So, my name is Craig Hermit and I'm back with The Merch Desk. This month we are looking at a wide variety of merch including products from WWE, SPLX, Fight Club: PRO, Will Ospreay, The Ringside Perspective and Pro Wrestling EVE.
WWE
This month, WWE released their new Women's Fall Collection and I've had a look at some of the excellent NEW ranges.
Alexa Bliss "Twisted Bliss" Boat Neck Sportiqe Long Sleeve T-Shirt.
Towards the end of September, SPLX Apparel released their first ever Women's Range. From T-shirts to Leggings the new range certainly focuses on you getting your best performance whether it be in the gym, outside or wherever you feel comfortable working out but you'll be doing it with a flair of style too.
Night One and Two of FCP 8th Anniversary extraordinary weekend has finally been released and damn it's one that worth the wait. With an incredible card on both nights this is a DVD that should be in your collection.
Limited photo cards from the excellent Portrait of a Wrestler, from the Clockwork Orange shoot. Definitely if you're a fan you should certainly have a look at Will Ospreay Big Cartel page.
"A luxury, high quality book of the three most intense days in trios tag team action, held for the first time in the UK! Over 50 pages filled with exclusive content including detailed portraits, high energy action shots, backstage candids, interviews, stories and more from the wild ride of a weekend." I couldn't say it any better myself.
They are the promotion that has been featured in everything from Buzzfeed all the way to the BBC. With exciting wrestling and an intimate setup at wrestling shows, it is understandable why fans are drawn to the events.
Recently CHIKARA (If you aren't aware of them, they're the closest thing Wrestling has to a Multiverse) began a bold structural experiment. Having presented their first sixteen seasons of wrestling, they jumped forward a year in their storylines to season 18, having written out some characters, changed some rudos to technicos and generally messed with everyone's heads. Simultaneously, they have begun releasing the secretly filmed episodes of Season seventeen which will explain away all of this and provide probably quite lovely goodbyes to esteemed alumnus like Drew Gulak and first female CHIKARA Grand Champion Princess Kimber Lee. What's amazing here is I can find no other promotion that has broken the real passage of time in the universe, even pre-taped shows like NXT or Lucha Underground (mostly) pretend that they exist in that week. So why has it taken this long for someone to actually bend the rules of time itself for storytelling purposes? Probably because an indie like CHIKARA can get away with such experiments in ways that WWE never can because they put on one, maybe two shows a month where WWE are producing so much damn content, I don't think even Vince has time to watch it and we all knows he's an immortal Highlander. Do you remember when RAW and Smackdown did a WWE Season Finale? No, well they must have done, they had a Season Premiere and that had...stuff happen. I mean, Sting wrestled his first two matches on WWE TV (in tribute to New HOF-er Teddy Long, I should mention it was a DQ win against Big Show thanks to Seth Rollins' intervention leading to a tag match of Sting and John Cena vs Show and Rollins, playa.). But they had their Season Premiere so they had a Season Finale right? They wrapped up all their stories and started new ones, all the questions were answered (as normal, like The Simpsons of graps gags, Kayfabe News already made this joke. A year and a half before the Season Premiere). No, it was, surprisingly, an attempt to sell RAW as 'big' TV in middle of American Football season, but it highlights the differences between RAW and Chikaratopia or Lucha Underground. I've long described Pro-Wrestling to people who are dubious as an insane musical Telenovella but all the songs are partially choregraphed fight scenes and really nowhere is that truer than with RAW and Smackdown, they are Soap Opera both in the sense that the storylines are blown away and often swallow up all potential subtlety that could be invested into them but also because they never. Ever. End. Where LU uses its limited time to tell a deliberate story, WWE is an ongoing, all encompassing media empire. When a feud ends, it has to feed into whatever's next for the performers, there is no downtime in which to let things build up and make plans, especially as the injury rate isn't slowing down and if you try to plan too far ahead, there's a likelihood all the intended performers could be out of action before you get there. But is this necessarily a bad thing? All stories have an appropriate length, Macbeth works because it is a contained narrative, Breaking Bad was intended to be five seasons and it didn't need to continue from there, not that I'm complaining about having Better Call Saul which for my money might be better but that's an article for my other day-job. WWE needs to be a shark of a conglomerate, constantly moving, making its plot-lines link into its other media, it wants you to know that while you're watching that when you're done, that it's not over, that you could go and watch a classic episode of Smackdown it references or you could go and see whether there's any reflection of in-ring feuds over on Total Divas or you can go and work out which demographic Holy Foley is aimed at (the demographic in question is Sado-masochists). There has to be a Frank the Clown fan out there somewhere right? No, I don't count Noelle, that's cheating. I digress, the point is that even if it feels like there's sometimes a tossed-off at the last minute quality to the endings, that's because they don't have enough time to provide anything more than the ending being 'one person wins, one person loses'. But that is the nature of soap storytelling, there isn't the time to devote to conclusions and epilogues because that's not the intention of WWE TV. It isn't binge-watch TV where you would sit and watch it all day, it is 'The Longest Running Weekly Episodic Television Show In History', it isn't something where they want you to have been watching since the beginning, it's something that aims to catch new fans every week, to make itself available to any random viewer who tunes in on a whim, it wants to catch the casual viewer and the hardcore, it wants you to stay tuned in after Smackdown Live for 205 Live and Talking Smack because it wants your attention but it doesn't demand that you devote more than the prescribed weekly time to it.
