| Diamond Star Wrestling | |
|---|---|
| |
| Federation Name | Diamond Star Wrestling |
| Abbreviation | DSW |
| Shows | UNLEASHED! |
| Time opened | Dec. 2002 |
| Owner | Veronica Benedict |
| Based in | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Federation type | Roleplay/Angle-based email fed |
Diamond Star Wrestling is an all-women email fed that runs indy-style shows from the Las Vegas House of Blues. It employs a hardcore style similar to classic ECW, and holds shows on a monthly basis. The fed made its official debut in December 2002, before shutting down in July 2003 after some unfortunate business. The brand was since revived, and held its first show of the new era on the 13th of August 2008...
The Good Ol' Days: 2002-2003[]
(Summary copied from original DSW fansite)
At a time when it seemed the popularity of women's wrestling was slowly fading, with both BRA and the GDWA on the rocks or gone altogether, a small promotion based in Carson City, Nevada rose to fill the void and rejuvenate the world of women's wrestling. But Diamond Star Wrestling did more than just provide great wrestling action, it introduced new innovations to the industry.
Until now, it has been a pretty well-kept secret that the promotion was opened as a personal favor to a fast rising star from Anchorage, Alaska. And from there on, the "Pretty, Pretty Princess" Iris Galiver, accompanied by her "Daddy", "The South Boston Strangler" Hannibal Carver, carved a bloody path through the ranks of Diamond Star Wrestling. Literally.
But from the very beginning, DSW played host to many other, much more established stars as well. It saw the in-ring return of the deadly pitfighter Polaris, the seasoned Canadian veteran Dalbello Rage, and BRA's very own "The Goddess" Nina Larue. Later big name additions included both members of UWF's vicious tag team Extreme Measures - comprised of the "British Bad Girl" Lisa Drake and "Mockingbird" Nina Grimsson, the franchise player of IGA's women's division - Lara Leigh Love, multi-time champion and international superstar "Tornado" Tara Smith, and the feared "Witchblade" Talia Wichzini.
And of course, there were the young rising stars too - most notable of them being Iris Galiver; who is now considered by many to be a legend in women's wrestling. However, we would be doing a severe disservice to not mention the other great stars. People who, for all intents and purposes, got their first big break in DSW. The Ishikawa sisters - "Battle Princess" Misaki Ishikawa and Naomi Ishikawa were among them. Others included the righteous do-gooder "Budding Venus Flower" Sakura Asahara, the ever witty Bloodsucking Editor, the wicked Japanese woman Moira Faith, the woman deserving of her nickname - "Double D" Devin DeMasters, and the Party Princess herself - "Techno Butterfly" Trinity Extacy.
With a roster absolutely stacked top to bottom with some of the greatest women wrestlers in the world, Diamond Star Wrestling provided its loyal fans in Carson City and on the Internet with hard-hitting, ultra-violent wrestling action! Two of the most memorable matches in DSW history were the feud-ending Chain Match pitting Iris Galiver and Lara Leigh Love against each other, and the intense, brutal war between Misaki Ishikawa and Talia Wichzini!
But the company wasn't without its share of controversy either. Many will remember the vicious attack on pregnant "Twin Peaks" Daisy Wylde by Iris GAliver and her friends. Or the brutalizing of Moira Faith and Caine Tainer by Galiver and Hannibal Carver - including Carver stabbing Caine in his one good eye. But the biggest controversy of all was when Dalbello Rage had Polaris arrested after the North Star hit a Shooting Star Legdrop from the top of a Cell! But it didn't stop there, as Polaris was summarily stripped of the Diamond Star Championship - and the belt was subsequently awarded to Rage.
In the end, politics indirectly spelt the end for the beloved Diamond Star Wrestling. Ownership of the promotion changed hands due to the politics. And although the new boss - wrestling great "The Walking Contradition" Sabbath, a.k.a. Michael Price, worked hard to rebuild and repair the company, it wasn't too long before DSW closed its doors - much to the dismay of its fans and many of its employees. And since then, "the other side of wrestling" has never been the same.
Until now...
