Empress Pro-Wrestling – Empress Pro Invitational Tournament – 25th July 2015
I enjoyed checking out Empress Pro’s full debut show earlier in the year. The plucky British Joshi upstart promotion probably couldn’t call their first full event an unequivocal success – but it was a solid afternoon of wrestling showcasing some incredible hard work from a number of talented performers, plus a hell of a main event as Bars & Stripes (Addy Starr and Rhia O’Reilly) defeated the imposing She-X duo. Their sophomore show actually presents some challenges, as many of the top performers from that first event (She-X, Nixon Newell, Nikki Storm, Pollyanna) either aren’t booked or weren’t available…so it is a real testament to how far a shoestring budget can stretch that we have a line-up as strong as this. Bars & Stripes are back, making up a quarter of the 8-woman field entering the inaugural Empress Pro Invitational Tournament. The other standout entrant in the field is the debuting Kay Lee Ray – another female athlete of genuine top tier quality and the winner of SHIMMER’s ChickFight Tournament earlier in the year. Violet Vendetta, Courtney, Katey Harvey and Sammi Baynz also enter the tournament making their first appearances for the promotion…and the field is rounded off by the returning Chardonnay. Team Superficial are back and in tag team action too. As with the last show, it’s a niche product, and you may not have heard of all the performers – so this may well be a bit of a journey into the unknown. However, the MP4 download won’t set you back too much at all and with exceptional workers like O’Reilly, Starr and Kay Lee on the show I expect there will be plenty to enjoy. Thankfully my schedule was clear, so I attended this show in person. Although it’s often difficult to translate the live experience onto a TV screen, in the building that afternoon I came away with the impression that this was an even better show than Escape Artists Never Die. Once again we are in High Wycombe, UK – and you’ll immediately notice that already Empress have invested in some improved cameras making for a somewhat improved viewing experience.
Addy Starr vs Violet Vendetta
We know a bit about how uncompromising and tough Addy can be from the last show, but Violet is a debutant for Empress this evening. She’s hardly a newcomer to the business and has been around for a quite a few years. I’ve seen her at a couple of shows before but truth be known she didn’t much of an impression on me then. How will she cope with the aggression and physicality of Starr’s work?
Addy tries to get into Violet’s head – first by repeatedly stalling, then by making fun of her for not being as experienced and offering to ‘give her’ a headlock. Vendetta is defiant through all of that, but winds up making a rookie error and allowing herself to get throttled over the top rope by the ‘Queen Of Lego’. Instantly Starr launches into a savage attack, dishing out some super-aggressive strikes and a couple of HORRIBLE looking bumps off a basic snapmare. Violet is soon screaming and crying out in pain…as Addy mounts her for a flurry of savage elbow smashes. To her credit she refuses to quit and even mounts a fleeting comeback…before Addy traps her in the corner and stiffs her some more. Somehow she gets herself into such a mess that she NECK BUMPS off another snapmare, which was largely an error but actually fits in perfectly with the story of Addy beating the snot out of her. CATTLE MUTILATION by Starr! FLOATED INTO THE CURB STOMP! She looks to dive out of the corner into an elevated knee drop, only for Vendetta to duck out of the way and hit a desperate lungblower. Rhia O’Reilly hops onto the apron to distract the ref, allowing Starr to kick Violet in the lady garden region. Running elbow smash wins it for Addy at 08:10. She advances to the finals…
Rating - ** - Being realistic, it was pretty clear that Addy is a significantly better wrestler than Violet. However, Vendetta deserves plenty of credit for taking a wicked beating here. Starr really roughed her up and their basic story of an underdog, ill-equipped for the battle she found herself in, desperately trying to survive against the onslaught of an experienced opponent was executed really well. A really solid way to open the show, built around a formidable performance from Starr.
Rhia O’Reilly vs Katey Harvey
There is a delicious comedy in Bars & Stripes walking to the back, having made a mockery of Violet Vendetta, then having their music hit and coming straight back out so Rhia can work her match. O’Reilly dealt the decisive blow with the Rhiadjustment to win the Anything Goes main event on the first show – and enters as a red hot favourite to win the EPI 2015 having been a consistently strong worker wherever in the world she has competed. Her opponent tonight is another debutant, and interestingly is also another Irish combatant.
