Thoughts on Pro-Wrestling EVE iPPV "No Mans Land"

Warning: There be spoilers ahead!

On February 18th, Pro-Wrestling EVE presented the first European internet Pay Per View entitled "No Mans Land." It was hosted by Diva-Dirt.com and the company that did the tech work was iMediaLibrary. I believe it was iMediaLibrary's first time doing an iPPV, which would account for the technical difficulties that occurred during the first half of the show.

It was 9.99 pounds, which equated to $16.03 in American money. Worth every penny in my opinion. The following isn't so much a professional review as my thoughts and feelings.

The show started late due to technical difficulties but that was to be expected. I heard a bit of complaining about it, but if you ordered it, you could either stick it out until the second half (which was MUCH better quality wise) or watched the replay. Either way you should get your money's worth. I know I did.

Every woman worked their heart out. They knew they were live to anyone in the world who chose to order it, and not one woman half assed it or "phoned it in" - they knew they were being given the ball and they ran with it. There was not a bad match on the show, period. Everyone looked like gold.

The commentary was a bit hard to hear, but to be honest, a lot of shows I watch I tune out the commentary unless it's a boring match and I hope the commentary can improve it. Since I wasn't bored, I admittedly tuned it out. When I buy the DVD though I'll make sure to listen, if only for Mean Girls quotes!

The place was well lit, meaning you could see the front row crowd, the stage and the ring. It's an intimate setting that I prefer personally over huge places - you feel more into the action and closer to the athletes. Camera work was good, a few strange spots (crowd shots when there was action in the ring) but nothing that couldn't be overlooked. No mic problems, you could hear the promos and the taunting in the ring. The only thing was during the first half the connection was a bit laggy and when a match would pick up, it would pause. But that problem evaporated for the most part in the second half of the show. It was disappointing that we didn't get to see the bonus matches, but Dann has said those will be put up for free at some point, so there's no issue there.

The booking was a bit confusing in some points. Nikki Storm should have gotten at least one clean win, preferably over Kay Lee Ray considering Ray was injured. Heel Viper versus Heel Storm was strange but I'm not someone who minds face v face or heel v heel matches sometimes. Having the Blossom Twins v the Glamour Gym so soon was also strange but with the Gym stealing the win, it sets the stage for a further rivalry that will grow even hotter with the addition of EVE Tag Team Titles. Nothing that detracted from the show honestly.

Now then...the matches. Oh the matches. When I say there wasn't a bad match on the card, if you disagree, I will refund you the money you paid, be it for the iPPV or the ticket either one. I liked every one of them, and there aren't many promotions/shows I can say that about. Instead of dissecting each match, I'm going to give some thoughts about each of the women involved in the show.


Hannah & Holly Blossom. I haven't seen their ChickFight work, so the only thing I had seen was their work in Ohio Valley Wrestling. They were the best women on the roster at OVW, so I was eager to see how they would do against women with a bit more experience. A feud with the Glamour Gym was inevitable. I was highly impressed with their work, first Hannah against Nikki Storm, Holly against Sara Marie Taylor, and then both women against Sara and Carmel Jacob. They have a distinctive look and give EVE another tag team for the division.

Sara Marie Taylor & Carmel Jacob, the Glamour Gym. I hadn't seen these two since the first EVE shows in 2010, but it looks like they have improved leaps and bounds. Carmel faced Kay Lee Ray and given the fact that the two have faced each other numerous times, that match was one of the stand outs of the show. Marie is a tremendous heel and has the "prettier than you" gimmick down pat, from the hair brush to the hair spray. These two were hilarious...and I'm pretty sure Sara's shorts stole the show for many guys out there.

Alpha Female. Powerful. Intimidating. Terrifying. Alpha is all these things and more. Her look, her power, her determination, all of it combines to make up one ferocious woman. She did not disappoint in her match against Jenny Sjodin. It was power versus skill. Alpha will continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the future.

Viper. I'd never seen her before, but she was decent for a woman of her size and stature. It was a good move putting her into a threeway against Kirsty Love and Janey Britannico, it gave her two smaller opponents to dominate.