The Second Coming: 2008 and beyond[]
2008 Shows[]
- August 13, 2008
The first UNLEASHED! of the new era kicked off with Erika Sato taking on Kiora Donovan. Sato, slightly discomfited by the unfamiliar surroundings of DSW, tried to take the fight into her aerial comfort zone, but Kiora was having none of it, and scored the win with the Kiora Claw. (WINNER: Kiora Donavon) Next, seasoned veteran 'The Show' Sierra Browne squared off with fresh-faced rookie (and Wonder Woman fangirl) Sheila Sims. Despite having the advantage in experience, Browne found herself down for the count after tasting the Lasso of Truth. (WINNER: Sheila Sims) And in the main event, three old hands from the earlier DSW run - Moira Faith, Lara Leigh Love and 'Mockingbird' Nina Grimsson - took part in an astoundingly brutal triple threat match. Each woman held the advantage briefly, then lost it, and many falls were broken up before, finally, Grimsson pinned Love following a Dragon Spike. (WINNER: Nina Grimsson) Post-match, Nina 'celebrated' by locking Love in a clawhold, refusing to break until security pried her off.
DARK MATCHES: Laura Davis def. Arianna Garza, Tesla St. James def. Ashleigh Winters
- September 11, 2008
The show began with a tense backstage confrontation between Nina Grimsson and Lara Leigh Love; Love obviously had issues with the ending of the previous show's triple threat match, and Nina remained unrepentant. Next, Moira Faith went one-on-one with Tesla St. James. At various points during the match, Moira came close to succumbing to her 'darker' tendencies, but on this occasion, she held temptation in check, and successfully put Tesla away with the devastating Burn, Bleed, Ascend for the win. (WINNER: Moira Faith) The next match pitted 'The All-Around Athlete' Laura Davis against Lara Leigh Love, giving fans watching the YouTube broadcast their first taste of Davis' puritanical attitude towards wrestling, as she repeatedly ignored various advantageous situations involving weapons and the like, whilst trying to pull off a big submission win. Unluckily for her, Love showed no such restraint, and blasted Davis with a Bad Deal onto a steel chair for the pin. (WINNER: Lara Leigh Love) Post-match, Davis was viciously attacked by new signee Erica Toughill. This was followed by Veronica 'Ronnie' Benedict addressing the fans, and formally announcing the tournament that would determine the first new Shooting Star Champion, which would begin on the next show. Finally, the main event pitched Nina Grimsson against Sheila Sims, whose popularity had soared following her win over Sierra Browne. Sims put forth a strong effort, but was sabotaged by interference from not one, but TWO other women; first, Sierra Browne accidentally cracked Sims with a chair, then Lara Leigh Love treated Grimsson to a Bitch Blaster that laid Grimsson out on top of Sims, which counted as a pin. (WINNER: Nina Grimsson) Afterwards, an understandably annoyed Grimsson locked Love in a phone booth that had been placed on the entrance ramp, then pushed it off the stage to the floor.
DARK MATCHES: Kiora Donavon def. Arianna Garza, Sierra Browne vs. Erika Sato went to a No Contest
- October 10, 2008
The show began with an introductory segment for 'Demolition' Debbie Denton, in which the entire month's budget was wasted on exceedingly random explosions. In the first proper match of the evening, Moira Faith took on the so-far-winless Arianna Garza. Garza, as ever, showed a lot of heart, but ultimately it wasn't enough, as Faith took a (clean) win with the Burn, Bleed, Ascend. (WINNER: Moira Faith) Moira bowed to Garza out of respect following the match. Next, Debbie Denton had her first match against Tesla St. James. Denton showed astounding skill and poise for someone so new to the game, and came very close to putting away 'Red Irish' on several occasions. Tonight was not her night, though, as Tesla put her down with a Golgotha Driver. (WINNER: Tesla St. James) Erica Toughill then had her first official match, taking on Lara Leigh Love. It was no surprise that the match was horribly violent, but what was surprising was the outcome, as Toughill took the win after a Spiral Shock to the floor. (WINNER: Erica Toughill) In the main event slot, 'The All-Around Athlete' Laura Davis met Kiora Donavon in a battle of opposites, wherein some of Davis' own high-&-mighty principles were bended, but not quite broken. Eventually, Davis scored the win through a roll-up that preyed on Kiora's knee, injured earlier in the match. (WINNER: Laura Davis)
DARK MATCHES: Sierra Browne def. Nina Grimsson, Sheila Sims vs. Erika Sato was cancelled.
