NXT No Mercy took place in the city of Bakersfield, CA, and left fans with a night filled with beautiful memories. New champions were crowned and the ladies held it down in the main event. In fact, the ladies opened and closed NXT No Mercy. Blair Davenport def. Kelani Jordan Our first match of the night took place on the pre-show where the young upstart, Kelani Jordan, looked to take down the NXT Women's division resident bully, Blair Davenport. While it could be seen that Blair was overlooking her opponent the entire match, it truly felt like Kelani Jordan arrived here. "May not have gotten the dub, but you better believe I was there. #NXTNoMercy" Nailing an array of jaw-dropping aerial maneuvers. Blair would eventually get the upper hand, hitting her patented Suplex Driver for the three count. But make no mistake about it, the future is bright for Jordan and she's a strong bet to win the NXT Women's Breakout Tournament. As for Davenport, it looks like her next faceoff will be with Gigi Dolin, who hit the ring immediately once the bell rang. Dolin attacked Davenport before the two were separated by security. It seems all but likely both superstars will get to settle their differences on Tuesday night. Becky Lynch def. Tiffany Stratton (retains NXT Women's Title) The main event of NXT No Mercy saw the Man come around in a rematch vs. Tiffany Stratton. The crowd erupted during Lync h's entrance upon her bringing a special set of toys for this Extreme Rules match. Stratton wasted no time allowing Becky to play to the crowd, attacking her during her entrance and the two would fight throughout Mech anics Bank Arena. The two definitely brought the extreme as the match featured broken dolls, chairs, tables, barbed wire baseball bats, and a fire extinguisher. Stratton currently has the prettiest moonsault ever, but should absolutely trademark the "prettiest Swanton bomb" ASAP. She hit two Swanton bombs on Lynch with one putting "The Man" through a table. In the end, Stratton would miss with her moonsault and find herself on the end of a "Man Slam" through a set of chairs for the three count. Becky Lynch, and still your NXT Women's champion. What's next for Lynch will be a title defense against Tegan Nox, and while Becky brought the big time to NXT and to Stratton, it was Stratton that looked like a megastar in this match. It will be interesting to see if Stratton continues the chase to become two-time NXT Women's Champion or if greener pastures await. She took to Instagram after the match to pay respects to the champ and put ther would on notice that would be just the first of many main events. "Name an assignment I didn’t understand 💅🏼 I’ve always loved the idea of not being what people expect me to be, but tonight was different. The man @beckylynchwwe brought it to me on another level unlike anyone ever has, but I brought it right back, I said what I said and I’m not going anywhere. See you all in the main event of wrestle-mania sooner rather than later! Toodles."

Episode 2: Cheap Heat This episode starts off with Al Snow and a few of the wrestlers at his house watching WWE and giving their critiques on what they feel is missing from wrestling right now. They feel that there is a stark difference between the real, unscripted promos of the 90s and the heavily scripted and monitored promos and mic work of wrestlers now in the WWE. Al agrees and feels that these younger wrestlers sell what they do and not why they do it. He does agree that OVW has the same goal as WWE, which is to make the wrestlers into stars. We cut to a segment that takes the viewers down memory lane on how Al Snow got his start in WWE. He made his debut with the company, in 1993, with a masked gimmick. Then was paired off with Marty Jannety to create the new Midnight Rockers tag team that wasn’t successful. Al admits that he had an attitude during his first run in WWE. He finally found his gimmick with a schizophrenic character that he created in 1998 during his stint in ECW that was a relatable and imaginable character that led him back to WWE. He stopped thinking about just the wrestling moves and made finding a good character that registered fans a priority. Hollyhood Haley J is back in training mode and getting some tips on locking up in the ring from Dark Storm aka Eric. Her real-life boyfriend. There are issues because of competition between the two. He’s worried that the early success that Haley J is getting, could possibly go to her head. We get the treat of seeing Al Snow and his team, which includes Maria working on the stories for the weekly shows and that leads to the pay-per-views. One match in particular, for the upcoming pay-per-view, is a Hair vs. Hair match with Haley J. She’s a trooper and is completely okay with getting her hair shaved. Al Snow’s dilemma is that he has to promote this pay-per-view to make sure that they can get 500 purchases to break even. You can see the stress of achieving that goal weighing down on him. We then get a historic recap into why TV and wrestling go hand in hand and why pay-per-views are so important to a wrestling company from a revenue standpoint. OVW certainly doesn’t make money from ad revenue from their weekly shows, because they don’t get high ratings yet. Matt, one of the co-owners of the OWV is pushing for more traveling shows because that is the one time that he actually makes a profit. So the summer is set to be a traveling carnival ride for all of the roster. Three days before the pay-per-view, Haley J. and her mother Maria are cutting backstage promos that really help to show the intensity of their impending feud. Al Snow is being hounded by the talent that wants to be on the PPV. It is absolutely hilarious seeing how drained he is hearing every wrestler's idea for what their match should entail. And Al has to say no many times. In the end, the co-owners Matt and Craig, are laying down the law and making it clear that if they don’t see a change in ticket sales over the summer, some of the staff will be let go. So the pressure is on. We get to see the hard work and hours upon hours of filming that is put into a specialty match that will take place in hell for the upcoming PPV and requires a special location and a great deal of acting and props to make it perfect. This behind-the-scenes look gives you a glimpse into how hard these wrestlers and crew work to make these specialty matches happen. You see Bryan, who works as a cameraman, announcer and graphic designer for OVW being told that he’s not doing enough to justify his salary. So now he’s putting in more hours and putting more pressure on himself. This results in him losing that quality time with his family that he loves. It’s crushing to see him call his son and have to cancel his plans because he’s working. Bryan doesn’t care about being fired because he needs the money. He cares about OVW and what it represents. The next scene shows Dark Storm aka Eric once again bringing up that Haley J has more merchandise and attention towards her, but he feels confident that he will sell a good amount of merchandise during the event. Haley is backstage talking to Leila Grey about how some fans are leaving comments on social media saying that they are only watching the pay-per-view because of her. Leila is excited to participate in this women’s hair vs. hair match and you can see the joy bubbling over for both ladies leading up to this match. As the Pay-Per-View is set to go live, Al Snow is greatly disappointed with the turnout for the live audience and can’t understand why it is so hard to sell out this building. Haley J. and Leila Grey’s match is one of the last matches of the pay-per-view and it gets gritty. Leila comes in as the women’s champion. There are no rules or countouts. Early on in the match, the ladies take it out of the ring and this leads to trash bins being used and all hell breaking loose. The producers backstage are very pleased with this women's match. In the end, Leila gets the win and Haley J of course, tries to leave the arena, but Maria makes sure that she follows the rules of this stipulations match. Leila grabs the scissors and hacks a huge chunk of Haley’s hair. To the crowds' satisfaction. This is another great showing for the women’s division. Even though it was a good match, Haley J is seen confiding in her Mom that she is a bit disappointed that there weren’t more people in the crowd. Maria feels the same way. It is very clear that OVW still has an uphill battle to climb. This episode ends with Bryan describing what makes OVW special. It’s not overproduced. It has depth, It makes you think and overall it is unique. The question is, can this indie promotion stay on track to see the light at the end of the tunnel?

