Bellatrix Female Warriors - Series Premiere -- Results & Afterthoughts

Bellatrix made TV history last week by becoming the first all-women wrestling promotion to have its own show on British television. Broadcast on My Channel on November 6, 2014, the premiere episode featured three matches from Bellatrix X and had a hot crowd giving the impression of a hot product. Coupled with the studio setting and long banners highlighting the big names in the promotion and it would have come across pretty favorably to new viewers.

As the channel is only available on satellite TV, there would have been people without the capability to view it but that has been thought about, as the whole programme has been uploaded online for the whole world to see, as you can watch the ENTIRE show on their YouTube channel below.

For those so-called wrestling fans who are above watching anything low-resolution, Bellatrix has their show in full HD (720 and 1080p respectively), so there shouldn't be any complaints in that department.

Erin Angel vs. Lady Lory

WINNER: Erin Angel via Diving Cross Body

Not a bad opening contest. Lady Lory dominated the bulk of the affair with her ruthless aggression - no pun intended, but the babyface underdog sneaked by with a win after enduring all of Lory's physicality. One thing to take away here if you're only accustomed to watching WWE Diva matches - note that both women took the time to sell each other's offense and make it believable while adding their own personalities/characters to the storytelling of the match. WWE Divas aren't allowed to do this nearly as much (unless you're AJ Lee or the bulk of the NXT Divas) as I would love to see that in today's product.

Saraya Knight vs. Chanel

WINNER: Chanel via Standing Moonsault

Interesting to hear that Chanel is billed as the "future of women's wrestling." I marked out a little when Sweet Saraya came out to Linkin Park's "Faint" - one of my all-time favorite Linkin Park songs. Mad props to the crowd chanting, "You're a Legend!" to Sweet Saraya.

After seeing Chanel transition from a Tarantula to a Hurracanrana Pin was rather impressive, so I can see why Bellatrix are getting behind this girl. Chanel won under a bit of controversy, but you can't fault the lady for taking advantage of the situation. She maintained her babyface alignment by helping Saraya to her feet out good sportsmanship post-match though.

One thing I want to give Bellatrix props on is the use of replays and highlights. Ring of Honor does NOT use this enough nor as effectively as I would like in their current product.

Sweet Saraya shoots a colorful (read: profanity-laced) promo on the woman who distracted her long enough for Chanel to pick up the win. Obviously, Bellatrix is going to setup  a

Bellatrix British Ladies Title Match: Violet O’Hara vs. Penelope (w/ Axl Lynch) (Under British Rules/Rounds)

WINNER: Penelope wins with score 2 to Violet's 1 to become the NEW champion.

First of all, get comfortable for this one. It's a whooping 20 minutes long in length. If you're not too crazy about lengthy matches this one might not be your cup of tea.

First fall by Penelope via pinfall after a Swinging Neckbreaker. This was after a heavy technical exchange between the two at the start of the match to evade and escape each other's holds.

Round 4 (the bout is split into rounds like boxing under British Rules) is where the excitement happens. Violet gets "hot" on offense and starts speeding up the pace. I was skeptical at first, but now I can see why she's champion.

Second fall by Violet via pinfall after Asai DDT. The girls really threw out their big guns for the last ten minutes of the match.

Final fall by Penelope via pinfall after clocking Violet O'Hara with a Super Kick during a backflip counter. Violet gave it her best effort, but ultimately, Penelope came out of the match as the winner and new British Ladies Champion.

The broadcast ends with an update to their official rankings (something Ring of Honor did in the past) to show who are the top five women in Bellatrix who are in line for a future title opportunity. I thought this was a rather nice touch as it gives you an idea where your favorites stand after tonight's events, despite their wins and losses.

Closing Thoughts

Bellatrix was a great show from top to bottom. A solid presentation and great cinematography. Both of those traits are a must if you're looking to impress wrestling fans and get them to pay attention to your product. Otherwise, the superficial marks will be quick to disregard your promotion as "just another cheap indy backyard wrestling company" and go back defending World Wrestling Entertainment as the only entity that can product great wrestling.

If you care about women's wrestling or currently finding yourself becoming bored with women's wrestling in the mainstream promotions (especially WWE), I suggest giving this a shot. Impact Wrestling's Knockouts aren't the only girls in wrestling who can kick ass and take names. Besides, Paige's family is firmly behind this promotion, so you know the wrestling aspect is in great hands.