Rhea Ripley challenges Liv Morgan to a title match at WWE SummerSlam. Marigold crowns three new champions at Summer Destiny. TNA Wrestling prepares for Slammiversary. Myla Grace speaks with WrestleZone, and more. Let’s break it down in this week’s edition of Women’s Wrestling Wrap-Up!
Rhea Ripley Challenges Liv Morgan To Title Match
After a three-month hiatus due to injury, Rhea Ripley is back to claim what she believes is rightfully hers, starting with the WWE Women’s World Championship.
“The Eradicator” made a surprise return on last week’s episode of WWE Raw, disrupting a post-match celebration between Liv Morgan and Judgment Day stablemate Dominik Mysterio. Amidst Ripley’s absence, Mysterio has found himself nearing closer and closer to Morgan, who has since taken possession of the WWE Women’s World Championship previously held by Ripley. Naturally, this sequence of events has now led Ripley to confront both Mysterio and Morgan.
In the case of Morgan, Ripley is keen on putting her Revenge Tour to an end and reclaiming the WWE Women’s World Championship. Ripley challenged Morgan to defend the title against her at WWE SummerSlam on August 3, which Morgan accepted.
Coming off this encounter on Raw, reports indicated that Ripley is not expected to wrestle until SummerSlam, as she has yet to be officially cleared for action. Ripley previously suffered a shoulder injury at the hands of Morgan in April.
Elsewhere on the SummerSlam card, 2024 Queen of the Ring Nia Jax will face Bayley for the WWE Women’s Championship.
RELATED: Jey Uso Wants To Take Rhea Ripley Out On A Date At Waffle House
Marigold Crowns Three Inaugural Champions
On July 13, Dream Star Fighting Marigold hosted its biggest event of the summer, Summer Destiny.
In addition to its usual roster of talents, this show featured a notable name, that being WWE’s IYO SKY. For this occasion, SKY was pitted against her fellow Queen’s Quest alumni Utami Hayashishita in a first-time faceoff. SKY’s return to Japan proved to be a celebratory one as she defeated Hayashishita with her signature moonsault.
Elsewhere on the card, Marigold crowned three new champions, including the inaugural Marigold World Champion. That distinction was determined in a back-and-forth match between Sareee and Giulia. After a 25-minute battle, it was Sareee who emerged victorious via referee stoppage. While Sareee claimed the Marigold World Championship, Giulia is expected to imminently debut in WWE.
Marigold Summer Destiny
The first ever Marigold Superfly Champion was crowned as well, with Natsumi Showzuki defeating Misa Matsui in the championship tournament finals. Showzuki’s Summer Destiny win was preceded by a victory over Zayda Steel in the tournament’s semi-finals.
The Marigold United National Championship was determined in a tournament finals affair between Miku Aono and Bozilla, with the former claiming the victory and the title.
The full results of Marigold Summer Destiny are as follows:
- Pre-Show Singles Match: Rea Seto def. Komomo Minami
- Tag Match: Victoria Yuzuki & Kizuna Tanaka vs. Kouki Amarei & Chika Goto (Time Limit Draw)
- Tag Match: CHIAKI & Nagisa Nozaki def. Myla Grace & Zayda Steel
- Superfly Championship Match: Natsumi Showzuki def. Misa Matsui
- Marigold vs LLPW-X Match: Shinobu Kandori, Takako Inoue, NORI (LLPW-X) def. Nanae Takahashi, Nao Ishikawa, Mai Sakurai (Marigold)
- United National Title Tournament Semi-Finals Match: Miku Aono def. MIRAI
- United National Championship Match: Miku Aono def. Bozilla
- Singles Match: IYO SKY def. Utami Hayashishita
- Marigold World Championship Match: Sareee def. Giulia via referee stoppage
RELATED: Sareee Wants A Match Against WWE’S IYO SKY
TNA Slammiversary: Knockouts & Knockouts Tag Titles On The Line
This Saturday, TNA Wrestling will celebrate its 22-year anniversary at the Slammiversary pay-per-view. So far, six matches have been confirmed for the card, two of which feature representatives from the TNA Knockouts division.
Firstly, TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace will defend her title against Ash By Elegance. This championship bout comes after Grace thwarted Ash’s attempt to nail Heather Reckless with Grace’s Juggernaut Driver on a recent episode of iMPACT. While Ash wasn’t able to land the Juggernaut Driver, she was able to then lay out Grace and mockingly stand over her with the Knockouts Championship.
Now, the two will meet in a first-ever matchup, with the Knockouts Championship on the line.
The Knockouts Tag Team Championship will also be defended at Slammiversary. On this occasion, Spitfire (Dani Luna and Jody Threat) will challenge The Malisha (Alisha Edwards and Masha Slamovich) for the titles. Edwards and Slamovich won tag gold at TNA Under Siege by defeating Luna and Threat. Now, Luna and Threat have invoked their rematch clause.
RELATED: Jordynne Grace Says It’s Been A ‘Pretty Smooth Transition’ With New TNA Wrestling Management
INTERVIEWS
Marigold’s Myla Grace speaks with WrestleZone’s Ella Jay about her current run in Dream Star Fighting Marigold, adjusting to life in Japan, her frenemy-ship with Zayda Steel, IYO SKY’s recent match against Utami Hayashishita, WWE opponents she’d like to face, Nikki Cross’ run with the Wyatt Sicks so far, recently changing her look, and more.
Former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Chelsea Green chatted with Sportskeeda about Matt Cardona’s potential return to WWE, the idea of having a mixed tag team with Cardona in WWE, possible future matches with STARDOM talent, and more.
“The Real Deal” Zayda Steel joined MuscleManMalcolm to talk about her ag team match with Myla Grace at Marigold Summer Destiny, her interest in signing a contract soon with a big company, wanting Bayley in Marigold, Mercedes Mone, and more.
Former AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker appeared on Close Up with Renee Paquette to talk about her absence from AEW, recently dealing with some health issues, her professional wrestling career, her return at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, and more.
Independent star Allie Allbright sat down with A Wrestling Gal to discuss her learning under Billie Starkz and Grindhouse Pro Wrestling, her full-circle moment with Mercedes Mone, a potential match against Nic Nemeth, her love for Taylor Swift, attending the Eras Tour, future goals, and more.
