By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Defy Wrestling “Spirit”
Replay available via Wremix.tv
July 28, 2023 from Seattle, Washington at Washington Hall
This is an all-women’s event. The show was released for free on Thursday. The crowd appears to be in the 300 range. Rich Bocchini and Veda Scott provided commentary.
1. Trish Adora defeated Cat Power at 9:28. My first time seeing the Canadian Cat Power, who has her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail and a stone-cold glare. She reminds me a lot of how Sonya Deville looked when she debuted in WWE. An intense lockup and standing switches to open and this is some really good believable mat wrestling. They traded hard chops. Trish nailed the Lariat Tubman/decapitating clothesline for the pin. We have a nice replay of that finishing blow.
2. Rebel Kel & Dulce Tormenta defeated Bambi Hall & Taryn From Accounting at 14:35. Both Bambi and Taryn are a bit heavier around the middle. The masked Tormenta wore a title belt. Rebel is young, wore a black outfit, with hair half-way down her back; she has long legs that make me think of Stacy Keibler. Rebel and Taryn started. Tormenta hit a huracanrana on Bambi at 2:30. They all brawled to the floor. Rebel dove through the ropes onto everyone. Tormenta hit a top-rope crossbody block on her opponents at 4:00. In the ring, Taryn hit a neckbreaker on Rebel for a nearfall, and they worked over Rebel in their corner. Bambi hiit a swinging neckbreaker at 7:30 for a nearfall.
Bambi dropped her weight down for a buttsplash to the chest for a nearfall. Tormenta finally made the hot tag at 10:00 and she cleared the ring, hitting a hard clothesline on Bambi and a Northern Lights Suplex for a nearfall. The heels hit a Doomsday Clothesline for a nearfall. Tormenta hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall. Bambi hit a backpack stunner. Rebel entered and hit a Pele Kick on Bambi. Tormenta got a backslide for a nearfall. The heels hit a team flapjack on Tormenta, but she rolled to the floor at 14:00. Rebel immediately hit a top-rope crossbody block on both heels. Rebel then got a rollup to pin Taryn. I liked this.
* We saw footage from prior shows of Nicole Matthews and Allie Katch battling, leading to this match.
3. Allie Katch defeated Nicole Matthews in a Seattle street fight at 19:39. Katch came out first with a Hercules-style chain around her shoulders. Both women are wearing jean shorts and t-shirts; I like this because it sends the message they are here to fight, not ‘wrestle.’ They immediately brawled to the floor, and fought through the crowd. They went up onto a stage at 3:30. They finally got back into the ring, where Nicole hit a backbreaker over her knee at 6:00, and they went back to the floor, where Nicole hit a Rude Awakening standing neckbreaker.
In the ring, Allie hit her running buttbump and rolling cannonball in the corner for a nearfall at 9:30. Matthews hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfall. She hit a swinging neckbreaker for a believable nearfall at 11:30. Matthews tossed several chairs into the ring. The had a chair-fight, banging them together. They traded punches, and the brawled to the floor again, where Allie hit a piledriver on the floor at 17:00. In the ring, Nicole hit her with a chain. Allie hit her in the head with a wrench, then a piledriver, for the pin. Good brawl; neither woman bled either but this looked physical.
* Katch spoke backstage, saying Nicole made a mistake by messing with her. She is ready to “kill anyone who gets in front of me here in Defy. You are not safe when Allie comes back.”
4. Amira defeated Zamaya at 11:52. Amira is a tall Latina and clearly a rising star in the Pacific Northwest; think Raquel Gonzalez. I’ve only seen Zamaya once; she has scary makeup and her hair straight up; think Bull Nakano. Amira hit a nice dropkick and a running back elbow in the corner. Zamaya took control and beat her down with chops and stomps. Amira hit a clothesline at 5:00 for a nearfall. This is a bit clunky; both women are still green and they really need a ring general to help. Amira got a Crucifix Driver takedown for a nearfall at 7:00. Zamaya hit a snap suplex; she leaned in and barked at the camera before getting a nearfall. Amira hit a Samoan Drop and they were both down. She hit a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall at 11:00.