- November 19, 2008
After some creepy opening remarks from Nina Grimsson, the November UNLEASHED! started properly with Lenny Lorenzo attempting to interview 'Demolition' Debbie Denton, who wasn't too happy with the beating she took from Erica Toughill after forcing Toughill to quit in their pre-show dark match. For the first match, the ever-so-plucky Arianna Garza faced 'The Show' Sierra Browne. In what was quickly becoming a pattern, Garza tried her best but it wasn't quite enough, with Sierra latching on her STD hold until Garza lost consciousness. (WINNER: Sierra Browne) Next, Erika Sato took to the ring, addressing the fans with enigmatic words and showing off a new look and new philosophy. This was followed with 'Mockingbird' Nina Grimsson battling 'The All-Around Athlete' Laura Davis, in another of Davis' efforts to show everyone else in DSW how wrong they were. This was another contest beset by interference, as Lara Leigh Love smashed Grimsson through a table, and Kiora Donavon brutalised Davis' knee with a tire iron. In the end, Grimsson applied a Marine Throat Lock and forced Laura to the canvas, gaining a sneaky pinfall. (WINNER: Nina Grimsson) A vignette was shown to announce the coming debut of Sayoko Nanohara, aka 'Sayo-K.O.', MMA starlet and former KOKORO worker, making her American debut in DSW. For the main event of the evening, Tesla St. James squared off with Kiora Donavon in a match where both women seemed to spend more time outside the ring than in it. The advantage was traded evenly back & forth, and there were near falls aplenty, until eventually Tesla trapped Kiora in the Bastard Grinder and held it long enough - falling out of the ring in the process - to extract a submission victory. (WINNER: Tesla St. James)
DARK MATCHES: Debbie Denton def. Erica Toughill, Moira Faith def. Lara Leigh Love
- December 19, 2008
UNLEASHED! opened with Lenny Lorenzo interviewing Erika Sato, who was distracted by the sight of a 'ghost' - perhaps that of Christmas Past, Present or Future? Next, Sayoko Nanohara made her well-hyped debut against Erica Toughill, who clearly hadn't prepared for Sayo-K.O.'s ground-&-pound strategy or her lightning-fast strikes. After she backed off from an exchange, the crowd began to heckle Toughill - but this only drove her to new heights of madness, leading her to attack with greater fury and force Sayoko to tap out in the Shrew's Fiddle hold. (WINNER: Erica Toughill) This was followed by a remarkably high-budget segment that introduced new signee Samantha Valiant, a sort of tyrannical businesswoman. The reformed Erika Sato then went head-to-head with 'Mockingbird' Nina Grimsson in a surprisingly short contest. Erika tried to keep the fight in her aerial comfort zone, but Nina was having none of it, and put her away with a Murderous Air Wave Drop. (WINNER: Nina Grimsson) 'Demolition' Debbie Denton then took to the ring to face 'The All-Around Athlete' Laura Davis, in a match which had to satisfy Laura's fondness for 'clean' wrestling; this was probably the most by-the-book match DSW has ever booked. The result, though, didn't go Laura's way, as she fell to the Blast Off and Denton got the 3. (WINNER: Debbie Denton) Finally, in the main event, Moira Faith took on 'The Show' Sierra Browne. Despite Moira's determination to walk the purist path, and Sierra's considerable achievements in other, 'cleaner' feds, the match wasn't quite as squeaky-clean as the one before, thanks largely to Sierra's valet, Indigo, getting involved. Moira, however, was able to overcome this difficulty, and pin Sierra following the Unhallowed. (WINNER: Moira Faith) The show closed with a creepy, enigmatic segment that prophesised the coming of Apathy...
DARK MATCHES: Tesla St. James def. Arianna Garza, Lara Leigh Love def. Kiora Donavon
2009 Shows[]
- January 17, 2009
The first UNLEASHED! of '09 began with a pre-recorded segment in which Lara Leigh Love and Nina Grimsson had another tense confrontation, ending with Love laid out and coughing up blood. The first match of the show pitted Erika Sato - who'd seen another ghost - against 'The All-Around Athlete' Laura Davis - but it looked for a time like the match would be cancelled, after Kiora Donavon attacked Davis backstage (in retribution for Davis disrupting Kiora's dark match with Lara Leigh Love on the previous show). Nevertheless, Davis continued with the match, in spite of an injured knee, which Erika naturally attempted to capitalise on. Battling back, Laura overcame the odds and made Sato submit to the dangerous Heel Hook. (WINNER: Laura Davis) Backstage, Moira Faith was given a tongue-lashing from her former pupil Achika Akatani, who encouraged her to return to her roots - Moira violently refused. Next, Lara Leigh Love - recovered from the injuries suffered earlier in the day - took on Sayoko Nanohara, who certainly seemed more confident in the ring than she had against Erica Toughill. In fact, Nanohara looked to have it in the bag following an STO onto the ring steps, but she was derailed by Samantha Valiant, who left Sayoko in a heap on the floor, ripe for LLL's picking. (WINNER: Lara Leigh Love) 'Demolition' Debbie Denton was booked to face Kiora Donavon next, but suspiciously, Erica Toughill also made her way out. Thankfully, Toughill refrained from interfering, instead choosing to simply perform guest commentary duties. Kiora, who'd been on a bad streak recently, seemed determined to turn her fortunes around, and took full control of the match early on - but one mistake on her part allowed Denton to lock the Anaconda Vice in place, holding it until Kiora simply passed out. (WINNER: Debbie Denton) After the match, Erica tried apologising to Debbie for her previous behaviour, but the crowd's jeers and Debbie's goading comments snapped Toughill's patience, and she rushed Denton - only to take the Blast Off for her troubles. Lastly, Ronnie Benedict announced a six-woman tag match as the main event for the next UNLEASHED! - and the girl who scored the pin or submission would join the two tournament finalists for a Three Way Dance to determine the new Shooting Star Champion at the UNLEASHED One Hour Special!
