is Assassin, but the reason for this rapidly becomes clear when she reminds everyone that anything that is not completely serious is deeply offensive to her. Rajni laughs it up and welcomes Assassin to try shutting her mouth if she’s so annoyed. — D
   
   
  
• It remains clear that Rajni is far from the finished article as a wrestler. To be honest she’s an opening paragraph, maybe a first column. Still, Assassin brings the actual moves to this contest and carries the action while Rajni does what she does best: talk, exiting the ring to wind up the fans. Assassin tries to hunt Raj’s head, but is thwarted as she steps out of the way. They return between the ropes and Rajni utilises the most devastating move in her arsenal, rolling Assassin up with a handful of tights. — E+
   
   
  
• Abbi Archer still seems unfocused, and up against a grumpy looking Dionne Grimes, that hampers the contest. Grimes races out of the blocks and looks good doing it, rushing towards grabbing Archer’s arms, falling back to kick up into her chin—Archer comes to life! She fights back and the crowd responds, and that energy is enough to set her on an unstoppable backswing of momentum, sinking Grimes with the Bullseye. — E-
   
   
  
• Armed with a microphone, Svenja Schwartz is all kinds of insulting about Samba Barnes, whom she brands as worthless, hopeless, and charmless. She should have stuck to interviewing. Not that Barnes is good enough to make a career out of it, but at least as an interviewer she wasn’t getting in the way of worthwhile competitors. What a disgrace. Samba is not one to take this type of talk lying down; she comes out with a microphone of her own and counters that she works as hard as anyone and has every right to be here. Interviewing just proves that she wants to be involved in any way she can, even when hurt. Now that she’s healthy, she’s willing and able to prove that she can hang. — D-
   
   
  
• The arguing pair quickly equip themselves with a partner each, Lottie Lace for Samba and Machinegun Marley for Schwartz. There’s a stark contrast in the level of teamwork, the faces acting as a unit, while Schwartz treats Marley as more of a minion, ordering her about with disdain. Marley’s an effective fighter, but less so a footsoldier, and at length she breaks off to start arguing back with Schwartz, stymying the momentum she’d started to gather for her team. Lace, who’d been worked over the most to this point, manages to take the opening and grab a hot tag to Samba, who runs wild—there’s a lot of cheering from the younger teenaged girls in the audience—and although Schwartz manages to stop her for a moment with a low dropkick, instead of countering, she tags out and bails, abandoning Marley to a fantastic tilt-a-whirl DDT and defeat. — E+
   
   
  
• From onne nasty and arrogant wrestler to a pair of them, Countess and her Executioner are out next. They sneer their way through a promo about Abbi Archer, proclaiming that it shows full well her complete lack of class to be associating with the low down and dirty pirates that are the Sea Dogs. Who could be surprised? The lower classes do like to roll around in the mud together. — D
   
   
  
• Gearhead and OM2 make for a pretty solid pairing, both adept at the striking game, though the former is more of a brawler and the latter more precise. That said, they don’t have the instinctive teamwork of Countess and Executioner, nor the identical arrogant attitude that enables them to wrest control and keep it through sheer confidence that victory is the only possible outcome. OM2 gets a shine, flashing and dashing around the ring with unpredictable martial arts, but the Executioner smashes her out of her neon boots with a lariat, and then wastes her with a powerbomb. — E+
   
   
  
• The blueblood and her heavy aren’t done: the Executioner looks determined to fulfil her namesake and grabs hold of Gearhead, decimating the hapless mechanic with a brutal bucklebomb. Countess is eager to see OM2 suffer the same fate, but Abbi Archer dashes out to the ring to make the save! Executioner drops OM2 to face the new threat, and Archer hits a front kick that sends her reeling. Dropkick to Countess, and Archer grabs OM2, dragging her out of the ring to safety. Gearhead remains motionless in the ring, and Countess shouts at Archer that she’s no hero, just a pathetic, jumped up peasant with ideas above her station. — E+
   
   
  
• British title on the line in our main event, and this here is a great reprise, of the initial clash for the Queen of Pride tournament and subsequent contest for the belt, obviously, not anything more recent. Ward is flint-eyed and stoic, and Sakuyama meets that focus with intensity of her own. Strikes, holds, and suplexes are traded back and forth, but each time Sakuyama reaches for a strategy that worked in the past, Ward has a fresh answer for it. The champion looks vulnerable all of a sudden, attempting the Kagawa Driver 20 and Ward spinning out of it, glittering magician! She scrambles to pin, and Sakuyama has just enough wherewithal to roll out of the ring! Ward shouts in frustration, chasing Sakuyama to the floor, and the champion, looking groggy and punch drunk, just about manages to twist her around, dropping Ward facefirst onto the ring steps! The referee gives Sakuyama a stern warning for that one, and Sakuyama apologises bashfully. Ward for her part doesn’t look like she knows where she is, and after Sakuyama rolls the action back into the ring, the Kagawa Driver 20 lands on the second time of asking. — D-
  

 

SHOW RATING: D-

[Blake Trask]

It's taken me a bit but I'm finally feeling like I'm back into a flow (fLoW?) with posting regularly, so I'm going to start running predictions again.