Which, to play devil's advocate, is not to say it couldn't benefit from taking a more seasonal approach. Imagine if they positioned WrestleMania as the Season Finale and then took a month or two's break to let the dust settle before it continues. Yes, I know what you're thinking; 'but what about the Post-Mania RAW? That's where all the surprises really happen'. That is just really ridiculous. WrestleMania is their biggest show of the year, it should be the culmination of all the chess moves over the year, it should be their check-mate but instead it seems like big stuff happens but then the actual storyline resolutions happen the next night instead. That's a Lord of the Rings level of dragging out the ending. Look at what LU are doing, what Chikara are doing, what even other critically acclaimed indies like PROGRESS are doing and you'll see that leaving space allows for more intention and impact. I'm not saying they'd have to shut down House Shows even for that time but just allowing for a re-set period would give them the freedom to plan ahead, to really think about how to make an impact, to avoid the holding patterns of feeling like we're going to just see the same four or five people doing the main event for a while. It would also make WrestleMania feel more significant as it would become an event, as it is, it's the biggest show they produce but then the next night, it continues. Structurally, there is no logic to what happens because there are generally no consequences beyond the immediate. If you look back to Survivor Series, there was a big build surrounding the consequences of either brand losing, on RAW Stephanie McMahon threatened to fire people if they lost, on Smackdown The Undertaker basically said he'd murder them. Yet the following two nights post-SS, the only punishments were that all these professional wrestlers were put in wrestling matches. Literally, their punishment was to do their job. That explains perfectly the lack of forward thinking of the structural style of WWE because they always have something happening the next day, there's no time really to think ahead. In short, Wrestling moves pretty fast. If the WWE don’t stop and look around once in awhile, they could miss it. I don't want to end this article on a down-note (not just in the hope that a certain Mr. Levesque is reading and likes what he sees) so I will say that, I'm not trying to say there's no forward planning at all in the 'E, I mean look at Monday's almost certainly soon-to-be legendary Festival of Friendship. Since SummerSlam, the development of the story of Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens has been one of the few remaining lights of RAW for me and the build towards this has been stellar, it's not only a fantastic segment but sets up perfectly for building to what comes next. But because I lied, time to end on more of a down-note as I say, this is an aspirational point for all of WWE's attempts at rivalry building to equal, give things more time and don't rush through everything. WWE, you have all the time in the world and you seem intent on using all of it to produce as much original content as possible. Don't always worry about trying to make history, just try to tell the stories you have as well as you can. Also viewers, if you're annoyed about there being too much going on in the WWE Universe to follow all of it and you feel it's getting on top of you, you could do a lot worse than to try out Chikaratopia for a change of pace.
This week's edition will be slightly different from normal. Due to there being a lot of events this weekend we've decided to have a quick look at 11 of the shows taking place. So let's get Ready For The Weekend.
