POWER X- August 19, 2012

Once again, its time for wrestling manager and analyst Daniel Pollaski to go over the news, reviews, and previews of Femme Fatale Wrestling!  All content is the sole opinion of the author and does not reflect the views of Femme Fatale Wrestling, its wrestlers, or administration. Or Wendy Briese, for that matter, so don’t go jumping her in the hallway if you get butthurt about this. Bitch.  And don't go jumping the Scarborough Fair either.  I'm watching you!

The Power-X’s Inspirational Thought of the Week

I've got your picture of me and you

You wrote "I love you" I wrote "me too"

I sit there staring and there's nothing else to do

Oh it's in color Your hair is brown

Your eyes are hazel And soft as clouds

I often kiss you when there's no one else around

I've got your picture, I've got your picture

I'd like a million of you all round my cell

I want a doctor to take your picture

So I can look at you from inside as well

You've got me turning up and turning down

And turning in and turning 'round

I'm turning Japanese

I think I'm turning Japanese

I really think so

Turning Japanese

I think I'm turning Japanese

I really think so

I'm turning Japanese

I think I'm turning Japanese

I really think so

Turning Japanese

I think I'm turning Japanese

I really think so

- “Turning Japanese” The Vapors

Hey kids!

Yeah, kind of an obvious song choice this time around.  I mean, with us going to Japan and all for the final stop of our world tour.  And yes, I know what the song is really about, but it still seemed appropriate.   So before we can all go off to the Land of the Rising Sun, please bear with me as I quickly squeeze out one more batch of Power X goodness.  Hopefully, I can give all the beautiful women of Femme Fatale Wrestling the proper rub they all so rightly deserve.

So before we all go blind, let’s get this show on the road!   Starting with… the Four Corners of course!

1. TOLD YA

Coming out of Unstoppable, I told everyone that the rumors of the Power Trip’s demise were a bit on the premature side.  That little assertation came under a bit of a test, though, at Breaking Point, when the decline of the Power Trip seemingly continued, most notably thanks to Camilla Pazzini returning to the ring and damn near breaking Starla McCloud in half.  Then of course came the selection of the Mackenzie Mafia team for the upcoming War Games.  I knew it was going to be a good team, but I didn’t expect it to be THAT loaded.  Two former FFW Champions, both ‘niche’ Champions, and the One to Watch in 2012, just at the moment she’s hitting her stride.  Perhaps the Power Trip is screwed after all.

That awkward moment when you come to realize that you
ain't killed shit yet. 

But then came Velocity, and the Power Trip fought back with a Vengeance, taking both their matches.  Tara’s win could easily be dismissed in this context.  After all, she did beat someone she’s already beaten before, not to mention this is the moment that Jennifer Williams is starting to figure out just how damn tough the hill is to climb as you get closer to the top.  But at the same time, well, everyone predicted a Tara Thunder meltdown should she lose to Wendy Briese.  She lost, but the meltdown didn’t happen.  Tara got back in that ring, and it looked like she hadn’t missed a step.  Hell, that might have been the most intense I’d seen her in a while, and that’s saying something.  If Tara is selected for the Power Trip team (and all logic suggests she will be), that’s not going to be good news for the Mafia.

On the flipside, no one can deny the significance of Kaitlynn Stryfe’s victory over Emma MacNamara.  Since Isabella Pazzini will be facing Scarlett Kincaid for the FFW Championship, it’s a safe assumption that she won’t be in War Games.  That pretty much makes Kitty the de-facto captain of the Power Trip team.  Now, Stacey’s likely her counterpart on the Mafia side, but Emma certainly is in a leadership position amongst the Mafia as well.  After all, she’s the second most senior member of the faction, and was Ryan Mac’s right hand woman during the brief period of time that Stacey was out of the picture.  Eden Chevalier’s bullshit or not, Kaitlynn’s victory at Velocity proves that by hook or by crook, they can beat the Mafia’s finest.

We’ve got four more shows to go until Sin and Sacrifice, which means you’re going to be seeing a lot more of things like this, as both teams jostle for both physical and psychological advantages.    The next battle in the war comes at Breaking Point in Stone vs. Dallins.  Considering the particular hatred between these two, don’t expect things to be nearly as controlled as Emma/Kitty relatively was.  The storm clouds are a-gathering.

2. THE SAINT IS A TAINT

I cannot imagine that running the day to day operations of a company is an easy thing to do.  Especially a global entity like Femme Fatale Wrestling, where so many logistics and details have to come into play.  Not to mention dealing with sixty female egos, every which one of them is looking to beat the crap out of someone or another.  It’s a hard job, albeit one that’s probably well-paid, and deservedly so.  And I’ll give Amanda Saint this… she tried really, really hard.

