Phoenix Rising: Grand Ascension VI Finals Night Results

Kellaron Sentarl def. Pajaro de Fuego
The Limbtakers def. La Familia
SATOMI def. Anari Lynn Heyward
Silver Hawk def. Victor Kintelas
Allison Avery def. La Relampaga
The Muscle Machines def. Adrenaline Rush
Titania def. Layla Al-Amin
Kyle Anderson def. Hugo Dirksen

Kellaron Sentarl and Pajaro de Fuego started this one off hot... delivering the action one would expect of a Proving Ground opener. Kellaron eventually weathered the face-paced storm of offense Fuego threw out, and landed a big-time Frog Splash to pick up the win.


The Proving Ground Tag Team Champions were determined to stay hot ahead of their title defense against the Golden Ambush next week... and they did just that, after a long, tough fight against La Familia. A piledriver from RNA put the cap on this one.


This was an all-out war between these two... and while Anari's raw power and size carried her through most of the match, nearly overwhelming SATOMI, it didn't stop the Fukuoka native from locking in a vicious triangle choke to force an almost desperate tapout. SATOMI closes her year with a victory... and looks forward to plenty more in 2020.


Silver Hawk was not about to let the Avian Assassins get shut out tonight... and a blistering pace leading up to a Silver Star Press made sure they didn't. A huge win for Silver Hawk... and perhaps the two teams will settle this in the new year.


With La Relampaga feeling the Christmas spirit... Allison Avery was in absolutely no mood for any of it. The Lariat Queen of Little Rock absolutely wiped the floor with Relampaga from bell-to-bell, finishing the job with a vicious rolling lariat, and soaked in the jeers of the holiday-inclined crowd.


It's a Phoenix Rising tag match, you know it's gotta be a wild one... and it certainly was, with both Adrenaline Rush and the Muscle Machines throwing everything they had into this one. But it was Gary Gear that managed to finish the job with an Iron Claw Slam, with AAA cutting off the save... barely.


There's just something about Titania when she faces off against Layla... perhaps it's trying to show off, maybe it's trying to humiliate the Cairo Cyclone by stealing her finisher so regularly... but this time, she actually beat Layla with said move, and earned her shot at Reina del Tigre next week.


It's almost as if these two were trying to make a claim for a late Match of the Year candidate... and they left it all in the ring, no doubt about that. Hugo tried to keep Kyle down any way he could... but Kyle's raw power, coupled with hitting his full, devastating finishing combo, gave him the victory and a shot at Todd Colton's Top Prospect Championship next week. Can Kyle finally exorcise the demons that have plagued him from day one? Can he finally capture Proving Ground's top prize?

"I am one week away from putting your run at the top to an end, Todd. One week, that's all you've got left with that title. So enjoy it while you can. I'm not going quietly this time around... I won't stop until I've beaten you down and finally taken my spot at the top of Proving Ground, where I belong.

Then you can finally focus on what you really want... on what you deserve. Languishing at the bottom of Showdown's rankings... because you'll never be able to get any further than that."

"I've said it before, I'll say it again... I'll do whatever it takes to win around here, and if that means repeating what I did out there time and time again, I'll damn well take the shot. Reina del Tigre... I've already beaten you once before. Now with the Inspire Championship at stake... I'll do it again. I'll drive you through the ring if I have to. But I will come home with that title around my waist."

Emma Travers and Diosa Syringa def. Maria Marella and Asha Nelson to become the FIRST-EVER Academy Tag Team Champions
Strawberry Sookie def. Concrete Pete to retain the Evergreen Championship
The Golden Ambush def. The Limbtakers to become NEW Proving Ground Tag Team Champions
Lance Marshall def. Doc Wyatt
Titania def. Reina del Tigre to become the NEW Inspire Champion
Les Beautes Blondes def. The Malevolent Triad
Nana Yoon def. Maria Marella to become the NEW Academy Champion
Natasha Clover def. Cassandra Marshall to retain the Pacific Northwest Championship
eMo def. The Demons to become the NEW Evergreen Tag Team Champions
Kyle Anderson def. Todd Colton to become the NEW Top Prospect Champion
The Black Dragon def. Shiana Sentarl and Laenara Kintelas to retain the Phoenix Rising World Championship

The Academy veterans simply would not be denied here... despite the younger rookies trying their hardest to keep Emma and Syringa down, it was the familiar Strangle Hold Gamma from Syringa that scored a submission and ended the tag league in somewhat expected fashion: with the most experienced team taking home the gold.