The wrestling weekend kicks off this Friday when HOPE Wrestling are heading to Bedford and the venue of Esquires. Three matches have been announced for the show with the main event seeing 'The Righteous' Joseph Conners taking on Ashley Dunn, a man who has faced the likes of Will Ospreay and El Ligero in recent months. Also scheduled for May 20th are Joey Ozbourne putting his undefeated streak on the line against two-time Kings Of Flight winner, Chris Tyler and White Tiger taking on DOA in singles action.
This Friday shall also see CHIKARA teaming with Fight Club: Pro to kick off the first portion of their Aniversario tour of the UK "The Chikara Special", in Newport, Wales at The Neon. While the expected Chikara stars will be on the shows, there is also a wealth of British stars involved in the whole tour which takes place across the weekend. Highlights across the weekend include Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven & Tyler Bate) facing The Colony (Soldier Ant & Fire Ant) in Newport, K.Y.S. (MK McKinnan, Pete Dunne & Damian Dunne) teaming up against Nixon Newell, CHIKARA Grand Champion Princess Kimber Lee and Heidi Lovelace at Fixxion Warehouse in Wolverhampton, before Fight Club: Pro Champion MK McKinnan faces Eddie Kingston in singles action at Bush Hall in London on Sunday. Chikara's UK Tour will then roll through Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow next weekend (and Bank Holiday Monday)
Moving on to Saturday and Preston City Wrestling will be making their debut in Liverpool at the Fusion Nightclub. The main event of that show will see Noam Dar taking on former WWE star John Morrison in a match which will be their third meeting in PCW. Grado shall also be in action on May 21st and has the chance to become a champion when he faces the current PCW Heavyweight Champion; Sha Samuels for the gold. Viper, who has just returned from Japan a few weeks ago will be facing Ireland's Martina in a first time meeting between the two.
Saturday will also see Fight Nation Wrestling in action when they head to Eastbourne for 'Lethal Lottery'. The event will see Sammy Smooth, James Castle, Sid Scala, Jakey, Bruce & Ryan Smile participating in a tournament where the six men will be drawn into three teams. Those teams will face each other in a round-robin series of match with the team with the most wins going forward to the final. Those two men will then face each other in the final with the winner earning a FNW British Championship match. Speaking of the FNW British Championship, Mark Haskins will be defending the championship against Joseph Conners on Saturday. Ring Of Honor World Heavyweight Champion; Jay Lethal will also be in attendance on May 21st when he faces Josh Bodom in a non-title contest in Eastbourne.
Our friends over at Pro Wrestling Chaos are bringing back their hugely successful Total Chaos event this Saturday night at the Yate Leisure Centre in Bristol. The night sees a plethora of stars coming together except for one big difference. Nobody knows who they are facing as all the matches are decided at random on the night. Last year saw some great contests take place and this year is bound to be no different with the King Of Chaos Champion; Wild Boar,El Ligero, Mikey Whiplash and international stars, Colt Cabana and Johnny Gargano all taking part in the aptly named 'Total Chaos' event.
Heading south and Ironfist Wrestling are at the Rainbow Hill Social Club in Worcester. The show has two matches announced so far as Alex Gracie shall be defending the Flyweight Division Championship in an Infinity gauntlet match against Killian Jacobs, Chris Custodio, Matt Hovis, Tommy Sparks, Daniel Arrowsmith, El Kazador, Christopher Drew, Sugar Shay Morris and Joey Scott. Odds on Gracie leaving as champion are 10% and that's not the best chance for the champion. The show will also see the debut of Alex Windsor, formerly known as Liberty who shall be facing Millie Marks in singles action in Worcester.
Finally, Britannia Wrestling Promotions shall see all their championships on the line at the Denbighh Town Hall this Saturday. Marc Morgan shall be defending the PWI:BWP World Catchweight Championship against Danxig. Babyface Pitbull shall also defend the Champion Of Wales title when he faces Dave DelVecchio. We're guaranteed new BWP World Tag Team Champions as the vacant titles will be up for grabs in a match to be announced. There shall also be a 10-man rumble where the winner will hold a Money In The Bank contract for a championship match of their choosing.
