It’s back to the Resistance Gallery as the road to WrestleQueendom 2 is coming to an end.
Raven Creed vs. Jamie Hayter
Creed doesn’t want the crowd’s cheers, so I guess they’re slowly cementing Jamie Hayter’s switch to the other side. That feels so weird given how long the crowd were on her back.
Despite getting, and soaking in, the crowd’s cheers, Hayter had trouble shedding those old tricks as she was going for the hair early before she had to abort a dive early on. That led to some crowd brawling that got Creed ahead, but back in the ring things quickly turned around for Hayter, as she nearly won with a uranage backbreaker.
A brief fightback with forearms saw Creed knock herself and the SHE-1 winner down, but it’s Hayter who took the win with a superplex and a curb stomp. An efficient outing for Hayter, whos’ beginning to build some momentum ahead of WrestleQueendom. **¾
They play a package highlighting how Martina had been abducted/taken over/whatever by Su Yung… and how it’s led to the return of the Session Goth, as those two rematch at York Hall.
Kasey vs. Rebel Kinney
This was Kasey’s first outing here in a few months, which is a bit odd given how much she’d been featured in the last 12 months. She’s the latest opponent for Rebel Kinney, who’s continuing to try out new material for the character, which is part of the whole evolution of any performer.
Hey, whatever happened to SHEvolution?
Kinney’s playing the powerhouse here, shrugging off a test of strength to leave Kasey in a bridge, before outwitting Kasey with a hiptoss. To steal the line off of commentary, Rebel “Goldbergs herself”, but doesn’t come up all red… I’ll let her finish that line off, as Kasey ties up the arms in search of a submission.
Kasey increases the aggression, sending Kinney into the corner where she slipped in a bid to climb the ropes, eventually earning her a running knee. There’s a brief comeback that Kasey ended with a hanging armbar, before Rebel found her way back in with a fallaway slam and a spinebuster, before a clothesline off the top almost went awry.
A back senton off the top misses though, and Kasey quickly finishes it with the Killing Joke. This was okay as an undercard match, but one that perhaps underscored the gulf in experience on hand. **½
A video package follows to build up to the announcement of Laura di Matteo finally facing Jordynne Grace at WrestleQueendom 2…
Nina Samuels is out next for a promo, where she bragged about making an example of Jamie Hayter last time out. She promises to be the first “grand slam” champion, then took the mickey out of Jamie for going to “her place of work” and “jumping through hoops”. That dragged Hayter out, only for her to be attacked from behind by Kasey, who tried to add herself to the International title match, demanding a match against Jamie for the spot.
Mercedez Blaze vs. Erin Angel
This was Blaze’s first outing here since losing in Rebel Kinney’s main roster debut in April.
After some early aggression, Blaze found herself on the back foot as Angel went to work with a neckbreaker… before she took the match outside, dragging Angel onto the apron for good measure. Running knees in the corner follow for a near-fall, followed by a shotgun dropkick as Angel was having trouble finding her way back in…
A Dragon sleeper keeps Angel down, but she gets free and hits back with an X-Factor and a missile dropkick, then with a crossbody. Mercedez hip attack and spear combo caught Erin off guard, before an Unprettier was interrupted by Jinny howling “Yaaas Queen”. It distracts everyone, including the referee, giving Blaze enough time to get up and drop Erin with a rope-hung TKO for the win. I’m not a fan of commentary calling out referee’s inexperience (especially when the promotion keeps using said ref… that’s not a shot at Lauren, more of a “don’t say that!” moment), but that barely tempered an otherwise solid match. ***
After the match, Jinny entered the ring and announced she and Mercedes were now a tag team. Well, it’s a massive step up from Blaze’s debut, when she lost in an elimination match by… drinking.
Woke Queens (Debbie Keitel & Valkyrie) vs. Laura Di Matteo & Little Miss Roxxy
Is drinking Starbucks woke? Especially when compared to a Greggs cup, the answer is no… except Roxxy’s not brought her cup of tea. I guess she’s into the reusable cups, and not the single use ones.
Anyway, it’s the first time Keitel and Valkyrie are teaming up in EVE, with them being better known for their stuff in OTT as a pair. You could say it’s odd that EVE’s debuted two new tag teams in back-to-back segments, but they need someone to challenge for those new tag titles after WrestleQueendom…Pre-match, Keitel and Valkyrie rub up the crowd badly because they wanted a coffee break, which in turn gave a chance for some coffee plugs.
The Queens get jumped when everyone got fed up of waiting, and the aggression came from Roxxy early on as she laid into Valkyrie with kicks. A quick tag brings in Keitel, who managed to land what at best guess was a double stunner that commentary had no clue how to call, as the Irish pair eased their way into the match. Chops and slaps kept Roxxy in the corner, as did a stomp to the backs of the knees, but the Geordie finally found a way out and brought in di Matteo for the first time.