WOW, World Championship, Penelope Pink has quite the weekend ahead of her as she tries not to lose her title to Princess Aussie or Tormenta in a triple-threat match. We had the opportunity to talk to the champ about how she is preparing for this match, despite the fact she has beaten Princess Aussie quite a few times. Ms. Pink is relying on her manager, Lana Starr to run interference if anything were to go awry. Other than the triple threat match you also will see, The Beast make her in-ring return from her devastating injury as she prepares to take out her anger on Chainsaw. Her search for her assailant continues - once she has proof, there is no turning back. IQ Superior Samantha Smart prepares GI Jane for a match against Tiki Chamorro. The tension is building in Team Exile, as Exodus and Genesis prepare to take on Jessie Jones and Americana. Check out the latest episode of WOW - Women Of Wrestling nationwide in syndication. You can go to wowe.com and enter their zip code to find their local station in the US. Also, click the link below to check out our latest interview with Penelope Pink and the new WOW post-show is coming soon too.

After a much-anticipated confirmation, we now know, that Jade Cargill has signed a multi-year contract with WWE. Yesterday, WWE released a video clip of Jade proudly walking up to the performance center building. Of course, after this announcement and tease of seeing Cargill on WWE territory, we as fans were clamouring to hear what she had to say. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait too long, because ESPN and The Ringer made sure that they were the first to get an exclusive interview with Ms. Jade Cargill. Here are a few takeaways from the interviews: 1. Jade left AEW because of leadership. She feels that having people like Paul Levesque (Triple H), Bruce Pritchard, Nick Khan etc. is paramount and unmatched in any other wrestling promotion. 2. The WWE training facilities is a game-changer for performers like herself 3. She adores and wants to be a part of the history and legacy of WWE. 4. Jade pointed out that she is the first signee under the TKO umbrella. This certainly shows the strong desire that WWE has to show how big of a star Jade will be on their roster. 5. Jade believes that WWE already sees something in her, the ability to be a top draw for the company. She even teased that she is already getting five-star treatment upon being signed. 6. She clarifies that nothing negative happened in AEW that caused her to leave. This is simply an evolution in her career. 7. Cargill wants to push herself to the limit and this is the best place for her to be. Cody Rhodes is definitely a mentor to Jade and really took the time to sit with her and teach her about the wrestling business when she started out in AEW in 2020. She never forgot that and won’t let him down in WWE. When asked about dream matches, Jade feels that it would be a dream match with any woman that she steps into the ring with. She thinks that WWE has the best women’s roster in the world and looks forward to locking up with these ladies. Jade does agree that she and Bianca will be the main event on TV if they collide. She goes on to say that they would be Wrestlemania's main event worthy. The Endeavor talent agency aspect with this UFC/ WWE TKO merger would allow Jade to spread her wings and look into possible opportunities in the world of show business. This also played a factor in her decision to sign with WWE. This insight into why Jade signed with the biggest wrestling company in the world is not surprising. This just continues to show that Jade is a star and her meteoric rise in the pro wrestling world is not by accident. Every move that Jade makes is a calculated one, that meets the approval of her legion of fans. Fans have shown excitement for this new stage in her career. Congrats again to Jade Cargill. The first signee to WWE in the TKO era of the company Check out Jade's last interview before she signed with WWE

As we celebrate #IMPACT1000, the Knockouts division remains the best in the world. For part one of the celebration, we see the return of both Mickie James and Tasha Steelz. Next week, the greatest Knockouts match of all time will happen according to Mickie James. The Beautiful People's very own Angelina Love teams up with Team Adams' very own Deonna Purrazzo and Tasha Steelz alongside Savannah Evans and Gisele Shaw. They will take on the team of Mickie James, Awesome Kong, Gail Kim, Jordynne Grace, and current Knockouts World Champion Trinty. During the opening segment, Mickie James unnoticeably touches the Knockouts World Championship that Trinity is holding. Many took to social media to make Trinity aware of how close Mickie James was to the title. Trinity seems to be watching all the eyes on her since coming to IMPACT! Wrestling. On the other hand, Trinity might want to watch out for Jordynne Grace. Coming off the heel of a victory against Deonna Purrazzo, Grace may be playing nice for now. However, Grace is always thinking about the gold and could come after Trinity at any given minute. With this being said, the field of opponents for Trinity continues to open up. For now, let us focus on this historic Knockouts match for next week! Who do you think will take home the victory? I will be back with my official #IMPACTRecap on September 28th!