Tara Zep walked to ringside, and she grabbed Amira’s hair, distracting her. It allowed Zamaya to spear Amira for the pin at 11:47. However, Madusa walked to the ringside and said that women can’t interfere in each other’s matches in Defy, and she ordered the match to continue! I restart my stopwatch, but Amira got a rollup and the pin just five seconds later. Not sure who gave Madusa the power to restart the match! The heels got angry at her, but Madusa punched them both, dropping them to the mat. My criticisms aside, there is a lot of potential here from both women and I think a rematch down the road will be vastly better as they both continue to improve.
* Backstage, Zamaya was angry at Madusa for “interrupting my party.” Tara Zep joined her for the promo, and they vowed to be trouble.
5. Marina Shafir defeated Liiza Hall at 13:36. Veda said that Liiza is Bambi’s sister; I wasn’t aware of that but again, I have only seen maybe two or three Bambi Hall matches before this. Standing switches and this feels like a big-time fight, and they traded reversals on the mat. Liiza applied a standing Figure Four at 6:30. They got up and traded chops. Marina hit a back suplex and a stiff kick to the spine for a nearfall at 8:30. Marina applied an armbar in the ropes, and she began hitting stiff kicks. Liiza nailed a Shining Wizard for a nearfall, then a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 11:00. Liiza countered with a Danielson-style Cattle Mutilation.
Liiza hopped on Marina’s back and applied a sleeper. However, Marina managed to get behind Liiza and apply her own sleeper. Liiza hit a hard back elbow. Marina hit a hard bodyslam and applied a Triangle Choke, and twisted at Liiza’s wrist, and Hall tapped out. That was a tremendous mat-based match that really picked up nicely in intensity. I am confident that I’ve never seen Marina have a singles match this long but she looked really good here.
* Backstage, Liiza said she wasn’t going to let this loss get her down because she knows she is good enough to be here.
6. Vert Vixen defeated Maki Itoh to retain the Defy Women’s Title at 17:44. Itoh sang on her way to the ring and she got a hero’s welcome. I’ve said this recently, but if you have only seen Vixen on AEW TV, you are missing out on how good she is. The bell rang but they took turns playing to the crowd. They finally locked up at 3:00, and Vert tied up her smaller opponent. Maki choked Vert in the ropes and got a nearfall at 6:00. Vert hit a Helluva Kick and a sliding forearm in the corner for a nearfall. They fought to the floor, where Itoh hit her own head against the ring post several times. Vert hit a stiff kick to the chest at 8:30, and they kept brawling outside the ring.
In the ring, Itoh hit a series of punches in the corner at 11:00, then a running boot to the face. Maki hit a faceplant-style DDT on the ring apron and got a nearfall. She applied a Boston Crab, but Vixen reached the ropes at 12:30. Vixen slammed Itoh to the mat but sold a lower back injury. They got up and traded stiff forearm shots. Vert accidentally punched the top of Itoh’s head and sold that it hurt her hand; she hid a headbutt that hurt Vert, not Itoh. Of course, Itoh hit a headbutt that leveled Vert at 15:00. Itoh hit a tornado DDT in the ring, then another one from the ring apron to the floor.
Back in the ring, they fought on the top rope, where Itoh hit a headbutt, then a DDT to the mat for a believable nearfall at 16:30, but Vert got a foot on the ropes. Itoh got another tornado DDT for a nearfall. Vert put Itoh on her shoulders and hit a modified Death Valley Driver for the pin. That was really entertaining.
Final Thoughts: This is a top-notch women’s show, and it’s free. The main event was entertaining, the Shafir match was good mat-based action, and Katch’s match was a good brawl.
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