Perhaps too hard…

It can’t be denied that Amanda Saint has done some good for FFW.  Firing both Alex Houser and Alex Adonis were moves that were long overdue.  The inclusion of Ryan Mackenzie as the special guest referee at Unstoppable was smart.  And the banning of the Power Trip from ringside for the Star/Demeanor match was a really nice touch, even if it proved to be completely ineffective. 

So yes, hat’s off to Amanda Star.  She learned well at Oxford (which she went to, didn’t you know?).  And she’s proven herself a competent executive.

And, like everyone else, I cannot wait to be rid of the bitch.

If this were a robot factory, well, Amanda Saint would be the perfect boss, because she certainly has the personality and mindset to deal with automatons.  But people skills, which seem to me to be a must for someone deals with the talent of a high-profile wrestling company, are somewhat lacking with her.  Her first big mistake upon obtaining her position was attempting to bury her predecessor.  Even if she herself couldn’t see why, she had to have recognized that the majority of the FFW locker room at least respected Cody Kincaid, if not downright loved him.  Preaching his incompetence every chance she got, not to mention making it clear that she was angling for his job and to run him out of wrestling, did little to garner support from the girls in the back.

Neither was the elimination of Byte This, an event that set FFW apart from other companies in its originality and philanthropy.  Yes, the company didn’t make money off it, even lost a bit (a drop in the bucket compared to the massive amount of dough this place hauls in from weekly shows and PPVs), but it was something that not only the talent was eager to participate in, but the fans enjoyed AND it brought good press to the company.  Its cancellation turned people’s perception of FFW almost overnight from a caring organization with an innovative concept for social awareness and fundraising of various causes, to simply being yet another heartless corporation only caring about the bottom line. In the entertainment industry, where perception is so vital, that’s something that’s could very well hurt in the long run.  Especially if other measures are made to drastically increase profit (raising prices, or cutting salaries and benefits of the talent)

And now the squeeze is coming on Amanda.  Climax is just a week away, and a month after that, Cody Kincaid will return at Sin & Sacrifice.  Saint has made it clear that she’s not interested in making friends in this business, but she’s probably starting to realize the predicament that she’s about to get into, especially when she has little support inside the locker room.  There are a few exceptions, but the vast majority of people back there want Cody Kincaid back, and are practically counting the days until he takes back over at the helm.  And of those who don’t, most of them answer directly to Samantha Star herself, and thus don’t even need to bother with Saint or her directives, because they can just go straight over her head.  I’m sure there’s one or two exceptions, but Amanda Saint is about to discover the harsh reality- if no one above or below you supports you in this business, you’re pretty much screwed.

The pressure’s got to be getting to her, as evidenced by her poor handling of the Adam Grant situation this week.  Was Adam out of line in tweeting drunk on a company account about killing certain members of the roster?  Probably.  But Saint’s iron-fisted approach was sloppy, and Adam’s quick triggered resignation suggested that this was something that had been brewing for some time with him.  Adam acted like a disgruntled employee, but after a long record of excellent service to the company, there were certainly better ways Saint should have found of dealing with the issue.  She didn’t and again, the company suffers for her impatience.

Again, Cody Kincaid is returning at Sin & Sacrifice, and if Samantha Star is smart, she will return him to his rightful position immediately, and either reposition Saint into a lesser role, or cut her loose entirely.  But before she makes a decision, she should be sure to thank her for her time.

After all, that was one thing Saint actually did give this company.

3. N00BIES WITH B00BIES!

Earlier this week, it was announced that FFW had signed Shelbi Lynn Carter to a contract, a transaction that was heralded as a bonafide coup across the wrestling industry, including fellow Femme Fatales Jo McFarlane and Sabra Nikolayev, who had worked with Carter in another promotion.  Samantha Star herself handled the signing (which doesn’t speak well for Shelbi’s character), and from the buzz, big things are expected of SLC here in FFW, before she’s even had her first match.

Why do I have a feeling that
SLC and Arabella are gonna be
really good friends?

But while Carter may be the biggest name to work her way onto the FFW Roster in the past couple of months, she is hardly the only one who’s done so. In the past month, we have seen the debuts of Nicole Whitmore, Samara Steele, and Penny Buchanan, along with the returns of Candace Okumura, Rori Mackenzie, Valerie Belmont, Colleen, and Undine.  And not only will Carter be making her debut on Velocity, she’ll be doing it against fellow newcomer Roxie Stevenson.  The coming weeks will also see the long-awaited debuts of Sara Mackenzie and Vanessa Cade, and the not-so-highly anticipated introduction of Danielle Arisu.  And waiting in the wings, ready to go for their first match to be rescheduled, are the returning Mia Rivera, and Skye Sapphire, who also signed her contract this week.

