Greetings.
Right up front: I am a catfight fan, like I suspect most of you are. I am not affiliated with any company or any fighters.
I have a fairly large collection of stuff, but I'm always interested in finding more. The easiest way to do this is to tell you about what I like, then let you tell me about similar stuff that's out there. And if my reviews help you find stuff you like, then that's cool, too.
When I review videos, I am not attempting to pass judgment on any company, producer or fighter. These are just my own opinions. You are perfectly entitled to disagree, as we all have different tastes. I'm not here to debate on my own opinions; I'm just interested in what people think are videos similar to these.
Today’s episode is called “I’m Buying What They’re Selling”.
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As noted elsewhere, my favorite type of match is a worked “squash” match: a match completely dominated by one fighter. The secret to a successful squash match is the loser. If the loser can sell, it can overcome a lot of other problems. If she can’t, it takes a lot to save it. So here are four videos featuring some good sellers, all of whom are a bit different, but all excellent.
#1: Pro-Style Fantasies XCW-5 Match 1: Nikki Kwan (Nicole Oring) vs. Princess Sovaia (Mina Meow)
Pro-Style Fantasies is generally more porn than wrestling, and the second match on XCW-5 (which we’ll get to later) will give you plenty of that. But this match is porn-free: the loser is stripped naked, but not violated in any other way. It’s just a wrestling match.
This match isn’t a complete squash, as Mina does get some early offense. But once the tide turns, it’s mostly just Oring abusing her crotch and Mina selling it awesomely. There are a couple of different methods of selling, and Mina’s specialty is the dramatic crying and moaning. She’s easily the best at this version of selling that I’ve seen. One might think that Mina’s selling is a bit overly dramatic early, but amazingly she manages to crank it up even more once the serious abuse starts, and yet it seems totally appropriate given the assault she’s taking.
The only mild complaint is that this is a pretty short match, but it’s hard to complain too much. I’m not sure Mina could have kept selling to that degree for that long. And some props need to be given to Nicole Oring for her role as well — she is very versatile and can play the dominator like a champ. We’ll have more on her in a later review.
Rating: 5 for 5, with the “crotch attacks” bonus point
Where to find it: combatfetish.com
#2: Ring Divas Ultimate Low Blows Vol. 20 (Cali Danger vs. Tessa Blanchard)
In case you are wondering, yes, this is the Tessa Blanchard who is currently in NXT, and the daughter of Tully Blanchard. Her job here is to take low blows (pretty obvious from the title), and she does it exceptionally well.
Tessa is not from the “dramatic screaming and moaning” school of selling. Her selling is very grounded and realistic: she grabs the body part to try to protect it, and when she gets hit, it affects her ability to move around or stand up, even when being dragged up. She sells the paralyzing effect of the low blows better than anyone I’ve seen. And while she’s not making dramatic noises, she’s still definitely indicating that she’s in pain — it’s more “tough girl” selling than “dramatic” selling. While I doubt Tessa will be in any matches like this in her WWE career if she is fortunate enough to have one, she shows selling skills here that will serve her well.
The only downside to this match is the presence of Cali Danger, who is attractive, but basically worthless in the ring in my opinion. The match overall would be improved by a better dominator.
Rating: 3.5 of 5 (though Tessa gets a 5), and the “crotch attacks” bonus point
Where to find it: ringdivashop.com
#3: Sweetheart Video: Kat vs. Heidi
(I do not know the catalog number for this one; it is one I found long ago. If someone does know it, let me know in the comments.)
This match had a more subtle bit of selling that is well worth noting, even though I’m not sure it was intentional.
This was a match between Kat and Heidi in an outdoor ring. Kat wore a white bra and panties, while Heidi wore a loose-fitting half-shirt and white panties. It starts off as a competitive back and forth match, but a few minutes in, Kat rips off Heidi’s shirt, leaving her topless. After this, it becomes a squash match, with Heidi on the wrong end.
Heidi’s crying and moaning selling is excellent, but there’s another aspect of this that I thought was notable. A review I read of this video from someone else many years ago said that he thought the match went downhill after Heidi lost her top, because she spent the rest of the match trying to cover herself up. The more I watch this, though, the more I actually think it enhances the video: she’s doing fine until she ends up topless, and her modesty affects her performance and causes her to lose.
The only complaint here is the cartoonishly ridiculous fake blood. This was always an issue with this era of Sweetheart.
Rating: 4 of 5, plus the “white panties” bonus point
Where to find it: Unfortunately, I do not know if this one is available anywhere. Catfight.com has some Sweetheart videos, but not this one.
#4: Double Trouble DT-177 Match 2: Masked Executioner vs. Lela
This match is an object lesson in how to sell a prolonged agonizing beating. Lela is overmatched from the opening bell, and is at the mercy of the Executioner. One painful hold after another is applied, and Lela’s selling goes from “trying to tough it out” to “helpless and scared” to finally “out cold”. When I first got this video way back when, I wasn’t as fond of it because I don’t find Lela as attractive as some, but over the years I have come to appreciate it more because the selling is awesome. It also highlights that in a match like this, the loser is the star, and the dominator is largely just there to do things to make the loser sell. The dominator is non-descript, and that’s a good thing. An attractive dominator could have taken some of the attention from Lela, but Lela deserved to have the spotlight entirely on her for the work she did here.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Where to find it: dtwrestling.com
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In conclusion, there are many ways to sell a beating. Some versions work better with pro-style wrestling, and some work better with longer matches vs. shorter matches. Some fighters will be good at one style, and others will be good at another. The worst selling, however, is none at all. If you know of more videos with good sellers, feel free to note them below.
Thanks for reading.