 

I know the table is still sort of being set with a lot of the booking (especially with there being cosplay characters and unknowns). Happy to hear thoughts on if any elements are making it difficult to follow what's going on (and if anything would make it more clear!)

 

Thanks for reading.

-

 

Card for Lionesses of Wrestling XVI

 

The Sea Dogs vs. Dionne Grimes and Rhiannon Jones

Ophelia Oswell vs. Lottie Lace

Ellen Ward vs. Aviator Agarwal (Rajni)

Abbi Archer vs. Fool’s Gold (Rhiannon)

Sakuyama vs. High Executioner

Svenja Schwartz vs. Samba Barnes

[Historian]

The Sea Dogs vs. Dionne Grimes and Rhiannon Jones

Ophelia Oswell vs. Lottie Lace

Ellen Ward vs. Aviator Agarwal (Rajni)

Abbi Archer vs. Fool’s Gold (Rhiannon)

Sakuyama vs. High Executioner

How could you not root for High Executioner?!?

Svenja Schwartz vs. Samba Barnes

[Herrbear]

The Sea Dogs vs. Dionne Grimes and Rhiannon Jones

Ophelia Oswell vs. Lottie Lace

Ellen Ward vs. Aviator Agarwal (Rajni)

Abbi Archer vs. Fool’s Gold (Rhiannon)

Sakuyama vs. High Executioner

Svenja Schwartz vs. Samba Barnes

[Croquemitaine]

The Sea Dogs vs. Dionne Grimes and Rhiannon Jones

Ophelia Oswell vs. Lottie Lace

Ellen Ward vs. Aviator Agarwal (Rajni)

Abbi Archer vs. Fool’s Gold (Rhiannon)

Sakuyama vs. High Executioner

Svenja Schwartz vs. Samba Barnes

 

It kills me to pick against Aviator Agarwal, but Ellen is a contender and Rajni is... Rajni.

[Dalton]

Card for Lionesses of Wrestling XVI

 

The Sea Dogs vs. Dionne Grimes and Rhiannon Jones

Ophelia Oswell vs. Lottie Lace

Ellen Ward vs. Aviator Agarwal (Rajni)

Abbi Archer vs. Fool’s Gold (Rhiannon)

Sakuyama vs. High Executioner

Svenja Schwartz vs. Samba Barnes

[Blake Trask]

Worker Profile - Ophelia Oswell

Date of Birth: January 17th, 2001

Debut Date: April 2020

Hometown: Exeter, England

Height: 5'11

Size: Skinny Lightweight

Style: Striker

Finish: Spinning Roundhouse Kick

Key Attributes: Irrepressible, Stud Athlete

 

'The Exeter Executioner' Ophelia Oswell is a rookie Brit with a lot of natural cool factor. Tall and rangy, she uses her length and kickboxing training to pepper her opponents with combinations of strikes. She could use some work on her fundamental skills, and may have to venture outside the UK to gain that experience. Lionesses of Wrestling were her very first employers; you don't look as bad for being green as grass when everyone else is too!

 

Alter Ego

OM2

Billed from: The Other Side

Finish: Death Kick Kombo (Combination of kicks)

 

Clad from head to toe in neon, ravepunk biker OM2 is so cool that the room temperature drops a couple of degrees when she walks in. She is at her best when entering that transcendant trance she dubs simply 'The Zone', but as yet, this is a power she can only tap into fleetingly. Perhaps in time, she will grow into these mysterious powers, and when that day comes, her opponents had better watch out.

[Blake Trask]

Lionesses of Wrestling XVI: Live!

 

Saturday, week 4 April 2020

Gloucester Street Youth Centre

Attendance: 50

Not broadcast

Commentary: None

 

 

• The Sea Dogs get us off to a hot start fighting the makeshift pairing of Dionne Grimes and Rhiannon Jones. It’s spirited and mostly clean (clean as a pair of salty pirates can be, anyway), up until Jones rolls her way out of the ring and all the way to the Dogs’ side… and abducts Polly the parrot! Swann is as furious as a swordfish, and takes it out on Grimes, and the remainder of the contest is occupied by attempts to rescue Polly. Jones tosses the parrot high in the air as a distraction, but Swann dives underneath and saves her! Jones is rolling with laughter, but Bakshi is uncharacteristically unamused. Plank Drop! Three count! — E+
   
   
  
• Our piratical pair fuss over Polly, combing her feathers and ensuring that the bird is shipshape. Their distraction is more than enough of an opening for a much more dastardly duo: Countess and Executioner, dubbed now on posters as Noblesse Oblige, creep through the crowd and launch an assault on the scurvy sailors! Executioner holds their arms while Countess clocks them each in the jaw with her loaded glove, and then the villains make themselves scarce before any cavalry can come in to save the day. — E+
   
   
  
