A review of a few random Women's Matches (Intergender Matches as well) Black Label Pro, Beyond Wrestling & GCW

 By Mark Rodriguez

If there's one thing I grew to love while watching Rise Women's Wrestling was my love for the indies. There's just something raw about it, something that despite having its fare share of silly shenanigans, sometimes hits a bit more 'real' than what you see on TV. One downside though, is that a lot of these promotions were forced to shut down and postpone events due to the current pandemic, and the indie stars don't have WWE or AEW to back them and pay them in their downtime. While I'm not 100% this was the first weekend to start things going again per say, it was a big weekend for the return to the ring for two of my favorite stars, Priscilla Kelly and Elayna Black, so here are some of their matches as well as other possible familiar faces.

Please take note, this review will include intergender matches, meaning we're gonna see guys and gals fight it out, and I mean fight it out. These wrestlers only see each other as opponents so don't see this as condoning violence against women. This is true equality here.

Black Label Pro- We're Back: A Wrestler's Story (August 22nd 2020)

Elayna Black VS Billie Starkz

Billie extends her hand for a handshake but instead, Elayna gives her a tarot card. Billie literally yells 'YEET!' as she tosses it away and the grappling begins. Billie gets Elayna into a suplex bridge pin but she kicks out. Then Billie goes for a sunset flip pin, which Elayna flips over to pin her instead. Both women try to flip the pin over on each other in a back and forth until Billie finally does a knee strike to the side of her opponent's head.

Elayna gets Billie in a DDT and tries to pin her but her blue-haired opponent kicks out. Elayna then kicks her across the back and chokes her up against the ropes with her foot. She rams into her and doesn't let up even though Billie is desperately punching all over her back.

Elayna does a running knee to Billie and kicks her on the back of the shoulder but still couldn't secure the pin. The Sorceress of Sin gets into a choke hold, but Billie will not submit. She tries to stand up but Elayna climbs on top of her and keeps a firm grip on her choke hold. Now with the Sorceress clinging to her back, Billie manages to get to her feet and she rams herself backwards against the ringpost until her opponent finally lets go. Billie then kicks Elayna in the stomach to knock her down.

Elayna tries to go with what looks like a German Suplex but Billie tries to reverse it. Both woman trade elbow shots as they try to gain control of the other. Billie manages to whip Elayna towards the ropes and catch her with a suplex as she bounces back. Elayna is able to kick out of another pinfall attempt but she loses it and starts attacking Billie with a series of strikes and kicks. 

Elayna grabs Billi's arm, but the blue haired space girl does not lose control and now starts hitting her back with her own series of strikes and kicks. She finally gets Elayna in her variation of the Deadeye Tombstone Piledriver and wins the match.

Blake Christian VS Kylie Rae for Black Label Pro Championship

The two do a short grapple and Kylie invites Blake to do a test of strength with her. Upon doing so, Kylie gets him in a wristlock and gets him down on the mat. Blake reverses it into his own wristlock but Kylie rolls and flips to get out of it. He grabs and slams her down, going for a pin, but Kylie isn't going to lose that easily.

After several moves, including Kylie getting him with a running Hurracarana, Blake says she won't be faster than him and he imitates her smiling pose. This actually gets her angry and she starts to shove him, which leads to them shoving each other. Blake runs towards the rope but springs himself backwards, crashing into Kylie and knocking her off her feet. She then rolls out of the mat for a breather.

With Kylie out of the ring, Blake acts like he's gonna go after after her with a Suicide Dive but instead does some flips to show off, landing in what Deadpool calls the 'Superhero Landing Pose'. Kylie takes advantage to run in and kicks him in the face. She hits him with a running uppercut, and with him now against the ropes, she does a running cannonball on him but still can't get a pin. 

Kylie gets him in a submission hold that stretches him all across her back. After some effort, he manages to break out of it. He hits her with a sunset flip and a neckbreaker but he still can't keep her down.

Blake gets her in a headlock which she escapes. As she runs towards him he chucks her over his shoulder with a body drop. He gets her into a chin lock with his knee digging into her back but she still escapes the hold. After some more moves, Kylie manages to smack Blake with an elbow to the face twice, the second one actually knocking him to the mat. It has become apparent that during the entire match Kylie has been the only one striking Blake and there have been chances where he could have hit her but he has always pulled back.

Seeing this, Kylie dares him to hit her and when he refuses she hits him with a series of strikes. Blake finally hits her in the chest. He runs at her but Kylie boots him in the face. After trading more shots, now with Blake finally hitting back, Kylie is able to grab her into a crossface submission. He tries to escape but she rolls him towards the middle of the ring, keeping that crossface locked tight.

Blake rolls the move into a pin so she has to let him go to avoid being pinned. Kylie hits him with a superkick but couldn't pin him. Blake manages to run while Kylie is near the ropes and kicks her with a 619 to her face. He then does a 450 Springboard, followed by a Superkick and finally in a Fisherman Buster, but Kylie is able to take all of that and kick out of every pinfall attempt after each major move.