In recent years, All Elite Wrestling has become the talk of professional wrestling. More commonly, a few AEW stars have made their way outside the bubble. One of the biggest names that comes to mind is Jade Cargill. From an undefeated streak to losing the TBS Championship, Jade Cargill remains the staple to many AEW fans. Recently, Jade Cargill has been on everyone's mind. After returning to AEW, social media can not stop talking about one of AEW's biggest stars to date. Reports state that rumors are speculating a possible exit from AEW. In addition, rumors suggest that Jade Cargill could be heading to WWE. If true, this could be a heavy hit to AEW. Her look alone would make someone stop and watch. Cargill has an undeniable presence. Even without a wrestling background, Cargill's booking allows her dominance to be displayed properly to a wider audience outside of wrestling. Homegrown talent can give the brand more prestige and help on the marketing side of things. As the company continues to grow, building talent to star level is something a few fans deemed to be overlooked. Is Jade Cargill the only star being built in AEW? I would like to say no. Ricky Starks is definitely on the pathway to stardom. The look. The moves. More importantly, the charisma. Ricky Starks is becoming quite the household name. It is fair to say that Mr. Ricky is forming into something many can not deny. The star power oozes out of him with every promo and match. From his recent feud with CM Punk and now Bryan Danielson, Starks is moving up the ranks. Toni Storm may not be a homegrown AEW talent, however, her new character is bringing nothing but star power. In recent interviews, fans have gotten to see a different side of the former AEW Women's World Champion. If given the opportunity, Toni Storm can easily become one of the biggest stars in company history. This character development keeps her relevant whether she is champion or in the championship picture. Her Marilyn Monroe-styled look and her attitude are starting to impress many outside fans. This is a character that can thrive and bring even more eyes to the brand. Moving forward, Toni Storm gets another shot at the championship when she faces off with Saraya at AEW Grand Slam. I am curious to see how this feud will be played as she faces her former teammate. In addition, this is a valuable time to build up stars like Toni Strom and Saraya. Now, I may be a bit biased with this next selection. However, to me, it is impossible to name outside stars of AEW and not name Dr. Britt Baker DMD. From her Penn State influence and being forefront of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dr. Britt Baker is the one. Dr. Britt Baker DMD is the total package and can carry the brand in any style. Baker is the one you want on your team that knows the meaning of public relations. Outside of her booking, the presence she has on the mic is something anyone would pay attention to. Baker puts her city on her back and represents it in many ways, especially with her gear. Many may not like Dr. Britt Baker DMD but you can not deny her star status. AEW is definitely building stars. With that being said, it takes time.

Season 1 of WOW (Women of Wrestling) Superheroes was full of twists, turns, dark magic, high emotion, and dreams coming true. With their varied stories as to how they found wrestling, the audience related to the athletes' journeys that led them to find glorious purpose at the promotion founded by David McLane in 2000. After one of the most dominant stars in WOW history The Beast sustained an injury from a mystery assailant and had to relinquish the WOW World Championship, the entire roster sought to write their name in glory. In the end, Penelope Pink would rise above them all to set the tone for the rest of the season at Los Angeles Comic Con in 2022. With her alliance with WOW OG The Fabulous Lana Star, the Tulsa enforcer Vickie Lynn McCoy, and Lindsay and Laurie of Miami's Sweet Heat, Pink proceeded to run roughshod over the locker room. But there was resistance from those who wanted to stand up to the Fab 4 and take away their gold in the process. Who ultimately stepped up in the end and found victory? Get into the Championship-themed, Season One finale recap of WOW Superheroes! The WOW Journey of Princess Aussie The episode starts with WOW play-by-play commentator Stephen Dickey narrating the story of Princess Aussie and her journey through WOW. As a young lady from Darwin, Australia, she was raised by a single mother who tried to make ends meet by teaching in Indonesia. Aussie would stay behind with Aboriginal/Indigenous Australians and Indonesians who embraced her as family though she was different from them. After standing up for herself against a bully with a stick, she paid homage to her upbringing by making her entrance with the magical sticks to represent the unity her family had. But since those were taken and possessed by Siren the Voodoo Doll as a means of controlling Aussie, she realized that the fighting spirit lived within her and Aussie left the sticks behind. The WOW Journey of Penelope Pink and The Fabulous Lana Star Next up, we get a recap of the arrival of the WOW World Champion Penelope Pink. She described herself as "five foot two and full of Detroit sass." WOW icon and former champion Lana Star met Pink at a show and was intrigued by her beauty. Star made Penelope her protege and took her to Rodeo Drive to show her how beautiful people live. Lana would then take Pink to a meeting at CMG Worldwide, one of the biggest agencies in the world. When signing the contract with Mark Roesler, agent to the stars, she stated that she was "a very big deal" just like CMG Worldwide. As an athlete, Penelope's motivation is to "embarrass every girl in front of her" and she expressed (or manifested) that with her toughness, she would be the WOW World Champion. Confidence or arrogance? You be the judge. Match Replay: Princess Aussie vs. BK Rhythm from Season 1, Episode 20 This was Princess Aussie's first match after recovering from a stomach flu! She did not seem to skip a beat in this match against the brash BK Rhythm though. She was a resilient spirit. Since BK is the resident emcee of WOW, she dropped a couple of bars on Aussie stating her distrust of the Princess and her intentions to make her suffer with "kicks to her body." With WOW referee Paige Prinzivalli, the match starts with a traditional lock-up and Aussie works Rhythm down a headlock as they struggle for power. BK targeted the wrists of Aussie, but the gorgeous royal broke the hold and reversed into another headlock. Rhythm shifted her body out of the lock and tried to target Aussie's wrists again, but she slapped BK's hands away. The woman locked up again, but this time BK took advantage by utilizing her strength to push Aussie into the ropes and elbow her in the face. Aussie and Rhythm then run the ropes until Rhythm runs into a dropkick and BK escapes a pinning attempt. The emcee from New Orleans starts to play dirty by whiplashing Aussie's head and neck into the