• Ophelia Oswell clicks great with Lottie Lace, and that elevates this match. Oswell can lay her stuff in with confidence that Lace can handle it, Lace can uncork with greater impact and not worry that she’s going to get complaints over going too hard. Lace has got the experience, though, and she paces herself better, she covers up and defends better; Oswell is taking all the shots in full, and that leaves her unable to find an answer for the Penalty Kick (Running Soccer Kick). — E+
   
   
  
• Agarwal is eager to shake Ward’s hand at the start of this one, but Ward angrily refuses, slapping the plucky flygirl’s outstretched palm away. That seems to light a fire in Agarwal, who soars and flies, unleashing a bombing run. Ward has to dig deep to fight back, putting a flight ban on Agarwal with some nice tight submission holds. Agarwal tries to rally, and the fans are on her side, she’s heading for the runway—Shinobi appears out of nowhere at ringside! Agarwal falters right as she’s looking for liftoff. Ward leaps up behind her, crucifying her arms—A&E (Crucifix Armbar)! Agarwal taps! Ward rises, shaking off the official’s attempt to raise her arm… and her expression dropping into a murderous glare when she spots the ninja at ringside who just got her a win. — E+
   
   
  
• Unfortunately, Abbi continues to struggle to get out of her own head, and her contest against Fool’s Gold isn’t all that it could be were she switched on. Even so, it’s not completely awful, and Gold winds up looking the fool when she misses big on a charging elbow and eats the Bullseye (Cutter) on the turnaround. — E
   
   
  
• Archer has no chance to catch her breath. No sooner has the bell rung than Countess and Executioner are out for yet another vicious attack. Weakened and tired, Archer is no match for the two of them. It looks like Archer is about to go the way of the pirates when Sakuyama charges the ring like a house on fire! Shoulder block for Executioner! Suplex for Countess! Sakuyama checks on Archer, and then points right at Executioner: she wants a match, here and now! — D-
   
   
  
• Sakuyama is all over Executioner from the opening bell and for the first time, the noosewoman is looking imperilled. Sakuyama is fighting with fury, channelling the spirits of her favourites: Ogiwara chops! Hatoyama feint kick! Executioner doesn’t know where she is! Countess reminds her this is wrestling’s royal stage! Executioner snaps out of it and with a couple of timely distractions, fights back. Hangman’s neckbreaker! She ties Sakuyama in the tree of woe and chokes the life out of her with a boot, releasing her at the last breath of the official’s five count. Executioner takes control, but she can’t keep Sakuyama down. The champion fights out of a powerbomb, punching Executioner in the face until she drops—Executioner kicks out of the ensuing pin at the last second! Sakuyama has the momentum back, Kagawa Driver 20—Countess pulls Executioner free and punches Sakuyama square in the jaw, loaded glove and all! It’s an instant disqualification, but Noblesse Oblige don’t seem to care. They see Abbi Archer has recovered from the earlier beatdown and think twice about putting any boots to Sakuyama, but are distinctly self-satisfied as they slink away. — E+
   
   
  
• Perhaps slightly weaker than the preceding contest, Samba Barnes finally gets her hands on Svenja Schwartz and wastes no time in showing exactly what she’s about, full of energy and hundred mile an hour moves. Schwartz has to powder out of the ring to wriggle out of Barnes’ clutches, and it’s a merry chase around ringside that leads to them both nearly getting counted out on multiple occasions. Barnes thinks she’s got Schwartz cornered in the ring, but it was a ruse! Schwartz slingshots her into the turnbuckle and wrests control. She insults the fans for having the guts to boo the finest wrestler in the company, but the longer she grinds Barnes down, the more preoccupied she gets with shouting at the fans; Barnes is still alive! Backslide! Kickout! Exploder! Schwartz is reeling! Barnes hoists Schwartz onto her shoulders, but she clings to the top rope, and then wraps herself around it entirely. The ref has to enforce a break, but as she’s separating them both, Schwartz lands a cheap shot! Barnes drops hard, and Schwartz immediately disposes of the evidence—brass knuckles! Rushing over, she pins Barnes for a dubious win. — E+
  

 

SHOW RATING: E+

[Blake Trask]

QUICK RESULTS

The Sea Dogs def. Dionne Grimes and Rhiannon Jones

Lottie Lace def. Ophelia Oswell

Ellen Ward def. Aviator Agarwal (Rajni)

Abbi Archer def. Fool’s Gold (Rhiannon)

Sakuyama def. High Executioner

Svenja Schwartz def. Samba Barnes

 

--

 

Mostly straightforward here. Hierarchy is still shaking out, but honestly a lot of the girls are quite close in popularity. Noblesse Oblige finally get their official team name. I really enjoy these two and they get to be plenty dastardly here. Looking back at it, this is the first show where I started to channel Self's excellent The Show Must Go On in terms of match write-ups going a bit more towards signature spots and character moments than just ~moves~. Matches are tricky for me to not feel like I'm repeating myself just reciting moves, and I feel like leaning more on character helps bring to life workers nobody's going to know much about. Cause I made them up.

