Daily She-DT: Kay Lee Ray stands out again, Madison Rayne ready to help build WOH

Today’s Daily She-DT praises Kay Lee Ray for her matches at Global Women Strike, looks at the next match announced for WWR vs. The World, and touches on Madison Rayne’s comments on signing with Women of Honor.

Let’s start with Kay Lee Ray, who just might be the best professional wrestler in the United Kingdom scene. It’s a bold claim to make, but I would put her body of work right up there with any wrestler in that region of the world for the year 2018.

Not only did she have a tremendous match against Meiko Satomura at Wrestle Queendom and huge matches for World of Sports’s Women’s Championship (she is the current title-holder), but she added a pair of standout matches to her resume at Pro Wrestling: EVE’s “Global Women Strike” show.

In a lot of ways, EVE is the perfect place for the best women’s wrestlers in the world, because they get to express themselves so freely both in the ring and as characters. I can’t think of a single match that wasn’t “good” on an EVE show this year, and KLR’s tag team match with Viper against Charlie Morgan and Laura Di Matteo was certainly “good”. The same can be said for her match against Jetta, which blew the crowd away.

On the same show, KLR produced two very different types of matches. Her chemistry with Viper was, as always, clear to see, and the victory over Morgan and Di Matteo set up her upcoming match today at EVE’s “Strong Women Style” against Di Matteo beautifully. That match is a potential show-stealer, knowing KLR’s ability and the chip on Di Matteo’s shoulder.

I’d wager that most professional wrestling fans who actively follow women’s wrestling outside WWE understand Kay Lee Ray’s body of work. Anybody who has watched more than one of her matches can tell she’s great. But sometimes I wonder if the lack of attention on UK women’s wrestling leads people to vastly underrate her, especially since she wasn’t showcased at the first Mae Young Classic quite like Viper and Toni Storm were.

Her match with Jetta was an absolute nail-biter, blending comedy and great technical wrestling in way that is trademark of Jetta’s matches. KLR should earn huge plaudits for her work in that match, in addition to her lovely exchanges with Charlie Morgan in the tag match earlier on Thursday.

KLR is one of the best in the world, and I wonder when more people will hop on the bandwagon until it’s impossible to ignore what she brings to the table as a wrestler and promo. Out of all the amazing wrestlers who work with EVE, she consistently manages to shine the brightest, which is the most pinpoint piece of praise I can heap onto the 26-year-old.

Britt Baker At SHIMMER

SHIMMER Women Athletes will tape episodes 105-108 on the weekend of Oct. 20 and 21, and they’ve announced another big name who will be at these shows. Britt Baker is one of wrestling’s most respected athletes, and she dazzled fans on a big stage at All In with some fluid technical wrestling. She’s been a key part of RISE, so being able to watch her on SHIMMER’s new streaming platform will be fantastic.

Baker joins Jinny, Holidead, Kimber Lee, and Mercedes Martinez as several of the notable names announced for SHIMMER’s upcoming tapings, so I can’t wait to see what the promotion has in store for us.

Women’s Wrestling Revolution’s Latest Match Announcement

Women’s Wrestling Revolution’s “WWR vs. The World” show on Oct. 28 has been selling tickets fast, and a huge match between Tenille Dashwood and LuFisto is probably a big part of that.

WWR announced a second match for this show, as Willow Nightingale and Solo Darling will face Indi Hartwell and the “undeniable” Tessa Blanchard.

That sounds like another exciting matchup, and I can’t wait to see what other matches this Beyond Wrestling promotion has planned. WWR vs. The World is shaping up to be a stacked show, and it is indeed a great alternative to WWE’s Evolution Pay Per View.

Jordynne Grace, Jazzy Gabert, and Shazza McKenzie are among the other big names set for this event.