ropes and by stomping her chest in the corner of the ring. Rhythm kept the momentum going by kicking her chest and back. Aussie tried to fight back with a kick, but BK kept battling back with submissions and kicks. Princess Aussie found her second wind with a series of clotheslines and an astounding Indian death lock! After BK attempts to hit her Mic Drop finisher, Aussie breaks the full nelson pre-requisite, executes an arm drag, and hits her patented Cutter from Down Under and a frog splash for the win. Winner: Princess Aussie The WOW Rivalry Between The Tonga Twins and Miami's Sweet Heat The storied rivalry between The Tonga Twins and Miami's Sweet Heat was a vital part of this season of WOW. The WOW Tag Team Championship tournament kicked things off in a major way as some of the best women on the roster put their heads together to win the vacant silver belts. Even WOW OG Jessie Jones had a whirlwind of a time as she traded tag partners left and right! But two teams rose to the tournament finals with a very special quality. The Tonga Twins (Kaoz and Kona) and Miami's Sweet Heat (Lindsay and Laurie Carlson) are twin sisters and this was herstory in the making as there had never been two sets of twins to face off in the ring before. At first, the competition was friendly and fierce between the women, but The Fabulous Lana Star and Penelope Pink ruined an amazing match by hitting the Tongan powerhouses with mirrors! The Carlson Twins took advantage and became the WOW Tag Team Champions. Since that fateful day in November 2022, The Tonga Twins scratched and clawed their way to contender status. Miami's Sweet Heat aligned themselves with Star, Pink, and their enforcer Vickie Lynn McCoy to form The Fab 4: a team that prides themselves on glamorous living, bullying behavior, and underhanded tactics to keep their weight in gold. Match Replay: The Tonga Twins vs. Miami's Sweet Heat: Falls Count Anywhere for the WOW Tag Team Championship from Season 1, Episode 50 After their many battles over the past year, The Tonga Twins and Miami's Sweet Heat finally sought to end their war with a Falls Count Anywhere match for the coveted WOW Tag Team Championship. The pink and black team made their entrance without Lana Star to everyone's surprise, but David Mclane mentioned that she and Vickie Lynn McCoy believed that they could get the job done on their own. As the match got underway, each set of twins traded blows back and forth as Miami's Sweet Heat stood on the apron. The Tonga Twins (Kaoz and Kona) then flipped Lindsay and Laurie over the top rope and slammed them on the mat! The imposing Tonga's would then clothesline the Carlsons out of the ring. The Miami starlets would gain a second wind, however, by throwing Kaoz and Kona into the barricade. This main event was a back-and-forth affair as both tag teams sought to destroy each other! At a certain point, things even got extreme as Miami's Sweet Heat brought trash cans and steel chairs to punish The Tonga Twins! But Kaoz and Kona took the trash can lids and fought back viciously outside of the ring. It was enough to make a die-hard ECW fan happy! After Lindsay and Laurie got the upper hand with a series of double clotheslines, they tried to set Kaoz up for a mystery maneuver, but Kona beat them to the punch and saved her sister. The Tonga Twins threw Laurie over the top rope and dropped Lindsay's face into the steel chairs! As Laurie wobbled back into the ring, she met a savat kick from Kaoz and the Island sisters executed their patented Tonga Twist on the steel chairs onto Laurie for the well-earned victory! Winners and new WOW Tag Team Champions: The Tonga Twins The WOW Rivalry Between Princess Aussie and Penelope Pink As Princess Aussie was gaining her confidence back, she befriended WOW Superhero and boxing expert Kandi Krush. They shared the unique experience of being possessed and tortured by Siren the Voodoo Doll, so they both decided to look out for each other. They even vowed to assist one another in their fighting expertise. Kandi Krush would then get the opportunity of a lifetime from WOW owner David Mclane to face Penelope Pink for the WOW World Championship. After she sadly lost, the Fab 4 attacked Krush to add insult to injury. Princess Aussie fought in Kandi's defense and vowed to personally beat the Fab 4 in order to teach them a lesson and take Pink's WOW World title. As Aussie and Kandi Krush defeated Vickie Lynn McCoy and Penelope Pink in tag team action, the royal beauty gained momentum in her journey. She would then go out to defeat McCoy in singles action in order to become the number one contender for the WOW World Championship. As Princess Aussie put it: "Vickie Lynn was my glass ceiling, and Penelope Pink is my reward." Match Replay: Princess Aussie vs. Penelope Pink for the WOW World Championship from Season 1, Episode 51 After all the smoke had cleared and all the words were said, Princess Aussie was able to get her opportunity to prove that she is championship material against Penelope Pink. With The Fabulous Lana Star reeling from the loss of the WOW Tag Team titles the week before, Penelope Pink was focused and prepared to do whatever it took to keep her world title on Star's mantle. The Detroit bombshell brawled with the Princess early in the match and made various pinning combinations. Throughout the match, it was evident that Pink and Aussie studied each other in preparation for this high stakes bout. Penelope Pink was not in the mood for games as she executed a snap German suplex to Aussie through the ropes and gave her an electric chair to the ring apron. Though Penelope kept being vicious to the royal one's legs, knees and confidence, Princess Aussie remained resilient after kicking out of Pink's rope assisted pin and hitting Pink with multiple chops and a cutter from Down Under from the top rope! Aussie almost won her reward with a series of clotheslines and a superkick, but Penelope would not give up that easily. Aussie also hit an impressive STO and another cutter from Down Under, but just when it looked like the title was in her hands, Pink used her ring awareness to roll out of the ring! A devastated Aussie watched as the referee argued with The Fabulous Lana Star to distract them, and Pink used the WOW World title as a weapon to attack the courageous Princess from behind and retain her gold. But as Penelope and Lana celebrated the dirty win, the WOW fans were surprised with the return of the woman who never lost the WOW World Championship The Beast! She gave a double spear to Pink and Star and lifted the title over her head. Winner and Still WOW World Champion: Penelope Pink WOW (Women of Wrestling) Superheroes Season 2 starts this weekend on Saturday, September 16th and Sunday, September 17th! Please visit wowe.com to check your local listings and watch the episodes on YouTube as well! And if you enjoy the action of WOW Superheroes, tune in to the WOW Post-Show hosted by WWT hosts Katrina Blake, Emily Mae Heller, and I, Stephanie Hardy live every Monday night! Our latest episode is posted below!