 

Speaking of which, I'm going to continue with the worker profiles going forward. It was pretty fun to put together and helps introduce who these gals are. Let me know if you've got anyone you really want to learn more about.

[Blake Trask]

Card for Lionesses of Wrestling XVII: Live!

Svenja Schwartz vs. Rhiannon Jones

OM2 (Ophelia) vs. Elizabeth Cain (Newbie!)

Rajni Smith vs. Crush Crush Clara (Newbie!)

Sakuyama & Abbi Archer vs. Ophelia Oswell & Astrogirl (Countess)

Ellen Ward vs. ???

 

Sometimes it occurs to me how completely unfamiliar these names must be...

[DarK_RaideR]

Bound to happen when using custom characters, but anyone following the diary most likely can keep up. What's more often confusing to me is the same people wrestling under a couple of different aliases, but it takes some getting used to.

[Croquemitaine]

Svenja Schwartz vs. Rhiannon Jones

OM2 (Ophelia) vs. Elizabeth Cain (Newbie!)

Rajni Smith vs. Crush Crush Clara (Newbie!)

Sakuyama & Abbi Archer vs. Ophelia Oswell & Astrogirl (Countess)

Ellen Ward vs. ???

 

Never bet against ???

[Blake Trask]

Bound to happen when using custom characters, but anyone following the diary most likely can keep up. What's more often confusing to me is the same people wrestling under a couple of different aliases, but it takes some getting used to.

 

Haha yeah, fair point.

 

Fun fact - in the spiritual predecessor to LoW, a game in 2016 I was considering diarifying for a while, I had the same starting set up of four newbies. I booked nothing but them fighting each other for literally over an in game year, each with three different identities.

 

That was charmingly hokey, since it allowed for stuff like a challenger claiming the champ (who was also her) was ducking her, but the gag wore thin after a while.

-----------

 

Worker Profile - Lottie Lace

Date of Birth: June 27th, 1998

Debut Date: February 2016

Hometown: London, England

Height: 5'4

Size: Flabby Small

Style: Regular

Finish: Penalty Kick (Running Soccer Kick)

Key Attributes: Driven, Amazing Babyface, Prodigy

 

Lottie Lace is a youngster who joined the wrestling business in early 2016. Although not a naturally athletic performer, she has been a lifelong fan of the industry. Her hero is Tommy Cornell, and she has stated in a few interviews that it is her dream to team with him in a match. That will certainly be a challenge for her, but what can be said for her is that she works incredibly hard and leaves it all in the ring, and people with far worse attitudes have gone a long way. Her first break in the business came in 2019, when she started to attract the attention of 5SSW. Willingly taking the gamble, Lace has made appearances on several tours already.

 

-

 

 

 

 

I couldn’t sit still. Tonight was big. Huge. We had a shot at something real. I had a shot at—okay, okay, calm down. I was going to psych myself out at this rate, and then I’d definitely turn in a shite performance.

 

Another circuit of the youth centre’s back room. Rajni was chatting to Little Jim (distinct from Big Jim, who’d been much taller than him in primary but was now the same height) about a promo spot later on, and I listened to them for a few before turning around.

 

I almost bumped right into Nicky, who deftly stepped to one side.

 

“Ah, sorry mate.”

 

“All good,” he said, flashing me a smile. According to Raj he was ‘well fit’, but he didn’t really do anything for me. Probably something to do with him being a guy. Nice smile, though. He held up a small stack of papers. “I heard back from some of the locals.”

 

A distraction was exactly what I needed, especially a productive one. “Already?”

 

“I’m good at making phone calls.”

 

An underrated skill. I gestured Nicky over to a free table and we pulled up a pew. “So, what’s the story?”

 

“Mostly the silent treatment, but we got some offers.”

 

Some was already more than I expected. “Yeah?”

 

“Mmhm. Skinner’s Sarnies. Daljit and Daljit. The dodgy paint bloke. Mick’s car shop.”

 

“We’re not advertising the dodgy paint bloke.”

 

“You haven’t even seen his offer.”

 

“Mate people will think we’re huffing it.”

 

Nicky paused. “Yeah okay fair.” He handed me the first paper. “Skinny will do us a flat amount per show if we whack him onto the poster, and a bigger amount with a bit per head if we put him on the tickets and put sarnie vouchers on the back. The Daljits have an offer for the poster; we can probably do both. Mick will pay us a lot to have him on the apron.”

 

I took a few to read over all the offers. I hadn’t really thought about how much business was involved with running a company.

 

“Okay… um…” I glanced back and forth between the papers and Nicky.

 

“...Need a second opinion?”

 

“Please.”

 

“Skinny’s deal is good. The vouchers don’t cost anything and people will hang onto them so they’ll think of us more than once. The Daljits have a good offer but I reckon we should wait and see if someone else has a better one and go back to them with that. We can only really do a couple on the poster before it gets tacky and crowds out the wrestlers. Mick… it’s a lot of money. I don’t know.”

