9/14 WOMEN’S WRESTLING ARMY REPORT: Janai Kai vs. Queen Aminata, Trish Adora vs. Ashley D’Amboise, Jordan Blade vs. Mazzerati

WWA EPISODE 13: QUEEN VS. DEMON
SEPTEMBER 14, 2022
AIRED ON PRO WRESTLING TV
REPORT BY HARLEY R. PAGEOT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Commentary: Alyssa Marino, Lenny Leonard

We opened with a video package hyping Queen Aminata vs. Janai Kai in this week’s main event.

-Opening theme.

(1) JORDAN BLADE vs. MAZZERATI (w/Tasha Steelz)

Blade tossed Mazzerati across the ring. She pulled her to the mat and squeezed her into a headlock. Blade caught her with a series of flash pins. Mazzerati chucked to ringside with a gutwrench throw. Mazzerati gained an advantage by working Blade’s arm over the ropes. Mazzerati tried for a roll-up but Blade bludgeoned her with right hands. Cannonball in the corner. Saito suplex for two. Rear naked choke into a crossface. Mazzerati faked a knee injury to draw the referee’s attention, allowing Steelz to hit Blade with a drive-by kick. Mazzerati followed with her own spin kick for the pin.

WINNER: Mazzerati in 10:57.

-Steelz held up Mazzerati’s arm in victory.

(Pageot’s Perspective: Good match and Blade continues to stand out as so different from everyone else on the roster with her move set. I suspected Mazzerati would pick up the win as part of her new partnership but they had me doubting myself a few times where I thought she might lose again to cement her needing Steelz’s help. I’m ready to hear from the two of them why they’re suddenly friendly and working together. The only back story was Steelz making fun of Mazzerati’s makeup and beating her in a match. Seems like an odd basis for a friendship.)

-Ashley D’Amboise spoke in French and put over her 2-0 record. She said Adora’s record isn’t as flawless as hers. (Adora is 1-1-1 with a win over Cosmic, a loss to Deonna Purrazzo, and a draw against Big Swole.)

(2) TRISH ADORA vs. ASHLEY D’AMBOISE

Slow going in the opening minutes. D’Amboise bailed to the floor for a breather and dropped Adora throat-fist over the top rope. Running blockbuster. Back and forth with neither woman gaining an edge. Pump-kick and senton from Adora. German suplex. Fisherman suplex. Back slide from D’Amboise. Backbreaker from Adora. Lariat Tubman.

WINNER: Trish Adora in 10:01.

(Pageot’s Perspective: Adora just ranked #50 on the 2022 PWI 500 due to her intergender work. It was slightly down from her 2021 ranking at 44 but remained the highest placement of any woman in wrestling this year.)

-An upset D’Amboise ranted backstage in French.

(3) JANAI KAI vs. QUEEN AMINATA

Aminata took a powder to ringside early on. They traded chops in the corner. Running hip attack from Aminata. Swinging neckbreaker for two. They took turns trading kicks, with Kai unimpressed by Aminata’s strikes. Both women went down at 12:00. More kicks from Kai. Flatliner from Aminata, into the Juicy Lock. Kai made the rope break. Swinging neckbreaker. Top rope double-stomp but Kai kicked out. Tornado kick from Kai for the shocking win.

WINNER: Janai Kai in 14:44.

(Pageot’s Perspective: Well, I did not expect that. Aminata’s record falls to 2-1 while Kai climbs to 2-2. I can’t say I’m ever a fan of finishes where Wrestler A takes three huge moves in a row and kicks out, only to hit one move and pin Wrestler B. When John Cena did it every month on pay-per-view, I wasn’t a fan and this didn’t work for me either. It strains credibility.

Despite the surprise result here, things are overall starting to feel a tad dull, week to week. For instance, our last 21 matches have been basic singles affairs. No tag matches, no four-ways, no gimmick matches, not even a battle royal. They’ve been good matches, but with a lack of overarching storylines as well, each one feels like it exists in a vacuum. Outside of a LuFisto-Max rematch, there are no obvious future matches on the table as no one holds any real grudges or clear aspirations.)