DARK MATCHES: Godiva Rage def. Apathy, Samantha Valiant def. Aimee Christian
- February 14, 2009
The Valentine's Day UNLEASHED! (broadcast delayed due to technical difficulties) began with a cautiously friendly conversation between Debbie Denton and Lara Leigh Love, before shifting gears for an altogether less endearing slice of Erica Toughill's video diary, which served as further evidence of her ongoing mental breakdown. Continuing the talky-talk theme, Denton reappeared to talk shop with Tesla St. James, prior to 'Red Irish's semi-final match with Erica Toughill. In the early going, Erica seemed to try and best Tesla at her own technical game, but when that didn't work, she resorted to her usual, more brutal methods; however, Tesla weathered the storm, and took Toughill down with the Gone To Texas for the win, sending her into the Shooting Star Championship final. (WINNER: Tesla St. James) Achika Akatani graced us with her slightly disturbing presence once again, contemplating the irony in Moira Faith being 'saved' by Achika's longtime rival Nina Grimsson, just as Moira was performing a quick prayer for guidance, before heading to the ring to face the 'Mockingbird'. Moira's will was tested harder than ever before by Nina's horrific assaults and the presence of Akatani at ringside, who even brought Moira's old straight razors along as an incentive. But Faith's, uh, faith never waned, and she blasted Nina with the Burn, Bleed, Ascend to take the second spot in the finals. (WINNER: Moira Faith) Backstage, an already battle-weary Grimsson was savagely assaulted by an enraged Lara Leigh Love, in retribution for the pre-show attack ataged by Nina last week. Next, Kiora Donavon squared off with Samantha Valiant in a slightly uneven match, possibly caused by neither competitor being especially well-prepared for the other's stratagems. The two women went back and forth with stiff shots and roll-up pin attempts, before Kiora quickly planted Valiant with the Kiora Claw to finally end her losing streak. (WINNER: Kiora Donavon) Erika Sato's scheduled backstge interview was interrupted by the enigmatic newcomer Apathy, who Sato has some sort of past relationship with, one that clearly didn't end the way Apathy would've liked it to. The Main Event for the evening was a six-woman tag match, with the team of Sierra Browne, Laura Davis and Nina Grimsson taking on Lara Leigh Love, Debbie Denton and Erica Toughill. The concept of teamwork would prove to be alien, however, as the girl who made the winning pinfall or submission would take the third spot in the Shooting Star Title match at the forthcoming One Hour Special. Naturally, the order imposed by ref LaRosa quickly disintegrated, especially after the aging official was blinded by a flashbang grenade used by Denton. Numerous landmines were also detonated over the course of the match, until finally, Debbie Denton made a successful pin whilst Erica Toughill pinned Denton in turn. After some quick deliberation, Toughill's pin was ignored, thusly leaving Debbie as the third entrant into the Shooting Star title match! (WINNER: Debbie Denton)
DARK MATCHES: Aimee Christian def. Apathy, Godiva Rage def. Sayoko Nanohara
For further result, please refer to the separate DSW Results page.