 

“We can’t do Mick. We’re not Mick Pro Wrestling. And everyone gets enough sponsor crap shoved down their throats on TV.”

 

Nicky laughed. “And here comes Ellen Ward, sponsored by Reverie.”

 

“Ugh. Don’t.”

 

We talked over the offers on the table. The nerves began to slide away.

[Blake Trask]

Lionesses of Wrestling XVII: Live!

 

Saturday, week 1 May 2020

Gloucester Street Youth Centre

Attendance: 50

Not broadcast

Commentary: None

 

 

• Rhiannon Jones knows she has a big task ahead of her against Svenja Schwartz, but she’s ready with a gameplan, coming in as hard and fast as she can. Rolling vertical suplexes! A roll of the dice—snake eyes! She thinks she’s softened Schwartz up, victory roll! Schwartz kicks out! Schwartz thinks that Jones should slow her damn roll! Thrown by the failure of her plan, Jones is easy prey for Schwartz’s machinations, and the Invasion (Curbstomp) stamps the victory with authority. — E
   
   
  
• Samba Barnes appears with a microphone, and is all business. Svenja cheated to get one over on her. Way Barnes sees it, that puts them at 1-1, and she wants the rubber match. Schwartz grabs a microphone of her own, and sneering, remarks that, im gegenteil, she is 1-0 against Samba, and sees no reason whatsoever to give Samba a shot at getting her win back. Barnes thinks Svenja’s chatting absolute jokes. What does she call the tag match the other week, then? Schwartz laughs: Irrelevant. — E+
   
   
  
• OM2, recovered from ignobly inflicted injuries, is in action against the debutant ‘Callous’ Elizabeth Cain. The grisly geordie stalks to the ring clad in a black leather longcoat, hair menacingly arrayed in a mohawk. Fluorescent biker OM2 could hardly cut more of a contrast, and the two of them engage in a brawl that has the crowd’s attention: Cain does great work for a complete unknown (as opposed to the almost complete unknown that is OM2), clawing and biting and torturing OM2, and there could be something of note here. OM2 has to enter the Zone to fight back, transcending pain and adversity and unleashing a Death Kick Kombo that turns Cain’s lights out with a spinning back heel. — E
   
   
  
• It’s time for some good ol’ fashioned Rajni Smith on the stick! She gives the crowd all kinds of grief, breezily insulting everyone and anyone that catches her attention (sparing special focus for a hapless young man in the front row). It gets the fans real riled up and ready to see Raj get her comeuppance. — D
   
   
  
• The competitor that emerges is an absolute powerhouse, a heavily built black woman billed as Crush, Crush, Clara. They might be similar heights, but the gulf in physique surely makes this into a foregone conclusion, a joke of a contest? Well, sort of, but not the joke that anyone might be thinking, as Clara transforms in the ring into a perfect pantomime foil to Rajni. It’s almost infuriatingly funny as Rajni tricks Clara with classic ruses like ‘it’s behind you!’ and time outs, but when Rajni tries them twice, Clara roars back with an ‘oh no it isn’t!’—Rajni panics and is battered around the ring for a bit, sent flying through the air with huge power moves. But wait, dastardly inspiration! ‘Oh yes it is!’ Clara turns! Rajni cheap shots her! Air Force Raj! (Second Rope Leg Drop) to steal the match away! — E
   
   
  
• Sakuyama comes down to the ring and invites Abbi Archer to join her. Archer arrives with little hesitation. Sakuyama wastes no time in breaking down an apology to Archer. She was slow on the draw a few weeks back and put Abbi in harm’s way, and that isn’t cool at all. That’s not what friends do. She’s going to make it up to Abbi tonight by being a great partner to her in this upcoming match. Archer thanks Sakuyama for the apology and reassures her that she never had doubt that her heart was in the right place. Abbi offers a hug, and surprised, Sakuyama takes it. After they break away, Sakuyama assures Archer that she’s got her back 100% of the way, and won’t let anyone else harm her. Abbi pipes up; or her other friends, right? Sakuyama is thrown off, but then adds, reluctantly… yeah, not the pirates, either. Archer is delighted. — D-
   
   
  
• Archer and Sakuyama make for a good team against Oswell and the aggravating astronaut that is Astrogirl. Archer’s full of pep and enthusiasm now that she’s got Sakuyama backing her up, and takes the fight to the enemy! Oswell and Astrogirl have to rethink before they get run over. Astrogirl grabs Archer through the ropes and Oswell traps her in the corner with dirty boxing. Combinations from Oswell! Astrogirl sends Abbi soaring to the stars while gloating about how cool her spaceship is. Sakuyama rallies the crowd, gets them making noise. Archer shows signs of life, as Astrogirl tries to vent her oxygen with chokes. She feels confident in making a big move, charges—Archer dodges! Astrogirl rockets into the buckles! Hot tag! Sakuyama runs wild over the bad gals! A lariat sends Astrogirl into the atmosphere! Kagawa Driver 20 to Oswell! That’s all she wrote! — E+
   
   
  
• An angry Ellen Ward claims the ring for the top of the show. She’s fuming that apparently the matchmaker didn’t see fit to book her this week. She wants competition and she wants victory—no, she wants glory, fame, and gold. She wants it all, and she can’t f**king do that when they don’t put her on the bloody show. Well, she’s here, and she isn’t budging an inch until someone comes out here to give her the fight she deserves.
   
