| Formation | |
|---|---|
| |
| Tag team | |
| Members | Cailin Dillon Aria Jaxon Stephanie Matsuda |
| Name(s) | Formation |
| Billed weight | 363 lbs. (164.6 kg) |
| Debut | March 18, 2016 |
| Years active | 2016 |
| Promotions | EAW |
Formation was a women's professional wrestling alliance in Elite Answers Wrestling. The lineup consisted of Cailin Dillon, Stephanie Matsuda, and Aria Jaxon. Though the three were frequent allies prior to the group's emergence, the alliance itself did not officially debut until March 2016, eventually disbanding in early July.
Background[]
All three members of Formation signed with EAW during the summer of 2015, with Dillon arriving in June, Jaxon in July, and Matsuda in August. Jaxon and Matsuda found themselves as frequent tag team partners following Jaxon's victory in the inaugural Empress of Elite tournament, and this was followed by Jaxon also teaming with and facing Dillon over the course of several matches. Jaxon and Matsuda also faced each other on multiple occasions in November and December of 2015, on account to both of them competing in the Tag Team Championship Grand Prix (with Jaxon's partner being now ex-boyfriend Brett Kennedy and Matsuda's partner being then-ally Haruna Sakazaki). Dillon and Jaxon also competed against each other for the Specialists Championship in December, which Dillon would go on to win.
The three were noted backstage for being exceptionally close (with Matsuda and Dillon having already begun dating by the time the team came to fruition), frequently traveling with and training with one another. Rumors of the three aligning with one another circulated for weeks ahead of time before Formation came to be in March 2016.
History[]
Post-Vixens Cup (2016)[]
Following Jaxon and Matsuda competing in the inaugural edition Vixens Cup, the creation of Formation was announced. The group made their television debut on the March 18 edition of Dynasty. With Dillon at ringside, Jaxon and Matsuda defeated Cameron Ella Ava and Haruna Sakazaki via disqualification when Sakazaki's manager Jade Knight interfered and hit Jaxon with a steel chair as she tried to pin Ava. Subsequently, Ava retreated and Dillon and Matsuda attacked Sakazaki and Knight. The entire group appeared at Reckless Wiring, first in a backstage segment with Tarah Nova, and later, Matsuda and Jaxon came out to celebrate with Dillon following her retention of the
Dillon (as Specialists Champion) and Jaxon in April 2016
Specialists Championship over Heart Break Gal. On the April 4 edition of Battleground, Dillon and Jaxon defeated Veena Adams and Silence. Dillon defended her Specialists Championship in the first-ever all-Vixens Grand Rampage match at the namesake free-per-view; Matsuda would become the new champion by last eliminating Haruna Sakazaki. Following Matsuda's win, the fact that she won the title once held by Dillon caused notable friction on the group. Then-Vixens Champion Eris LeCava and Heart Break Gal defeated Matsuda and Jaxon on the May 7 edition of Showdown when HBG used the ropes to gain leverage while pinning Matsuda. With Dillon and Jaxon's boyfriend Aren Mstislav on commentary, Jaxon and Matsuda were two participants in a six-way Street Fight on the May 16 episode of Battleground, where a $120,000 salary bonus was at stake. The two were eventually declared "co-winners" along with Eclipse Diemos after all three scored simultaneous pins, and had to split the money. Friction continued to build when Formation teamed with Tarah Nova to take on Haruna Sakazaki and The Sanatorium (Eclipse Diemos, Alexis Diemos, and Madison Kaline) on the May 22 episode of Battleground, losing when Sakazaki pinned Nova. At Triple Threat, Matsuda lost the Specialists Championship on the pre-show in a Fatal Four-Way that also included Dillon, Nova, and Sakazaki. Nova would pin her to win the title, and tension continued to build. In the main event, Jaxon competed in a Triple Threat match along with then-champion Eris LeCava and Heart Break Gal for the Vixens Championship, and would go on to win. It was around this time that Dillon ended her romantic relationship with Matsuda, spending more time with Tarah Nova (who was also close friends with Jaxon). The June 4 episode of Showdown saw Jaxon and Dillon defeat the teams of Sheridan Muller & Angela Salveti and Veena Adams & Silence in a three-way tag team match. On the June 12 episode of Voltage, Formation defeated The Sanatorium in Tag Team Warfare. Relationships between the group members continued to break down, as Jaxon was preoccupied with her impending championship defense against Heart Break Gal. Matsuda and Dillon, along with then-Specialists Champion Tarah Nova, Erica Ford, and Azumi Goto (as "representatives" of the Vixens division) began to clash with opposing forces from the New Breed division (then-New Breed Champion JJ Silva, Lucas Johnson, Haruna Sakazaki, Venom, and Piff Fumador). A Divide and Conquer match was set for Pain for Pride 9. On day two of the event, the Vixens team won. However, Matsuda would turn on her team during the match, effectively ending Formation for good.
Other Media[]
Jaxon, Dillon, and Matsuda were all featured as main cast members on True Vixens, which premiered on May 15 on the EAW Network. On June 14, they were all announced as participants on the first season of EAW Presents: The Trial.
In Wrestling[]
- Tag Team Finishing Moves
- #Slay (Total Elimination)
- Perfect Storm (Any combination of Jaxon's California Dream, Matsuda's Cloud 9, and/or Dillon's phoenix splash
- Tag Team Signature Moves
- Homewrecker (Double or triple crucifix powerbomb)
- Snatching Edges (Double hair-pull neckbreaker)
- Unity! (Double or triple stereo superkicks)
- Entrance themes
- "Run the World (I Am the Best Remix)" by Beyonce feat. 2NE1 (March 2015 - July 2015)
Championships and Accomplishments[]
- Elite Answers Wrestling
- EAW Vixens Championship (1 time) -- Jaxon
- EAW Specialists Championship (2 times) -- Dillon (1), Matsuda (1)
- Empress of Elite (1 time, inaugural) -- Jaxon
- Most Valuable Elitist (27 times)
- Most Valuable Elitist (1 time) -- Jaxon
- Vixen of the Week (10 times) -- Dillon (2), Jaxon (6), Matsuda (2)
- Champion of the Week (1 time) -- Dillon
- Match of the Week (3 times) -- Dillon (1), Jaxon (2)
- Promoer of the Week (1 time) -- Jaxon
- Beef of the Week (10 times) -- Dillon (3), Jaxon (4), Matsuda (3)
- Segment of the Week (1 time) -- Jaxon