And I thought 2022 was disappointing...
There's no real way of candy-coating it, 2023 was a pretty poor year for catfighting fans.
First of all two of the more promising producers all but disappeared insofar as Slap City and Mexican Catfights pretty much stopped production. Granted they did produce some decent stuff in the first half of the year with the Akela vs Arabella fight from Slap City probably being the pick of the bunch, but even the stuff they did produce didn't quite catch fire in the way that I would have hoped. That's not a criticism of either producer, real fights are unpredictable, but for whatever reason, the magic just didn't really happen this year. Slap City recently took to Twitter to say he'll be back soon, so here's hoping 2024 will be better.
The undisputed king of the catfight, Suitefights was also a little underwhelming this year. The first two fights of the year featuring Stephanie were decent if uneventful, with her fight with Angel being the pick of the two, as you can always rely on Angel to bring some emotion and intensity to things, but still, they weren't classics. The Bella Gypsy vs Nadia fight was also pretty decent if one-sided but left me wanting more. Unfortunately, more wasn't forthcoming. At least on the catfight front. The Oil Wrestling tournaments were entertaining enough for what they are and it was nice to see Mira again, but even when I enjoy them, I lament the fact that those same girls aren't doing full-blown catfights. It is what it is and you can't knock the man for his efforts, he's still clearly the best at what he does, but again, that magical lightning just didn't strike.
That lightning was also disappointingly missing from what should arguably have been the best fight of the year, when Tilly brought Paris Love and Vika together to fight it out. Again though, the fight slightly underwhelmed with it being pretty one-sided and tight for space. It wasn't a terrible fight by any means, and the whole tooth thing was novel if nothing else, but it definitely lacked something. Even more annoying is the fact that neither woman has done anything of note in the catfight sphere since.
We also haven't seen anything at all from Nikki Darling, Alexa Brooke, Emma Ray or even Sarah Brooke in a proper competitive catfight match, and Sunni Ray has been missing since her humbling defeat at the hands of Chakira.
Regan's Kitty Claws productions have put out a few catfights this year, some involving Peyton which is always something I'm happy to see, but she hasn't yet fully mastered the production side of things. The rough approach to filming often leaves a little to be desired and the off-camera coaching and encouragment never sits right with me, but I applaud her effort and hope she continues to improve through 2024.
Catzreview only produced one fight and it was a bit of a disappointing one-sided affair too, though there are at least some positive signs of something happening in the new year.
So, are there any positives?
Well, for the more rough and ready side of things, SOCAL have continued churning out fights pretty regularly and although there's always something a little too stop/start about their fights, there's definitely been a few strong fights from them this year. The lack of any new Leena fights was disappointing personally, but Jamie always brings the fire and had several solid scraps this year.
Fighting Dolls continues to churn out a plethora of fights and there are always some gems hidden in amongst the crop, though even there a lot of the more established girls have gone AWOL in recent months. The lack of Lenora and Monet have been particularly big misses, but some of the new girls are showing some real promise.
I mentioned her already, but Angel was a welcome presence at Suitefights once again. The hint that British veteran Sahara had a fight at Slap City which was never released was encouraging if also a little frustrating, and the recent coming to prominence of Shortstop's twitter account promises some interesting things for next year should she actually tart selling her fights.
Which I suppose brings me to looking forward to next year, and the signs are promising. First off, as I've just mentioned her Shortstop seems like she's going to be fighting Fyona Rider which could be good. The fact that Sexywife has just re-opened her Gumroad site bodes well for her possible return. Slap City has said he's coming back in the new year. I have every confidence that Suitefights will pull something out of the hat at some point, SOCAL will likely keep doing what they do, and hopefully some of the girls who've been keeping a low profile for a bit will get back on the mats before too long.
Once again, I want to reiterate that although I've generally been disappointed with what has been produced this year, I don't fault the producers for this. Fight that could/should have been great just didn't catch fire, and a lot of the reliable old guard of fighters have seemingly gone to ground or found easier ways of making a buck, making it even more difficult to guarantee entertaining matches.
Here's hoping for a better 2024. If you think I've missed anything out, or respectfuly disagree with my opinion, let me know what you think.