IMPACTWrestling! has made a name for itself since its inception as TNA in June 2004. In 2011, the name, TNA was charged to Impact Wrestling with the catchphrase "Where Wrestling Matters." I have been to a few Impact tapings, but Impact 1000 was the first show I've been to in a few years. Impact made its way back to New York by having two shows at the Westchester County Center. The first was on Friday, September 8, 2023, for Victory Road 2023. The next event was the very next night to celebrate 1000 Impact episodes, which was Impact 1000. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to Victory Road, but I was there a few rows from the ring for Impact 1000. Before the episode aired, on YouTube there was a singles match between KiLynn King and Jody Threat which I was there for. Jody came into the match hot. Delivering many strong clotheslines. KiLynn, as usual, was dominant letting Jody have it, but Jody was tenacious. There were so moments, I enjoyed such as KiLynn countering a head scissors attempt. Also, when Jody did a fiving senton off of the apron and then did a Hurricanrana from the top rope. Even when it seemed to be going KiLynn’s way, Jody fought back and used the crowd’s chants to rally behind her. Jody would win this match by doing a German suplex. However, KiLynn’s foot was on the rope, so I don’t know how that will play out in the future. There was an in-ring segment where IMPACT Wrestling President Scott D’Amore came to the ring and recalled Team Canada’s debut in the first episode. He also said that the upcoming shows will celebrate IMPACT’s history, present, and future and introduced Gail Kim who put over the Knockouts. One of the things that Gail said that stood out to me was "The Knockouts has always been about raising the bar. They've always been about showing what they go, and not just talking." It was so good to see Gail Kim in the ring again. Gail shows footage of some of the greatest moments in Knockouts' history. She was interrupted by The Beautiful People (Angelina Love & Velvet Sky). Angelina and Velvet question the validity of the video package as they weren’t in it. They throw more insults around and Gail welcomes them back sarcastically, saying they can do what they do best – be rude and obnoxious. Gisele Shaw would come out accompanied by Jai Vidal and Savannah Evans. Gisele said she wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for the Beautiful People, but also said that she is an improved version of them. Velvet asked who was so great from their generation, and Jordynne Grace came out. Jordynne corrects them by saying Gisele is from her generation. She mentions ODB, Gail, Traci, and Tara as some of the greats, but said the constants were annoying b****es. Deonna comes out and says she started her own generation when she defeated Jordynne for the Knockouts World Title. Trinity would come out, and it was so good to see how much everyone cheered her on there. She says she is currently on top as the current Knockout Champion. She also thanks all of them for paving the way for her. Deonna told Trinity to see her when she gets three reigns. Gail countered Deonna by saying to find her when she gets seven. Awesome King and Raisha Saeed would come out and they are then interrupted by Tasha who has been gone for a bit. She said she was part of Generation Flava and that history can’t be talked about without her. Right after that, Mickie came out and again the crowd erupted. It was also great to see. Mickie says that she didn’t need to mention her accolades and that she will also be the last member of this 10-knockouts match. She says her team is Team Over and that the Knockouts match will be “the greatest fight in Knockouts history.” This would lead to 10 ladies making their teams for the 10 women Knockout Tag Team match. Gisele with Angelina Love, Savannah Evans, Deonna Purazzo, and Tasha Steelz. Mickie James rounded out the other team featuring, Gail, Awesome King, Jordynne Grace, and Knockout’s Champion, Trinity. Traci Brooks & Frankie Kazarian vs. Alisha & Eddie Edwards There was then a mixed tag match between Frankie Kazarian & Traci Brooks vs. Eddie Edwards & Alisha Edwards The rivalry between the husband and wife duos has reached its breaking point. Alisha slaps Traci right away. Traci responds by hitting Alisha with a series of strikes. Frankie flips Eddie out of the ring onto the floor, but using a slingshot hurricanrana. Alisha and Traci’s fighting also spills outside of the ring. Once back in, Alisha kicks Traci and then tags out of the match. Eddie would grab Traci by the hair and she would slap him. Using this, she crawls under his legs and tags out, Frankie gets good offense in, but Traci kicks him in the back. This allowed Eddie to do his Blue Thunder Bomb. Frankie is able to do a backstabber. Just as he was going in to tag Traci, Alisha knocked her off the apron. Frankie would suplex Alisha and Traci would come into spearing Alisha. Eddie tries to do a Backpack Stunner on her, but she counters this by raking his eyes. Traci hits the X Factor on Eddie and then Frankie does a running knee. Traci would then do a Fade to Black to pin Alisha and win. This was a solid match. Had some of the people in the crowd really riled up. After the match, Frankie will take the mic and show a video package. It was then revealed that Traci Brooks would be inducted in this year’s class of the IMPACT Hall of Fame. Traci is the original Knockout. She is joined by her son and cries in the ring. It was a very touching moment. She will be joining Don West and Mike Tenay. This will take place at Bound for Glory in Chicago. Other Match Results: Feast or Fried Match Winners: Chris Bey, Crazzy Steve, Yuya Uemura & Moose Team 3D vs. Desi Hit Squad Winner: Team 3D X-Division Championship: Lio Rush (c) vs. Chris Sabin Winner: And New X- Division Champion- Chris Sabin

