EAW Iconic Cup

Conception and History
The EAW Vixens Cup is a two-day single elimination tournament held for the first time in 2016. The inaugural event was announced in early February of 2016, though the planning for the event had been in the preliminary stages since the success of the first Empress of Elite tournament held in the summer of 2016. In an intense bidding war for the hosting rights for the event, the city of Toronto’s Air Canada Centre eventually triumphed and won the right to host the event. This event was also the first event in EAW history to exclusively feature Vixens talent and was broadcast as a two-day, stand-alone Free-Per-View event instead of being broadcast over regular EAW programming as the Empress of Elite tournament was.

Format
Sixteen of the top EAW Vixens, barring then-Specialists Champion Cailin Dillon and then-Vixens Champion Eris LeCava, were paired up in a single elimination tournament. The entire first round of the tournament was broadcast on day one with the quarterfinals semifinals and finals of the tournament airing the next broadcast day. Unlike the Empress of Elite tournament, there was no consolation match for third place. The winner of the tournament would receive the Vixens Cup trophy, a $1-million-dollar cash prize, and the right to challenge the EAW Vixens Champion or the EAW Specialists Champion at any time of their choosing over the next calendar year. This was a departure from the Empress of Elite format where the winner was scheduled to face the Vixens Champion at House of Glass.

2016 Highlights
The first match of the tournament was one of several first round matches that had special stipulations to them and it saw Rey Shamez overcome Brody Sparks in a No Disqualification match. Brody savagely attacked Rey before the opening bell but Shamez was able to rally and pick up the win via pinfall. In the next contest, Azumi Goto managed to defeat Silence by countout to advance to the quarters. In the third match, Sheridan Muller scored a win over veteran Raven Lee via cross armbreaker submission. After the match, she screamed at Cailin, who was sitting ringside doing guest commentary, indicating that she was interested in challenging her for the Specialists Championship should she win the tournament. The fourth match featured a long-standing feud between former tag partners Cloud (later Stephanie) Matsuda facing Haruna Sakazaki. The match ended in controversial fashion as Sakazaki’s long-time friend, Jade Knight, got involved in the contest and aided Haruna’s progression into the quarterfinals. Cameron Ella Ava and Aria Jaxon faced each other in the fifth opening round match, with Cameron earning a submission victory to advance. In the sixth match, Alexis Diemos, flanked by the Sanatorium, defeated Angela Salvetti. In the next match, Erica Ford faced Veena Adams and won via flying head-butt. After the match, however, Ford was brutally assaulted by Veena and her partner Silence, who power bombed Erica out of the ring. Erica’s partner, Azumi Goto, was also assaulted in the attack. In the main event of Day One, long-time rivals Tarah Nova and Madison Kaline clashed in a Deathmatch. The brutal affair came to an end via referee stoppage as Madison assaulted Tarah with a barbed-wire wrapped baseball bat that was set on fire until Nova could no longer continue. Due to the actions of the Sanatorium as well as Silence and Veena Adams earlier in the evening, EAW Management banned everyone not directly competing in a match from ringside for day two in an announcement done over social media immediately following the end of the broadcast.

The second day of competition with Rey Shamez continuing a surprising run into the semifinals, defeating Azumi Goto via power bomb. Sheridan Muller advanced into the semifinal round to face Rey as she submitted Haruna Sakazaki. Cameron Ella Ava progressed to the semifinals in the third match of the evening, besting the Sanatorium’s Alexis Deimos with her “Bitch Camp” finishing maneuver. In the fourth and final quarterfinal, Erica Ford defeated Madison Kaline with her Brave Driver power bomb. Ford was assaulted for the second time in the tournament after a victory with Madison assaulting the already-injured back of Erica. The semis began with Sheridan knocking of Rey Shamez to book her place in the first ever final. Cameron Ella Ava dispatched a severely injured Erica Ford in the other semifinal, earning the match against Sheridan. In the first Vixens Cup tournament final, Sheridan Muller triumphed, using her Sherplex to grab the victory, the million-dollar prize, and the Vixens Cup Trophy, along with the right to challenge the Vixens or Specialists Champion any time she pleases.