O’Reilly has proudly worn a paper Burger King crown for the whole so far, and demands to be introduced as ‘Queen Rhia’. She looks to assert her control over Harvey from the first bell and, much like Addy in the last match, doesn’t look to be taking her opponent too seriously. As a result she nearly succumbs to an early shock defeat after Katey lands a bridging fisherman suplex. In another mirror image of the Addy Starr match it is O’Reilly’s battery of hard strikes and rugged slams that sees her impose herself on proceedings. Her own version of the curb stomp gets a nearfall, but Rhia starts getting visibly frustrated as her opponent refuses to stay down. Katey scales the ropes…and when Addy pulls her tag partner out of the ring Harvey simply hits a TOP ROPE SUICIDE DIVE TO THE FLOOR on top of both of them! IRISH WHIP THROUGH THE RAILINGS! The brawl continues all the way into the crowd as O’Reilly and Harvey trade huge blows…and they completely miss the referee counting them both out at 05:59. Both of them are eliminated from the EPI, meaning the final will now become a triple threat.
Rating - ** - Pretty similar to the first match. It’s disappointing that Rhia, perhaps the most talented wrestler on the show, is going home early though. Particularly since she has been entertaining as hell throughout the first twenty minutes of this event. She wasn’t as physically impressive and dominating as Addy was earlier, but she didn’t need to be since she was working with an opponent of far more quality. Harvey gave as good as she got throughout and contributed to a surprisingly violent (non) finish. That guardrail spot looked brutal in person.
The non-finish isn’t well received in the building, and poor Harvey is left alone to fend off both members of Bars & Stripes. That is until Pollyanna invades the show to make the save! Polly and Katey KO Rhia in the middle of the ring and walk out having made a statement at the expense of the ‘top stars’ in Empress Pro.
Chardonnay vs Courtney
We saw Chardonnay at the last Empress Pro event, and as she always does she made quite the impression with her larger than life, archetypal ‘chav’ character. She is one of the more recognisable stars on the Empress roster and is definitely a dark horse in the tournament here. Her opponent, Courtney, is another of the growing contingent of Scottish female wrestlers spreading their wings across the UK (she is the first of four Scottish-based athletes on this show). She is another new talent on me, but given her background up in the ICW system in Scotland you’d imagine she’d be pretty tough.
They start with a pretty intense lock-up and, as feisty as Courtney is, she is giving up some height to the English athlete so struggles in that environment. She gets her own back by pulling Chardonnay’s precious hair though! A running double knee strike and a bridging suplex soon follow and Chard has to bail before her precious face sustains any damage. Chardonnay sneaks back in and launches an assault on Courtney’s hair, using it to pull her into an assortment of slams then forcibly ejecting her from the ring. Courtney has the middle rope kicked into her groin as she tries to re-enter, then eats a hair pulling neckbreaker for 2. More hair pulling and chokes ensue in the subsequent minutes…until Courtney eventually makes a desperate lunge for Chardonnay’s hair and they both wind up eating the mat. KICK TO THE FACE! Codebreaker nailed too! Perfect-plex nearly pulls out a victory for the Scottish debutant. She continues piling on the pressure, before getting caught rushing into the corner – and Chardonnay pins her using the ropes to advance to the finals at 07:26
Rating - *** - Admittedly this is a generous 3*, but I thought this was a really solid little match. You don’t see many matches where a wrestler works ‘the hair’ as a body part – but it was perfectly in keeping for Chardonnay’s character to adopt that kind of tactic. She used her height and devious tactics to dominate the smaller newcomer in her first appearance for the company – and drew plenty of heat meaning that Courtney’s comeback sequence (when it finally came) felt particularly dynamic. The first two matches were entertaining enough in that it’s fun watching talents like Addy and Rhia beat other women up. This one felt like far more of an even contest and was all the better for it.