Rounding off the weekend on Sunday and Reckless Intent Wrestling are holding their Battle Of West Lothian tournament in Knightsridge, Livingston. The tournament shall see Michael Chase, Jam O'Malley, Sean Mercer, Theo Doros, The Westler, Rob Mills, Delsin Dayre and Jackie Grady compete in four quarter final matches, with the winner progressing to the semi-final and eventually the final all in one night. With a current champion and numerous top members of Reckless Intent's roster all vying for the win, it's a tournament with a lot of unknowns as to who will walk away the winner.
LCW Elevation are at Brockington College in Leicester on May 22nd with 'Ambition'. The main event will see 15 men compete in an over the top rumble match with the winner earning a match for the LCW Elevation Championship. The disturbing group of The Asylum will be in action this Sunday when they face the trio of Shauna Shay, Zak Northern and a third partner of their choosing. The Asylum have been running rough-shot for a while now. This trio will look to stop that momentum. Brett Ryans war against Joseph Conners will continue this Sunday when he faces another close ally of The Righteous one, Lucas Archer. Ryans has taken out Conners friends before and look to add another to the list.
HOPE Wrestling hold their second event of the weekend on Sunday this time in Warsop. The show will see Kyle Kingley try to do what his tag team partner, Robert Sharpe couldn't do a few weeks back, defeat 'The Mexican Sensation' El Ligero. Speaking of Robert Sharpe, he'll also be in action when he faces CJ Banks in singles competition. Martin Kirby shall be defending the HOPE Championship this Sunday as well when he compete against Lucas Archer for the first time ever.
The final event of the weekend will see Futureshock Wrestling back at the Stockport Guild Hall. The show shall see James Drake finally defend the Adrenaline Championship for the first time since January. It might be his last though as his challenger is Jack Gallagher, a man who is due to feature in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic in the near future. Fellow champion, Lana Austin will also be in action this Sunday but her championship will not be on the line. However, if her opponent, Violet Vendetta was to win, it would put her as a very serious contender to the Futureshock Women's Championship. Former Futureshock Champion, Xander Cooper will be competing this Sunday when he faces a man who is everything he is not, Sam Bailey. Both these men want a win over the other to put them on the path to hopefully once again become cahmpion. That wraps up this week's preview of the weekend's wrestling schedule. Of course, there are many more events taking place over the three days. To find out more about the shows we've highlighted here as well as all the others, check us out at www.wrestleropesuk.wordpress.com for the latest show and match announcements, British Wrestling event list, interviews, exclusive columns, reviews, reports and results!
Kicking things off with a Craig David video, don't get that on your average wrestling blog!
From looking around social media, it would seem like WWE is the only option when it comes to professional wrestling in 2014. On any Facebook group or Twitter timeline, there's someone talking about what WWE should be doing to appeal more to them, critically forgetting that WWE isn't supposed to be aiming directly at them. If your expecting every single moment of WWE's 8 hours of original wrestling programming a week (a colossal 11 hours if there's a PPV), the likelihood is your going to be disapointed. WWE is (at least) attempting to be a mass market product, a product that appeals to everyone at the same time, which, of course, is never going to be a possibility. There isn't an artistic venture anywhere that appeals to everyone (Not even Craig David)
During a Twitter conversation with British promotion Southside Wrestling Entertainment (promoted by Ben Auld, although I'm not sure if it was Mr. Auld using the Twitter account at the time), it was suggested that WWE's problem was that it's product (mainly Raw) wasn't aimed at the kind of fan who talks on wrestling forums and tweets about arm bars (Namely, you and I, dear reader). Herein lies a shocking revelation, even if we ignore casual fans and children and families and everyone else who chooses to watch WWE programming and doesn't feel the need to jump on Twitter to let us know their opinions, different wrestling fans like different types of wrestling! Incredible, I know.
Just like any of area of entertainment, there are genres and subgenres within professional wrestling that many may never know about, because they don't look anywhere other than WWE, whilst simultaneously expecting WWE to adapt to suit them. Just like chart music, big budget theatre and Hollywood blockbusters, WWE may often miss the mark when it comes to your personal taste and that is absolutely fine. Because I'm sure there's some element of the show that you do like, and I can be almost certain that there's a professional wrestling company out there that's focusing in on that element and making it their niche.
