FOUR CORNERS: Breaking Point 2.7.15 (Charlotte, NC)

THIS IS WORTH ALMOST AS MUCH AS FFW IS.  I'M NOT JOKING.

See that painting up above?  The one with two Tahitian girls by Paul Gauguin entitled “When will you marry?”  Yeah, that one.

Qatar just bought it for $300 million, making it the most expensive painting ever. 

Suddenly, that “seven-figure” salary Stacey’s making doesn’t seem so bad now, does it?

Here’s your Four Corners

#1: ALL ABOARD!

Not since the Danger Queens themselves debuted has an incoming tag team gotten as much hype as the Burning Star Express.  As into the BSX as the crowd was, part of you wants to wonder why they didn’t go ahead and make it the main event.  The BSX was as almost fired up as the crowd was, and while they didn’t turn in the most flawless, mistake-free performance against ICWT, they delivered enough to get the win, and start their careers off on the right foot.  It’s a long way up the ladder, and there’s many teams that can derail the train- starting with the Rudos in three weeks at Chaos Theory.  But it was a hell of a first act.

And it’s going to be really interesting to see how the debut of the BSX measures up compared to the debut (actually, return) of another long-awaited tag team in FFW, who will be making an impact in the coming weeks- Nightmare Inc, reforming after a five-year hiatus.

And if the BSX can live up to their hype, and Nightmare Inc up to theirs, it’s very likely that those two squads are going to collide at some point in their trip up the ladder to the titles.  It’s a long way off, and no means certain- after all, the BSX has a stiff challenge coming up in the Rudos, and the Nightmare reunion might just end up going as well as the Spectra Fantasia one did.  But with the fanfare both teams are receiving, teams up on the totem pole better take note.  It’s their ass that’s in the crosshairs.

#2: ROTTEN PEACH

Poor Jo McFarlane.  One week after running into the human buzzsaw known as Caroline Stark, and coming away looking fairly impressive in defeat, she runs into another woman who’s just racking up the wins, and comes away looking… well, screwed.  Jo had Neveah dead to rights in the LaBell lock, but Silas Mason (who’s quickly approaching Alex Adonis levels of punchability here), distracted the ref, enabling Neveah to survive and eventually get the tainted win.  It’s a tough break for Jo, who’s had a rough start to 2015 after finishing 2014 on a blazing note, but at least she can get a few moments to catch her breath before dealing with her next challenge- retaining that title against Starla.

But for Neveah though… well, she’s now on a seven match winning streak.  But it’s hard to take her actions Saturday night- both before the match and during it- as anything but the actions of a desperate woman who’s only now realizing what she’s getting herself into.  It’s clear from her actions and mannerisms that Neveah thought that being Television Champion- arguably the lowest division on the totem pole in FFW- was going to be all fun and games and photoshoots.  Obviously that’s not the case, as any other former TV Champion in this company could attest to.

But the fact that Leona Vega- who hasn’t been seen in an FFW ring since JUNE, is pushing her this far over the edge says something.  Keep in mind- Leona’s not even getting a title shot at Chaos Theory.  Neveah’s walking out the TV Champion no matter what here, but you wouldn’t know it from the desperation tactics she’s employing in luring the Lioness into a backstage trap.  What the hell is Neveah going to do when the actual contenders to her belt show up (which could very well include Leona herself)? 

It’s yet another shining example of how damned tough things are here in FFW.  Not even the TV division or Future Shock division is a cakewalk, and to a fledgling champion not used to it- it can hit you hard. 

#3: CROWLEY RISING

I think we all know here that I’m not Sylvia’s biggest fan, and it’s understandable given the history between her girlfriend and I.  But you gotta give credit where credit is due, and the fact of the matter is that Sylvia’s hitting her stride at exactly the right time.  That win over Kate Steele- one of the best UV Champs this company has seen (don’t laugh)- at Anarchy was a huge kick in the rear for Crowley’s momentum, and she furthered it by laying Leah O’Quinn out last night.

So now everyone knows what’s next for Sylvia- she cashes in her Pick Your Poison on the Ultaviolence Champion Destiny Campbell in a Falls Count Anywhere match.  A win in that, and she’s propelled to the front of the UV line with a title shot of her own, although the odds of beating Destiny Campbell TWICE certainly isn’t as good as it is to get one quick win on her.  It’s a big match for Syl, one that has even deeper career implications than Metal Mayhem did.  The pressure’s on.

Or is it?

Don’t get me wrong- I’m hardly recommending that Sylvia take Destiny lightly, but Chaos Theory is hardly the end all be all for her immediate Ultraviolence Division hopes.  Should she stumble against Destiny, two weeks later, she goes into a Thunderdome against Caroline Stark, who, UV or no, is one of the toughest outs in the entire company.  But considering that Caroline’s gone full-steam against division kingpin Isabella Pazzini, Sylvia being tasked to do this is basically performing a personal favor to the Diva of Extreme.   And considering Sylvia’s already done one “personal favor” in beating Kate Steele, a win over Caroline might just serve the same purpose one over Destiny does.

If anything, that should help Syl as she enters Chaos Theory- everything’s not on the line, there is more than likely a backup plan for her.  That should make her looser, and more prone to taking risks.  And in the UV division, its all about taking the risks that can lead to a big payout.

#4: SOPHIE LIVES!

Anyone watching the current saga of Jodie Gray has to shake their heads and laugh when they think back to last year.  After all, the entire sequence got played out before just a year ago.  Sophie Richards got the chance of a lifetime when she won a lucky lottery to face FFW Champion Wendy Briese in a match (although Wendy would be dethroned two weeks before the contest).  Sophie would go on to lose in a very gutsy, heart-driven performance that left people talking, and she was summarily granted a second opportunity to make it big, against Valerie Lamb.  She won.

And her “reward” was to disappear for five months.   Ouch.

Sophie hasn’t entirely lit the world on fire since her return in August. She lost to eventual-winner Crystal Hilton in the first round of the Femme For All, and then dropped another toughie to Mel Avilo in November.  Any momentum she’d gotten over from the Briese and Lamb matches was long since dead, and once again Sophie was floating lifeless in the water.

Until last night.

The win over Summer was huge for multiple reasons- first of all, it avenges a TV title loss Sophie had to her three years ago.  But more than that- Summer is solidly in contention in the Evolution Division and is just over two months removed from a failed shot against Aimee Easter.  Furthermore, she was rallying, turning things around in the wake of a slight skid with a strong win over Kaylee Clarke, and Sophie managed to leap up into that fray and get the win for herself.

Sophie’s always been one of FFW’s strongest talents, and there was a time after her (then) record setting Television Championship reign that she might one day ascend the ladder to the top belt in the company, and last night proved that she’s still got it.  But Sophie’s been her worst enemy at times, and has allowed her momentum to stall out at the worst possible moments for her.  She can’t afford to let this become another false start- she’s gotta grab that brass ring.  It’s now or never for her.

UP NEXT: LAST STOP BEFORE CHAOS THEORY!  Val loses to Mika, then becomes champion by default as both Wendy and Scarlett’s heads explode!  Sister on sister action NOT written by Mickey Scarborough!  Remember when Tara Thunder shat on the entire Future Shock roster?  I bet Jodie does!   Caroline and Emma double the tables, double the fun!  Hey, look!  It’s Misty Whitmore WAIT NO DON’T THROW HER OUT OF THE BUILDING SHE REALLY DOES STILL WORK HERE!