In case you lost count, that’s nine brand new wrestlers, and six women returning to the roster.  Fifteen wrestlers all in the span of a few weeks.  FFW was hardly wanting for roster members to begin with, but this is the largest influx of talent I’ve ever seen to a wrestling company in my life.  Even Future Shock only produces six new faces at a time, and that’s assuming all the competitors successfully make the transition to the main roster. (And oh yeah, there’s an eight woman Future Shock Season about to kick off, bringing the total influx to twenty-three).  We could be staring at a total roster of seventy women before the end of September.

With hope, so many new faces means that perhaps a few of our less enticing roster members might find themselves being cut (I can think of two certainties, and about five or six more off the top of my head), to help trim the roster back down to a slightly more manageable size.  But either way, the newcomers are going to be hard-pressed to distance themselves from the pack here.  Penny Buchanan’s off to a great start in beating Sabra, while Nicole Whitmore can open all kinds of eyes by handing Rori her first loss in over a year.  As for the rest, well, just know that FFW is indeed the land of opportunity, and the opportunities will be there.  But they’re going to have to work for them, and prove that they can rise above the pack on this roster.

Either way, it’s going to be an interesting final 4 months of the year with all these newcomers intermingling with the veterans, and by the time 2013 rolls around, we should be looking at plenty of new faces sitting in all six title pictures.

4.  FIREWALL IS GOING TO BE A MAKE OR BREAK OCCASION

When Amanda Saint decided to axe Byte This, she didn’t give up on the concept of the internet mini-PPV entirely, just revamped it to suit her personality, or lack thereof.  So we got Firewall, the new internet mPPV that will focus more on us helping ourselves instead of worthy causes.  There is one boon to the fans, however.  They will get to vote on the matches involved- at least for future incarnations of this thing, should it survive beyond it’s first episode.

Amanda Saint delivers her reply to
the remaining charities that had hoped
for a Byte This show.

Obviously, this is a make-or-break concept for Amanda Saint, a huge risk she is taking especially since this brainchild is airing 48 hours before Kincaid’s return.  The positive community vibes from Byte This won’t be there, something that could hurt the buyrate, especially since the show’s airing just two days before one of our massive full-priced PPVs.  Hell, we won’t even be seeing the fan participation that the show’s concept was originally based around, with Saint instead opting to throw everything to the random elements, and imposing the Spin The Wheel Make The Deal concept- which means exactly what you think it will.  The matches will be determined by the random spin of a wheel.  Which means we could get anything from a Hardcore War to a Water Noodle on a Pole match.

Luckily for Saint, despite every other mistake she’s made with the show, she did manage to book a fairly strong card, only strengthened by the good fortune that her first spin of the wheel landed on a triple threat ladder match, which is how we are going to see the vacant Evolution Championship get decided.  We’ll also finally get to see the one-on-one showdown between Ignis and Casey Atherton that we’ve been waiting nearly a year for (and hopefully Casey won’t DQ herself this time), as well as the debut of Vanessa Cade, who’s answering a challenge to Hanna Elliot.  Both of these matches will have a stipulation of their own, to be determined by that wheel.

But Amanda Saint isn’t the only woman this night is going to be make or break for, as several of the talent find themselves in critical matches as well.  And top of that list is going to be Ignis, who’s lone victory over Casey Atherton has come by disqualification, after Casey yet again wriggled out of getting her ass  kicked.  She needs to beat Casey, and she needs to do it decisively or she’s going to suffer a tremendous loss of face.  Also risking losing face is Hanna Elliot.  She begged for this match, and she’s got it, and she’s going to be a sizeable underdog against the more experienced Vanessa Cade.   I’m not going to say it’s a must win for her, but Hanna has got to come out of this match looking credible- and more importantly, not go into full scale meltdown mode on losing.

And I think all three women have a huge situation coming in the main event.  Sophie was dominant as a Television Champion, but she’s moving up in class, and the Evolution’s competition is decisively better.  All things point to her being able to handle the challenge, but we’ve seen women jump in division and fall flat on their faces before.  Crystal Hilton would certainly love to gain back the Evolution in her own right, with the match coming 362 days after her initial Evolution Championship victory.  And Eileen’s already had one shot at the title, and was stuffed by Tara Thunder.  This is her best shot at winning a belt yet, something that many people feel has been long overdue. 

I’ll be giving a more in depth preview of the show next month, along with the Sin & Sacrifice preview.  But with everything else going wrong in Amanda Saint’s regime, it’s nice to see that she actually managed to do something kinda-sorta right.  But she has to deliver.  Firewall needs to be just as big as Byte This was if it’s going to be considered anywhere near a change for the better.