You like strong storylines, like Dean Ambrose's feud with Seth Rollins? There's plenty of promotions producing really good storyline based wrestling, especially here in the UK, where both Progress and ICW are doing very well for themselves. You like the technical exploits of Daniel Bryan or Chris Jericho? I'm sure indy stalwarts Ring of Honor, or if you're feeling exotic New Japan Pro Wrestling, will be to your tastes. Love a good spot-fest, like the Money in the Bank Ladder PPV? Then PWG is the place to be. Think Adam Rose and The Bunny are the best thing since sliced bread for their trippy antics? Chikara Pro will make you lose your shit. Wish WWE would bring back Drew McIntyre or Carlito or Maria Kanellis or any ex-employee? Get on their Twitter and find out where they're performing, places like FWE and PCW are a good place to start.
I genuinely could go on and on and on. I'm not claiming that my knowledge of the Indy scene is particularly vast, especially when it comes to promotions outside the UK, but the fact still remains that there is a promotion out there that will suit your needs perfectly. So rather than sitting every Monday night, knowing that you're probably not going to be into, at least, a third of what get's presented and then moaning about it online, why not go on a journey of discovery? Have a scour the internet, most promotions have at least some footage up on Youtube, many use on Demand services and almost all DVD's up for sale.
It's a simple formula, find what you like and support it, shout about it from the rooftops. Hey, your mate might like it as well, the one who hasn't watched wrestling in 20 years. Hey, they might not. That's the fun of any art form and a lot of the time the debate between people who enjoy two different styles is part of the fun.
If you kept eating Hawaiin pizza, but didn't really like the pineapple, I'd call you a fool for not taking the pineapple off. So, choose your flavour, maybe occassionally you might add something else to the mix or go back to your old faithful to see if they've taken off some of the pineapple. I really want a pizza now.
After last week's interview with Hashtag Wrestling Promoter Christopher Pugh, it's time to head back to our Canadian cousins and speak CHIKARA as we speak to Wiggy.
Name: Wiggy Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Known For: Hosting The CHIKARAtorium, Pantsless Radio and The View From Filsinger Headquarters. Media Co-ordinator for Smash Wrestling in Toronto.
1. When did you first get into wrestling and what was the drew you to the sport?
I started watching/following WWF when I was about 7. I was in love with Bret Hart. I watched here and there when I was a teenager but mostly fell out of it until 2004 when I discovered indy wrestling. I was a big ROH fan and then in 2006, I discovered my one true wrestling love: CHIKARA. As the years went by and my interest (and free time) decreased, CHIKARA became the only promotion that ALWAYS held my attention. It's the one thing wrestling should always be to me: Fun.
2. Tell us a little about CHIKARAtorium and that came about?
As I said, I was already a huge CHIKARA fan and I was approached by someone at the network Pantsless was on about doing a strictly CHIKARA show. My co-host on Pantsless is Sugar Dunkerton who wrestled in CHIKARA for years and I had interviewed and gotten to know several wrestlers there. I contacted some people and the powers that be liked the idea and gave me their blessing to do the show under the CHIKARA banner. Things didn't work out with that original person and I was pointed in the direction of the newest referee, Daniel Yost. We emailed a bit, he agreed to do the show and we recorded our first episode literally the first time we ever spoke. You can definitely tell too haha.
3. For those who aren't familiar with Chikara, could you explain a little about the promotion and what's been going on as of late?
Chaos mostly. Chikara is a very lucha libre influenced, family friendly promotion full of amazing characters and the most fun you'll find anywhere in wrestling. Except lately, it hasn't been very fun. For the last year, the Director of Fun Wink Vavasseur has been making some very questionable decisions. Splitting up long standing trios, adding people to other ones and generally making a lot of people miserable. It got so bad this spring that several longstanding wrestlers actually got so fed up they quit the company. Things came to a head at the last show, Anniversario: Never Compromise which was shown live in IPPV. Just after intermission, former Chikara ref Derek Sabato got into the ring and announced he had a file he was about to tweet that had something to do with WMD, the company that owns Chikara and would somehow expose Wink. He managed to tweet it but was immediately escorted out by Condor Security. then during the main event, Wink and security came out and stopped the show. The Grand Champion Eddie Kingston and his opponent Icarus were both dragged from the ring. Condor guys were yelling at everyone to get out and the entire stage and set was torn down. I was there and it was absolute chaos. A riot nearly broke out. There were fights and someone broke one of the doors to the venue. Since then, all the scheduled shows for the rest of the year have been cancelled but beyond that there's been no word from the company. It kills me to say it but it looks like Chikara is done.