At this past episode of Smackdown, the team of Shotzi and Charlotte scored a victory over Damage CTRL's Bayley and WWE Women's Champion IYO SKY to open the show. Chaos erupted as soon as the bell rang with all four competitors exchanging strikes in the ring ending with IYO delivering a springboard Asai moonsault to ringside. Though Bayley was in control of the offense against Shotzi for majority of the match, the ballsy Shotzi would secure the hot tag for Charlotte to take control. It would not be long, however, before Damage CTRL capitalized on an opportunity to gain the upper hand. But as Bayley was about to deliver a Diving Elbow Drop for the finish, former Women's Champion Asuka appeared ringside to steal IYO's championship belt held by Dakota to distract the team. Flair and Shotzi then took advantage of the distracted Damage CTRL with Shotzi delivering a modified DDT to Bayley for the pinfall finish. After the match, Asuka taunted IYO SKY with the latter's championship belt insinuating that she wanted a shot at her title somewhere down the line. The championship match between the two was then announced for the September 22nd episode of Friday Night Smackdown later on that night. This marks WWE's first singles joshi match in the modern era. Writer's Thoughts: The tag match was fantastic, and I'm glad that 1) Shotzi scored yet another victory over Bayley, and 2) Charlotte focused on uplifting Shotzi throughout the match! This leaves room for Asuka and IYO to finally meet one-on-one in the ring leaving the WWE Universe in anticipation for their championship battle. I'm personally stoked to see how the Western audience would react to a singles bout of purely Japanese wrestlers given their wrestling styles. With Asuka and IYO being two of the best wrestlers in the world, I look forward to how WWE sets up the storyline for this match. For further coverage on this episode of Friday Night Smackdown, be sure to check out Women's Wrestling Talk's official Smackdown Post-Show Live Stream below!

Previously on Total Divas: Nikki spent the entire episode complaining about John Cena’s cohabitation agreement, but then just ended up signing it as long as he kissed her like 20 times a day. Brie was upset because Bryan is super busy with WWE now that he’s a champion, but she ended up apologizing by the end of the episode. Ariane and Vinny gave way too many details about their sex life, and Nattie got mad at TJ for training Eva Marie even though being a coach/trainer is literally his job. It was definitely a filler episode, and, unfortunately, it seems to be the same for this week. This week opens up with the women getting ready backstage at Raw. Trinity is with Miss Sandra as they try to figure out how to fix her gear since she keeps popping out of her top. Miss Sandra has the genius idea to add a mesh covering to it which ends up being super cute. Brie Bella has a match and she explains to us that she has had to be on her own for five months due to Nikki’s injury. She’s used to wrestling as a tag team and being solo has been a huge adjustment for her and she is really excited for Nikki to come back. Eva Marie is also shown backstage talking to Miss Sandra although it was really nothing of importance. Nikki is at John Cena’s house which I guess is also technically hers, but you really question that during this episode. John Cena is trying to do too much with his injury and won’t let Nikki help him. He is trying to fix this fireplace and for some reason, to him, this is the most important task that he possibly could be doing and it must be fixed right now. Nikki grabs a cup of coffee and strangely, asks John Cena if she is allowed to sit on a chair with her coffee. Little do we know that John Cena is an absolute psychopath when it comes to his house which we will discover later on. Surprisingly, he allows her to sit on a chair and drink coffee. Nikki starts talking about how she wants to add warmth to the house such as having some candles and personal photos on the wall rather than having the place look like an upscale hotel or museum. John Cena basically ignores her this entire conversation because he is too worried about that damn fireplace. Later on, Nikki and John Cena go out to eat (because OF COURSE they do) and John Cena is talking about how he misses being in the ring and being on the road. Nikki brings up the fact that she likes how they both have been able to be at the house together and spend a lot of time with each other and also brings up re-decorating the house again. She brings up the candles again (the girl loves her candles and I don’t blame her) and John Cena says that he has, and I quote, “a weird fire hazard thing”. The man literally has an entire fireplace in his house (that doesn’t work apparently) and he is worried about candles?? Make it make sense. An entire fireplace that has a huge open flame isn’t a fire hazard, but some candles are. Interesting. Nikki mentions that she feels like a guest in John Cena’s house even though it is supposed to be her house too. Ariane is in a recording studio because she has a song coming out called “Bye Bye”. I don’t think it was ever made aware to anyone on the show that she sings/raps, but here we are. Vinny is also there and is just kind of standing around like he usually does. Ariane records the song and keeps saying that everything about it is “the bomb dot com”. I’m dead serious, She keeps repeating this phrase through the entire episode and personally, I am not a fan. Anyway, for some reason, Ariane decides to give Vinny a headscissors in the middle of the tiny recording studio. They start to wrestle and the producers have Jon Uso-level looks on their faces. They are clearly confused and ready for both of them to leave. Ariane asks one of the producers if she can wrestle him and he politely declines. In the car on the way home, Ariane is talking about how bomb dot com that song was and starts telling Vinny that she wants him to do something that he is passionate about as well in order to “get that chingle chingle”. She also says that she wants him to have some sort of brand. Vinny brings up that he plans to open a hookah business and Ariane argues that he could do more. She says that she wants him to try out for NXT. You can clearly tell he isn’t a huge fan of this idea but tells her that if the opportunity comes up, he’ll take it. This should go well. My favorite couple, Trin and Jon Uso, are in the car when Trin’s dad calls. He tells her that he and his band will be in town and he was wondering if he could stay at her and Jon Uso’s place even though it is a one-bedroom apartment. Trin tells him that he is always welcome to stay with them and Jon Uso isn’t thrilled but keeps his mouth shut. A little while later, Jon Uso and Trin are at their apartment and her dad arrives. Trin explains that her dad is a touring musician and wasn’t around a whole lot when she was growing up since he was always traveling. Because of this, she takes any opportunity she can to hang out with him and will always let him stay with her when he needs to since she loves to catch up and spend time with him. Ariane and Vinny are at the park with her dog, Glitty, and for some reason, they are racing each other. Ariane smokes Vinny