Hamilton’s wXw Femmes Fatales 2023 09.23.2023 Review

Quick Results
Femmes Fatales 2023 Semi-Final: Hyan defeated Rina Yamashita via disqualification in 9:03 (**¾)
Femmes Fatales 2023 Semi-Final: Nicole Matthews submitted Calypso in 7:52 (***½)
Baby Allison submitted Michelle Green in 9:48 (***)
Anita Vaughan pinned Iva Kolasky in 7:47 (***)
Regina Rosendahl pinned Julia in 7:51 (**¾)
Ava Everett pinned Devlyn Macabra to retain the wXw Women’s World Championship and win the GWF Women’s Championship in 11:18 (***)
Femmes Fatales 2023 Final: Nicole Matthews submitted Hyan in 13:07 (***½)

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We’re back inside the Turbinenhalle in Oberhausen for this year’s Femmes Fatales tournament. It’s the start of the second day of the World Tag Team Festival weekend, and there’s a few sore heads around after the overnight GCW show…

Commentary comes from Dave Prazak and Robin Christopher Fohrwerk, as has been the norm so far this weekend.

Femmes Fatales 2023 Semi-Final: Rina Yamashita vs. Hyan
One of those sore heads is Rina Yamashita, who was a late fill-in here after injuries took B3CCA and Charlie Morgan out of the field.

Yamashita had brought a chair with her, and wanted to use it… of course, Hyan wasn’t so keen on that idea. Hyan and Yamashita lock up to start, before Yamashita grabbed a side headlock. Getting free, Hyan tries shoulder tackles, but to no avail before the pair knocked each other down with their dualling tackles.

A single-leg dropkick finally gave Hyan an opening, but Yamashita avoids a charge into the corner as she added some running clotheslines into the buckles. Hyan’s met with a bodyslam from there, before she was taken between the ropes for some punches. Forearms follow once they both made it back inside, but elbows from Hyan led to the Wasteland and a leaping legdrop for a two-count.

Hyan pushes on with a Busaiku knee for another two-count, but Rina’s able to kick her way back in before she went outside to grab a chair. The seat falls out before she can get it in the ring, but Yamashita slides it in anyway as Rina and Hyan exchanged forearms. Yamashita calls out a brainbuster, only to Lykos it and take one herself as Hyan added the CT-Knee and a Falcon arrow for a near-fall.

A missed shoulder charge puts Hyan back on the defensive, at least until she was able to come back with a spear… that sends Yamashita to the outside, where she went under the ring. Emerging on the other side, Yamashita blindsides Hyan, then threw another chair at Hyan from the floor.

That’s not a DQ, so Yamashita grabs some more chairs… they’re put to use, forcing the referee to try and intervene. Nikkan Lee’s shoved down by Yamashita, and after the ref had been treated like that, we get the obvious DQ as Hyan progresses to the finals. This didn’t feel like it got going for too long, with the finish perhaps feeling a little bit of a letdown for some. **¾

Femmes Fatales 2023 Semi-Final: Nicole Matthews vs. Calypso
This was Matthews’ wXw debut, and her first outing in Europe in over four years… of course, Dave Prazak had PLENTY of background notes on her. SHIMMER.

Hammerlock exchanges and escapes see Matthews pull ahead, as the pair traded quick pinning attempts ahead of a shoulder tackle from Calypso. An armdrag has Matthews on the back foot, while one off the middle rope took Matthews outside… where she’s knocked to the floor with a forearm.

Calypso tries for an apron PK, but has more luck with a seated dropkick… only for Matthews to turn it around with a neckbreaker and a short-arm clothesline in quick succession. It’s good for a two-count, before Matthews apologetically set up for a Romero special that turned into a nasty Dragon sleeper. With clubbering forearms too!

Matthews relinquishes the hold, but took Calypso into the corner for some chops ahead of a snapmare and a kick to the back. A Cobra twist follows from there, before Matthews deftly rolled Calypso down to the mat in the search for a half crab. It’s kicked away, as Matthews returned with some cravat knees to knock Calypso down.

Calypso mounts a comeback with a Fisherman suplex for a near-fall, but a rolling elbow from Matthews cuts it off ahead of a swinging Fisherman neckbreaker. That’s good for another two-count, as Matthews then tried to roll Calypso into another hold… Calypso escapes and hits a rebound German suplex off the ropes, before a trip up top led to a twisting splash for another near-fall.

