Let me tell you a story about a little girl who loved professional wrestling. This little girl grew up watching wrestling and photographing wrestling with her dad. Before she was a teenager, she knew there was nothing she wanted more than to be a wrestler herself.
The little girl’s parents knew a school that would train her the right way. That school (ahem, Grindhouse) had a promotion that would give the little girl a chance to wrestle in front of fans. The school also shared a building with another promotion that would open even more doors.
Girl Fight Wrestling was made for girls like Billie Starkz. In fact its founder created the company to help another young lady (who went on to work for the WWE) network with other lady wrestlers. When that young lady broke Mad Man Pondo’s heart, it was Su Yung who spoke up and told him, “What you did for her, you’re doing for us.”
So it was that Billie Starkz joined Girl Fight…
Billie would have become a professional wrestler even without Grindhouse and Girl Fight. She would have needed (and found) places like Grindhouse and Girl Fight to give her a leg up, and she would have found him. I remember her mom Rebecca saying that her electives in her freshman year included theater and Japanese. Billie had a plan. Girl Fight played a significant role in that plan. And boy, did that plan pay off.
This afternoon in New Albany, Indiana, the story of Billie Starkz and Girl Fight came full circle. The promotion ran its first show in years under new management. It’s no longer Mad Man Pondo’s show. This was all Billie. It was her money. Her long, hard hours of work. Her hustle that brought Girl Fight to Our Lady of Perpetual Hops for an explosive afternoon of pro wrestling.
Billie brought Girl Fight back with a bang. She brought some rising stars and familiar faces: Shazza McKenzie, Rachel Armstrong, Jada Stone, Laynie Luck, Vert Vixen, Rachael Ellering. When fellow AEW star Jamie Hayter had to cancel, Billie called in a favor and booked her Minion Overlord Athena.
It’s hard to say which match or matches stood out the most. Most shows would not kick off with a Rachel Armstrong match, so you know if Rachel’s going first, you’re in for a great afternoon. Jada Stone was electric. Allie Allbright locked up with a dream opponent (Billie!). The tag match, the fatal 4-way, and all the singles contests were well booked and executed. The main event between Athena and Vert Vixen ignited well-deserved “This is awesome!” and “Fight forever!” chants.
Billie also managed to pull off the one thing Pondo always wanted to do. The show was run completely by the ladies. The ring announcers, camera crew, sound crew, TV commentators, even the backstage agents (yes, that WAS Allison Danger!) were ladies.
It’s always a risk and a gamble to invest your own money to run a wrestling show. You’ve got a better chance making a return throwing your money into the street. But Girl Fight drew huge with an official head count was 218.
Talk about a comeback!
If the fans and wrestlers get their way, this is only the first of many shows in the Billie Starkz era. There’s already word that OLPH has May 17 marked on the calendar for show number two under new management.
It’s exciting to see one of my favorite promotions, the one I once considered my “home” promotion, back in action. Billie Starkz has a real opportunity to do for a new generation what the previous did for her. As successful as she’s been every step of her career, you’d be a fool to bet against her!