Taya Valkyrie makes her arrival in All Elite Wrestling. IMPACT Wrestling heads to Windsor for Sacrifice. WWE adds a “WrestleMania Showcase” to the WrestleMania 39 card. La Rosa Negra speaks with WrestleZone and more. Let’s break it all down in this week’s edition of Women’s Wrestling Wrap-Up!
Taya Valkyrie Is All Elite
Taya Valkyrie continues to build her resume.
As AEW made their Winnipeg debut last week on Dynamite, TBS Champion Jade Cargill laid out a Canadian Open Challenge. As the anticipation for Cargill’s opponent came to a climax, Canada native Nicole Matthews answered the call. Unfortunately for Matthews, Jade Cargill proved to be too dominant, as she landed her Jaded finisher to gain the quick victory and retain her TBS Championship.
Despite getting the win, though, Cargill wanted more. “Is that all you have to offer Canada?” she asked the Winnipeg crowd. As if on cue, Canada certainly did have more to offer, as
Victoria, British Columbia native, Taya Valkyrie made her grand appearance.
“La Wera Loca” didn’t waste any time in setting her sights on the TBS Championship as she stared down Cargill in the center of the ring. Cargill soon left the ring, leaving her ally Leila Grey to eat a Road to Valhalla from Valkyrie.
Two days later, Valkyrie made her official in-ring debut for AEW, defeating Ava Lawless on the St. Patrick’s Day Slam edition of Rampage. As Valkyrie looks to make AEW her permanent home now, she still has a few outside commitments to fulfill.
On last week’s episode of IMPACT Wrestling (taped on 2/26), Valkyrie — alongside Rosemary — laid the Knockouts Tag Team Championship on the line against a newly formed duo. In her first match since announcing her official signing with the company, KiLynn King teamed with veteran Taylor Wilde to challenge for the titles. In the end, King managed to score the three-count pinfall on Valkyrie to secure the victory for her team and dethrone The Death Dollz. With the win King and Wilde — collectively known as The Coven — become the new Knockouts Tag Team Champions, snapping The Death Dollz’s 142-day reign.
As Valkyrie’s chapter in IMPACT appears to come to a close, she remains a titleholder in two other companies — Major League Wrestling and AAA. As of this writing, Valkyrie is still the reigning MLW Women’s Featherweight Champion, as well as the AAA Reina de Reinas Champion.
Tonight on MLW Underground, Valkyrie will defend her Women’s Featherweight Championship against “Space Jesus” Billie Starkz.
RELATED: Taya Valkyrie: The Death Dollz Chemistry Is Undeniable
IMPACT Sacrifice Preview
Before IMPACT presents its joint show with New Japan, the company will gear up for another big show. On Friday, March 24, IMPACT Wrestling will make its way to Windsor, Ontario for Sacrifice. As of this writing, two women’s matches have been added to the card. First, Mickie James will defend her Knockouts Championship against former champion Jordynne Grace.
James, of course, unseated Grace at IMPACT’s Hard To Kill pay-per-view in January, before turning her attention to number one contender, Masha Slamovich. Leading up to No Surrender at the end of February, “The Russian Dynamite” unleashed a series of mind games on James, but in the end, James pushed through to emerge victorious and retain her title.
As Jordynne Grace patiently waited for her rematch with James, she rebuilt her momentum with wins over the likes of Steph De Lander and Alex Gracia. Now, Grace will finally have the opportunity to regain the Knockouts Championship, as James defends it against her at Sacrifice. Should James retain there, she will have to defend it again six days later at Multiverse United in a fatal-four-way match between herself, Deonna Purrazzo, Gisele Shaw, and Miyu Yamashita.
Ahead of their upcoming title opportunity, Purrazzo and Shaw will square up one-on-one at Sacrifice. Over the last several weeks, the two have ignited a bitter rivalry. As Purrazzo attempted to overcome the odds, the numbers proved to be too much for her. On the No Surrender pre-show, Purrazzo appeared to have the upper hand, but as Jai Vidal distracted the referee, Savannah Evans delivered a Full Nelson Slam to Purrazzo, allowing Shaw to capture the victory.
During Shaw’s subsequent title match with Mickie James, Purrazzo flipped the script. As the referee was distracted by Shaw’s allies, Purrazzo snuck into the ring to shift James into a pinning position, allowing her to gain the three count, and remain the Knockouts Champion.
Now, Purrazzo and Shaw will meet again this Friday. Can Purrazzo beat the numbers game this time?
Per IMPACT:
Last month at No Surrender, Deonna Purrazzo fell victim to the numbers game when Jai Vidal and Savannah Evans assisted Gisele Shaw in scoring a huge victory over “The Virtuosa”. But a few weeks later, Purrazzo would fire back as she evened the odds for one of her greatest rivals, Mickie James, in her Knockouts World Title defense against “The Quintessential Diva”. Now this heated rivalry will reach its boiling point as Purrazzo and Shaw meet in a rematch at Sacrifice. Plus, momentum will be up for grabs as both Knockouts are preparing to challenge for the gold in a Four-Way match at Multiverse United: Only the STRONG Survive.
RELATED: Trey Miguel vs. Lince Dorado Announced For IMPACT Sacrifice
Women’s WrestleMania Showcase Match Added To WrestleMania 39 Card
Last Friday on SmackDown, WWE unveiled two new interesting match additions to the WrestleMania 39 card — a men’s and women’s “WrestleMania Showcase” Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Match.
On the women’s side, each team would have to qualify to take part in their respective match. With a WrestleMania spot on the line, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez battled the team of Tegan Nox and Emma in the first qualifying match. In the end, Morgan sealed victory for her team after landing an Oblivion on Emma to score the pinfall.
With this win, Morgan and Rodriguez will advance to the women’s WrestleMania Showcase. The other three pairs, however, have yet to be determined.
RELATED: WWE SmackDown Results (3/17/23)
INTERVIEWS
La Rosa Negra spoke with WrestleZone’s own Ella Jay about her upcoming title shot against Kamille for the NWA Women’s Championship, how she’s grown as a competitor over the last two decades, bringing more eyes to Puerto Rico, how she keeps her mental health in check, and more.
BCW Tag Team Champion Ray Lyn appeared on Astrid Asks to discuss her beginnings in wrestling, WOW, Blonde Force Trauma, Heather Monroe and more!
Former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion Raquel Rodriguez spoke with Joel Pearl of Fightful about her friendship with Shotzi, Elimination Chamber, mental health, and more.
WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus spoke with Bleacher Report about the A&E documentary revolving around her feud with Lita, when she realized they forever changed women’s wrestling, how Becky Lynch reminds her of Lita, competing at WrestleMania 39, and more.
Former WWE Diva Joy Giovanni joined Ring the Belle to discuss competing for WWE Diva Search, 2004, the “Diss the Diva” segment on RAW, her surprise return at WrestleMania 25, and more.