Sammi Baynz vs Kay Lee Ray
I think it’s fair to say this is probably the biggest draw of the first round matches. Kay Lee is making her Empress Pro debut, and given her recent success in promotions like SHIMMER will instantly become a top star here. However, her presence in the EPI Final isn’t assured, since standing before her is a pretty formidable first round opponent. Sammi Baynz has been around for a long time and includes training from the famous Knight family, as well as once forming a regular team with Britani Knight (now WWE’s Paige) on her resume. She looks considerably different to her days teaming with Paige though - she has packed on some size and cuts quite the imposing figure.
The lock up alone tells you that this one is going to be significantly more intense than anything we’ve seen previously on the show. Keen to make an impression on the SHIMMER star, Sammi muscles her right into the corner. She tries to do it a second time, and that’s when Kay Lee shows her class and instead grounds her into an armbar. Baynz uses her power on the smaller woman – charging at her with a running elbow then pounding on her in the corner. SPRINGBOARD HEEL KICK by Ray gets 2! But just when she looks to be regaining control Sammi hits her in the vagina then moves her into the corner for a VICIOUS tree of woe dropkick. Kay Lee fights back again with a flying mafia kick off the top, but has taken so much damage from Sammi’s relentless beating that she stays on the ground clutching at her spine. She tries to use her speed and athleticism by scaling the ropes, only to be dragged off into a STALLING BRAINBUSTER for 2! SUPERKICK…and still Ray kicks out! SLAP DUEL! GORY DRIVER BY KAY LEE! She wins and snatches the last spot in the final at 08:31
Rating - *** - Possibly the best match across the two Empress Pro shows thus far. I’d never seen Sammi Baynz before, but she made a real impression here. She bullied Kay Lee almost from the opening bell – a beating which KLR sold really well in return. Ray’s only response was to go to her speed and aerial prowess – finally able to land one big move and grab a win as her opponent started to tire after giving it everything she had for almost nine minutes. There were so many neat, intricate and subtle little moments during this where you realised you were watching something of genuine quality. Kay Lee’s SHIMMER experience shone, and it should surprise nobody that Sammi is also set to debut for Dave Prazak’s American Joshi promotion before the end of 2015.
Team Superficial vs The BAE Club
Faith Lehaine and Nadia Sapphire (Team Superficial) made quite an impression at the debut Empress show. Lehaine impressed with some solid wrestling skills to back up her big mouth, and Nadia’s vocal chords and air freshener-wielding antics were memorable, if not always particularly pleasurable to watch. They went 1-1 at the last event, and now team up for the first time in the promotion.
Jayne and Sharpe look delighted to be here, flying out of the blocks and unleashing multiple double teams on both members of Team Superficial. Nadia nearly has a meltdown when she fears her face has been damaged, but Faith shows her experience by using the distraction to toss Debbie Sharpe off the top rope. Stinkface by Sapphire, although in truth she seems far more interested in prancing round the ring and calling fans ‘tramps’ than she is in wrestling. Lehaine hits a Bronco Buster/groin kick combo as the heels revel in the total isolation of Sharpe. Nadia eventually misses the Twerk Drop, facilitating the hot tag to Sammii Jayne. She takes an age to get to the top rope – but makes it worthwhile as she lands a double missile dropkick which drives both opponents out of the ring. ELBOW SUICIDA into the guardrails! Nadia drops Jayne on her neck with a German suplex…as on the other side of the ring Sharpe dishes out a sweet neckbreaker on Lehaine. Debbie gets distracted by the ongoing brawl between Nadia and her partner on the outside, and doesn’t see the recovering Faith sneak up behind her, grab a handful of tights and pin her to the mat at 08:42.
Rating - ** - I wasn’t the biggest fan of this match, and I’m not the biggest fan of Team Superficial in general. However, they do make for great villains amidst a sea of tough women and hard workers on an Empress Pro card. This match probably got more of a reaction from the live crowd than anything else did, which is a testament to their effectiveness in a live environment.
Addy Starr vs Chardonnay vs Kay Lee Ray – Empress Pro Invitational Tournament Final
Even with only three women in the finals rather than the scheduled four – this one is really tough to call. On paper your money would be on Kay Lee, who already has form in tournaments in 2015 after her ChickFight victory. However, she had the toughest first round match and took a real beating against Sammi Baynz before intermission. Addy Starr is tough, has plenty of experience and also had the easiest first round match so probably takes Kay Lee’s spot as the favourite. That leaves Chardonnay as the outsider. Her victory over Courtney in Round One was impressive but she will undoubtedly have to step up her game if she is to hang with athletes of the calibre of Starr and Ray.