Blake pulls Kylie closer to the ropes and he climbs the turnbuckle. Kylie gets up and tries to fight for control over the top rope. He grabs her and puts in  cradling position and then leaps off the ropes in a spinning slam. Somehow Kylie survives this and breaks the pin. Blake hits her with a spinning kick to the jaw and as he runs to follow up, she boots him in the face again.

Kylie trips him down with a Russian Legsweep and then goes back into the CrossFace. This time though, Kylie gets him away from the ropes, so has no way to break to the hold. With nowhere to go, Blake finally taps. Kylie wins the match and retains her title!

Beyond Wrestling- Wear Sunscreen (August 23rd 2020)

Main Event one- Kimber Lee VS 'The Bad Boy' Joey Janela

The 2 veterans start off with Joey trying to get Kimber in an arm lock. She reverses it into an armlock takedown but Joey shows off his athleticism by using a headstand to get out of it. Kimber Lee goes for an armbar mixed with a calf slicer and Joey grabs the ropes to escape. Joey then get caught by another headlock but he escapes and rolls out of the ring, showing off his energy by casually jogging around the ring.

Kimber Lee nails Joey with a running elbow to the chin. She then throws him out of the ring and does a somersault swanton off the ropes, which lands and nails Joey on the wooden floor that is surrounding the ring. With Joey down, she grabs onto his hair, but he was playing possum and hits her with a dropkick. Joey sits Kimber down on one of the chairs and delivers a chop. Kimber quickly switches things around, sits Joey down and starts chopping all over his chest.

Joey manages to hit Kimber with a running kick to her head and rolls her back into the ring. With Kimber still out of it, Joey smacks her with a chop on the back of her neck. They both go for the ropes and Joey tries to to get her into position for a Superplex but she pushes him off her and jumps off for a swanton and a pin. Joey kicks out.

The two start trading shots and Kimber grabs Joey for a German Suplex. She manages to do another German Suplex and then a third but with a bridge to get a pin. The Bad Boy still kicks out. Kimber goes for the ropes and Joey grabs onto her and flies backwards with her with a Super Fishermen Buster with a bridge to pin her but somehow she kicks out. Joey nails her with a superkick to the face but Kimber is still able to kick out of a pin.

After both opponents trade kicks, Kimber clocks him with an enzuigiri to the face. She runs at him but he catches her with a rolling slam and a pin but she still kicks out. Going back to the top of the ropes, Joey jumps off with Kimber Lee, nailing her with a DDT Driver off the ropes and the woman will still not give up!

With both wrestlers running on fumes by now, especially under the unforgiving heat of the outdoors battle, Joey hits Kimber with a package piledriver which she still kicks out of. Finally, Joey goes to the ropes and jumps off with a doublestomp on Kimber Lee, which is finally enough to put her away for a three count! Joey Janela wins the match!

Afterwards, the AEW star would offer Kimber Lee some water and a handshake. While she took the water, she shoved him away. Chris Dickinson, the next guy up for this double main event, steps in and congratulates both on an amazing match and raises both their hands up. Kimber Lee shakes Joey's hand and she leaves. After some tomfoolery on the mic, Joey leaves so we can continue with the second main event of the afternoon.

Main Event 2- Chris Dickinson VS Priscilla Kelly

While Joey and Kimber Lee were more evenly matched, there was already a consider size and weight difference between Chris and PK, but this wouldn't make her back down.

Chris would grab her on an armdrag takedown, and transition to grab her legs for a half crab submission move. PK would reverse it into an ankle lock that he managed to escape. The two grapple for a variety of holds and submission moves, both being able to work their way out of them. In a funny showing of disrespect, PK would kick Chris down to his knees and pat his bald head as she walked past him.

Chris would go for another headlock takedown which PK would fight her way out of. She would flip him off, waving her middle finger in her face, to which his surprise she would take her hand and bite it. After some more grappling moves, PK would finally hit him with a dropkick, and then do an arm drag off the ropes. He would grab her for a spinning body slam and go for a pin, to which PK would kick out of.

Chris would take this chance to take a breather, while PK was still lying on the mat. The commentary would joke that the referee would keep asking if Chris was ok while PK hasn't moved since she received that last body slam. As Hell's Favorite Harlot starts to get up, Chris kicks her around and socks her in the face. 

PK goes for the ropes and Chris goes to grab her. She bites his arm and then grabs him for an arm bar off the ropes. Once the hold is broken, she delivers a heel kick to the same arm.

Chris manages to grab her into a single-leg crab hold again but PK manages to crawl over to the ropes to break it. He hits her with the DragonScrew Leg Whip twice and goes for the pin which she kicks out of. Chris slaps her around a bit until PK wakes up and starts throwing shots at him. She catches him by surprise and suplexes him. 

PK hits him with a running boot to the chin but he kicks out of a pin attempt. PK goes for the ropes and Chris tries to grab her. PK is able to deliver a choke slam off the ropes. She gets back up and a does a missile drop kick off the ropes and tries for a pin, to which Chris still kicks out of.

