Bellatrix 5 results – Saraya Knight retains the SHIMMER Title; Liberty wins the RQW European belt

It’s been building up to this day for months, and coupled with a heavy bout of promotion both locally and online, Bellatrix Female Warriors launches its first show since officially changing the name from the World Association of Women’s Wrestling at the start of the year. Bellatrix 5 is also the promotion’s first iPPV (which you can order by clicking here), headlined by the first SHIMMER Title match on British soil.

Saraya Knight defends the championship against Queen of the Ring Destiny, while the undercard was given an extra sweetener in recent days with the announcement that Liberty‘s match against Queen Maya will now be for Maya’s RQW European Women’s Championship.

Elsewhere on the card, Bacardi and Rebecca Mason make their debuts, while Amy Lee and Phobia make their returns. Ringbelles is on hand at the Epic Studios in Norwich, England to bring you results. Click after the jump to check them out, and keep hitting refresh for the updates.

Results
1. Phobia pinned Chanel with a powerbomb.
2. Violet O’Hara beat Bacardi with the Sliced Bread #2.
3. Miss Mina made Amy Lee tap out with a Dragon Sleeper.
4. Liberty pinned Queen Maya with a sunset flip powerbomb to win the RQW Women’s Championship.
5. Skarlett made Rebecca Mason tap out to the Skarlett’s Web with just 2 seconds remaining in the match.
6. Erin Angel defeated Penelope with a moonsault.
7. Saraya Knight beat Destiny by 2 falls to 1 to retain the SHIMMER Championship.
– First fall: Destiny pinned Saraya with an avalanche and big splash in round 2.
– Second fall: Saraya pinned Destiny with a roll-up in round 5.
– Third fall: Saraya pinned Destiny with a second rope splash in round 7.

Thoughts
• First off, a big well done for having the show start on time. It was due to begin at 6.30 GMT, and it did, so as far as time management goes, that’s a major achievement on what you expect from indie promotions.
• Next, the setup of the arena was a massive improvement from Bellatrix 4. A full-on entrance with lights, the studio lamps in full effect, 10ft hangings of the roster all around the building and a much more professional feel, this was the best looking visual presentation of any show. Some of that is down to it being from a proper TV studio, which meant a lot of the audio/visual elements were already there, but it looked, felt and presented itself as big-time.
• As for the iPPV feed – which I watched as I was unable to get to the building (frigging snow and ice) – it was a little jerky a couple of times for me, but I didn’t see many complaints online, so it may have been an issue at my end. Either way, it didn’t detract from the show. The camerawork and editing was good for the most part, and the Wile E Coyote camera above the ring provided some great views.
• So, to the matches. In person, Phobia is creepy. On a computer monitor, Phobia is still creepy. The gimmick does enough to make you feel the wrong side of comfortable. Her match with Chanel was what you would expect from an opener – nothing flashy or dynamic, but got the crowd going – especially when Chanel managed a brief comeback or two. However, the rookie babyface was no match, and was put away with the powerbomb. It did enough to show Chanel off but not expose her lack of experience, and put Phobia over. Decent start.
• Violet O’Hara v Bacardi never really clicked. The heel was suitably heelish with her hair-pulls and cheap tactics, but when it came time for O’Hara to respond, things lost their way a bit. Bacardi was out of position for Violet’s somersault senton from the top and the finishing Sliced Bread #2 was ugly. Violet showed spunk and Bacardi was fine when she had the advantage, but this wasn’t good.
• Things got back on track with Miss Mina – wrestling more as a heel than in the past – defeating Amy Lee. The aggression factor was increased with some big kicks from Mina outside of the ring to her opponent, while Amy used her speed to keep the Nordic Valkyrie on her toes. However, a running Ace Crusher followed by a Dragon Sleeper (seen above) earned Mina the tap out win. Fun stuff.
• Liberty’s RQW European Women’s Championship victory over Queen Maya allowed the tall Italian to use her surgically repaired left forearm which was broken at Bellatrix 4 when it cracked off the top of the challenger’s head during a clothesline attempt. She tried to nail Liberty with it a couple of times during their match which ran close to the 15-minute time limit. Sporting new gear and a fiery babyface spirit, Liberty worked hard and got the win with the sunset flip powerbomb off the ropes, though she lost her grip on the way over. An unfortunate moment, but didn’t take away from the victory. I’d say the match was Maya’s best so far in the promotion, so both have lots to be happy about.
• If the previous match was pushing the boundaries of the time limit, Skarlett v Rebecca Mason was tantalisingly close to their match being declared a draw, with Mason tapping out with two seconds left in the 15 minute time limit, putting over just how debilitating and painful the Skarlett’s Web is. The pair have wrestled on numerous occasions in the past, but they haven’t met in a while because of Mason’s broken wrist – something that Skarlett exploited at the first opportunity, while Rebecca’s husband Loco Mike Mason watched from ringside, chained to the railings like an obedient lapdog. Rebecca’s changed her look since fans saw her in Pro Wrestling: EVE a couple of years ago and looks a lot more lucha, which is reflected in her more flamboyant ring-style, creating a stark contrast to Skarlett’s straight-ahead gimmick. As for the match, it was fun and enjoyable, and was a good showing for both.
• I’ve been mulling over whether Erin Angel v Penelope was Match of the Night, and while it fell a fingernail short, it was still a great outing between two fast-paced high-fliers with the only difference being Angel’s experience advantage, which was the deciding factor in this quality match with a great story. Both worked at great speed but never missed a beat, showing their similarities with things like going for dropkicks at the same time, double nip-ups and tests of strength leading to stalemates, but the deciding factor was the top rope moves, with both only doing for one each. Penelope missed her crossbody, which gave Erin the opportunity to nail her moonsault for the pinfall. A simple but effective story with the veteran getting the upper hand resulted in quality contest which was a great showcase for Penelope (still only 2 years in) and reinforced Angel as being one of England’s best.
• My Match of the Night honours go to Saraya and Destiny, who brought the drama and aggression in a contest which showed the SHIMMER Champion’s toughness as well as the ability of the challenger. The 10-round bout started with Saraya launching herself at Destiny with such ferocity that both were given warnings, but it was Destiny’s size and power which was the big factor in the first fall, with her flattening Knight with an avalanche and 747 splash. A second warning for Saraya meant that she was either one fall or one referee infraction away from losing the belt, and this was compounded when she was cut open after being rammed into the ringpost and Tombstoned for a tantalisingly close near-fall at the end of round 4. After begging the referee to not stop the match, desperation seeped in for the following round with Saraya fighting with whatever she had left to avoid another avalanche and get the equalising fall with a roll-up, but Destiny took over again in round 6 by punishing the titleholder by repeatedly lifting the champion’s shoulders off the mat when she could have scored the pin. Her cockiness came back to bite her on the bum when Saraya rallied but didn’t have the strength to hoist Destiny up for a Samoan Drop, so put her away with a splash from the second rope. The locker room emptied to congratulate Saraya on the victory, and the audience gave her a standing ovation for surviving from a titanic battle.
• So overall, one duff match, one short and uneventful opener (which isn’t a bad thing as it covered weaknesses and didn’t need to be anything more than it was) and five matches which ranged from fine to great. You can’t ask fairer than that.
• It’s an evolutionary jump from Bellatrix 4 to 5 – everything was tidied up, felt much more slick and professional, and at just over 2 and a half hours, kept to time. The roster should be very proud of themselves and their efforts, and stands them in good stead for Bellatrix 6 on June 23.

– Lee Burton