Breaking Barriers

The 2023 **Breaking Barriers** was a professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Battle Zone, Intensity and NexGen brand divisions as well as independent wrestlers from Indie Wrestling Federation (IWF) member promotions. The event took place on November 19, 2023, at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attracted a sellout crowd of 1,279 fans. It was the first WCCW PPV to consist solely of women's matches.

The card comprised a total of ten matches, with seven matches airing on pay-per-view and three matches airing on the *Sunday Night Heat* pre-show. In the main event, Rhea Ripley defended her Undisputed WCCW Women's World Championship against Charlotte Flair.

## Production

### Background

Breaking Barriers was first established by WCCW in 2023 in response to the announcement of the Wrestling World Cup being exclusive to male wrestlers.

### Storylines

The event included matches that result from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portray heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results are predetermined by WCCW's writers on the Battle Zone and Intensity brands, while storylines are produced on WCCW's weekly television shows, *Tuesday Night Battle Zone* and *Friday Night Intensity.*

## Event

### Pre-Show

The event kicked off with the preshow airing on ESPN on ABC and the ESPN+ streaming service as an episode of *Sunday Night Heat*. The featured bout of the night was a Four Corners Winner Takes All match for both the BCW Women's Championship and the LAW Women's Championship. Indie Wrestling Federation wrestlers Masha Slamovich, Rachael Ramirez, Kylie Rae and Hunter Hicks entered the match with the same goal of becoming a double champion. Slamovich would dominate the early stages of the match, targeting Ramierez and Rae while champion Hunter Hicks immediately exited to ringside, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. With Kylie Rae knocked to the outside, Hicks entered the ring to attack Ramierez but was countered and sent into the turnbuckle. Slamovich then took advantage of the situation, attacking Ramierez before covering her for the three-count and pinfall victory.

Next, Nikkita Lyons challenged Indi Hartwell for her NexGen Women's Championship. Hartwell came out swinging, looking to prove to Lyons why she is the rightful champion. After countering an attack from Hartwell, Lyons took the fight to ringside sending Indi through the steel steps. After a series of stomps and kicks, Lyons threw Hartwell back into the ring where she covered her for a one-count. Hartwell then came back with some kicks of her own, covering Lyons for a two-count. Following a back-and-forth exchange of fists, Hartwell managed to hit a Springboard Elbow Drop to earn the pinfall victory and retain her belt.

The third and final match to air on *Sunday Night Heat* was the WCCW Television Championship match between Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. and Bianca Belair. With the crowd firmly on her side, Dr. Britt Baker dominated the early stages of the match, toying with Bianca and inflicting as much damage as possible. When attempting a move from the top rope, Belair managed to counter and throw Baker to the mat and eventually to ringside where the fight continued. Baker took back control and, back in the ring, covered Belair for a two-count. While Baker argued with the ref, Belair began her comeback, hitting Baker with a multitude of strikes and covering for a two-count. Moments later, Belair connected with the K.O.D. to earn the pinfall victory and retain the championship.

### Preliminary matches

The event kicked off with the WCCW Women's Tag Team Championship match between Life of the Party and defending champions The Unholy Union. Originally, the team of Tegan Nox and Toni Storm were scheduled to face the Union but forfeited their championship opportunity after Tegan Nox lost a match to Kayden Carter with the stipulation being the winner would challenge for the belt. Katana Chance and Isla Dawn started the match off in the ring, both women equally matched despite Dawn's size advantage. The two traded blows throughout the opening stages of the match before Isla Dawn managed to gain the upper hand, throwing Chance to ringside and taking time to gloat. A succession of quick tags kept the Unholy Union fresh as they continued their assault on Life of the Party. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn worked together to keep Chance and Carter separated but the sudden appearance of Toni Storm and Tegan Nox on the entrance ramp distracted the Union and allowing Katana Chance to take advantage. She proceeded to unleash a series of kicks and stomps to Isla Dawn on the outside of the ring who would be unable to answer the ref's ten count, losing the match by countout but managing to retain the tag belts in the process.

