RISE – ASCENT Episode Seven Recap : New Phoenix, New Guardians!

Kikyo faces off with Saraya, Paradise Lost takes on the Twisted Sisters, Tessa Blanchard makes a stand and Britt Baker explains her betrayal of Chelsea Greene in the latest episode of RISE ASCENT!

RISE ASCENT is back! It’s time to sort through the fallout at RISE of the Knockouts.

This incredibly eventful PPV paid off a number of RISE plotlines, including Rosemary’s successful gambit to conquer the tag division with Paradise Lost and a brand-new Phoenix of RISE, alongside debuts and betrayals galore.

There’s a lot of story to get through, so let’s get into it.

TESSA BLANCHARD AND MERCEDES MARTINEZ

Yes, Tessa Blanchard is our new Phoenix of RISE after her surprise  victory against Mercedes Martinez in the 30-minute iron man match at RISE of the Knockouts. (By the way, have you watched that yet? It was amazing, and it’s free on IMPACT’s Twitch channel!)

Tessa frames this promo as her chance to “set the record straight” about why she’s the new Phoenix of RISE. She says that she isn’t there because of luck or chance, she’s there because she’s the best in the world. She also acknowledges the fact that RISE is a developmental brand, and that she doesn’t want to put down the talent in the back, but she feels that the biggest star in the world is what you need to elevate the title to a new level of prestige. And of course, the biggest star in the world is Tessa Blanchard. So it makes sense that the Phoenix of RISE championship is hers. Come and get it, if you can.

I loved this promo. Tessa has a great knack for getting a crowd on her side- as she did in the match where she won this title -and using that momentum to turn herself into a formidable challenge for the other wrestlers on a roster. I don’t want to take anything away from the previous title holders, as they are some of my favorite wrestlers working the indies today. But Blanchard becoming champion and issuing a challenge like this to the locker room instantly makes the title picture competitive, and makes winning the title from Blanchard a significant achievement. I have no idea who the next Phoenix of RISE will be, but I know they have a tough battle ahead of them.

Also, I don’t really agree with people who think she’s too arrogant. It’s a character choice. Everybody isn’t going to be Kylie Rae. (I also love Kylie Rae, for the record.) The more interesting, complex, and fleshed out female characters we can get in wrestling, the better.

Next, Mercedes Martinez meets up with Alicia Atout backstage for a brief but effective promo. Atout, perhaps unwisely, wants to know how Martinez feels about losing the Phoenix of RISE championship to Blanchard. Martinez explodes, ranting about how people like Atout and the other wrestlers in the RISE locker room are always asking her for favors and ideas. According to Martinez, Tessa got lucky, and the entire RISE roster is disrespecting Martinez if they think they’re anywhere near her level.

Martinez is fed up with people taking advantage of her experience and knowledge in the business, and she’s decided to start breaking bodies instead of playing nice. She ends by telling a rattled Atout to “know her place” before storming away.

This was a good promo and promises an interesting road ahead for Martinez. My only question: who backstage was calling Martinez “the nice one”?