Nobody call it a fluke: Strawberry Sookie is still the Evergreen Champion, and looks nigh-unstoppable at this point, taking Concrete Pete down with a Strawberry Cutter onto a chair and making an emphatic statement: Evergreen is eMo's territory, now.


The Golden Ambush continued to do what they do best, keeping the pace fast and hot, roaring through this match absolutely relentless from the bell. While the Limbtakers held out for a long while, delivering strikes and trying to keep the tigers grounded, their submission game was simply... stuffed at every turn, and a huge Frog Splash from Tigress captured the belts for the Ambush.


Months of Doc Wyatt running his mouth. Months of hostility between Doc and so many others... culminating in this. Set up when Wyatt defeated Lance and Brayden Sutton in tag work, Lance challenged Doc once again... making the bold (and correct) claim that Doc had not yet won the war: he'd never pinned Lance, never even truly faced Lance. And when the time came, and it all came down to the showdown: Lance backed up every single word he had towards Doc, and finished the night with a huge German suplex hurling Doc across the ring, followed up with a thunderous Cattle Drive to end Doc's night... and perhaps shut the arrogant man up for at least a little while.


To be honest, this was the one match on the card that didn't feel like a big-time showdown... this was nothing short of a savage beating. Titania, clearly tired of falling short in her pursuit of the Inspire Championship, absolutely obliterated Reina del Tigre (much to my dismay), and became the new champion in truly dominant fashion. This was the shortest match of the night, and the only one that didn't feel competitive or particularly... well, good.


Stemming from a sudden attack from the Triad, the Blondes were out for vengeance... having already struck blows in singles competition, they finished the job here in trios. With no interference allowed, there was nothing to stop this from being a straightforward matchup... and a huge diving knee from Michelle Rochefort sent Oscuro to the mat, giving the Blondes another resounding victory.


Maria Marella's night didn't improve from the opener, unfortunately. Perhaps it was fatigue despite the long rest, perhaps Nana Yoon was simply that good, but Maria couldn't keep up with Yoon here, and a Fisherman's Suplex ended the match, and sent Nana into 2020 as the Academy's top star.


What is it going to take to stop Natasha Clover? Enduring everything that Cassandra Marshall threw at her: multiple Demonkillers, Cloverleaf holds, Rodeo Stretches, strikes and spears... Natasha fought through it all and brought the fight right back to the Texan, finally landing a crushing Spear of her own and once again retaining her title against truly vicious competition. The Pacific Northwest Championship might be staying put for a good while at this rate...


At the beginning of the night, nobody could've guessed this outcome for this match. And yet, here we stand... with eMo holding out through a brutal offensive from the Demons, Penelope Lea got into a straight up brawl with Tasharun, while Eddy Introspect scored perhaps the most shocking submission victory of the year: forcing Kantar to tap out in the middle of the ring. Evergreen isn't just eMo's territory... it's theirs, now, without any doubt, as they hold both championships in the fed!


For most of Phoenix Rising's run, there has been one distinct story: Kyle Anderson couldn't win the big one. Couldn't string enough wins together to be at the top of the mountain. Couldn't win when it counted.

That story has finally been laid to rest.

On the biggest possible stage, with all of the pressure bearing down on him, Kyle Anderson rose to the occasion in the biggest way he could. With Todd Colton trying to destroy his arms and his spirit, Kyle fought through it all, and ultimately came out with a roaring offensive... and it was the now-familiar double-arm suplex, into his Triangle Scissors hold, that won the day. Kyle Anderson is no choke artist... not anymore. He's the Top Prospect... the best Proving Ground has to offer.


