Saraya wins championship gold in her home country. Kenzie Paige unseats Kamille to become the new NWA Women’s Champion. Airica Demia speaks with WrestleZone and more.
Let’s break it down in this week’s edition of Women’s Wrestling Wrap-Up!
Saraya Wins Gold At Wembley
Saraya has reached the top of the mountain once again.
Upon the announcement of AEW All In, Saraya seemed destined for success. This year, All In emanated from Wembley Stadium in Saraya’s home country of England. Prior to All In, Saraya’s last United Kingdom performance took place seven years ago, back when she was an active wrestler for WWE. With AEW slated for a trip across the pond, Saraya was even more determined to make her mark on this record-breaking pay-per-view. And so, she did.
After arriving to the ring to the tune of “We Will Rock You” by Queen, Saraya narrowed her focus to her three other competitors — Toni Storm, Britt Baker, and Hikaru Shida, the latter of which was defending the AEW Women’s Champion. As two-thirds of The Outcasts stable, Saraya and Storm worked together in the early portion of the match. With the AEW Women’s Championship on the line, though, these allies soon clashed.
Fighting With My Family
At one point in the match, Saraya’s mother, Saraya Knight, had Britt Baker’s arms pinned above her head. The intention was for Storm to strike Baker with a forearm shot. Unfortunately for Knight, Baker escaped her grip, causing Storm to nail her instead by accident. Saraya, of course, was not pleased with this sighting, which subsequently led to a brawl between Saraya and Storm. Ruby Soho then attempted to stop her allies from fighting, only to be met with a forearm to the face from Storm.
The closing moment of the match saw Baker trap Shida inside the Lockjaw. Behind them, Saraya misted Storm in the eyes with spray paint. With Storm blinded, Saraya delivered the Knight Cap to secure the pinfall and become the new AEW Women’s Champion. Amidst the post-match celebrations, Saraya’s family joined her in the ring.
During the post-All In press conference, Saraya described the emotions surrounding her title win, which included the post-match celebration with her family.
“[My family] were never given the opportunity in the past to be showcased ever,” Saraya said. “They were never acknowledged. I wasn’t allowed to acknowledge them until [Fighting With My Family] came out, and then I was allowed to. The thing is, Tony [Khan] didn’t even question it. He was like, ‘Let’s f***ing go, yeah! We can have your family.’ They appreciated it so much. My dad was so emotional. My dad is not a crier. He’s a very rough around-the-edges kind of guy, missing teeth because of all the fighting back in the day. But he was crying his eyes out in the ring. It was such a special moment to be around my family. They loved every single second of it.”
RELATED: Saraya To Mercedes Moné: We Can’t Wait For You To Finally Join Us
Kenzie Paige Dethrones Kamille
Saraya wasn’t the only new champion crowned last weekend. In the landscape of the National Wrestling Alliance, Kamille has held a firm grip on the NWA Women’s Championship for over two years. At NWA 75, though, “The Brickhouse” was unseated.
After a successful title defense against Natalia Markova on night one of NWA 75, Kamille was scheduled to face the winner of the Burke Invitational Gauntlet on night two of the festivities. This year’s field included the likes of MJ Jenkins, Heather Monroe, Allysin Kay, and The WOAD. In the end, Kenzie Paige, who arrived as a last-minute entry, emerged victorious in the affair. Earlier in the evening, Paige had lost her NWA Women’s Television Championship to Max The Impaler. She quickly bounced back, though, securing herself a shot at the NWA World Women’s Championship the next night.
On night two, it was Kenzie Paige vs. Kamille for the NWA Women’s Championship. With a dominant reign behind her, many fans expected Kamille to continue her winning ways. Paige, though, seemed to have Kamille scouted. In the closing moments of the match, Kamille charged toward Paige with the intention of hitting a spear. Unfortunately for Kamille, Paige moved out of the line of fire, causing Kamille to land face-first on an exposed turnbuckle. Paige then executed a cutter on Kamille to secure the three count. With this win, Kenzie Paige was crowned as the brand-new NWA World Women’s Champion, ending Kamille’s historic 813-day reign.
Elsewhere on the NWA 75 card, Pretty Empowered (Ella Envy & Kylie Paige) defeated M95 (Madi Wrenkowski & Missa Kate) to become the new NWA Women’s Tag Team Champions.
RELATED: Kamille Comments On NWA Women’s Title Loss At NWA 75
Interviews
“Your Hero” Airica Demia spoke with WrestleZone’s own Ella Jay about drawing inspiration from the manga series “My Hero Academia,” meeting Justin Briner (the English voice behind the Deku character), her experience with special effects makeup, her dream of wrestling in WWE, and more.
“International Popstar” B3CCA joined WrestleZone’s Bill Pritchard to discuss Limitless Wrestling’s 2023 Vacationland Cup, how she’s grown as a performer, Maki Itoh, her match with Matt Tremont, her fashion icon Mount Rushmore and more.
WWE Superstar Maxxine Dupri also spoke with WrestleZone’s Bill Pritchard about her in-ring debut, how often she wants to wrestle, matches she likes to study, being thrown in ‘sink or swim’ situations and more.
Former IMPACT Knockouts Champion Mickie James chatted with MuscleManMalcolm about wrestling at RevPro’s 11-year anniversary show, her appearance in the 2022 WWE Royal Rumble as the IMPACT Knockouts Champion, Trish Stratus’ current WWE run, and more.
AEW Women’s Champion Saraya sat down with TV Insider to discuss her road back to the wrestling ring, competing at AEW All In in her home country, working with The Outcasts, being a veteran in the locker room, and more.