Madison Rayne Is Ready To Help Build Women Of Honor

About a week ago, Madison Rayne inked a one-year deal with ROH Wrestling’s “Women of Honor”, becoming the second big signing for WOH this year after Tenille Dashwood made the jump. Dashwood, of course, faced the first Women of Honor champion, Sumie Sakai, in a match at ROH’s Death Before Dishonor Pay Per View last night. It’s a championship that Rayne, who participated in the inaugural WOH Tournament, will no doubt be gunning for sooner rather than later after having already challenged Sakai at TV tapings a month ago.

WOH is filled with talent, whether it’s veterans of the business like Sakai and Dashwood, or younger wrestlers like Stella Grey and Jenny Rose. Rayne is ready to become a leader in the locker room and help build Women of Honor into powerhouse. Of course, ROH will need to do a better job of giving their brilliant women chances, but with a signing like Rayne, hopefully they are spurred into action.

Rayne had this to say to The Mirror about her signing with WOH [H/T: Fightful.com’s Andrew Thompson]

"“But when it came down to making the decision for what was best for me and my career, it just felt like ROH was that perfect fit. There’s just something very special about the locker room and for me at this point in my career, being part of good energy and being a part of something bigger than myself [is important]. I think helping grow Women of Honor in the way I hope I was able to help grow the Knockouts division, that’s what feels good to me, that’s what feels right. Ring Of Honor have always brought something different and something special to the table and I’m looking forward to the next year. I’m equal parts excited and nervous for what’s to come. My gut told me Ring Of Honor was where I needed to call home moving forward.”"

Over the past couple of months alone, Rayne has been making waves all over the place. She shined for Impact Wrestling in a Knockouts Championship feud with Su Yung, fought for the WOH Title, and faced Mercedes Martinez in the second Mae Young Classic before recently electing to sign with Women of Honor.

There’s no doubt that Rayne will join Dashwood and Kelly Klein as cornerstones of a division that recently lost its brightest star, Deonna Purrazzo, to WWE NXT. ROH failed to capitalize on Purrazzo’s prodigious talent. Still just 32, Rayne has several years of great wrestling to give this promotion, and the onus is honestly on them to use her during her one-year contract. This isn’t usually the case, but because Rayne has options outside Women of Honor, the ball is honestly in her court.

Quick Hits

• Perhaps the most savvy pro wrestler on the independent scene, Jordynne Grace released her upcoming schedule, which includes big dates with NOVA Pro Wrestling on Oct. 19 (Sadie Hawkins Invitational) and Beyond Wrestling on Oct. 28 (WWR vs. The World). Grace, who suffered an injury this week, was last seen on commentary at Pro Wrestling: EVE’s “Global Women Strike”, acquitting herself well in the role, particularly in the electric opening match between rising stars Millie McKenzie and Chihiro Hashimoto.
• NOVA Pro Wrestling will be at WrestleMania weekend next year, so stay tuned to their Twitter account for further updates.
• Pro Wrestling: EVE announced on Twitter that their card for the evening “Strong Women Style”show  today must “drastically change”. EVE always puts on great shows, and they have adapted perfectly to last-minute circumstances that caused booking changes. I’m sure this show will be no exception, especially after they knocked it out of the park on Thursday at “Global Women Strike”.
• Tomorrow at Future Stars of Wrestling, Taya Valkyrie will take on Heather Monroe for the FSW Women’s Championship at “Mecca III”. It’s always great to hear news of Taya’s matches, and we’re all psyched for that big Knockouts Title match against Tessa Blanchard at Bound For Glory next month.
• Sasha Banks was on Wild’N Out last night, and it’s just the latest example of Banks being involved in a relatively high-profile media appearance. Sasha stole some of the spotlight with an entertaining performance, and it’s an indication that she can shine if given more of these opportunities in the future. Hopefully WWE is aware of this, because Banks has the potential to give WWE mainstream exposure, thanks to her ability to click with a widespread audience. She’s a star.
• Natalya’s article on Michelle McCool in the Calgary Sun will warm your heart.