This was nothing short of the most intense war of the entire night. Nobody wanted to allow someone else to steal the glory. Nobody wanted to be the first one out. Nobody wanted to give a single inch to anyone else in that ring.

And the Black Dragon once again proved why she's held the World Championship for 14 months.

After enduring nearly every single bit of offense that both Laenara and Shiana could muster, she seized her opportunity late in the match: Last of the Dragon on Laenara, eliminating the young upstart from the match and leaving her in the ring with her oldest friend and rival, Shiana Sentarl. The exchange was quick, brutal... and Dragon held nothing back, blasting a fireball into Shiana's face and laying her out for the three-count... the Black Dragon entered 2019 as World Champion, and she will leave 2019 as World Champion... the single most dominant force in all of Phoenix Rising.

"Here we are, standin' at the end of the line, after all the trash talkin', all the mud-slingin'... Doc Wyatt finally stepped into a Phoenix Risin' ring, standin' across from Lance Marshall. And after so much of that tough talk, all the times ya' tried to run my name, and Cassie's name, through the mud, when we finally met face-to-face in that ring, there is one thing that's gonna follow you into the new year, that people ain't gonna let you forget anytime soon: when it came time to put up or shut up, you blinked. You gave the best ya' had and it wasn't enough. Credit to ya', though... ya' didn't go quietly. Ya' didn't roll over and give up. I had to keep yer ass down with a proper Cattle Drive... but make no mistake, that's damn well what I did. I'm closin' this year with a win. And I'm plannin' to start the next one with a fuckin' bang, too.



DRAGON! It's about high damn time you and I met in that ring one more time! I've spent this past year figurin' out exactly what it takes to get back to the top... and now, I think I found exactly what I need. You and I... we're gonna square off, soon enough, with that World Championship up for grabs... and I ain't gonna settle for second-best."

We attempted to get an interview with Shiana Sentarl after the match, but she said nothing, leaving the arena much as she did after Showdown #45... silent, but clearly frustrated... whether that's from failing to capture the title or some other factor, nobody's entirely certain. But one thing's for sure... it's not often we see her this way...

"I knew what it'd sound like the moment I put Laenara down... the moment the bell rang to end the match... all of it. People want to see the day it finally happens... where I finally drop this World Championship after over a year of being unstoppable. But with my back to the wall... faced with two of the best that Phoenix Rising has to offer, both of them fully capable... I still stood tall at the end of the night. I am still the Phoenix Rising World Champion, for the entirety of 2019, THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON, and as I carry it into the new year... don't ever, ever forget what it really takes to beat me. Because there is not a soul alive today that can do it when this prize is at stake."

Members of the Jackson Hole Outlaws prevented media into the locker room, though multiple reports are that Doc's room was completely trashed with a great deal of commotion being heard after the match. Doc was escorted out of the building without speaking to reporters- but it was viewed that Doc's arm was in a sling and sources state he was taken directly to a local hospital to be evaluated for what's currently being deemed a "shoulder stinger." Interesting to note as well is Virgil Wyatt, Doc's father and rumored to be in Japan for the past year, was spotted in Doc's entourage as he headed to the hospital. We'll have more on this story as it develops...

Anna Bryant def. Sophia Moretti
The Heyward Sisters def. The Malevolent Triad
Layla Al-Amin def. Cassandra Marshall
Kileas Kintelas def. Lance Marshall
Angel Leblanc def. Laenara Kintelas
The Rising Storm def. The Sentarl Sisters
Markos Andreas def. Firehawk Sentarl
Yuki Maeda def. Natasha Clover to become the NEW Pacific Northwest Champion

Anna Bryant absolutely rose to the challenge of her first match on a bigger stage. The former Academy Champion looked just as comfortable here as she ever did in the Academy ring, and beat Sophia Moretti at her own game, forcing the Italian to tap out to the familiar Anaconda Vice, on a night that was very, very good to the newcomers.


