The new OTT Women’s champion Katey Harvey returned to the Ringside Club for the first time since her injury as OTT held their third all-women’s show.
We open with Aonghus og McAnally and Tony Kelly doing their usual bit, with Tony leaning slightly into the “cheer the import, not your own” stuff. Tongue, very much in cheek.
Jinny vs. Amy Allonsy
It’s Jinny’s first OTT outing in over a year – last appearing on one of the final Tivoli cards.
Jinny’s the early aggressor, working a headlock then the wrist of Allonsy, only for Amy to reverse it. A trip gets Jinny back in, as she grapevines the legs as the pair continued to trade holds. There’s an armbar from Jinny, but Allonsy got free then leaned into the World of Sport style for a roll-up that almost ended it. A ‘rana gets Jinny back on top, but a bulldog from Allonsy keeps it even until Jinny decided to throw strikes. There’s an elbow that puts Allonsy in the corner, where stomps waited for her, as did a boot choke a la Stacy Keibler. Jinny keeps going with a floatover suplex for a near-fall too, as Jinny continued to berate the relative newcomer.
Amy’s able to leap over an onrushing Jinny in the corner, but couldn’t avoid being rolled down for a seated surfboard. A rope break’s called, but Jinny stays on top of her with stomps, before another floatover suplex led to a near-fall. Allonsy nearly snatches a win with a small package, but Jinny comes straight back with an Octopus stretch that also ended in the ropes. A chinlock from Jinny keeps Amy down, as do some more knees, but Allonsy fights back with some right hands before kicking Jinny’s legs out from under her. There’s a legdrop for a near-fall, but Jinny fires back with more slaps and a forearm put Amy back at square one. Amy keeps fighting on though, but she’s pulled into Jinny’s knee before the Acid Rainmaker almost finished her off… only for Allonsy to kick out and shock Jinny with a swinging Fisherman suplex for the win! A massive upset, and a result that’ll do Amy the world of good… if they build off of this. ***
Nina Samuels vs. Isla Dawn
Christ, that’s an old song for Nina… but she’s playing a good guy on her OTT return after 18 months, which is also really weird to see.
We start with Isla taking Nina into the corner for a clean break, before a wristlock forced Nina to roll through and escape. Isla’s just as even to it though, as she took Nina down for a front facelock, which was quickly escaped as the pair again countered move for move. Nina sneaks ahead with the Curt Hennig neck flip for a two-count, before a dropkick took Isla outside… but the baseball slide dropkick doesn’t connect.
Dawn capitalises by following in with a knee on the outside, before she rolled Nina back into the ring to pick up a two-count. A snap suplex keeps Isla’s momentum up, but she’s caught with a backslide as Samuels began to make a comeback. Nina misses a big boot, which allowed Dawn to kick her leg out of her leg, leading to a rough landing for the former EVE champion, as Isla began to chain together pinning attempts once more. An armbar follows on the mat, which switched into a Rings of Saturn-like hold, then a Fujiwara armbar, before Nina tried to fight back with forearm strikes. Lifting Isla to the outside, Nina manages to land her baseball slide dropkick, before following in with a boot inside the ring. Nina struggles to get up for a missile dropkick, but lands it regardless as Isla got to the ropes to break the pin, before she hit back with a Saito suplex for a near-fall.
In the end, after the pair ducked each others phantom head kicks, they connected at the same time. They get back up, with Nina managing to hit first with a boot and a slingshot corkscrew press back in for a near-fall. Nina can’t quite follow up though, going up top… and getting press slammed to the mat before Isla came crashing in with a Meteora off the top for another near-fall. A drop toe hold from Nina took Isla into the buckles, but Dawn’s back with a roll-up before a bridging half-nelson suplex out of nowhere got the win. This started out very slow and deliberate, but they hit something special towards the end, although I do wish they’d kept their “usual” TV demeanours… ***¼
Kanji vs. Emi Sakura
These two had an absolute banger of a match to crown a new women’s champion in 3CW about a year ago. Unfortunately, that promotion’s hiatus has meant that the title’s lived on in Gatoh Move rather than anywhere on this side of the world. Yes, Emi went pretty much straight from an AEW taping for this show…
Sakura psyches out Kanji on a handshake, as we start with Kanji working over Emi’s arm, only for Emi to reverse it and throw in a cheeky back rake. Kanji flips back from a wristlock, then took down Emi as Kanji had the veteran in trouble, bridging somewhat uniquely on a deathlock as Sakura was forced to crawl to the ropes for the break. Sakura responds with a hair mare, as she repeatedly went for Kanji’s hair to escape holds on the way to a do-see-do with the ref… whose arm was accidentally left out for Kanji to run into. Doh. More rakes target Kanji’s arm, before a springboard forearm dropped Emi ahead of a slicing legdrop for a near-fall.