  
  Three notes. And again. The crowd stirs. There’s a certain wrestler those notes are associated with, but surely… surely...
   
  

  If you could only see the beast you've made of me

  
  I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free
  Screaming in the dark, I howl when we're apart
  Drag my teeth across your chest to taste your beating heart
   
   
  
  

  
   
   
   
  

• The fans erupt as England’s own Steph Blake comes out from backstage! Ward’s jaw drops! Blake grins from ear to ear, and those in attendance sing out a Hoooooooooooooooooooooowl alongside Florence and the Machine as Blake makes her way to the ring! — D+
   
   
  
• It’s a heartbreaker; Ward and Blake cannot for the life of them get onto the same page and it drags what would undoubtedly have been a great contest into a merely decent one. Ward reaches into her bag of tricks but Blake’s a cut above any opponent she’s ever faced and she gets schooled by the woman who has been wrestling quite literally longer than Ward’s been alive. Blake looks full of joy to be here and beats Ward from pillar to post, but Ward’s determined not to let this all be one way traffic. She slides out of a razor’s edge, boot to the back! She grounds Blake, targeting the ankle, taking away the standing base from the veteran’s lethal striking. If Blake can’t put weight on her leg, then she can’t take Ellen to school. Great plan… and one that Blake’s fought against dozens, hundreds of times before! She powers out! She catches Ward flush with a rising kick! Ward tries to fight back, glittering magician—BLOCKED! Ward can’t believe it! Blake counters, Slingshot DDT! Blake is the winner! — E+
  

 

SHOW RATING: E+

[DarK_RaideR]

Ah, really making waves then if Steph Blake agreed to show up, kudos!

[Blake Trask]

QUICK RESULTS

Svenja Schwartz def. Rhiannon Jones

OM2 def. Elizabeth Cain

Rajni Smith def. Crush Crush Clara

Sakuyama & Abbi Archer def. Ophelia Oswell & Astrogirl

Steph Blake (???) def. Ellen Ward

 

 

--

 

Steph Blake is the signing that brought the diary back.

 

I'd kind of hit a pause a few shows before this, and though I periodically looked at the save, I wasn't quite feeling it, sort of indecisive. I wanted to resume the story but didn't want to flake out again, as is my habit.

 

I knew that Steph had moved back to Britain, but I didn't realise how inexpensive she would be. Once I saw that, the gears started turning and I was re-energised. Over time that built back up into the resurrection you now see.

 

This show 'clicked' Ellen's character for me. The promo is one of my favourites of hers because of what it says about her and how she feels about wrestling. Naturally, however, you get a huge signing and then there is no chemistry. Ah well.

 

Astrogirl is really fun to write. This show also revealed something very interesting about Rajni to me, which we shall see more of going forward.

 

Ah, really making waves then if Steph Blake agreed to show up, kudos!

 

Yes and no - as mentioned, she relocated, so paying no travel makes her a cheap hire. In character, however, it's a pretty huge deal.

 

--

 

Card for Lionesses of Wrestling XVIII: Live!

Lottie Lace vs. Svenja Schwartz

Noblesse Oblige vs. Blue Ranger (Abbi) & Aviator Agarwal (Rajni)

Dionne Grimes vs. Steph Blake

Abbi Archer, Sakuyama & The Sea Dogs (Ellen & Raj) vs. Ophelia Oswell, Rhiannon Jones, Elizabeth Cain & Astrogirl (Countess)

[Blake Trask]

 

 

 

I just worked Steph Blake.

 

Holy f**king s**t I just worked Steph Blake.

 

I’d had to sit down as soon as I went to the back, that’s how badly I was shaking. Steph was one of about five English wrestlers to ever see international success. She’d been on just about every AAA show I’d ever watched, and had won a triple crown. Me and Sally had dressed up as her and Zoe Ammis when we were kids and they were tag champions. And she was here, working for my daft, childish little company that couldn’t even afford enough wrestlers for a proper roster.

 

And we just had a match in the main event.

 

It was all so awesomely surreal that it was nearly enough to salve our shite timing. Not quite, but nearly.

 

“Hi, Ellen.”

 

I looked up. Steph was standing over me. I froze.

 

“Good match.” She stuck out her hand.

 

It took me a couple of seconds to destatue myself. I took her hand. “Thank you. It was all you.”

 

She smiled politely and shook her head. “No, you held up your side too, trust me. That wasn’t a carry.”

 

I managed to nod, a smile of my own flickering on and off my face. My heart was going a million miles an hour. Getting praise for the match was beyond a dream, especially when I knew that we hadn’t clicked great as opponents.