Calypso argues the count, and that dawdling costs her big time as Matthews pulled Calypso into a LeBell Cravat Lock for the quick tap. Despite the result, this was perhaps Calypso’s best outing so far for wXw, but it’s Nicole Matthews who moves into the finals. ***½

Baby Allison vs. Michelle Green
Green had called out Baby Allison after a recent wXw tour stop…

Green mocks Allison’s offer of a handshake as we got going with a tie-up and a side headlock from the Swiss native. Allison tries to push away Green, then took her down to a knee before cartwheeling her way out of the hold as they went hold-for-hold early on. A dropkick has Green down, as did a splits kick, which almost won it for Allison in the opening stages.

Allison adds a Thesz press and some punches, before a bodyslam drew a two-count. Green turns it around with a leg sweep, dragging Allison onto the apron for a kick to the head, before Allison was stretched around the ring post for a spell. Back inside, Green picks up a two-count, before Allison found her way in with a modified Octopus on the way to a sunset flip for a near-fall.

A sliding clothesline put Green back in control though, as did a clothesline to the back of the head, but it’s not enough to put Allison away. The pair trade strikes from there, as Green was forced to block a Saito suplex… Green tries her luck with a clothesline, but Allison Matrix’s away from it, then found her way back with a Scorpion kick in the corner.

That Saito suplex follows out of the corner for a near-fall, before a spear drew a near-fall. Allison tries to add an Exploder, but Green stomps free and heads up the ropes… she’s caught by Allison, who brings Green down with a spider superplex, following up with a missile dropkick and then the Baby Exorcism for the submission. ***

Iva Kolasky vs. Anita Vaughan
This was Kolasky’s first outing for wXw since Carat weekend back in March… while this was the Corkonian Vaughan’s debut.

Vaughan’s pre-match interview had her ask the crowd “can you feel it?”, and was the obvious chant to start as the match opened with Kolasky avoiding a lock-up. Kolasky ducks between the ropes as Vaughan charged at her, before Vaughan managed to take Kolasky down in a waistlock.

Kolasky gets to the ropes to force a break as she returned with a side headlock… it’s pushed off as Kolasky’s attempt to leap over Vaughan led to her getting caught and charged into the corners. Firing back, Kolasky lands some forearms as she took Vaughan into the corner, following up with a backflip knee drop to Vaughan’s midsection.

Kolasky hooks away at Vaughan in the ropes as she continued to control the pace. Mocking Vaughan’s catchphrase just fired up Anita, who lays in with chops before she caught Kolasky in the ropes for an avalanche fallaway slam. Vaughan pulls further ahead with some clotheslines, then a spinning tiltawhirl backbreaker, before a Michinoku driver almost got the win.

Vaughan’s cut-off with a splits kick, leading to a two-count before Kolasky went up top again… she’s able to kick away Vaughan, but her moonsault misses as Anita took home the win with a swinging side slam. A good debut for Vaughan, who gets an extremely notable win over the former champion Kolasky here. ***

Regina Rosendahl vs. Julia
This was originally meant to be a part of a tag match, but card changes meant that Julia had a big test on her hands here.

Rosendahl’s offered a balloon by Julia… of course she pops it before she pushed Julia away from the opening lock-up. Changing tactic, Julia tries to hit and move, but a sunset flip’s blocked before she began to catch Rosendahl with forearms… only to get thrown into the corner.

Julia elbows away a charging Rosendahl, then hits a dropkick… but it barely moves Rosendahl, who came back by boxing Julia into the corner. Another kick cuts off Rosendahl, who then caught and slammed Julia from a crossbody attempt. A hip attack followed in the corner as Julia was left with little answer, ahead of a face-washing boot as Rosendahl was in clear control.

Julia tries to fight back with some overhand slaps, but they’re just laughed off as she headbutted Julia down. A slingshot suplex followed off the ropes for a near-fall, before Julia finally took Rosendahl down with a missile dropkick. Charging clotheslines keep Rosendahl on the back foot, as did a pair of low dropkicks, but it’s only good for a two-count.

