July 11, 2024,
She was often the star of the early 2000’s Women’s Wrestling Conventions.
When she traveled to Europe, to take on the DWW Warriors, she was a great ambassador for women’s wrestling.
The legendary San Francisco Virago star, Amy O, is someone we continue to think about because she competed during the modern golden age of fully competitive female submission wrestling.
In August of 2014, here is what an FCI writer had to say about her, “Amy Lewinski influenced a women’s wrestling generation with great sportsmanship.
The elite sports world is full of pre and during game rituals. You’ve seen them too. The kicker who always needs to gently touch the shoulder of his holder before the big boot; the basketball superstar who has to blow white powder into the air as though sending it gift wrapped to the basketball gods; the baseball pitcher who has to scrape the mound over and over with his cleats before the wind up.
In the women’s submission wrestling world they have their rituals as well. What do you make of Amy O, one of the best submission wrestlers of all time?
I would call her the friendly wrestler.
Whenever I watched an Amy Lewinski match, almost EVERY time she was getting the best of an opponent and I wanted her to amp it up and go in for the close, instead she’d do something both surprising and momentum killing.
She’d shake their hands.
During the match!”
That is Amy for you.
Having said that, friendly though she may be, she was one exciting wrestler to watch. Let’s go down memory lane and review some excerpts from three matches.
Amy - Right
fcielitecompetitor.com fciwomenswrestling2.com grapplingstars.com, femcompetitor.com fciwomenswrestling.com Screen shot, Editorial use, Convention photo
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CONVENTION
DWW’s Vera sits watching Amy stretch.
Helen Von Mott admonishes them to stand.
Amy is nicely attired in a black sports bra and purple bikini. Vera shines in a red bathing suit. Her signature wear for battle.
The bell rings.
The girls circle one another very energetically.
Amy pretends to go up top but instead lunges at Vera’s right ankle and tries to bring her down. Vera is too strong, escapes and maneuvers to position herself on top of Amy as she drives her right forearm onto Amy’s throat. We can see Edita and the DWW girls including Hana watching and cheering at ringside.
As often the case with Vera, once on top she manages to flatten her opponent out and apply a fierce body scissors. Amy feels that python squeeze and taps out. Our San Francisco star smiles broadly and congratulates Vera on the submission.
Amy O was always such a good sport. Too good to be true, but it was true.
The two stars take a break.
As they ignite the fight in round two, Amy is the aggressor and manages to storm on top of Vera. Our Czech beauty struggles underneath. Now it is Amy who has her in a borderline grapevine body scissors and begins to squeeze.
In situations like these, most of the time the girl in the weaker position would tap out.
Vera is different.
We have seen so many matches where Vera can absorb a lot of punishment, especially in terms of crunching body scissors that would make other female warriors scream.
Vera doesn’t scream.
She is in deep trouble though.
Like a crocodile performing a death roll, Vera spins and rolls out of Amy’s hold. Amy is persistent and manages to encase Vera, who is standing, with a floor to rib body scissors as she tightly clasps Vera’s arm and then mounts the Czech Princess.
From the top position Amy aggressively tries for a submission as Vera wildly kicks and kicks, those strong luscious feminine legs and thighs, desperately trying to escape.
It finally works and now Vera and Amy are both in a sitting position trying to gain control.
Vera finally does.
Amy had plenty of chances to seal the deal and her body scissors lasted easily over a minute.
Vera is not that way. Now in control with a body scissors on Amy from the sitting position, like that croc, she is closing in for the kill. She turns a sitting scissors into a side crunch. Amy manages to sit up again but cannot withstand Vera’s fury and taps out.
These are the types of matches that made conventions historical lore.
AMY O 28, VS DWW’S EVA 21
As Jeff the Ref introduces them, both girls look fantastic with their stealth youthful bodies. Having said that, given the high level that Amy competes at, 28 years old is signaling the near end of her great career at Academy, the Women’s Wrestling Conventions and Video Sports Limited.
As usual, Amy starts fighting from the floor, on her knees and then she leaps up at Eva’s neck and head area, captures it and takes Eva down to the blue mats. Eva reacts quickly by capturing Amy in a side body scissors. The crowd is already screaming with madness. As they struggle below, Jeff asks Amy to watch her hands, so she doesn’t scratch or choke Eva.
Eva turns the side body scissor into a very painful floor to sitting scissor.
Amy’s team admonishes her to stand up. You can literally see how Eva’s legs are crushing Amy’s stomach and rib area. Eva tightens the grip. Amy stays bent over. She can’t take too much more of this crunching scissor.
More pain.