and it isn’t even close. While they are there, Bill DeMott, one of the head trainers at the Performance Center at the time (who has since been fired), calls Ariane and tells her that Vinny can come in for a pre-audition for NXT. Just from his facial expressions, Vinny is clearly nervous but tells Ariane that he’s got it and he’s going to do well for her. Back at John Cena’s house, Nikki just got back from a workout. She is going to go shower and throw her workout clothes into a laundry hamper. Seems simple, right? Oh no, John Cena makes you believe that she just committed a terrible sin. John Cena comes and explains that the hamper on the left is for smelly clothes such as workout clothes, while the hamper on the right is for “normal” clothes. Nikki just has a stunned look on her face and I honestly agree. What is the difference? Aren’t they all getting washed anyway? I could see having a separate hamper for light clothes and dark clothes, but why are you basing it on smell? I mean, just be glad she is putting them in a hamper at all and isn’t just leaving them all over the floor. John Cena definitely has some OCD and it’s only going to get worse as the episode goes on. In fact, I believe this episode was the inspiration behind Miz and Maryse’s famous “John Cena House Rules” skit from years ago. Vinny and Ariane arrive at the Performance Center for the first day of his pre-audition. He is nervous but also seems excited to get into the ring. Bill DeMott is the only person in the entire Performance Center and will be “working” with Vinny which means he will be yelling at him the entire time. Bill has him begin some workout routines and Vinny is clearly struggling almost immediately. Bill is showing no mercy and is keeping up with his counts whether Vinny is off the mat or not. Vinny takes a lot of back bumps and can’t get back to his feet in the time that Bill gives him. Ariane tells us that Vinny is a really big weight-lifting guy, but that cardio really isn’t his thing which honestly she should have taken into account when getting him this pre-audition. She’s been through this, she knows what it’s like and it seems as though she didn’t prepare the poor man at all. At one point, Vinny just lays in the ring and seemingly gives up. Bill tells him that WWE is no joke and he really needs to go back and think about if this is what he truly wants and if he is able to do this. Ariane and Vinny leave the Performance Center and in a truly disgusting scene, Vinny throws up outside while Ariane repeatedly tells him that he can do this and it’ll all be okay after the first couple of days. At their hotel, Vinny shows Ariane how bruised his back is how he doesn’t know if he wants to do this, and that he doesn’t think this is for him. Ariane basically ignores him and his feelings and tells him he has to suck it up and that he’ll get through it. She also starts poking the bruises on his back and if I were him, I’d probably freak out at her, but he is remaining surprisingly calm. In a change of pace, Nikki decides to surprise John Cena with a home-cooked meal, so she goes grocery shopping to get the supplies since John Cena has no food in his house. She also decided that she was going to stock his fridge assuming that he would be super excited about actually having food in his house. Later in the day, she cooks what looks like a delicious meal to surprise John Cena with. When he gets home, he is stunned that they are not going out to eat like he had thought. Honestly, me too John Cena because this whole show revolves around people eating at restaurants and we have not had one restaurant scene this entire episode yet and it’s ruining the vibe. John Cena is upset that there are things on his countertop because it will ruin the marble. Yeah Nikki, why would you put things on top of a counter? What do you think the counter is there for? To just set things on while you cook? Be real. John Cena tells her that he hopes this is a one-time surprise and Nikki is clearly annoyed at him for acting like this after she put in all this work. Oh, but it gets worse. Nikki starts to wash dishes and John Cena is concerned that she got water on the floor while she was doing dishes because the water will warp the floor. Yeah, Nikki, don’t you dare get a single drop of water on the floor, What are you thinking? Nikki then decides to load up the dishwasher and John Cena interrogates her on when she is going to run it. Nikki is fuming and says she hates living in a museum and hates living by John Cena’s House Rules. Well, how dare you use the kitchen for its intended purpose, Nikki? Putting things on the counter and getting water on the floor??? Get it together, the kitchen is just something to look at while you slowly walk to the living room so you don’t scuff the floor by walking too fast. John Cena decides to go to the gym to hang out with his friend and trainer, Rob. One would assume that John Cena would come to the gym to work out, but you would be mistaken. Both of them decide to play chess. Because who wouldn’t go to the gym and play chess? I wonder if they hold entire tournaments here or if the chess is exclusive to John Cena and Rob. John Cena explains how Nikki keeps screwing up his house and is going to warp the floor and ruin the marble and how she is doing all of these other terrible, horrible things. Rob tells him that everything she is doing actually seems like nice gestures and he is just upset about it because she is not doing things HIS way. He also says that if John Cena wants everything done his way all the time he should just never talk to anybody ever again. John Cena seems to get some clarity and later on, decides to surprise Nikki with some flowers and some candles. John Cena apologizes and tells her that she’s been right this whole time and it is her house too so they should also decorate the house the way she likes. Nikki asks if she can make dinner and he agrees but I know inside his head he’s worried about the stove being a fire hazard and also won’t be able to stop looking at the candles. I wonder if he ever got the fireplace repaired. Trin and Jon Uso are having a slumber party in the living room of their one-bedroom apartment since Trin’s dad is currently sleeping in their bed. It is the middle of the night and her dad gets up to make some sandwiches. And I’m not talking just a simple PB&J, I’m talking full-on, multiple-layer sandwiches. I wanted one immediately. He offers Jon Uso a sandwich, but he says no because he is clearly annoyed at having to sleep in the living room of