RANKINGS!

So, we pretty much gained back everyone we lost in the last rankings (quantitively, not the same people), while only losing one person (Arabella De Rossi), and thus this week we shoot up from a respectable 43 to a whopping 49 in the rankings.  Things keep up this way, we should be looking at a new record for the largest Power X ever come the next time around.  But for now,  we got a little bit of shuffling, mainly due to the incoming wrestlers that are pretty much coming in at all levels.  Of course, the bottom two remain the same, but for how much longer, considering of the rumors of their incoming demise.

#49- CHARITY DEAS [-7]

As is customary practice with Charity and Sarah, whichever one of them gets pinned this time goes to the bottom.  That be Charity this time, thanks to Miss Demeanor…

#48- SARAH PEEK [-5]

… not to mention Sarah’s own selfishness in screwing over her partner.  As you can see, she is reaping the awards.

#47- SARAH RICHARDSON [Returning- Last Ranked 35^th on May 12]

Lisa may be gone, but unfortunately her equally talentless and annoying sister seems to stick around.  This time losing to Valerie Belmont.

Well, when you're that top
and front heavy, basic
 physics suggest that you
probably are gonna fall on
your face. 

#46- SAMARA STEELE [NEW]

Samara’s actually taken a considerably better attitude after being humbled by Candace Okumura, but it’s still pretty funny that this so-called ‘prodigy’ screwed the pooch in her very first match after all that bullshit she said to hype herself up.

#45- JODIE GRAY [-5]

Rumor has it she hasn’t been showing up to her training sessions with Andrew Marx.  Because skipping training is DEFINITELY something you want to do when you’re trying to turn a career around.

#44- SAMANTHA STAR [-5]

Just leaving her on for one more week to remind everyone just how ineffective she was against Miss Demeanor until Sabra bailed her ass out.  No offense, boss.

#43- UNDINE [Returning- Last Ranked 18^th on August 6, 2011]

Hey, remember when Undine used to actually be one of the finest wrestlers in the company, and carried a lot of credibility and respect?  That actually did happen, although you certainly wouldn’t know it by the way she’s acting and wrestling now.

#42- CANDACE OKUMURA [NEW]

Candace’s first appearance in FFW was regarded as somewhat of a failure, so to see her making a strong return to the company by knocking off Samara Steele in her debut presented the makings of an exciting turnaround story.  We’ll see if she can keep it up next Velocity when she faces Danielle Arisu.

#41- NICOLE WHITMORE [-3]

Not so easy when it isn’t Sarah Peek, is it?  Still, Nicole can put a career launching victory under her belt against Rori Mackenzie.

#40- HAYLEY DARK [-4]

Her partner is off to fight Casey at Firewall, but what of poor Hayley?  Please don’t tell me we’re in for another jealousy tantrum.

#39- ALLISON WRIGHT [-4]

Another wrestler that seems to be somewhat dead in the water at the moment.  Whatever the next opportunity she has is, she’d be well advised to seize it.

#38- TABATHA BELMONT [+3]

It’s a shame Harrington ruined it, because that was straight up the best performance we’ve seen from Tabby in, well, ever.  Can she keep it going when she faces Kara herself?

#37- TRINITY [Returning- Last Ranked 34^th on June 30]

It’s always nice when people get to leave their own special little mark when they get to torture Charity Deas.  But you know exactly where Trinity’s eyes are set- she wants a slice of cupcake.

#36- RAVEN WICKED [-4]

Obviously, she’ll be making another run at the Ultraviolence Championship.  The only question is when.  And how barbaric THIS match is going to end up being.

#35- SERAFINA REYNOLDS [-4]

Chances are, the next cycle will be featuring Serafina’s chance at the No Surrender Championship.  If she wins that, she’ll be dealing with one jealous Trinity come Sin & Sacrifice.

Cute.  Redhead.  Crazy.  Got Charity
Deas and Sarah Peek fired.  Talk about
your dream girls.

#34- MISS DEMEANOR [-1]

She didn’t just beat Charity and Sarah in a handicapped match, but she looked damn good doing it.  Although I think that Miss Demeanor would look good doing quite a bit of things.

#33- SABRA NIKOLAYEV [-6]

Tough week against newcomer Penny Buchanan, as Sabra’s struggles continue.  Hope she knows what she’s getting into where Miss Demeanor is concerned.

#32- PENNY BUCHANAN [NEW]

She may talk funny, but she sure as hell doesn’t fight funny.  Impressive debut by the red-haired Texan.