Kirsty Love. Another lady I had not seen before, but had heard a lot of good things after the EVE v ICE shows. Her personality is awesome, she is charismatic and bubbly, extremely outgoing and engages the crowds easily. Plus, she had one of the strangest and most interesting billings I'd ever heard - she was announced as being Elvis, alive, kicking and had a sex change. Definitely unique! Looking forward to seeing more of her in the future.

Janey Britannico. This lady has gone from being the mousey-looking assistant to the Glamour Gym, to Super Janey B, and finally to the masked Janey Britannico. Admittedly I'm not sure why the last change happened, but even if there was no reason it's still refreshing to see someone constantly reinventing themselves as a character. It makes her stand out from the pack. She did well in the three way and I'm interested to see how she continues to progress.

Nikki Storm. I adore her Scottish accent, let me say that right now. When I saw her on the first EVE show, she stood out and in between then and now she has become even better in the ring and a full flown mouthy heel. She's great at getting the crowd riled up. She changed gear for all of her matches, which was a nice touch. Her versus Jenny Sjodin and/or Alpha Female will be excellent to watch.

Kay Lee Ray. Her match against Carmel was the first time I had actually seen her wrestle. I had heard a lot of great things and she did not disappoint. Her look, her athleticism, and her move set makes her stand out from the pack. (Personally I'm partial to redheads. Biased!) And I'd never seen a female do a Swanton Bomb as their finisher so that was particularly impressive. I am very interested in watching her career progress. As I said, her v Carmel was one of the highlights of the whole show. Kay Lee was fun to watch!

Rhia O'Reilly. O Really? O'Reilly! I've seen this graduate of the Storm Academy on the first EVE show, come to the SHIMMER pre-show SPARKLE (on her own dime no less, Dave Prazak didn't fly her over or pay her hotel costs - she did) in April 2011, and now I've seen her live on iPPV. Here she took on April Davids in a quarter final match in the Queen of the Ring tournament and to say she has improved would be a vast understatement. She is very self confident as a heel, her wrestling has gotten stronger, and she is coming into her own. I'm very proud of how far she's come - she is definitely one to keep your eye on. I thought her match against April was one of the best on the card. Plus, she's also a redhead.

April Davids. This woman is one of the very best Britain has to offer. I first saw her on the debut EVE DVD in 2010 and was impressed with her then. At the iPPV, her match against Rhia was one of the best on the show. She is so determined, so intense, and I thought for sure she would be a finalist in the Queen of the Ring tournament. Her time in Japan has served her well, and I can't wait to see her on the Ice Ribbon DVDs as well as her work in the future. Absolutely brilliant woman.

Jenny Sjodin. This lady is a warrior. I was impressed the first time I saw her, on the first EVE show in 2010 taking on April Davids in a Catch Division match. I'd never seen that style of match, and those two blew me away. Jenny has only grown better and more intense over the past two years, and she was fully a match for Alpha Female. A lot of folks were sure that Alpha would dominate the smaller Sjodin, but Jenny not only held her own, she gave a fight that showed she was every bit Alpha's equal. It was strength versus skill, and Jenny's skill was at 110% that night. Only after both women went through a table was the match stopped and counted as a draw, neither woman able to gain a clear win. The ending was clearly designed to get people frustrated and wanting to see a rematch with a decisive winner. It worked - the two are set for a rematch which is sure to be every bit as good as this one was. Jenny is an amazing champion for EVE, she is strong, intelligent, tenacious and intense. Her bout against Alpha proved she can take on anyone, no matter how strong or intimidating. My hat's off to her.


Overall, the show was phenomenal. Like I said, every woman gave their all and it showed. EVE continues to provide great matches and I can only hope that many people worldwide shelled out the money to see them on iPPV. If you aren't satisfied with what you see on television, trust me - this was a cheap and better alternative. Congratulations to Dann & Emily Read, everyone involved backstage and all the women who wrestled, and thank you for an incredible show! And thank you to Diva-Dirt for hosting it!