Laura’s the proverbial house afire, running wild on both of the Woke Queens, before Roxxy came back to help with a wishbone leg splitter through the ropes. Back inside, Roxxy flowed between holds as she turned tiltawhirl headscissors into a submission, but Keitel managed to get free… only for a miscommunication to see Valkyrie wipe her out with a missile dropkick… and it was downhill from there as Roxxy quickly put Valkyrie away. A good debut, even in defeat, as it was the pair with feature matches at York Hall who came away with the Ws. ***
After the match, the Woke Queens beat down their opponents, only for the lights to go off as AFI hit… signalling the arrival of the Session Goth, who sprayed beer and headbutted the Woke Queens before dropping Valkyrie with a Magistral Driver. Martina tells us that Su Yung broke “Session Moth Martina” and created the Session Goth… one who’ll be facing her in a deathmatch.
A match between Nightshade and Sierra Loxton followed after this, but was edited off of the VOD due to an injury that Sierra picked up at the end of the match. Live, the show was stopped, for obvious reasons, as Sierra ended up being taken to hospital for eventual surgery on a broken back. The show continued on after a brief break…
Lana Austin vs. Emi Sakura
Sakura’s music’s been changed up a little, and she’s fully embracing the Freddie Mercury stuff like she did at Double or Nothing. Just without the stick-on moustache. Nina Samuels took over on commentary here…
We start with Lana threatening karaoke, which eventually flowed to Emi singing Queen as a match broke out. Lana’s tattoos came in useful for the first time in a match as she distracted, then cracked Emi with her forearm. Emi gets back in by Rolling the Dice as she mounted a comeback, following in with a reverse STO before Lana headbutted her way free of a backbreaker.
The crowd get back on Emi’s side as Nina was disgusted at the constant Queen stuff, before a butterfly backbreaker almost led to the win. Austin struck back, literally, with a forearm, but Emi’s chops have her back on top as she proceeded to sandwich Austin between the ring and a wall, before a Tiger bomb nearly got the win. A quick moonsault afterwards gets the W, as Emi Sakura continues to build up momentum. ***
Jamie Hayter vs. Kasey
After seeing her choice of singles match turned into a triple threat last month, Jamie was not about to make this a four-way – as she came to the ring with a pair of chairs, before grabbing more chairs and a couple of Kendo sticks out from under the ring. They’d best be used before the bell…
Yes, she did, throwing chairs at Kasey… but the bell rings as she continues, so I guess they’re legal? After getting poked in the eyes, Kasey gets a Kendo stick and put it to use, cracking Hayter in the back by the ropes… but a pair of chairs that Jamie’d set up earlier are quickly put to use as she got right back in as the pair began to brawl through the crowd, onto the stairs and back down again.
After cutting off a dive, Kasey kicked a chair into Hayter before landing a DDT onto it for a near-fall. More plunder’s set up as Kasey tried to superplex Hayter onto a stack of chairs, but the tables turn as Kasey took the bad landing before a Falcon arrow drew a two-count. One curb stomp later, and that’s the win as Jamie kept the match at York Hall a three-way. A fairly truncated match (coming in at under seven minutes), but with the show starting late and running long, it was to be expected. **¾
The show ends with a recap video of Jamie Hayter winning SHE-1 last year, through to Nina Samuels forcing her way into Jamie’s title match as what, for the VOD audience at least, was the go home show WrestleQueendom. At one point, this was meant to have been the go-home show for WrestleQueendom 2 – but EVE’s since added a pair of shows on the days before, which I’d guess won’t be live-streamed… unlike Queendom.
Speaking of that, this is the current line-up for WrestleQueendom 2:
Death Match: Session Goth vs. Su Yung
Arisa Hoshiki vs. Little Miss Roxxy
Jordynne Grace vs. Laura Di Matteo
Kagetsu vs. Mayu Iwatani
EVE Tag Team Championship: Erin Angel & Jetta vs. Medusa Complex (Charli Evans & Millie McKenzie)
EVE International Championship: Utami Hayashishita (c) vs. Jamie Hayter vs. Nina Samuels
EVE Championship: Kay Lee Ray (c) vs. Viper
Curiously, the Woke Queens along with the new pairing of Jinny and Mercedez Blaze are on the show poster, but not in matches…
Even with the addition of video packages to the VOD, it was curious that the main event of Viper vs. Kay Lee Ray, in a match that is likely to bring down the curtain on this “era” of EVE. With WWE running shows at the Download Festival a week later, this was another show where contracted talent were curiously kept out of the ring, but it did at least open things up for a slightly shuffled roster to appear instead as EVE pushed what they could on this show.