#31- STEPHANIE SANDERSON [-1]

While the prospect of ramming my foot down Ginger Roger’s throat over in SVW is certainly an appealing one, its somewhat tempered by the fact that I’ll be inadvertently defending this idiot’s honor in the process.

#30- MELANIE AVILO [-1]

Gonna go out on a limb and guess Mel’s not happy that Jodie’s getting a one on one (albeit nontitle) shot at Summer before she does.  At least until Summer wins.

#29- CRYSTAL HATE [+5]

The going has been tough for Hate lately, but she finally got some cure for what’s been ailing her.  A much needed win over Nicole Whitmore to get some momentum back. 

#28- LUMINA FERRARI [-6]

The up and down trend of Lumina continues, as she follows up her promising victory in the Chase with a defeat to Eileen Amaro. 

#27- LIGHTNING [+1]

Maybe I’m off my rocker here, but I have this feeling that Lightning just might be striking at Breaking Point- much to Summer’s dismay.

#26- IGNIS [=]

Ignis has what she wants- again.  One last chance to beat Casey Atherton, this time with absolutely no excuses should she lose.  But first, a bit of a sisterly problem to deal with over in SVW.

#25- ARIANNA MILLAR [=]

From the looks of things, Pink, Inc. is still together, so Arianna’s relevance will get to continue for at least another couple weeks.  What could possibly be a couple very nice lucrative weeks. 

#24- VALERIE BELMONT [=]

Well, as expected, she beat Sarah Richardson.  But now looms the biggest challenge yet for the returning Val- Colleen

#23- JO MCFARLANE [=]

Hope Jo enjoys the Tokyo show.  Given Spitfire’s recent successes, this will probably be the only time they’re sharing the ring with the Unity Tag Champions for a good long while.

#22- CRYSTAL HILTON [-2]

Hell, if the FFW website is going to call her Hilton, I might as well.  Besides, her husband could die at any minute, and then back to the maiden name by default!!

#21- SHANE SANDERS [-2]

Still no word yet on Shane Sanders’ standing with the Power Trip.  Has she been forgiven for her selfish indiscretions?

Oh Rori.  You so crazy and violent! 

#20- RORI MACKENZIE [-2]

As much as I’m not a fan of Todd Williams, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that putting nails into the baseball bat was probably a bit of overreacting to a chair shot.

#19- DESIRAE KAIN [-4]

The slump continues, but if Pink Inc is truly back on the same page together, the coming weeks might just be the cure for what ails them.  After all, first ever three-time Unity Champs isn’t exactly out of the question.

#18- KATHERINE STRYFE [+3]

Gotta hand it to Kat, she’s won two out of three now, and is starting to put some shine back into her tarnished image.  Beating J-Will is going to be another step in the right direction.

#17- COLLEEN [=]

So far, she’s been saying and doing the right things, by all accounts. Beating Valerie Belmont is just the next step on the long road to recovery.

#16- CASEY ATHERTON [=] *UNITY TAG TEAM CHAMPION*

No word on how she feels yet on having to deal with Ignis one more time.  Of course, she’ll have a far more pressing issue first when Pink Inc cashes in the rematch clause.

#15- JENNIFER WILLIAMS [-2]

Tough break about Tara Thunder, complicated with her brother’s injury.  But she needs to get back on the horse, and fast.  A match against a resurging Kat Stryfe is just the latest addition to this tough stretch on her slate.

#14- SOPHIE RICHARDS [=]

Everyone figured Sophie Richards would do well moving up to the next level.  Now she’s got the chance to prove that.

#13- EMMA MACNAMARA [-1]

Thanks to the antics of one Eden Chevalier,  Emma’s bid for an upset of Kitty was sadly denied.  Settling old business with the inconsistent Harrington is a must.

#12- CAROLINE DALLINS [-1]

Surely four weeks is enough time for Caroline to shake off the sting of losing to Eileen and getting ready for Cara.   This could get ugly.

"Anyone get the license plate on that Chunks?"

#11- STARLA MCCLOUD [-3] *UNITY TAG TEAM CHAMPION*

As much fun as it was watching her tap out three times in Wendy’s clutches, it was far more enjoyable to see her being broken in half by Camilla’s spear. Brought a tear to my eye.

#10- EILEEN AMARO [=]

Eileen’s stock just keeps on arising.  No one else can claim participation in both upcoming PPV Main Events.

#9- CAMILLA PAZZINI [Returning- Last Ranked 7^th on June 18]

Chunks returned to the ring with authority after a two month layoff, taking out Starla McCloud.  Could we be seeing a run at the FFW Championship soon?