The only newcomer in this match was Anari Lynn Heyward, but she looked like she belonged in the ring alongside her sister, taking on the Malevolent Triad and handling Haruka and Selisha with relative ease. A huge diving crossbody sealed this one, with Anari's size and strength proving the deciding factor tonight.


The Cairo Cyclone was easily the most impressive performer of the night, bringing her high-speed offense to bear against Cassandra and never letting up. A truly intense showing from one of Proving Ground's finest, now looking to be one of Showdown's best.


Fresh off of defeating Doc Wyatt last week, Lance didn't seem to be at his sharpest here, Kileas steadily wearing him down before making great use of a chair he'd brought into play: two hard slams onto that chair followed by a Tigerdriver, and Kileas scored a major victory over the would-be #1 contender.


Laenara, too, seemed less sharp than last week, coming off of a defeat in the 3-way main event. Angel Leblanc capitalized on what seemed to be a slight lack of focus, eventually locking in her Figure Eight leglock and scoring a stunning upset victory. And yet, the story came after the match was over... when Angel left the ring, and Laenara called out none other than Shiana Sentarl.

Harsh words were traded between the two, leading up to perhaps the single most shocking moment of the night...

(Promo highlighted separately here: www.twitch.tv/videos/532217365 )



A vicious Superkick from Shiana laid Laenara out cold, Shiana offering an almost mocking wave to the crowd before taking her leave. Laenara doesn't seem to be injured, but there's no doubt that the superkick out of the blue rattled the young star badly...


The two Sentarl daughters had to follow up the revelation of what Shiana had done... and it seemed to be distracting them, allowing the Rising Storm to steadily take control, with Anahera eventually putting Kaelara down with a Katahajime for the win.


Firehawk may have also been distracted by what'd happened earlier in the night, but it's also entirely possible that Markos Andreas was simply tired of giving up ground to the Sentarl patriarch. He easily kicked out of nearly everything Firehawk threw his way, sometimes bouncing back up before Firehawk could even follow up, and eventually, landed a Triple Fisherman to pick up a victory, avenging his debut loss.


Natasha's fifth defense would be the last, with Yuki Maeda bound and determined to take home the Pacific Northwest Championship. Natasha never fully managed to bring all of her arsenal to bear, and Yuki made her regret it, focusing hard on the Nagata Lock late-match and forcing the tapout, and capturing her first gold in Phoenix Rising: the Pacific Northwest Championship.

"No doubt you want answers after tonight. Wanting to know why I would do what I did to Laenara Kintelas. To be blunt... you should've seen this coming from the start. Let me take you back to the final night of the Grand Ascension... the night I capped off my run by winning the entire tournament. There were cheers of support... and yet, a large part of the crowd that immediately turned against me, and in the coming weeks, demanded Laenara get a second chance, which... as I mentioned... I was under no obligation to give her.



It hasn't ended. These past few months I have continued to hear the same things... 'Shiana shouldn't win this match'. All sorts of shots taken at my expense, and for what... because you think I'm past my prime? You think I'm not deserving?



Remember all of this as you watch in the coming weeks. Remember why this is happening. I will become the World Champion in 2020. Whatever it takes. No matter what it costs.



Because you've proved to me one thing: I spent 25 years fighting for the fans. It's about time I did something for myself. And I will make sure I get what I've earned."

Katherine White won the battle royal
La Relampaga def. Donna Nobel
The Limbtakers def. The Avian Assassins
Nicole Blade def. Reina del Tigre
The Golden Ambush def. Winter Fresh
Akira Ryusaki def. Kellaron Sentarl
Felice Santana def. SATOMI
Kyle Anderson def. Victor Kintelas

Once again, Katherine White proves she's always a threat, no matter how much she might be overlooked among her Academy peers. She turned things up in the closing moments of this one, catching Leona Sterling (the favorite to win) in a flash roll-up, then choking out Calista Vargas to cap off an impressive win. But her night didn't quite end there:

A few harsh words were traded between Katherine and the current Inspire Champion, Titania, who came down after the match was finished with the championship around her waist. Both sounded supremely confident in their abilities, but Titania quickly grew tired of the exchange...