4. What are your Top Three matches of all time and why?
I think my answers are probably going to be very different from anyone else's. I've seen a lot of matches that many people would put on their list but my criteria is different than most I think. I like matches that make me feel something, that I'll rewatch (a rarity for me) and that I have fun watching. Chikara gives me all of that more than any other promotion ever has and my top 3 come from their universe.
3. Dragon Dragon vs Kobald Wrestling is Fun!
Ok, this match is less than a month old and I've watched it dozens of times already, laughing my ass off every single time. Dragon Dragon was one of the first characters to get me into Chikara and has been the furry love of my life for about 6 years. An all time favourite. Kobald is someone I've worked with quite a bit on my shows and while he revels in making my life miserable, I absolutely love the character and he's my current favourite. The WiF! show it was on was being live tweeted and the match had been unannounced. When it began, I immediately got NINE messages telling me my dream match was happening!
2. The Spectral Envoy (Ultramantis Black, Hallowicked & Frightmare) vs Team ROH (Mike Bennett & The Young Bucks) King of Trios 2012
This was the finals of last year's KoT tournament and I was lucky enough to be there live for it. The Envoy were the heroes led by Ultramantis Black, a man(tis) who's been a part of Chikara from the very first show who, despite countless factions and diabolical plans, has never held any sort of title in his 11 year tenure. Team ROH were the invading baddies. There'd been a running Chikara vs ROH feud all season so the Envoy weren't just fighting for themselves, they were fighting for all of Chikara. In the second round, they faced long time hated rivals, The Batiri. The Batiri didn't take their loss well and after the match brutally attacked the Envoy, specifically Frightmare, injuring his surgically repaired knee. They again made their evil presence felt coming out during this match hoping to ruin the Envoy's chances. This led to the return of Crossbones who came out to even the score and an incredible superplex the outside on to the sea of humanity. When Hallowicked made Bennett tap out, the place exploded. Everyone was screaming and cheering and a ton were crying, myself included. I've never been a part of such an emotional scene at a show before. I still get goosebumps thinking about it.
1. Vin Gerard vs Fire Ant YLC 2008
This is another one I was live at. As much as I love the KoT finals, this match takes top spot simply because I wasn't an especially huge fan of either guy at the time. I liked them well enough and enjoyed their matches but neither were anything close to a favourite and honestly, I was a bit underwhelmed going in. That did not last long. This match was amazing and it didn't take long before they had me caring about everything. Chikara has a 20 count on the floor and at one point, Vin took the badly beaten up Fire Ant out of the ring, across the floor before beating on him more and dumping him at the front door. The place was going insane screaming for Fire Ant to make it back as he desperately inched his way back. When he finally got to the ring at 19, I had no voice left and when he finally pinned Vin, I was jumping up and down and generally losing my mind with everyone else. Such an emotional match that I remember like it was yesterday 5 years later.
5. Where can our readers find your work and what have you got coming up?
You can find every episode of The CHIKARAtorium and our bonus interviews at www.chikaratorium.com, on twitter @Chikaratorium and we have an awesome fan made/run tumblr at www.chikaratorium.tumblr.com.
Every episode and interview from Pantsless Radio is at www.pantslessradio.com. On twitter @PantslessRadio and on tumblr at www.pantslessradio.tumblr.com.
The View From Filsinger Headquarters is available at www.filsingergames.com. There's also facebook pages for all 3 shows and the shows can be streamed or downloaded through our amazing network at www.kopixproductions.com and on iTunes under Kopix Productions.
Personally, I'm going to be at Smash Wrestling events in Toronto all through the summer (details at www.smash-wrestling.com) and I'll be a guest at Galacticon in Jamestown, NY July 13-14. You can follow me and everything I do on twitter @Wiggygator. Thanks!
We'd like to thank Wiggy for this great interview, go check out The CHIKARAtorium, Pantsless Radio, The View from Filsinger Headquarters and Smash Wrestling NOW!