#8- KELLY MCGUFFIN [+1]

With J-Will embarked on her Tour De Force, the next round of the Chase is being held off on.  Kelly apparently will be waiting in a holding pattern until that gets going again.

#7- SUMMER  [=] *TELEVISION CHAMPION*

With Lightning looming, Summer could certainly use a tune-up match.  Unless we’re about to see a huge turnaround from Jodie, she’s going to get exactly that.

#6- CARA STONE [-1] *ULTRAVIOLENCE CHAMPION*

 Cara’s got what she wanted, one on one with Caroline, no DQ.  It’s going to be an ugly one, but she’s got to deliver the goods here.

#5- KAITLYNN STRYFE [+1]

Kitty better buy Eden a present after that gift Chevalier just handed her.  Still, it’s a major win for the Power Trip, regardless of how it came about.

#4- TARA THUNDER [=]

Tara answered any questions about a potential downward spiral with an emphatic ‘no’.  A rubber match against Hanna Elliott awaits.  And this is one Tara would be ill-advised to lose.

#3- ISABELLA PAZZINI [=]

I was surprised not to see Isabella on either show this last cycle, considering she is the #1 contender.  Obviously she’s biding her time.

#2- WENDY BRIESE [=] *NO SURRENDER CHAMPION*

Despite not competing, a very eventful Breaking Point for Wendy, first relinquishing the Evolution Championship in an emotional speech, followed by her being named to the Mafia team- despite not being officially a member.

#1- SCARLETT KINCAID [=] *FFW CHAMPION*

Scarlett’s always wondered what the fuss about wrestling in MSG is.  I think once she main events her first ever trip there… she’ll be singing a different tune!

INCOMING!

BREAKING POINT- August 25 from Tokyo, Japan

It may be a couple months late, but you can’t deny that there couldn’t be a better venue or card to celebrate FFW’s second anniversary.  But three is the magic number of the day- three matches that will be the third meeting between the respective participants.  And that means, of course, the long awaited rubber match between Wendy Briese and Crystal Hilton.  Wendy’s made it clear she dislikes the Rose Goddess, while Crystal, well, she’s never really been clear about anything, ever.  Still, the memories of Sin & Sacrifice and the First Chase for the Crown have to be haunting either woman, and this should be a very intense match.  But equally intense will be the third meeting between Caroline Dallins and Cara Stone.  Wendy and Crystal might dislike each other, but between Cara and Caroline, there is nothing but HATRED.  The No-DQ stipulation is only going to add to the brutality, and I’m not all that certain it’s going to create much of an advantage for the Ultraviolence Champion.

Three is a magic number.
Yes it is.
It's a magic number.

The third trilogy is Hanna Elliot vs. Tara Thunder, one that wouldn’t seem to be that competitive on the surface, but Hanna did get the better of Tara one before, something no one’s forgotten least of all Tara.  Hanna’s gone on about how being nipped out by Thunder destroyed her psyche last time (which is honestly the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard).  Hopefully she’ll keep it together should the heavily favored Tara win again.

Surprisingly, NONE of those three matches are the main event.  That falls to Jennifer Williams, who cashes in her prize from Future Shock Season 7- a one on one match with FFW Champion Scarlett Kincaid.  Obviously, Scar is heavily favored (heck, no Future Shock Winner has successfully cashed in their prize since Season 4), but Jenny has her chance here to prove what she can do against the absolute best in this company. Hope she can stay focused.

Candace Okumura. One
or two recently signed
joshi wrestlers who oddly
won't be competing in
her homeland.

A couple tag team matches dot the card as well, one of which is an absolute doozy, as four mainstays of the division pair up into an Eight Femme tag match.  Pink, Inc and Bounce & Pounce have a rivalry, but there’s enough respect there to where they should be able to function- at least compared to Spitfire and Team Adonis teaming up.   Not sure if the tag team scene will be shaken up by this match too much, but it’s going to be an awesome, fast paced diversion for the Japanese crowd.   And that crowd would certainly enjoy the other tag match too, as two gaijin joshi legends make their return to Japan, in Sara Mackenzie and Eileen Amaro.  The crowd will probably be firmly behind them, even if they’re facing a far superior tag team in the Scarborough Fair, and Mickey and Raquel are going to run those girls the fuck outta here.

Emma MacNamara needs a win, and she has a chance to get it against Kara Harrington, in a long-awaited grudge match stemming from Karas (stupid, misguided, attention seeking) attack on Emma after an incident involving Cory Kincaid.  Kara’s been so inconsistent she has trouble even getting matches, so it’d be a bad thing for Emma to lose and give her some traction.  And a bonafide dream match awaits when Colleen faces Valerie Belmont.  Both women are likely still a bit rusty after being out of wrestling for a while, but seeing these two great wrestlers in this match is going to bring Japan to its feet.   And, finally, Summer faces Jodie Gray, in a match where we can see if Jodie’s retained any ability to contend for any sort of championship title.  It’s make or break for her.