A crushing Axe Bomber laid Katherine out, Titania yelling at the young rookie before taking her leave. This will easily be the toughest test of Katherine's young career... can she step up against one of the most dangerous women in all of Phoenix Rising?


La Relampaga continues to quietly be one of the Inspire division's top talents, steadily making a name for herself as she takes on some of the most recognizable names. A big win off the Sky Twister here leaves Relampaga in a solid position... she could find herself set to challenge for the Inspire Championship behind Katherine, if all continues to go well.


Despite their loss at New Year's Bash and the loss of their Tag Team Championships, the Limbtakers didn't back down from this challenge: a marathon, without a doubt, but a hell of a performance that saw Candace working more dangerous moves into her arsenal... though it was a quick-thinking counter into a leglock that picked up the submission win, after the longest match of the night, including the battle royal.


Reina del Tigre's luck hasn't turned around yet: faced with another powerhouse, she once again found herself wiped out in record time, as Nicole Blade roared through this match. There's no doubt in anyone's mind: another clash between Blade and Titania is inevitable, but there are others seeking to make their case for that match as well.


The Golden Ambush didn't slow down one bit as they dismantled Winter Fresh, reinforcing their place as the reigning Proving Ground Tag Team Champions. It's going to be tough to take them down, judging by this match: a sharp Superkick and a standing SSP, and this one ended very unlike most Phoenix Rising tag matches: fast.


This didn't let up for a second once the bell rang, with both men aiming to put the other down in a hurry... but it eventually turned into an all-out brawl, neither wanting to back down as they both broke out every move they could think of. But it was a seated superkick that won the day, Akira narrowly managing to pick up a much-needed victory.


Who could've seen this one coming? Felice Santana has become known for her upset victories, and this one was certainly no different, with SATOMI failing to finish the job before Felice was able to catch her in a sudden flash roll-up, picking up a victory that nobody expected going into tonight's show.


Kyle Anderson had one important test tonight: now that he's won the Top Prospect Championship, can he look like a champion? And he absolutely rose to the occasion, giving Victor absolutely everything he could handle, no-selling the devastating Cutter, stealing the familiar Kintelas Shotgun, and landing his crushing Five Star Sequence, forcing Victor to tap out and ensuring that Kyle can no longer be doubted in the ring.

"Lemme make one thing real clear, Titania. You think that just because you came out, talking tough, holding that title and trying to take my head off with that oversized arm of yours, that I'm gonna tuck my tail and cower like a 'good little rookie'? I haven't backed down from a challenge at any point in my career! I've spent the last year in the Academy taking on anyone and everyone, being seen as 'just another wrestler' until I started piling up the wins! It doesn't matter how big you are, how strong you are, what gold's sitting around your waist, I can beat you, and I WILL beat you! I'll wrench those big arms of yours right out of their sockets! I'll drop you with whatever it takes, no matter what you decide you wanna call me... 'rookie', 'kitten', whatever! After our match, you're gonna call me one thing, and one thing only: 'CHAMPION'."

"Listen up, Proving Ground: you're about to see a lot of changes around here for the new year. Because there are two things that are absolutely inevitable. Number one: The Excellent Blades are gonna win the Proving Ground Tag Team Championships. The Golden Ambush is gonna watch their backs, 'cause the only ones that are gonna get ambushed are the Tigers... I already beat the hell out of one, and I can't wait to waste the other two with Donna backing me up. But I'm not stopping there. I'm not SATISFIED just winning those tag titles. Number two: That Inspire Championship Titania's already so proud of winning is gonna be MINE, and mine alone. You can make all your claims about how you're the strongest woman around here, but you're not. I am. I heard you bragging earlier tonight about 'nine minutes, forty-one seconds'. How about eight-twelve, bitch? I've beaten you before, I'll damn well do it again, so you wipe out that little rookie that got her shot tonight, then you and I are gonna finish this once and for all. Then there won't be any doubt anymore who stands at the top of this division."