Kanji keeps up with a tight side chinlock on Emi, but Sakura got free and began to work into a surfboard, complete with a LOT of vocalisation. Sakura propels Kanji free, then looked for a back stretch, like the start of a Sister Abigail, bending Kanji backwards over a knee before finishing that swinging reverse STO. A forearm got Kanji back in it, as did a Stinger splash in the corner and some headscissors into the turnbuckles, as a 619 trapped Sakura in the corner. Kanji heads up and lands a missile dropkick for a near-fall… only for Emi to summon the power of Queen as she splashed Kanji in the corner ahead of a butterfly backbreaker.
A second, stalling butterfly backbreaker follows, but Sakura misses a Vader bomb in the corner as Kanji rolled away in time. The pair trade chops and forearms from there, with Sakura pushing ahead, only to have her leg swept away, ahead of a forearm smash from Kanji. From there, Kanji heads to the apron for a slingshot spear, but she’s caught and pulled into another backbreaker, before the Vader Bomb Elbow drew a near-fall. Kanji slips out of another backbreaker, then hits a springboard stunner out of the corner for a two-count. The pressure’s kept up with a twisting enziguiri off the top from Kanji, but Emi’s back to her feet first in search of yet another backbreaker… which she switches into a cross armbreaker for the flash submission. Perhaps not as flashy as that 3CW match, but this was an absolute firecracker of a match. If Emi’s days in this part of the world are numbered, then someone needs to build up a rematch and make it mean something in propelling Kanji to the next level. Hi Dann and Emily. ***¾
Although… Kanji broke her arm at some point during that match, and at time of writing is recovering from surgery. I have absolutely no idea where the injury came during the match – hopefully Kanji has a full recovery and is back in action soon.
Millie McKenzie vs. Toni Storm
We start with a handshake as a lock-up ends in the ropes… but Toni’s quickly in with a headlock takedown that turned into a pinning attempt amid the duelling chants.
Millie’s back with a waistlock takedown, as she looked to work over Storm’s arm and hand, tweaking the fingers for good measure. The pair remained incredibly even until Millie busted out almost a Gator roll to get a near-fall on Toni, only for Storm to return with a low dropkick as she got right back in it. A STF traps Millie in the middle of the ring, forcing her to go for the hair to try and get free before dragging herself to the ropes. Storm uses a modified Figure Four to try and force a submission, but Millie elbowed free before she began to throw some forearms. A boot to the head stops her briefly, with a superkick and a low dropkick giving Millie something to build from, as she worked into an Octopus stretch.
Toni gets to the ropes for freedom, but managed to ragdoll Millie with a German suplex for another near-fall. A cutter from McKenzie stops that momentum briefly, as the pair began to trade strikes in the ropes, before Millie uncorked some German suplexes. Those German suplexes helped Millie to a near-fall, before she dragged Toni to the mat in a Cobra clutch. After getting free, Toni hit a clothesline for a near-fall, then another, before an armbar forced Millie into the ropes for a break. Millie came right back with a spear, but another headbutt from Toni knocked her loopy as a single Strong Zero piledriver got the win. This was fine, but commentary teasing that Toni’s building up a winning run may mean something for down the line. ***
Sammii Jayne vs. Raven Creed
A rematch from the last Defiant show’s main event – this time, neither woman’s in the title picture.
We start with a lock-up as Sammii looked to work over Raven’s wrist, before she nearly snatched a roll-up to end things super early. Sammii fish-hooks her way out of a wristlock attempt, but Raven sticks on the arm so she could have a nibble… prompting Sammii to roll through into a lucha roll-up before she spat at Raven. There’s an instant reaction as Creed sent her outside for a tope, but the tables turn as Raven got a Brookesing, which led to Raven almost getting counted out, beating the 20-count narrowly. Sammii stays on her though, diving with forearms before she set up Raven for the Shadowfax… instead pulling her down by the hair, berating the crowd who wanted to see her move.
A double underhook suplex from Sammii keeps her ahead, before she worked a grounded abdominal stretch on the Cork native. More face raking keeps Creed down, but finally Raven made a comeback with a Samoan drop, following up with a clothesline and a spinebuster for good measure. Sammii hit back with the Shadowfax anyway, but Creed’s back with a German suplex and a Busaiku knee. We get boo/yay punches before they traded more German suplexes, before a leg sweep from Creed led to a Blue Thunder Bomb that almost ended things. Creed surprises with an ankle lock, bringing back memories of their last match, but Sammii’s right in the ropes before she rolled down and worked into a Trailer Hitch.