VELOCITY- August 30 from Los Angeles, California

In terms of defenses, the Unity Championships have been pretty active as of late, being defended at Conviction, Velocity, Unstoppable 3, and now Velocity again.  This time, Bounce & Pounce cashes in their rematch clause in hopes of regaining the titles from Team Adonis, who took the titles from them under highly dubious circumstances a couple months ago.  It’s a miracle the challengers haven’t even dissolved yet, considering all the rumors of infighting, but they’re still holding it together.  Team Adonis isn’t, of course, but that’s never stopped them before. 

Jennifer Williams is also in action, for the third straight show, this time going against Katherine Stryfe.  It’s her most winnable match yet in this stretch, but at the same time, after dealing with Tara Thunder and Scarlett Kincaid, how much juice is going to be in Jenny’s tank?   Mountain Dew alone won’t be saving her here.  Nor will it save Kara Harrington, who’s also in her second grudge match in a row, coming off her dealings with Emma and facing Tabatha Belmont who’s got to be wanting to give Kara a little payback.  Both women were once major stars, and the winner here is going to move a move closer to climbing back up towards the top of the company. Also wanting to work her way up is Nicole Whitmore, who’s coming off a loss to Crystal Hate.  Beating the sinister Rori Mackenzie’s going to be tough- especially considering Rori’s history of bullshit, but it’s doable.  Nicole can make huge strides here.

The show’s also going to focus a bit on newcomers.  Candace Okumura, coming off a huge win over Samara Steele, tangles with Danielle Arisu, a virtual unknown.  Not so unknown is signing coup Shelbi Lynn Carter who hopes to prove that the hype behind her signing is valid against Roxie Stevenson.  Not much is known about Roxie, although rumors have it that she’s not exactly the brightest Crayola in the box.  Still, we’ve been fooled in debut matches before.

AWARDS!

I think most of you know by now that the huge Tokyo show is actually just the front half of a huge weekend of wrestling, as the day after, Sex and Violence Wrestling will be broadcasting their Climax PPV (of which I will be an important part of).   One of the huge matches of the show is the Defiance Championship match, which will feature Chris Strike defending against Christian Kane, a match so huge it’s actually attracted the attention of HBO’s 24/7 programming.  Lucky for me, Chris was able to take a bit of time out of the massive preparation for that huge match, and do the awards for this week.  Muchos gracias to the God of Thunder, and enjoy!

Chris Strike.
Ladies, make sure you still
read his awards after you're
done staring.

MATCH OF THE WEEK: Kaitlynn Stryfe vs. Emma MacNamara

The contrast in styles, the venom between two factions that are about to go to war at Sin & Sacrifice in professional wrestling’s Mecca, a rather rich history that got a chapter or two added on to it after Scramble, Kitty vs. Emma was the match to see and both women delivered from a wrestling perspective and to those of you who are fans of outside shenanigans (thanks for that, Eden…really…anyone ever tell you that you have the sneaking abilities of a hippopotamus?), this was also a match you took some semblance of joy from and whatnot. But by hook and by crook, Kaitlynn comes out victorious here and along with Tara Thunder’s win over the hot and cold Jennifer Williams, it proves that the Power Trip isn’t anywhere close to just laying down and dying – even after the blow they’ve taken at Unstoppable.

Now, personally, I thought Eden did rather well at sneaking those bass knuckles (or whatever the hell that was) to Kitty.  But then again, I ain’t so good at sneaking myself.  Runners up!

– Jennifer Williams vs. Tara Thunder (J-Will looked a hell of a lot better than she did at Conviction, but just couldn’t quite get the job done.  Proof that Tara’s still got it) 

- Katherine Stryfe vs. Desirae Kain (Hard fought match between these two struggling stars, that saw Kat getting her biggest win in a long, long time.  Both women wrestled with urgency, and just a great, entertaining atch)

WINNER OF THE WEEK: Camilla Pazzini

If you ask me, there’s nobody that’s more worthy of a FFW Championship opportunity right now than Camilla. Her dominance over one-half of the FFW Unity Tag Team champions in Starla McCloud at Breaking Point, the fact it took the “Mile High Miracle” and a whole lot of heart from Cara Stone to stop her from reigning as the record-setting Ultraviolence champion…well, I’ll keep it simple. Regardless of whether Scarlett Kincaid or Isabella Pazzini emerges victorious out of Sin & Sacrifice, Camilla Pazzini deserves a shot at the gold. Odds are, if anyone can capitalize on that one shot, it’s her.

