16. Lady Blossom (Stunning Steve Austin V Tracey Smothers, WCW Main Event 1991)

Video: Steve Austin V Tracey Smothers

It's time to call in again with Lady Blossom, as she continued her reign as the WCW's undisputed queen of valet interference in the early 1990s. Steve Austin's opponent this time is Tracey Smothers - one half of the Young Pistols - in what has the potential to be a competitive match-up.

Entering the ring

Following the introductions, a red-clad Lady Blossom departs the ring as the action commences. As Austin poses to the crowd following an early take-down of Smothers, the Young Pistol quickly rolls up the TV Champion for a 2-count, to the annoyance of Stunning Steve and his blonde valet.

An early assault from Austin is soon reversed by Smothers, and an arm-lock on the champion has Blossom appealing to the referee and looking distinctly unimpressed. Austin manages to hold his own though, and at 2:50 in succeeds in clothes-lining his opponent over the top rope and out of the ring. With Smothers lying prone on the floor, and the referee preoccupied in the ring with warning Austin, the time has come for his beautiful valet to enter the fray.

Blossom gets ready to attack

Blossom can be seen firstly checking the ring to make sure the referee's attention is diverted. She then eyes up her prey before walking over to the stricken wrestler and choking Smothers on the floor before rapidly departing the scene. Surprisingly, Smothers appears to quickly recover from the attack as he re-enters the ring, but nevertheless the valet's intervention was well-executed and unseen by the referee.

Smothers is choked on the floor by Austin's valet

Smothers soon regains the upper hand, and a flying elbow prompts the Young Pistol to go aerial as Austin staggers around in the ring. Tracey connects with a spectacular move and rolls up Austin for the pin. However, Lady Blossom senses the danger and intervenes again.

Blossom distracts the official with Austin pinned....

....before departing the scene

Climbing up onto the apron at 3:55 in, Blossom instantly draws the attention of the referee, leaving a frustrated Smothers lying on the champion waiting for the three-count. He then naively turns his back on Austin to remonstrate with the official, as the blonde valet departs. Austin then recovers and when Smothers turns round he is quickly nailed by the Stun Gun and the champion gains the 1-2-3 for victory.

Lady Blossom sees Smothers pinned at close quarters

As the match reached its conclusion, there was a real chance that Smothers could have caused an upset and dethroned Austin as the TV Champion. However, Lady Blossom was crucial in this successful title defence. Not only did she take the opportunity to attack Smothers as he lay hurt on the floor, she also picked her moment perfectly to distract the referee at the conclusion to the match, preventing the pin and then allowing Austin time to recover and execute his signature finisher. Whilst Smothers may have felt hard done by, ultimately he could not cope with Lady Blossom's interventions and was therefore undeserving of the win. As Tony Schiavone so eloquently puts it during the match, "She is one bad lady!"

Victorious again

15. Lady Blossom (Stunning Steve Austin V Kip Abee - WCW Worldwide)

Video: Steve Austin V Kip Abee

Leading her man to the ring

Next up we have a nice little cameo from 1991 of Lady Blossom, as she guides Stunning Steve Austin to another successful WCW TV title defence. The victim this time is the hapless Kip Abee, who is clearly a very long shot to dethrone the champ in this match.

Following the entrance of Austin, Blossom demurely retires ringside, looking radiant in an elegant turquoise number. With the match started, Austin executes two moves involving pulling the hair of Abee, drawing the ire of the referee. As the two engage in conversation, Abee has the temerity to roll up Austin from behind and gain a two-count.


That would be the end of Abee's successes though, as Austin gains command of the bout. As Stunning Steve executes a painful arm-lock on his opponent, the commentators discuss how his blonde valet was crucial in wresting away the title from Bobby Eaton, with the cameras focusing on Lady Blossom as she looks dismissively into the lens.

If looks could kill...

More attacks from Austin follow, before he intentionally pulls up Abee at the count of two to continue the opponent's suffering by getting Blossom involved. After signalling to his valet, Austin takes Abee over to the ropes, and Blossom can be seen instinctively moving into position.

Blossom senses her opportunity

At 5:00 in, and with the referee's back turned as he chastises Austin for choking Abee on the ropes, Lady Blossom springs into action. With Abee prone and vulnerable, she firstly rakes her nails into his face, before then pulling his hair and choking him further on the ropes. Abee can be heard crying out in pain as the valet attacks, before she leaves the scene of the crime and checks her nails for any damage.

The claws go in to the face of Abee

The attack is swift and expertly delivered, and the valet exudes a child-like innocence as the referee wonders what had happened while his back was turned. The commentators then refer to Blossom's ruthlessness, and that she would literally scratch out your eyes out to secure a win. Soon after, Austin nails the Stungun and a finishing clothesline to gain the 1-2-3 and extend his reign as TV Champion.