his own apartment. Trin is super excited about her sandwich at least. Later on, the couple are backstage at Raw and Trin tells Jon Uso that her dad is going to have some food ready for them that night when they get home. Jon Uso isn’t happy that her dad will still be there when they get back and wants her to tell him that he has to leave. Trinity refuses to tell him to leave and says she is not going to have him sleep in a hotel when she has an apartment that he can stay in. Jon Uso repeatedly says that he isn’t happy just having her dad chill there. I honestly understand it. Three people in a one-bedroom apartment is way too many and I wouldn’t just want someone hanging at my apartment either when I just want to go home and relax. Nothing gets resolved in this conversation and it seems as though Jon Uso is just going to have to suck it up. Ariane and Vinny are at the Performance Center for the second day of his pre-audition. Bill DeMott has Ariane show Vinny how to hit the ropes. Vinny is struggling again and can’t keep the pace that Bill wants. Bill is not at all impressed and tells Vinny to go on a two-minute water break and tells Ariane to have a talk with him and give him some motivation. After the break, Bill has Vinny put on a helmet as they practice working on bumps. Bill hits him and Vinny goes down and can’t catch his breath to get back up. Bill has Vinny take off the helmet and decides to have a chat with him. Bill explains how this pre-audition was nothing and is just a sliver of what wrestlers go through each day during training. He also says that the WWE is not the place for Vinny to learn how to be a wrestler. Vinny and Ariane leave the building and Vinny has an entire breakdown in the parking lot. He is embarrassed that he failed and is mad at himself for listening to Ariane and putting himself in this situation just because she wanted him to have her same dream. Ariane feels bad about it and Vinny continues to cry in the parking lot. I get it though; it was clear this entire time that it was Ariane’s dream for him to do this and he really wanted nothing to do with it. Later on, we FINALLY get a restaurant scene when Ariane and Vinny go out to a nice dinner. Ariane tells us that she wanted to take Vinny out to dinner as an apology for making him do the NXT audition. Vinny tells her that he talked to a real estate agent about looking at some properties for his hookah bar. He says that if it does happen, he is willing to quit his job and devote all of his time to getting this bar up and running. Ariane tells him that she will support him every step away and is happy to support him in his dreams, rather than making him live out her dreams for him. There was never really a big argument about the situation which I am honestly shocked at and they resolved everything surprisingly well. I can’t believe we almost got through this entire episode without somebody going out to eat. Nikki Bella almost ruined it for all of us by insisting on cooking in John Cena’s kitchen and ruining the entire kitchen in the process. For some reason, we get a very quick Eva Marie scene even though she has zero storyline in this episode. Mark Carrano comes up to her backstage and tells her that they are going to scan her for her first action figure. Nattie sees her being scanned since she is next up and she is shocked that Eva is getting a figure when she is still so new. She continues to say that this still doesn’t mean that people will take her seriously until she actually starts wrestling. Eva tells everybody in the room that she wants her figure to have big boobs and a small waist because the bigger the boobs are, the more sales they will get. Everybody just kind of looks at her and tries to ignore her. And that’s literally all we hear about this the entire episode. It is finally time for Trin’s dad to have his show with his band. She invites Nattie to the show to third-wheel her and Jon Uso. Jon Uso starts telling Nattie about how Trin’s dad has been in the apartment for far too long and it gets really crowded since it’s a small apartment. Trin sees where Jon Uso is coming from and tells Trin that she should respect his wishes and have her dad leave. Trin refuses once again saying that she is not going to kick her dad out. The show happens and everyone seems to be having a good time Trin even gets on stage with her dad and sings a few songs. Jon Uso wants to go home after the show since he has to wake up early in the morning, so Trin takes this opportunity to invite her dad and his band to her apartment for an after-party. In a one-bedroom apartment. Jon Uso is upset with this idea as he should be, and says that he doesn’t want all of these people in his apartment when he has to get up early. Trin just sort of brushes him off and tells him that it’s fine. At the apartment, Trin’s dad and like a million other people show up to start partying. They set up a speaker and have the music super loud and now I’m not only feeling bad for Jon Uso, but also feeling bad for all their neighbors. Are there no quiet hours in this building? Jon Uso is super annoyed and wants to shut the whole party down so Trin talks with him out in the hallway about it. Trin repeatedly says she never gets to see her dad or any of his friends, so she wants them to stay even though she knows Jon Uso has to be up early and would enjoy just relaxing in his apartment. Jon Uso says she either has to kick everybody out or else he is leaving and going to a hotel that night. Trin once again refuses to kick any of them out, so Jon Uso leaves and she acts shocked even though that is exactly what he said he was going to do. She is upset that he leaves and isn’t enjoying the party with everyone else. The next day (I’m assuming), Trin and her dad take a walk on the pier together. Her dad asks about her and Jon Uso and Trin tells him that they’ve been fighting because of him staying there. Trin basically tells her dad that he has to leave since she doesn’t want to fight with Jon Uso anymore and it really isn’t fair since it’s also his apartment. Trin’s dad jokes with her about getting kicked out but seems to be really understanding about it because he doesn’t want to be the reason why they are fighting. They hug and that’s the end of the episode. It ended really abruptly and are left hanging on whether Trin or Jon Uso resolved their issues. NEXT WEEK: S1E14 “Saying Goodbye”. I’m not sure who we will be saying goodbye to in this episode, but I have a feeling it’s going to be something sad and I’m not sure if I’m ready for that.