 

“I’m looking forward to working here,” said Steph. “This is long overdue.”

 

I tilted my head to the side. LoW had only been open for four months.

 

She detected my confusion and clarified. “Women’s wrestling in England. When I moved back here, I was sort of telling myself that I was pretty much retiring.” Steph looked away for a long moment. When she looked back, her smile was still in place, but had changed into something more private and self-contained. “Looks like I’m sticking around a bit longer. Speak to you later, Ellen.”

 

“You too,” I managed to get out of my starstruck head.

 

I watched her go.

 

I tried not to squeal like a fangirl. I’d do that later.

 

Even if this whole thing fell to pieces, I was going to have that match forever.

[Croquemitaine]

Steph Blake is the signing that brought the diary back.

Well then, thank you Steph Blake!

 

 

 

I'd kind of hit a pause a few shows before this, and though I periodically looked at the save, I wasn't quite feeling it, sort of indecisive. I wanted to resume the story but didn't want to flake out again, as is my habit.

I get to a point in every save where my roster has sort of stabilized, I've hit my initial growth goal, and now there's nothing to do but continuously run shows and slowly grind my way up to the next level, and the only challenge is finding fresh matchups among the same people. This is where a lot of saves die.

 

I'm glad this one is still going. I find it quite inspiring, actually. I'm sorry that I don't post more.

[Blake Trask]

Haha, thank you!

 

Pacing played a part (four shows/month is quite a grind at this size, and I regret that I tried it that way to start), but also mental health, in honesty. But yeah, churning out shows is unfun and a drain on creativity in the long run.

 

There's no need to apologise! I appreciate the comments you make.

[Blake Trask]

Worker Profile - Countess

Date of Birth: April 3rd, 2000

Debut Date: February 2019

Hometown: Cambridge, England

Height: 5'6

Size: Skinny Small

Style: High Flier

Finish: The Writ (Reverse Bulldog)

Key Attributes: Unpredictable, Risk Taker, Comedy Match Worker

 

(The) Countess is a youngster who first made appearances on the English independent scene in 2019, working as a manager. Having trained at drama school (and currently attending University for performing arts), Countess has a great grasp of character and excels at adding small mannerisms to her work, and it's these that really make her aloof and snobbish character pop. Recently, she's made it clear that she's willing to accept bookings as an actual wrestler, and sure enough, this caught the attention of the only game in town, Lionesses of Wrestling.

 

Alter Ego

Astrogirl

Billed From: Infinity And Beyond

Finish: Spacewalk (Moonwalk Elbow Drop)

 

Intergalactic ace Astrogirl is a spacefaring competitor who returns to Earth in her free time to wrestle (grappling of course being the hobby of choice for interstellar travellers). Her unique gravitational aura gives her a big advantage between the ropes, since it's impossible to slam somebody who is operating under 0.5 Earth's gravity, a fact which makes her endlessly fond of smugly declaring how much cooler outer space is than boring old England.

[Blake Trask]

Lionesses of Wrestling XVIII: Live!

 

Saturday, week 2 May 2020

Gloucester Street Youth Centre

Attendance: 50

Not broadcast

Commentary: None

 

 

• Abbi Archer is in the ring with Sakuyama to open up the show. She asks the Sea Dogs to come out, and sure enough, Swann and Bakshi emerge, though their usual exuberance is muted as they eye Sakuyama with suspicion. Archer asks the plundering pirates to work together with Sakuyama tonight, they have a huge main event match coming up. Bakshi says that they’re perfectly happy to team up with Abbi, but they don’t trust Sakuyama and don’t think Abbi should either. Sakuyama bristles, pointing out that the dogs haven’t exactly been the most honourable of fighters. Swann argues that salty ruffians they may be, but they look out for their own, and they think Sakuyama looks out for herself first. Abbi intercedes before things can get ugly, pleading for everyone to get along. She doesn’t want anyone to fight. The Dogs and Sakuyama reluctantly agree to cooperate. — D+
   
   
  
• A solid outing for Lottie Lace and Svenja Schwartz, opening up the show with a match that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a legitimate organisation. Which LoW also is, obviously! No back garden wrestlers here! Schwartz tries to drain the life out of the contest and Lace with solid matwork, but Lace continues proving herself to be one of the best in the company, managing to pick the lock of every hold Schwartz clamps on. They exchange some stinging shots, but after a stiff forearm to the jaw, Schwartz decides she’s had enough and exits the ring to head towards the back. A certain someone has other ideas; Samba Barnes runs out from behind the curtain and blocks Schwartz’s path! Svenja reacts furiously, but before the two can come to blows, Lace grabs hold of Schwartz and drags her back into the ring! Svenja’s mental game is all kinds of thrown, and the opening is more than enough for Lace to slam home the Penalty Kick (Running Soccer Kick) and pick up the win. — E+
   
   
  