Up next was the semi-final matches for the Mae Young Classic tournament. First, Roxanne Perez of NexGen took on Nikki Cross of Intensity. The two were evenly matched, although Nikki Cross was the only one attempting pinfalls in the early stages of the match. A crossbody led to a one-count while a DDT followed by a splash from the top rope resulted in a two-count. While Cross was arguing with the referee over the count, Perez began her comeback, hitting Cross with a multitude of shots. A slingshot crossbody to the outside knocked Cross to the floor but managed to fight her way back inside the ring. Her efforts would prove futile though as a rollup from Perez would be her downfall with Roxanne Perez not only earning the victory but the first slot in the final match.

In the second semi-final, Trinity Fatu of Pro Wrestling Japan took on Dulce Tormenta of Los Angeles Wrestling and Lucha Libre Mágica. Dulce Tormenta would utilize her quick lucha libre style to her advantage, dodging Trinity Fatu's kicks and using high flying aerial attacks to dominate the opening stages. When Tormenta attempted a splash from the top rope, Fatu managed to catch her in midair before tossing her to ringside where the match quickly turned into a brawl. The two exchanged heavy blows, with Tormenta getting whiplashed into the steel steps and then tossed over the barricade into the crowd. Fatu returned to the ring to gloat to the crowd while the referee began his count. As he counted seven, Dulce Tormenta returned to the ring only to be met with a split leg drop which allowed Trinity to lock in Starstruck, forcing Tormenta to tap.

Up next was the Four Corners Tag Team match between Country Dominance, Storm & Nox, Chelsea Green & Doudrop and Candice LeRae & Asuka. The match was essentially a rematch of the number one contenders match held on the October 29 episode of *Sunday Night Heat* but with the team of Candice LeRae & Asuka replacing Life of the Party. Despite the match being advertised a traditional four corners match, it was contested under tornado tag rules with every member of each team legal at all times. Doudrop and Chelsea Green would prove to be a formidable team, swiftly taking out the other teams in an orchestrated manner. Despite some strong opposition from the "Empress of Tomorrow" Asuka, it would be Doudrop and Chelsea Green on top when Doudrop pinned Gisele Shaw for the victory.

The next match was the final match of the Mae Young Classic tournament between Roxanne Perez of NexGen and Trinity Fatu of Pro Wrestling Japan. Both women came out with passion, despite having already competed in matches earlier. The fight quickly spilled into ringside where Trinity Fatu began punishing Roxanne Perez, whiplashing her into the steel steps and the ring posts before sending her back into the ring. Fatu locked in Starstruck but Perez refused to tap, finding her way to the bottom rope to force the break. Frustrated, Fatu unleashed a series of strikes followed by a hurricanrana and DDT for a two-count. Perez started to fight back and the two traded blows over the next few minutes with neither truly gaining an upper hand. Eventually, Fatu would attempt Starstruck but Perez countered with an armbar. A rope break would give Fatu the opening for a DDT for the three count and the win. With the victory, Trinity Fatu was crowned the winner of the 2023 Mae Young Classic tournament and was granted a championship contract that can be cashed in for any IWF or WCCW championship at any time within the next year.

In the penultimate match, "La Bruja" Raven Ray looked to get revenge on Su Yung in a Last Woman Standing match for Yung's WCCW International Championship. The brutal contest started during Su Yung's entrance when Raven Ray attacked her with a steel chair. Su Yung found her revenge with a kendo stick, breaking it over Raven Ray's back in the middle of the ring. The two women demonstrated early on a lack of concern for their own well being, putting their own bodies on the line for an opportunity to hurt their opponent. The two brawled at ringside for the majority of the match, attacking each other with sledgehammers, kendo sticks and steel chairs all the while refusing to allow the referee to reach the ten count. Eventually, Su Yung attempted to hit a Death Drop but Raven ray countered with a DDT and ended up setting up Yung for the 619. After a splash from the top rope to seal the deal, Su Yung was unable to answer the ten count, giving Raven Ray the victory and allowing her to regain the championship she lost at Halloween Havoc.

### Main event

In the main event, Rhea Ripley defended her Undisputed WCCW Women's World Championship against Charlotte Flair.