A second crossbody from Julia lands for a near-fall, before a Sugar Rush tornado DDT attempt was blocked… with Rosendahl quickly moving in for a double-underhook piledriver for the win. **¾

GWF Women’s Championship & wXw Women’s World Championship: Devlyn Macabre (c) vs. Ava Everett (c)
Last time Ava got involved in a title vs. title match, she ended up dropping the wXw belt to Delmi Exo… hopefully lightning doesn’t strike twice here.

Everett roughs up Macabre early on, only to get met with an enziguiri as the GWF Women’s champion looked to take the upper hand. The Three Amigas suplexes from Devlyn land, before she swept away Ava’s legs for a low dropkick, picking up a two-count in the process. Macabre backs into the ropes, but gets hit by Jacob Crane behind the ref’s back as Everett began to move ahead.

Everett chokes Macabre in the ropes, then added a neckbreaker ahead of a chinlock… a clothesline cuts off Macabre for a near-fall, before Macabre was taken to the corner for some chops. A DDT follows for a two-count, while an Irish whip dumped Devlyn into the corner as Everett looked to be in the proverbial driver’s seat.

A Fisherman suplex from Macabre gives Everett a rough landing in the buckles, before a pump kick and a German suplex took Ava back to the corner for a hip attack. Devlyn followed that up with a running knee, then a splash off the top for a near-fall, before shoving Ava outside for a wild tope.

Back inside, Macabre heads up top for a crossbody, taking out Ava for a near-fall, before a headlock driver from Macabre got countered into a Blue Thunder bomb for a near-fall. Jacob Crane gets himself involved, grabbing Everett in the ropes before Ava took Macabre to the other side of the ring for Aaron Rourke to get involved. Responding, Macabre goes to mist Everett… she ducks as Jacob Crane takes the mist, before a superkick and a Y2Kutter proved to be enough to get Ava her second German women’s title. ***

Femmes Fatales 2023 Final: Nicole Matthews vs. Hyan
The winner of this gets a wXw Women’s title shot at a point of their choosing…

Hyan was nursing a slight back injury after the chairshots in her earlier match, with Matthews targeting that early on with a waistlock that broke in the ropes. Heading to the mat, Matthews grabs a chinlock, then a wristlock… which Hyan reversed as they headed back to the mat, with Matthews slipping out of a side headlock.

Matthews gets caught in another wristlock, but it’s too close to the ropes as we get a break, before Hyan’s headscissors takedown led to Matthews finding herself on the deck. Escaping, Matthews grabs a bow-and-arrow hold, before Hyan got free and came back with cravat knees. They’re blocked, so Hyan tries a sunset flip, but it’s sat down on and reversed as the pair trade two-counts.

Hyan’s back in with a dropkick, but couldn’t get off a suplex as Matthews took her down for a knee to the ribs as Matthews began to focus on the back with some kicks by the ropes. Hooking and stretching Hyan targets the face and lower back at the same time, ahead of a backbreaker off the ropes… which turned into another stretch as Matthews looked for a stoppage.

Cornering Hyan, shoulders and boots target that lower back some more, before the pair went back-and-forth… with Hyan winning out on a brainbuster. A double clothesline nearly wiped out that momentum for Hyan, but both women are back up to exchange forearms, with Hyan looking to stay ahead as she chopped Matthews into the corner.

A running knee keeps Hyan ahead, while a back suplex sent Matthews outside for respite… where she swatted away an attempted dive. Rolling Hyan back inside was a bad idea as Matthews got caught with a low-pe anyway, picking up a two-count back inside. Hyan teed up for a running kick from there, which Matthews sidesteps ahead of a roll-through into a STF…

The ropes save Hyan, who gets caught between the ropes for some kicks… then cravat knees from Matthews, who then went up to the top rope. Hyan press slams her off the top to the mat, then added a spear for a near-fall, only to walk into a trip as Matthews rolls her into the LeBell Cravat. Hyan’s able to roll out for a two-count, then add a low dropkick into the corner and the CT-Knee, before a suplex earned a near-fall.

Hyan looks to put Matthews away with the Beauty Sleep, but Matthews rolls out and back into the LeBell Cravat… and that’s enough to force Hyan to tap out as the veteran Matthews took home the trophy. ***½

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

This year’s Femmes Fatales saw the eponymous tournament take almost a back seat - but this led to a more well rounded event that put the spotlight on several faces that were new-to-wXw, and perhaps will provide a springboard for the likes of Calypso and Michelle Green.