Skye Blue vs Mickie Knuckles (IWA EC, 7-11-2020)

IWA East Coast Future Fight, Milton, WV

I have just recently learned that Mickie Knuckles has been back in wrestling, so obviously I am greatly happy and want to see what she’s been up to, so here’s a match she had last July at the Milton Volunteer Fire Department.

I have never seen Skye Blue wrestle before, but I am a big Mickie fan. That’s not irony or whatever, I have always really liked her work. As far as first impressions of Skye Blue, it’s, like, as a name, yeah, that’s usually true in the daytime.

One loud, annoying fan. (There are like 180 people in this building in July 2020. Some with masks!) Otherwise basic wrestling early, Mickie busts out a cravate to bring those good early-to-mid 2000s indie wrestling memories back. Lots of verbal interaction. Lots of requests to clap.

Knuckles loses her temper a bit when Blue doesn’t break in the corner on the referee’s count, shoving Blue down and shouting at her, then apologizing. Then they start to shove a bit after Knuckles doesn’t break in the ropes in time for Blue’s liking.

And now Blue throws a forearm. Oh boy. She fucked up now. But Blue ducks a clothesline attempt and beats Mickie down with a series of forearms and a spin kick. Still, you get the feeling engaging on this wavelength with Mickie is a bad idea, and yeah, it is. Here comes the fire.

Knuckles takes things to the floor, puts Blue in a chair, straddles her and headbutts the living shit out of her a few times, but Blue proves her resilience and whips Mickie into the ring post, and now the fight is fully on. Blue takes a suplex on the concrete floor. This match getting increasingly physical obviously favors Knuckles.

This is a West Virginia indie wrestling show with IWA branding so obviously some of the fan interaction is, y’know, what it is. Blue almost does not fully roll out of the way in time to roll away from a Knuckles senton which could have been very bad for either of them.

One thing I can tell you quickly is Skye Blue can fucking sell. Her facial expressions and reactions to getting hurled about, taking Knuckles’ hard strikes — really good. Mickie throws her with a German and Blue hits like Mikey Whipwreck or someone, just ragdolled. Knuckles unleashes violent Junkyard Dog headbutts from her knees, but one misses and Blue gets a knee strike for two.

They go with a Yokozuna-Bret at WrestleMania X style of finish where Knuckles misses a charge in the corner and Blue pins her for the win. Kinda makes sense. If you have Blue beat Mickie with some sort of strike it kinda takes away the aura of Mickie if/when she comes back. And not being an asshole but I don’t think there’s much Blue can do as far as, like, picking Mickie up. Options are limited.

It’s a fun match. Mickie is heavier than you likely remember (she’s been inactive, she has at least one kid now, etc.) but she still moves well, still works like Mickie Knuckles, and I liked Skye Blue a lot on first impression, too. She has very obvious potential.

Rating: 3/5