Hell's Favorite Harlot gets Chris in an Octopus Hold that he manages to work his way out of. As he runs at her, she catches him with an armdrag takedown and transitions into an armbar. Chris tries to pick her up and slam her down, but can't lift her high enough. PK finally lets go and both wrestlers are worn out.

PK starts throwing some kicks but a single chop from Chris is enough to send her down. He lifts her up for a Death Valley Driver and she is still able to kick out of a pin. Both of them start trading slaps, and it escalates into a cartoonish slapfight until Chris has enough of playing along and clocks her. However PK catches him off guard and slams him with a backdrop. Despite this big slam, Chris still kicks out of a pin.

Chris grabs PK's leg and slams her down, transitioning into the STF hold. At this point, after everything that was already thrown at her, PK was forced to tap out. Chris wins the match!

Jimmy Lloyd's Jersey Shore (GCW)

Jimmy Lloyd VS Elayna Black (weapons match)

This one caught me off guard because it was a weapons match, but then I saw a board covered in barbed wire lying around as well. This was my first time ever seeing a woman involved in what is essentially a death match, and it didn't help that The Sorceress of Sin brought in some deadly weapons of her own.

The match started with Elayna running to the ropes and hoping to throw Jimmy around with a hurracarana. She tried  second time but this time Jimmy caught her and just body slammed her down. Not holding back, he picked up a chair and tossed right into her face. After a few punches to Elayna's face, Jimmy starts to prop up the board covered in barbed wire up against the ring post. Jimmy intends to throw her into it, but she reverses it and he ended up having his back cut up by barbed wire.

Elayna reveals that her little casket was actually full of broken shards of glass and she spills it all over the ring. She manages to hit Jimmy with a DDT right onto said broken glass. The Sorceress would pull out her tarot card and rake it across Jimmy's mouth hoping to get some paper cuts in. This was the last straw for Jimmy who proceeded to grab her and power slam her twice on her own broken glass. He would then deliver a package pile driver onto the glass and go for the pin but Elayna would kick out.

Jimmy starts bringing in more doors and a ladder and hits Elayna with a running boot to the face. Jimmy sets up the door against the ring post and he grabs the ladder and tries to swing it into her. Elayna dodges this and hit him with a steel chair. With Jimmy down, she props up the ladder and climbs it. She does a trust fall (Coffin Drop) off the ladder and slams Jimmy right through the door. She tries to pin him but he kicks out. She yells at him to quit, he cusses back at her and she spits on him.

Elayna brings in and another door and whips out a little bag and shows it to the audience. Before she can reveal its contents, Jimmy superkicks her in the face and she is down. They trade a few shots but then Jimmy tosses a chair at her face which sends her down. With his opponent down, Jimmy sets up a door across two chairs. He grabs the little bag Elayna had and reveals that it was full of thumbtacks, which he spills all over the table. 

Surprisingly, Jimmy manages to actually slam Elayna down onto the thumbtack riddled door and goes for a pin. She still manages to kick out. Jimmy tapes one of the turnbuckle mats to his knee and gets lighter fluid. He sets it on fire and picks up Elayna for a Go To Sleep. Thankfully he misses (though I assume in kayfabe, he didn't) but Elayna is still out of it as she is dropped onto the mat. Jimmy quickly puts the fire out and pins Elayna for the victory.

Suddenly a bunch of guys with shirts saying 440 all come in and start ganging up on Jimmy. One of them even grabs Elayna, who was trying to get away, and choke slams her onto the broken glass. Jimmy recovers long enough to grab Elayna and pulls her out of the ring and away from these guys. Whatever hatred they had in the ring vanished as they helped each other escape these men who proceeded to talk trash about GCW and how they were going to run things.

My Opinions-

Wow, what a busy weekend for the indies and some of these guys that have several matches, some even had two matches the same day. I do have to say, other than Kylie Rae defending her title, the other women I was rooting for lost their matches, in fact Elayna wrestled twice this weekend and lost them both. However.... they won in another way. 

Based on the reaction of social media, now a lot more eyes are on Hell's Favorite Harlot and The Sorceress of Sin. Seeing how Priscilla was able to stand toe to toe with someone like Chris Dickinson impressed everyone, and they are eager to see her return to Beyond Wrestling. As for Elayna, everybody was super impressed by seeing a woman do a hardcore match and not shy away from actually taking a thumbtacks spot. People want to see more of these two. These two are the future.

I enjoyed all of these matches, though I was surprised Elayna VS Billie was so short. One thing for sure, one thing all of these intergender matches had was that these women are tough and they just don't don't go down. You can throw the kitchen sink at them and they will still kick out of a pin. This was a fun indie wrestling weekend and I will follow their careers the best I can as wrestling begins to re-open across the country.

To check out these matches, either streaming live or video on demand (after a few hours after the first live airing), go to https://independentwrestling.tv/news and sign up. It's pretty cheap and features lots of indie wrestling promotions, especially stuff from Japan and Death Matches if that if your thing. It's definitely worth a look and I'll be keeping my eyes on Priscilla Kelly, Elayna Black (and Hawlee Cromwell, even though she did not perform this weekend, I believe) as they continue to grow.