Rhia O’Reilly trips Kay Lee during her entrance…and is punished by being sent to the back by the referee. KLR soon realises she is the sole babyface in the ring, and true to form Addy and Chardonnay form an immediate alliance looking to work her over. Starr rescues her newfound friend from the Gory Driver, and Chard repays the favour by distracting Ray so Addy can poleaxe her on the apron. It almost becomes a game as the two heels take turns beating poor Kay Lee up. Starr continues to be arrogant, talking down to Chardonnay as if she is training a rookie. LARIAT by Chardonnay! That looked awesome, and still Addy tries to lecture her like she’s not doing it right. She tries another lariat…but this time it’s ducked and Kay Lee returns fire with a flurry of stiff chops and elbows. KLR goes for a superplex on Starr, only to be pulled out of the corner on Chardonnay’s shoulders. Doomsday crossbody attempted…but Ray rolls through into a victory roll on Chard for 2! Then Starr accidentally elbows her in the face too! Kay Lee throws out slaps and elbows to both opponents but simply can’t keep either at bay for long enough. Chardonnay gives her a Final Cut…and as she sits up from that Addy finally betrays her apparent ally with a sliding elbow into her face! SWANTON MISSES for Ray! Starr looks set to win, but is distracted by Pollyanna and Katey Harvey in the aisle. It allows Kay to hit the Gory Driver and eliminate her at 07:49. Chardonnay then charges in and, with a handful of KLR’s shorts wins the Empress Pro Invitational at 08:03
Rating - ** - Disappointingly brief and perhaps a little predictable in how it was structured, but there was an inescapable appeal to this match. The extended alliance between Addy and Chardonnay removed the traditional ‘one person lies around doing nothing’ aspect of triple threats, and I loved how both women kept it interesting thanks to Addy’s humorous attempts to ‘educate’ Chardonnay, who in turn was getting more and more pissed off with it. Chardonnay is an unlikely but understandable choice to win the tournament too. Of course Kay Lee, Addy (and even Rhia) are probably better workers – but these women are already in SHIMMER. They are here to add legitimacy and draw a few fans of women’s wrestling to the product. Chardonnay isn’t (yet) quite as well-travelled as the other two, and by winning this instantly becomes the (fresh) face of Empress Pro’s product. The manner of her victory ensures the credibility of her opponents remains intact – and it’ll be interesting to see where Empress plan to go with her from here. It’s pretty clear that Bars & Stripes have a date with Pollyanna and Harvey (apparently dubbed the ‘Queens Of Wrestling’ somewhere down the line…
Tape Rating - ** - A significant improvement on Escape Artists Never Die in my opinion. It remains very much a budget product, so you should set your expectations accordingly...and whilst there are some limitations, on the whole this was another credible effort from the Empress Pro group. The last show felt a little aimless, and too many matches featured the standard formula of ‘b*tchy, pretty girl faces hard working, athletic babyface’. The tournament format provided instant focus to the show, and the general in-ring content felt far more intense – and was all the better for it. Baynz vs Kay Lee in particular was a real joy. I enjoyed the hell out of that match live, and it lived up to expectations on VOD too. I could have done with the show going longer (O’Reilly/Harvey, Sammi/Kay Lee and the EPI Final all badly needed more time), and in a show of six matches to only have ONE clean finish is disappointing. But for a second show in a row the sheer workrate and tenacity of a group of female athletes – some you may know, some you may not – made this an enjoyable way to spend a few dollars. At such a budgeted price point (less than ten bucks) there really is something to recommend.
You can find out more about the promotion (including links to the MP4 download of this show) at http://www.facebook.com/EmpressPro - and their debut event (Escape Artists Never Die) is also available on Smart Mark Video
Top 3 Matches
3) Chardonnay vs Kay Lee Ray vs Addy Starr (**)
2) Chardonnay vs Courtney (***)
1) Kay Lee Ray vs Sammi Baynz