As prestigious as the ECWA Super 8 Tournament itself is, the ECWA Women’s Super 8 Tournament boasts just as much star-making power, though it has only been around since 2014 with only five tournaments to date. There have been only four winners of the Women’s Super 8 Tournament: Tessa Blanchard, Deonna Purrazzo, Karen Q, and Quinn McKay. Purrazzo won back to back in 2015 and 2016, so to say that the tournament helps to shine a spotlight on the stars of the future could be an understatement.
ECWA Women’s Super 8 Tournament – Full Card
This Saturday at 2pm live on @indiewrestling pic.twitter.com/oiFHjfHRBM
— ECWA Pro Wrestling – Established 1967 (@ECWA1967) July 26, 2021
IWTV Independent Wrestling Championship: Wheeler Yuta (c) vs. Killian McMurphy
Aside from the tournament itself, there are two other matches announced for this show. The first will see Wheeler Yuta defend the IWTV Independent Wrestling Championship against the men’s Super 8 Tournament winner in Killian McMurphy. This is an intriguing match because between Camp Leapfrog and Pro Wrestling Magic, McMurphy just seems to be met with boos everywhere that he goes.
Likewise, Yuta has been tearing up the Beyond Wrestling roster to a similar chorus of boos. While the meaning behind this match is not lost, the fact that it exists on paper as “heel vs heel” leaves one of the great mysteries of this match as to who will receive what reaction. Still, both McMurphy and Yuta are two of the best mat technicians in the sport today and this match should deliver all that and then some.
WORLD-1 Championship/ECWA Unified Heavyweight Championship: Joey Ace (c) vs. Mr. Ooh Lala (c) vs. Mike Law
The other non-tournament match includes what will be a definite title change as Joey Ace defends the WORLD-1 Championship against Mr. Ooh Lala, who is defending the ECWA Unified Heavyweight Championship, and Mike Law, who is in this match just trying to take all of the gold. Ace, Ooh Lala, and Law are veterans of professional wrestling yet oftentimes seem to be overlooked. This will be an old-school match that fans will hopefully be talking about for years to come.
ECWA Women’s Super 8 Tournament Competitors
Due to injury @KaiaMcK will be unable to compete this Sat in @ECWA1967 WOMEN'S SUPER 8. Her replacement will be @themeganbayne . Tix are sold out. You can watch live on @indiewrestling 2pm EST.@OfficialPWI @PWInsidercom @TheWrestlingEst @bradyhicks @pwponderings pic.twitter.com/WivjP8IKA2
— Joe Zanolle (@jwzanolle) July 27, 2021
Damaris Dawkins
The competitor who comes into the Women’s Super 8 Tournament with perhaps the least known about them, but the most to prove, is Damaris Dawkins. Aside from an appearance or two in Camp Leapfrog, Dawkins just doesn’t seem to have the same match history as everyone else in this tournament. That might be the factor that makes her work that much harder and surprise everyone by winning it all.
Vicious Vicki
A name that seems to be all over New Jersey and abroad is Vicious Vicki. Holding three championships at the time of this writing, including the Invictus Pro Wrestling Women’s Championship, it could be argued that Vicki sits atop the others in this tournament already. A win here would be that next step to Deonna Purrazzo-levels of notoriety.
Ashley D’Amboise
Though Ashley D’Amboise might feel like a newcomer, her work with AEW and in WWR+ is certainly getting her noticed. Winning this tournament is something she is definitely capable of. It would also send her into levels of superstardom which anyone who has ever seen her wrestle before knows she will reach one day regardless.
Adena Steele
Adena Steele is someone who has been around in Titans Championship Wrestling, Invictus Pro Wrestling, and the Intergender Bonanza. With that said, she doesn’t seem to have that one moment or match yet where she’s been able to break out and go from being a semi-known name in New Jersey to a flat-out star. It would be a huge mistake to underestimate her and this tournament could be exactly what she needs to win to elevate her career to that next level.
Gabby Ortiz
Of the eight competitors in the Women’s Super 8 Tournament, Gabby Ortiz is only one of the two who has been in the tournament previously. Interestingly enough, in 2016, Karen Q made it to the finals but was defeated by Deonna Purrazzo. In 2017, Karen Q would go back to the finals and win it all. The most recent Women’s Super 8 was in 2019 and Gabby Ortiz made it to the finals against the eventual winner Quinn McKay.
If there is anyone who knows about not only being the Women’s Super 8 Tournament but making it to the finals, and coming close to winning, it is Gabby Ortiz. Even in her loss, Ortiz defeated Gemma Cross and Scarlett Bordeaux to get to the finals. The tournament aspect of this seems like something Ortiz has mastered.
Erica Leigh
Someone who has certainly come into their own recently is Erica Leigh. No stranger to gold, Erica Leigh is the current Pro Wrestling Magic Champion and certainly an odds-on favorite to win her first-ever Women’s Super 8 Tournament. Like how her arch-rival Killian McMurphy won the Men’s Super 8, Erica Leigh could go on to face McMurphy (again) in a battle of the Super 8 winners should she win the tournament here.
Tina San Antonio
Tina San Antonio is the only other woman in this tournament to have appeared previously. In 2014, Tina San Antonio took a first-round loss to eventual tournament winner Tessa Blanchard. With her recent work and attitude change in WWR+, it seems as if nothing will get in the way of San Antonio winning this tournament. Whether she is being cheered or booed, she is not to be taken lightly here.
Megan Bayne
Originally the eighth entrant in this tournament was Kaia McKenna but an injury forced her out. None other than Megan Bayne has been named as her replacement; on just a few days’ notice, that really seems to change the tone of the Super 8. If anyone can swoop in at the last minute and win this whole thing it is Megan Bayne especially since her opponents had not previously been training to face her.
Though there are no brackets yet (ECWA says they will not be announced until the day of the show) there are a lot of interesting matches that can take place here. Leading to the finals, the action can only get better. With the tournament itself and two title matches, this is going to be the show on IWTV this weekend that you can’t miss.
Tickets for the ECWA Women’s Super 8 Tournament are sold out. The only way to watch it is live on IWTV, Saturday, July 31, 2021, at 2 PM.
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