Could you imagine what a Pazzini vs. Pazzini sister match would be like.  Dear god. 

-The Power Trip (Two out of three isn’t bad, and those two were big, big matches)

- Penny Buchanan (Can anyone remember a bigger debut win than Penny’s beating of best friend Sabra?)

LOSER OF THE WEEK: Jennifer Williams

Picking on the Peek and the Deas is too easy, so let’s go for the obvious one. This woman who has been riding the hot streak got a large dose of reality on her current level compared to tier where Tara Thunder is currently sitting at. Jen gave it her all but when your all is not enough to win against Tara, I have my doubts as to whether her Future Shock chance at a one-on-one bout against Scarlett Kincaid is winnable – though I like her chances slightly more against Katherine Stryfe, who’s the poster child for inconsistency and is more likely to get caught in an “off-night.” It’s going to be a barrier that even Jennifer Williams diving through it carelessly might not do the trick like it has through most of her FFW career so far. Tough pill to swallow, but hey…pick your feet up, try again…but personally? I hope she fails miserably and gets exposed in the process. Huh? Bitter? Me? I have no idea what you’re talking about…

Not sure how much I agree with this one.  After all, Williams was the underdog facing a technically superior wrestler.  But Chris raises a great point.  Jenny’s at the level where pure heart can’t carry her to the W anymore.  She’s got to start showing some maturity.

-The Underdogs (This came down in the midst of me writing this column, but… THEYRE GONE!  HALLELUJAH!)

- Samara Steele (Can anyone remember a more disappointing debut than Samara blanking against Candace?  Welcome to the major leagues, Sammy!)

DOUCHEBAG OF THE WEEK: Eden Chevalier & Samantha Star

Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Let’s face it, Eden and Sammie should probably share this award with Anastasia as well after her massive assist to Eden so that she could win the Pride title off of Claire Black in a way that only laundry places across the world could come to appreciate and even that’s a stretch. See, I’m aware that Samantha Star’s whole business policy is notorious for thinking money first, honor later. It’s been like that for ages, ever since she found that Nicholas Flaherty struck it on his own with a wrestling company while she was stuck in a middle-management position in the Velocity brand of EWC. Oh, am I…rubbing the salt in the wounds much, Sammie? Tough. It must suck to know that at the end of the day, even if you sent Spooky into exile for nearly a year, that he’s beaten you to the punch and that he’s still managing to be around, lively and kicking as we head into our biggest Pay-Per-View of the year and get ourselves a nifty 24/7 HBO special before anybody in FFW can do it. Sorry kid. Better luck next time.

As for Eden, I know that winning three matches without any losses makes you feel like you’re some sort of hot shit but take Myron’s dick off your mouth for a good minute or two and read very closely. I am the SVW Defiance champion, one of the damn best wrestlers around today…and that’s my company’s title that you and the redheaded douche are trying to defile! Claire Black ISN’T the only person that’s willing to collect a pound of flesh after that bullshit stunt you pulled at Velocity. I’d be watching my ass VERY carefully wherever it is you go in SVW…because one way or another, even if it means somebody having to beat the shit out of you backstage at an FFW event and taking the strap by force…that title’s coming back where it belongs. That’s the only warning you’re getting.

It’s nice that Chris touched on something I didn’t really get a chance to get to this week- the Pride Championship.  After all, if winning the belt makes you the legal owner, why was Wendy required to relinquish the Evolution Championship even when she clearly didn’t want to?  Eden’s still an employee of SVW, and Nick’s still her boss.  You’d think Samantha would understand contracts better than that.  Nick should strip Eden of the belt right the hell now just for being an idiot.

-Rori & Will Mackenzie (Okay, so not a lot of people actually have any sympathy for Todd Williams, here, but that still was a pretty low thing to do)

- Kara Harrington (Hey look.  The irrelevant “schizophrenic” ruined another match, and we’re all supposed to care.  Whatever)

And just like that, we’re done! 

Obviously, this happened back in June, but a huge congratulations to Femme Fatale Wrestling for two wonderful years of providing the best women’s wrestling this planet has ever seen.  I’m looking forward to the anniversary show, as well as what’s in store for us in the next year (10 months), and I’m sure the rest of the FFW Faithful feels the exact same way I do.  So bravo, FFW!  And carry on.

POLLA OUT!

Daniel Pollaski is an independent wrestling columnist, SVW wrestler, and the manager of FFW stars Wendy Briese and the Scarborough Fair.  He’d also like to remind everyone that Robbyn Helmsley’s career is completely ruined in just one week.