Former multi-time WWE and TNA champion Mickie James’ women’s pro wrestling showcase “H.E.R.” played host to a moment that lived up to the significance of the show for Australian pro wrestling, women’s pro wrestling and LGBTQ pro wrestling alike.
In the semi-main event match, out pro wrestlers Kingsley and Shay Kassidy, collectively known as The Backslide Girlz, defeated the team of fellow out pro wrestler Nikki Van Blair and Frankie B, known together as Prima Pi Kappa (PPK) to become the first ever Oceania Pro Wrestling Women’s Tag Team champions.
The historic nature of the win goes beyond just the Melbourne-based promotion. The titles now held by The Backslide Girlz are the first women’s tag team championships created in the history of Australian pro wrestling, and the first team to hold those titles would include an out LGBTQ pro wrestler regardless of the outcome.
The match itself was a formidable mix of personality and athleticism from both teams. The Backslide Girlz’ 90s-2000s pop aesthetic was on display from the beginning with them singing and dancing their way to the ring only to be met by the Real Housewives energy of Australia’s top pro wrestling sorority.
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Once the action got underway, both teams traded hard shots and deft tandem offense that led to multiple near wins for both duos. The win came when Kassidy countered Frankie B into, what else, a backslide for the three count.
Kingsley and Kassidy were presented with the new championships by Japanese Joshi legend and WWE Hall of Famer Bull Nakano following the match.
Both Kingsley and Kassidy celebrated their win as making “H.E.R.story” as they reveled in the weekend of events in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
Outsports congratulates Kingsley, Kassidy as well as PPK for their historic moment and continuing to show that Courage is Contagious.
