Friday, March 27, 2015

Angelus Layne Is Mad As Hell, And She's Not Gonna Take It Anymore

Angelus Layne gives zero fucks anymore, and Delilah Doom's gonna pay
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein
Angelus Layne may be the most snake-bitten wrestler on the indies when it comes to injuries. She's had more boo-boos and ouchies befall her when she was on the precipice of something bigger than I can care to recall. The latest of such injuries happened at Inspire Pro Wrestling's Undeniable in February, when she snapped her ankle in a three-way match to determine the final spot in the XX-Division Championship match earmarked for a future date. Delilah Doom, the New Movement's plucky underdog, snapped up the victory, which really didn't set well with Layne.

She spent a good month stewing over her bad luck before making a surprise appearance at this past Sunday's Phenomenon, where she waylaid Doom after the latter's surprise victory over former NWA Women's Champion Barbi Hayden. Layne attacked Doom in the entry way after her victory, beat the brakes off her down the aisle, and slapped a Koji Clutch until Keith Lee was able to extricate Doom from the fray, all while still wearing a walking boot. It was premeditated and violent, and it only served to make Layne even more hated to a Marchesa Theater that already didn't like her showy antics at Undeniable.

Of course, as with all good heels, Layne did not give a flying fuck about what anyone thought about her, and said so to an entirely frightened Lisa Friedrich (who was in the underground horror hit Meet Me There, written by someone you might know, so you know she doesn't scare easily) in this fiery diatribe:



Wow. First up, I don't think I'd want to be Delilah Doom's shoes. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm a HUGE Doom fan (as I am of the entire New Movement, FOCUS UP, PEOPLE), so I naturally don't want to see her get eviscerated by a whirling dervish of pure flame and hatred. But when Layne speaks like that into a camera, I can't help but feel like she's mad at me even though I don't think I've ever done anything wrong to her and she wasn't directing any speech at me. However, that effect is what a great, angry, villainous promo has on people. It blisters the soul. On one hand, I am scared for both my life and for Doom's, but on the other hand, one can't help but appreciate the kind of fire, intensity, and cadence delivered here. People say the interview is dead. I say maybe people are watching the wrong shit.

Anyway, Angelus Layne's rotten injury luck has been, in a word, rotten, but the silver lining that may come out of it is that it has informed a new, stronger character. It's awakened a sleeping demon, and if she can set fire to the indie scene, especially the Inspire Pro XX-Division, than the output that company down in Texas has already put out will seem piddling compared to what's coming in the future.