Creed gets to the ropes and is swiftly back in with a piledriver for a near-fall, before she went up top… but Sammii countered with a sunset bomb. Raven clung on, and it wasn’t for the best as Sammii went back up, teasing a back superplex, before she got knocked down… returning instead with the Shadowfax Dark – going between the top and middle rope. That’s enough for a near-fall, so Sammii comes in with a pair of knee strikes… and that’s it. That souped-up Shadowfax was clearly the difference, but the loss here pushes Raven Creed further away than ever from the OTT Women’s title, and perhaps in need of some fresh impetus. ***¼
Woke Queens (Debbie Keitel & Valkyrie) vs. Gisele Shaw & Katey Harvey
Perhaps the obvious match to make here, with Gisele Shaw partnering the new OTT Women’s champion after her star-making performance on her debut in September.
Katey Harvey got a standing ovation on her first return to the Ringside Club since the accident in January. As she should. Shaw got under Debbie Keitel’s skin early on, prompting Valkyrie in. Incidentally, the Woke Queens were dressed like bellhops with half-Joker facepaint on. So kinda like SANADA’s zombie bellhop gear, just they went the extra mile with the face paint. Armdrags from Shaw led to an armbar, then a side headlock as the crowd serenaded Valkyrie with chants of “you’re not champion anymore.”
Valkyrie got free with a monkey flip though, only to get caught with headscissors a-go-go from Shaw, forcing Valkyrie to scurry into the corner for a tag. Keitel tags in but can’t avoid an early plethora of pinning attempts, before a kick from Shaw led to a side headlock… and a tag in from Harvey. Katey takes over the headlock for a takedown, before a series of forearms and clotheslines from Harvey left Keitel in the corner. Uppercuts follow, as does a spinning sidewalk slam for a near-fall, before Harvey worked into a curb stomp that nearly ended it. Shaw’s back in to help with double elbows, but Keitel rolls outside… Valkyrie’s thrown out too, as Shaw went up for the Air Canada tornillo that wiped out everyone.
Keitel came up bloodied from that, having had her left cheek busted open, but Debbie’s able to reply with a forearm to the back for just a one-count. Valkyrie’s back for a snapmare and a kick to the back, but Shaw’s right in with a forearm before a drop toe hold put Shaw in the Woke Queens’ corner. Keitel’s back in with the blood just adding to the make-up, but she keeps going with some palm strikes and chops, before they busted out the old Cryme Tyme Samoan drop/flip neckbreaker finish for a near-fall. A cobra clutch followed from Keitel, before a tag to Valkyrie almost ended things… because Shaw forced back in with a DDT and a knee for a near-fall.
Gisele can’t make the tag out as Katey Harvey’d been pulled off the apron by Keitel, and it’s back to the double-teaming… Debbie’s eye’s swollen shut, but she saw Valkyrie get speared as both women fought to make a tag out… and in comes Harvey and Keitel! Katey runs in with clotheslines for both Queens, ahead of an Exploder, then a DDT/flatliner combo. Harvey drops Keitel with the double-chickenwing facebuster for a near-fall, with Valkyrie making the save. Valkyrie and Harvey trade palm strikes for a spell, until a Gory bomb was broken up by Debbie. Shaw’s kick took care of her, while Valkyrie’s Pele had Shaw down… Katey’s back elbow takes Valkyrie down, only for Keitel to come back with a neckbreaker out of the corner as I lost track of who on earth was legal. Turns out it’s Keitel and Shaw based on the ref going for a cover, with the latter going after Valkyrie… she’s thrown into the ring post. Harvey goes for a Gory bomb, and lands it, but Valkyrie’s made a blind tag in… and rolls up Katey tightly to snatch the win. Considering how early on Keitel had been busted open, this match could have fallen apart badly… but the fact that all four women held it together and continued the match (without noticeably “taking it home early”) must be commended. ***¼
Defiant 3 was a consistent, solid show from OTT, who seem to be on something of a roll right now. There could easily have been a feeling of “after the Lord Mayor’s show” given this was just 24 hours after the Fifth Anniversary event – but this show delivered on its own merits, and continued the Harvey/Woke Queens story to boot. Whether the rest of the happenings regarding the women on this card play out on the “main” shows remains to be seen though…