Historic 2005 Covina Women’s Wrestling Live Event, Starlitt Vs Bany, New Girls Amaze
fciwomenswrestling.com femcompetititor.com grapplingstars.com, Jill-Wellington-pexels.com-photo
November 9, 2023,
Historical towns, complete with old brick buildings, wide streets and a slow scenic pace of life, often are home to historic events.
That speaks to Covina, California.
Covina is a city in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California.
The community is about 22 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles.
The population was 51,268 according to the 2020 census, up from 47,796 at the 2010 census. The city’s slogan, “One Mile Square and All There”, was coined when the incorporated area of the city was only one square mile.
Very historical.
The television series Roswell was filmed in various locations in Covina including the downtown area on North Citrus Avenue. City Hall, Charter Oak High School and several other businesses and residences served as locations for the fictional version of the town of Roswell, New Mexico.
Did you know that?
Multiple episodes of the hit television series Knight Rider were filmed in Downtown “Old” Covina, including an episode coincidentally shot at Knight’s Photo Studio on Citrus, where David Hasselhoff greeted fans and passed out signed photographs.
In 2005, a very important part of competitive female submission wrestling history occurred there, as well.
It was the location for a women’s wrestling event and the stars of the story today are Starlitt and Bany.
At the time, both were newer girls to wrestling and, as often the case, when two completely new girls engage, you do not know who is going to win.
What made this match even more delightful was that it occurred at an event where female wrestlers virtually always give a better effort than in some private setting, especially when they know the other wrestlers well.
Here, this should be a great stranger fight in front of a live audience.
Time to go ringside.
BANY VS STARLITT
Introductions are to be made.
Bany comes in at 5ft, 105 pounds while Starlitt weighs in at 5’3” and 125 pounds.
The two begin standing up.
Bany immediately shows her newness by lowering her head and charging Starlitt. How quickly times change but back in 2005, the industry was in the very early stages of learning and applying MMA.
Starlitt immediately traps Bany in the form of a Guillotine Choke. Bany leaps up on Starlitt and the strawberry blonde takes her down to the mats. As they are both in the elongated position, Starlitt continues to squeeze hard and Bany taps out.
1-0 for Starlitt (45 seconds).
They begin again, standing up. Arms out, Bany lunges for the headlock but loses it, Starlitt tries for the headlock and secures it.
She then takes Bany down.
They struggle.
Then Starlitt rolls Bany into a side body scissor, squeezes hard and Bany taps out.
2-0 for Starlitt (1:33).
Time to start again.
They begin standing, arms out, forward, in nice wrestling initiation postures.
Starlitt makes the most of the posturing by taking Bany down with a headlock, tightens the grip and most important, lands her heavier body on top of Bany. The beautiful smaller girl tries to circle around underneath and Starlitt simply twirls with her and stays on top. This goes on for about a minute and, with no real escape in sight, Bany gives.
Starlitt leads 3-0 (2:55).
Well, up to this point, Bany has no answers for the more determined girl. Bany looks like a beautiful wrestler in her blue one piece outfit, knee supports and authentic wrestling shoes, but her skill level is not matching perception.
Sometimes perception is reality, but not here.
Engage.
Bany attempts what looks like a pro wrestling move by lowering her head, coming in under Starlitt’s left arm as though she is going to lift her up and throw her.
That obviously in not going to work.
This is real wrestling.
Starlitt simply takes Bany’s gift and traps her in a form of a Guillotine Choke. We say form of, because Starlitt is new as well and doesn’t seem to know the MMA holds but her wrestling is sound. She keeps the top position on Bany as the two grapplers circle around with Starlitt in control. She takes Bany down to the mat floor and performs an arm twist and Bany taps out.
4-0 for Starlitt (4:44).
Let’s wrestle.
Starlitt continues to apply the classic sports axiom, if what you’re doing is working, keep doing it until your opponent stops you.
Bany cannot stop Starlitt’s headlocks, so the shapely Las Vegas beauty applies it again. She takes Bany down to the mat flor, tightens the grip, keeps her shapely body on top of Bany’s head and the smaller princess taps out.
5-0 for Starlitt (5:48).
Time to begin.
Bany starts in smart fashion by fighting it out from above, even snatching her arms away from Starlitt’s headlock attempt but loses patience, lowers her head, and charges into Starlitt’s waiting arms again.
The strawberry blonde Las Vegas beauty responds by lowering Bany downward, while both are standing, but Starlitt has the top position. Then she pulls downward and has Bany bent over in the sitting position and tries to apply a reverse scissor. Bany is kicking, trying to escape and accidentally kicks Starlitt in the head and says “Sorry”.
Starlitt, a little surprised replies, “There is no sorry”.
The audience laughs.
Starlitt is focused on squeezing Bany out in an upper torso scissor but Bany manages to break the hold and push herself upward on top of Starlitt. The shapely girl is on the bottom while Bany sits in a school girl position on top of her, for the first time, in a position of strength and in control.
What will she do with this?
Nothing.
She tries to place her forearm on Starlitt’s throat while the stronger girl responds by blocking Bany’s attempts with her arms. She rolls Bany off of her but Bany quickly responds by capturing Starlitt in a Guillotine Choke and pulls her down to the mats.
What Bany should have done was move her upper body forward for a smother.
Too late now.
Starlitt pushes Bany off and gains top control. The petite princess had her chance but lost it.
Starlitt remains on top, working Bany’s left wrist over and placing her full body weight on top of Bany’s head. It is all Bany can do not to tap out. Starlitt pushes forward, rolling Bany almost into a full folding pin. Bany resists. Then Starlitt flattens her out into a smother and tightens the hold. Bany is in trouble but manages to escape. Starlitt quickly recaptures the headlock and rolls back on top of Bany.
They struggle.
Soon Starlitt slides Bany into a side body scissor and it’s Goodnight Irene.
Starlitt leads 6-0 (11:06).
Bany relaxes and begins to fix her hair. The referee, associated with the legendary Women Warriors wrestling company, begins to converse with Bany and comes to the decision this time the girls will start on their knees.
So they do.
Someone in the audience encourages Bany to get the headlock first, but no go. Starlitt does again and takes Bany down and wisely places her body on top of Bany’s torso and continues to squeeze and circle in unison with Bany, until the pretty girl in blue can take no more and taps out.
7-0 for Starlitt (14:26).
Well, the end is in sight for Bany and while she was not brutalized, she was completely and thoroughly defeated. Near the end of the match, the girls struggle until Starlitt gains control and captures Bany in a classic folding pin. No pin count begins so apparently this was a submissions match only. Before Bany submits, from below, the clock runs out.
This was a masterful and dominant performance but the super sexy wrestler, with the girl next door looks, in Sexy Starlitt.
We loved the Covina event because it featured no frills serious competitive female wrestling.
An American era, long gone, but long cherished and deeply appreciated.
~ ~ ~
OPENING PHOTO Jill-Wellington-pexels.com-photo fciwomenswrestling.com femcompetititor.com grapplingstars.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covina,_California
https://fciwomenswrestling.com/