After last weeks interview with OSW Review Host, Jay Hunter
we're back this week with our very first Canadian. It's Leah Von Dutch.
Ring Name: Leah Von Dutch
Age: In my 20's
Hometown: London, Ontario, Canada.
Height: 5'6
Weight: 125lbs
Promotions Competed For:
Classic Championship Wrestling
Neo Wrestling Federation
Tri-City Wrestling
Collective League of Adrenaline Strength and Honor
Northern Championship Wrestling
CHIKARA
Squared Circle Wrestling
Acclaim Pro Wrestling
REINA X World
Maximum Pro Wrestling
Independent Women's Internet Wrestling
Smash Wrestling
Pro Wrestling Battle Arts
Pro-Wrestling: EVE
World Wide Wrestling League
SHIMMER Women Athletes
Can-Am Rising
SHINE Wrestling
Border City Wrestling
Insane Championship Wrestling: Fierce Females
Alternative Wrestling World
Ring of Honor
New Breed Wrestling Association
1. When did you first get into wrestling and what was the
drew you to the sport?
When I was 12 years old I began watching wrestling and what
really drew me into the sport was when Trish Stratus and Lita debuted. Trish
was a blonde Canadian so I could relate with her right away and Lita was the
cool high flying chick who always took risks. Once their feud started I was
memorized and knew that I wanted to wrestle when I was older. I first got into
wrestling in 2011 when Classic Championship Wrestling was looking for ring
announcers. I applied and got the job but the promoter Jay McDonald knew I
wanted to wrestle right away. I started to train there with Dangerboy Derek
Wylde but after conflicting schedules I was unable to steadily train and that
is why I eventually applied for the Edgucational Essay contest and won free
training at Squared Circle Wrestling through WWE's Adam "Edge"
Copeland. The rest is history from there.
2. What are your Top Three matches of all time and why?
My Chikara match vs Sara Del Rey. This match is the very
first match where I felt safe with a wrestler and knew I had nothing to worry
about. Before this match I was always terrified of going out in front of an
audience but something clicked for me in this match...it was like a lightbulb
went off or something...this is the first match where I felt confident in my
ability as a wrestler and was able to hear how the crowd reacts.
My match in Florida for Shine Wrestling against Santana. I
love this match because it was my first iPPV that I to wrestle on. Not only that but it was also
one of the first times I was able to be a heel in a match! I find being a heel
very natural to me and was just having so much fun being a jerk. Santana and I
have very similar styles and we also have great chemistry so this definitely is
one of my favourites!
My last match in the UK at AWW vs Shanna. This match stands
out to me because it really pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me go
above and beyond what I thought I was capable of doing. The crowd was amazing
(over 400+ people) and there was no better way to end my UK tour.
3. What's your opinion of the current state of women's
wrestling in WWE, TNA and elsewhere at the moment?
I get asked this question quite frequently and I always say
the same thing. Going back to when Trish and Lita debuted the women's division
was all about "puppies" and "T & A"....they had to use
the short amount of time they got to wrestle to build their character and
engage the audience. They were able to do this and they got more and more ring
time until eventually they were the main event on RAW. I think that this is
exactly what the current divas have to overcome right now. They have to show
their character as best as possible in as little time as possible and
eventually their air time will be a lot longer. The NXT division has so much
potential and I love watching their diva matches. I think that the diva
division will eventually get better but we just need to be patient. As for TNA,
their knockout division is pretty good. The girls get ring time and storylines
which is fantastic. But overall I am itching to see some new female wrestlers
on my screen!
4. You've recently spent some time in the UK, how did you
find the experience and did it differ from wrestling in the States?
I was in the UK for 35 days and the experience was
fantastic!! The main difference I find in the UK compared to North America is
that the UK is more wrestling based where North America is more
story/entertainment based. Also, in the UK I find it odd that the wrestlers
don't go out during intermission (or intervals as they call it) to sell their
merchandise...besides that though it is pretty similar.
5. Where can our readers catch you in action next and will
you be making your way back across the pond anytime soon?
I will be making my way back to the UK before this year is
over hopefully!! Make sure to follow me on Facebook at Leah Von Dutch or on
Twitter @LeahVonDutch for all the latest news :)