• LoW’s favourite flygirl Aviator Agarwal comes out to the ring to talk about her ongoing issues with Shinobi. She doesn’t really get what the ninja’s beef is, but she’ll drag her out into the light and watch her squirm. She’s going to get Shinobi on radar and not let her off it again—menacing shamisen. Agarwal whips around, looking here, there, and everywhere. Where’s the ninja!? But wait… is that the timekeeper sliding into the ring!? No! Shinobi in a hoodie! Ninjut...su? Shinobi gets the drop on Agarwal and beats her down, then flees through the crowd. — D+
   
   
  
• The actual timekeeper, looking very confused, makes her way down to the ring and retrieves her hoodie, and is followed by the Blue Ranger, Agarwal’s partner for the next match. Noblesse Oblige, their opponents, are looking smug about their chances, and for good reason. Executioner is all over Ranger as she attempts to buy time for Agarwal to recover. Hangman’s neckbreaker! Tree of woe, boot choke! Ranger digs deep and manages to stay alive long enough for the tag. Agarwal’s ready for takeoff! She soars and flies! She bombs Executioner back to her corner… but Countess is fresh and waiting, tags in, and clips Agarwal’s wings. She doesn’t have enough left in the tank, and Ranger is equally beat up. Countess and Executioner take control, and Countess shows Ranger The Writ (Reverse Bulldog). — E+
   
   
  
• Dionne Grimes has the unenviable task of competing against Steph Blake while searching for that bounce back victory. And it just ain’t happening. Grimes does what she can, but Blake has so much experience and so many DDTs. Spike DDT! Impaler DDT! Slingshot DDT! Wait, that’s her finisher. Oh right, Grimes just lost. — E+
   
   
  
• In the midst of the celebrations, Ellen Ward storms out from backstage. She yells at Blake that she doesn’t deserve to be here, that she can’t just walk into the company like she owns the place. Blake abandoned British women’s wrestling, and now that Lionesses of Wrestling exists, now she wants in? Blake’s a fraud. Ward advances further and further on the ring as she rants, and the two women end up nose to nose, intensely staring each other down. — E+
   
   
  
• The bumper 8 woman main event gets a bit messy with so many people in the ring, but honestly this is much more about the story than the action. The babyfaces struggle to play nice with one another, and it’s all Abbi can do to stave off a mutiny. Such a lack of unity is fertile ground for the bad gals; Astrogirl soars to the stars and brags that her crew’s teamwork is much better, Cain claws and bites and tortures, Oswell throws out combinations, Jones is on a roll—Sakuyama has had enough of this! She tags herself in and drops Jones with a knife edge chop, hits a snap suplex when she rises. Sakuyama’s fighting spirit is starting to build—Bakshi with the blind tag! Sakuyama is fuming. The babyfaces manage to get back into the fight, but Jones abducts Polly once again! Swann chases her backstage. Archer steadies the ship and pulls her team forward, managing to get Sakuyama and Bakshi to cooperate to block Astrogirl and Oswell while she hits the Bullseye (Cutter) on Cain. — E+
   
   
  
• Right on cue, Noblesse Oblige come out from behind the curtain, dragging an unconscious Swann by the hair… and holding Polly in their villainous clutches! Countess laughs at the good gals in a manner that wouldn’t go amiss from an anime villain. It’s cute watching them trying to stay on the same page when they’re so obviously at cross purposes. They couldn’t even keep one of their own safe. Bakshi is apoplectically angry and shouts that she’ll chase Noblesse Oblige to the ends of the high seas! Countess cuts in. Oh, any of you will fight either of us, will they? Bakshi says that damn right they will, you scurvy knaves! Avast! Take it right to the matchmaker! Countess grins. Oh. Yes. She will. See you next week. Sakuyama. The champion realises the cheque Bakshi just wrote with stolen gold, and gives the pirate a murderous glare. — D+
  

 

SHOW RATING: D-

[Blake Trask]

QUICK RESULTS

Lottie Lace def. Svenja Schwartz

Noblesse Oblige def. Blue Ranger & Aviator Agarwal

Steph Blake def. Dionne Grimes

Abbi Archer, Sakuyama & The Sea Dogs def. Ophelia Oswell, Rhiannon Jones, Elizabeth Cain & Astrogirl

 

--

 

Not enough overness to go around in the main event, but fun to have all four of the main girls on a single side in a match. Still, we can do better, not an experiment we'll repeat any time soon.

 

Last show for Dionne Grimes and Rhiannon Jones, at least for now. Rhiannon's fine, just green. Dionne is not as good as she looks on paper and likes to complain about losing, so maybe won't be back. With smaller companies I like to bring in workers on shorter term deals to keep things fresh and momentum ticking over. I mostly prefer this to one night only since it usually works out a bit cheaper, and if people are around for a couple months, it lets them build up some continuity and character. Ophelia was originally going to finish up with us on this show, but her gimmick was legendary with some very, very beneficial effects, so she gets to stick around.

 

Angles are starting to hit their stride a bit. Rajni and/or Countess talking is usually going to pull up the grades, and we'll see more of that in the future. Now the dastardly Noblesse Oblige have kidnapped a stuffed parrot, and on such things feuds are made of.