Championships & Active Roster[]
Shooting Star Champion: 'Demolition' Debbie Denton
Apathy
Sierra Browne
Aimee Christian
'Demolition' Debbie Denton
Kiora Donavon
'Viking Vixen' Eveline Eriksen
Moira Faith
Arianna Garza
'Mockingbird' Nina Grimsson
Tamara 'Tommy' Jackson
Lara Leigh Love
Matilda 'The Homeless Inbred'
Sayoko Nanohara
Godiva Rage
Erika Sato
Tesla St. James
Erica Toughill
Samantha Valiant
'Twin Peaks' Daisy Wylde
On Hiatus[]
'The All-Around Athlete' Laura Davis
Sheila Sims
Original DSW Alumni[]
The Acid Queen
Sakura Asahara
baby-I
The Bloodsucking Editor
Kelley Conway
Devin DeMasters
Lisa Drake
Trinity Extacy
Iris Galiver
Misaki Ishikawa
Naomi Ishikawa
Ophelia Johnson
Kugi
Nina Larue
Jessika Maquimba
Tara Marshall
Scarlett McCain
Lorilei Mend
Helene Mendoza
Bobbie Pins
Polaris
Dalbello Rage
Michelle Shelton
Tara Smith
Cheri St. Johns
Talia Wichzini
Staff Members[]
Veronica 'Ronnie' Benedict - One of the somewhat infamous Benedict family, and one of the few who don't actively wrestle. Ronnie's a multi-millionaire, her fortune gained through unspecified means, who could probably make DSW a lot bigger than it is if she wanted to. However, she doesn't expect the fed to turn any kind of profit; it's more an amusing side-project to her. Nevertheless, she's been smart and savvy enough to attract a crew of top-flight workers from far and wide, and has granted them essentially free reign to do whatever the hell they want.
Ken Callaghan - The play-by-play announcer from DSW's first run, Ken has somehow conspired to keep his job, and luckily for him, he no longer feels like puking whenever something interesting happens. Like any good play-by-play guy, Ken tends to side with the faces, but he does his best to maintain an open mind to fighters from all walks of life.
Andrea Kristian - A slightly mental bisexual party chick, Andrea was handed the color commentating gig presumably because nobody else applied for it. She loves violence, and lusts after anyone willing to indulge her bloodthirsty nature. How she can be kept behind her announce desk for entire shows at a time is a mystery for the ages. In late 2008, however, Andrea had some trouble with the Vegas PD, which led to her position being occupied by Freddy Nuckels. However, you can't keep a good bad girl down, and so it wasn't long before Andrea returned to the air as the host of Beauty Calls.
Freddy Nuckels - He used to be the color commentator in the good ol' days, but he's been relegated to hosting the 'Beauty Calls' show (aired on YouTube), wherein he voices his tawdry opinions on whatever the roster have been talking about recently. Much like Andrea, he loves violence and he loves girls - combine the two and you get "Bloody Boobies", his favourite phrase. Following Andrea's arrest, he returned to the announcers' desk, much to the dismay of...well, everyone. Luckily, he was fired prior to the 8/02/09 UNLEASHED! taping, and replaced by the much more likable...
Sonya Benedict - The 'Twilight Angel', as she's known elsewhere, is a well-respected and well-tenured wrestler in her own right, and has been quite a popular fan favourite in UWF, amongst many other feds. Since her schedule recently has been quite lax, she's taken over the colour commentary position at her sister Ronnie's request. Though she's knew to the talky game, her in-ring experience lets her make plenty of useful insights into the psychology and strategy of any girl she happens to be watching at the time.
Victor LaRosa - Victor's the head referee for DSW, and has been doing his job since before most of the roster were foetuses. He might be older than the hills, but his cadence is perfect, and his judgement solid.
Mary Sterling - Mary's the second referee, who takes over whenever Victor has to go empty his colostomy bag. She used to be a wrestler, but nagging injuries forced her retirement. Though she has grown better at her new role over time, she still isn't quite up to LaRosa's standard, and her calls have often been a source of frustration for the wrestlers.
Lenny 'The Leech' Lorenzo - Lenny was the first backstage interviewer employed by DSW, and was infamous for his bizarre hiding spots and impertinent, offensive line in questioning. Despite a long-standing service record, he was fired after DSW programming moved from KFBT Channel 33 to University of Las Vegas TV (UNLV for short).
Rebecca Howard - Lenny Lorenzo's successor as backstage interviewer, Rebecca is much more polite and proper in her approach, and asks far less uncomfortable questions. She's knowledgeable about the wrestling business as a whole, and much like Laura Davis, has a preference to 'pure' wrestling over the 'garbage' favoured by most DSW wrestlers (and fans).
Sandra Cassaro - DSW's longtime ring announcer, Sandra's got an impressive set of pipes behind her pretty smile, and her voice maintains a gentle lilt even when she's forced to bellow over the cries of a particularly irritated audience. She's gained quite a large fanbase over the years, presumably due to her looking really rather gorgeous.