Blossom protests her innocence

In what was clearly a premeditated move, Lady Blossom's intervention was skilfully executed, and it is fascinating to watch her wait for the referee's back to turn before digging her claws into the face of Abee. Not only was she able to execute a painful attack to Austin's opponent, she then showed an ability to con the referee and persuade him of her innocence. An excellent performance then from Blossom, whose interferences in Austin's matches became legendary during Stunning Steve's reign as the champion.

14. Melina (MNM V Mexicools - WWE Smackdown, 3rd February 2006)

Video: MNM V Mexicools

Melina on her way to the ring

With Melina nursing a slightly injured ankle following a recent encounter with Kurt Angle, MNM entered the ring to defend their tag team titles against the Mexicools. Once again, the valet would prove crucial in determining the result of the match.

Checking her ankle pre-splits

Leading her charges to the ring, Melina checks her ankle is OK before entering the ring with her trademark splits manoeuvre. As usual, a kiss is placed on the cheek of Mercury and Nitro, before their opponents the high-flying Mexicools drive to the ring on mini tractors.

Johnny Nitro and Pscicosis start off proceedings, with the Mexicools soon gaining the upper hand and executing some impressive double-team moves. Indeed, an early pin attempt on Nitro by Super Crazy could have yielded a quickfire win, although a streetwise Melina encourages Mercury to illegally interrupt the count.

The valet applauds her charges' efforts

Mercury and Nitro are then subject to spectacular aerial attacks, firstly from Pscicosis and then Super Crazy who flies over a bystanding referee to take out both members of MNM ringside. With the action back in the ring, Pscicosis then makes an error when flying into the turnbuckle as Mercury moves out of the way, giving the momentum to MNM.

Pscicosis crawls over to Melina as the referee looks elsewhere....

Joey Mercury softens up Pscicosis with a sustained attack, and a double-team move leaves the Mexicool stunned in the corner of the champs. As Mercury moves over to exchange words with Super Crazy with the referee in close pursuit, Melina senses her opportunity to intervene.

The leg-scissors locked on to Pscicosis

Pscicosis somehow crawls over to the ropes, attempting to gain some respite. His naivety is evident though as he places himself within easy reach of MNM's valet with the official otherwise distracted. At 6:00 in, Melina quickly jumps onto the apron and locks onto Pscicosis with a perfectly-executed leg-scissors to the head, leaving the Mexicool's arms flailing as he attempts to escape. The leg-lock lasts five seconds, before the beautiful valet releases Pscicosis to avoid detection by the referee. She can then be seen revelling in her actions, and even sticks her tongue out at the stricken opponent.

A cheeky tongue to Pscicosis

Melina berates the official

With Nitro continuing the attack on Pscicosis, before a double-team move leaves the Mexicool vulnerable to the pin by Mercury, with Melina close by. After three two-counts with Melina berating the official for his slow counting, the valet then decides to claim onto the apron to vent her fury at close hand. However, Pscicosis somehow manages to push Mercury in the direction of the valet, knocking her to ground and leaving her nursing her ankle.

The boot comes off, ready to be used later....

Looking on as the Mexicools take charge

Sensing that his valet is hurt, Johnny Nitro rushes to her aid and helps to remove Melina's boot, as she sits on the steps ringside to recuperate. Meanwhile, back in the ring the Mexicools are now firmly in charge, and MNM's belts are under real threat. A flying backflip from Super Crazy appears to be enough to clinch the win, but Mercury just about kicks out. A further near-pin is then prevented by Nitro intervening, which brings Pscicosis into the ring and attracts the attention of the official.

Melina runs over to Super Crazy....

Super Crazy then decides to go aerial, and climbs the turnbuckle for what he hopes will be a match-winning move. However, Melina can be seen rushing along the apron and levels the Mexicool with her removed boot, leaving Super Crazy prone and pinned by Mercury for the victory.

....before levelling him with with her removed boot

In what was a real nip-and-tuck match, MNM's valet literally proved the difference between Mercury and Nitro retaining or losing their belts. Her first intervention in executing the leg-scissors on Psicosis was perfectly-timed and effective. Indeed, Pscisosis has form in falling prey to the actions of female valets (see post 2 from his WCW days), and once again he was shown to be wanting in this area, suffering the consequences as a result. The replays of Melina's boot attack then reveal that the valet was not injured at all by her fall off the ring apron, as she can clearly be seen running unimpeded to Super Crazy before nailing the wrestler with her boot. That mix of deviousness, coupled with referee positional awareness, and an ability to execute effective attacks at key moments, all combined to secure the win for MNM. While some would see the result as unfair on the Mexicools, they fell short in the face of a skilled, experienced valet who would not be denied victory. MNM-arvelous!