More.
Amy finally taps out.
1-0 for Eva (2:30).
Next round.
Amy is the aggressor. She begins fighting from her knees again. Most in the audience are probably not used to that fighting style but we saw Amy constantly fight that way at the conventions.
She leaps at Eva and now traps her in a floor to standing body scissor. The key difference is, though trapped, Eva is standing. Good move but unfortunately for Amy she has trapped Eva near the edge of the mats and they tumble off.
Jeff moves them back to the center.
They struggle around and head hunt. Eva is the first one to make contact and bends Amy over with another floor to standing body scissor.
The gorgeous Czech blonde squeezes.
Amy is standing, but it as though she is stuck in cement.
Eva squeezes even harder.
Bad news for Amy.
She falls over.
Eva now has her trapped in a side body scissor. The short haired girl crunches Amy hard. The crowd continues to wildly scream. Eva now rolls Amy into a potential smother as she pushes down on Amy from the top position.
Amy is trying hard to catch her breath.
Eva adjusts it into a semi-side body scissor and crunches some more. With that python like grip, Amy just can’t escape and taps out.
2-0 for Eva (5:09).
If you are going to pick a fight, we’re not sure you would start with one of the formidable DWW Black Sea Amazons.
Virago’s famous Amy O, had decided to fly to Europe and challenge the DWW girls.
Very noble female wrestling cause. To be the best, you have to beat the best.
Says who?
If it were us, our first opponent might be Michaela, Ildi or possibly Renata B.
At least with those beauties, you stand a chance of winning.
But Svetlana? A former Black Sea Amazon, the forerunner to the very violent female MMA extreme fighting. Not only are you probably going to lose, but lose painfully.
And publicly.
Oh well, it is what it is.
What we love about Amy O, is that she was always very positive. Super optimistic.
Even after her stomach got crunched.
Today, against Svetlana, she will need all of the optimism she can get.
Some good wrestling skills would help as well.
AMY O vs SVETLANA
It is a bright sunny day in Europe and with Amy at 28 and Svetlana at 23, they are in the prime of their fighting youth.
Adorned in bright red, Amy is standing in between two legends in Nadege of Belgium and Susanne of Germany. As usual the gorgeous San Francisco Bay Area resident has a look of complete optimism. Her body is stealth and perfect. The background is filled with luscious greenery under the famous DWW tent.
This would be the second match of the day.
The legendary Jeff the Ref introduces them in this highly anticipated fight.
There is a great buzz in the air as the two shake hands.
As the action begins, the two perfectly stealth warriors from two different countries circle one another. It is obvious this is not their first rodeo. Only the experienced need apply, in this one.
Amy immediately leaps at Svetlana’s head and neck area but misses. Svetlana simply brushes the San Franciscan aside as the two start grabbing at one another and reaching for their necks which turns into hard hand slaps that resonate the space.
This is right up Svetlana’s alley.
Amy leaps again and locks up Svetlana’s neck and both girls tumble to the mats. Unfortunately for Amy, Svetlana is on top. Not a position you want to be in with a BSA Warrior. You may never get up in one piece.
The struggle is on.
They circle around on the mats with Amy in gridlock and by the grimace on her face, a measure of pain as well. She wraps her legs around Svetlana’s right one to prevent a full mount.
Good move.
That’s okay for Svetlana who has trapped Amy in a brutal headlock and squeezes while she bends Amy, folding her into an excruciating position. The taller woman is also trying to trap Amy’s leg arm between her legs.
It works.
With Amy all wrapped up, Svetlana crunches that headlock and Amy’s face is obviously in pain.
The beautiful American taps out.
1-0 for Svetlana (3:23).
SECOND ROUND
During the break Svetlana rests in a chair while Amy, in her own corner, stands, bends over and stretches the crunch out.
Time to go again.
They circle one another. Svetlana has a wry smile on her face. Amy is going for the legs, including a potential leg trip while Svetlana is moving like a boxer, waiting her opening.
She gets it.
Amy leaps at her again and locks but she is much taller than Amy so this approach is to Svetlana’s advantage and once again she falls on top of Amy.
The porcelain beauty is in trouble.
Once again Svetlana tightens that headlock and crunches. Amy has no choice except to tap out.
2-0 for the BSA star (5:41).
SUMMARY
Were you not entertained? Of course you were. We all were. Still are entertained when it comes to watching the gregarious Amy O. wrestle.
Mining for gold can be a profitable adventure. Especially when the precious nugget is Virago’s Amy O, a legend from a very golden era.
~ ~ ~
OPENING PHOTO Shutterstock-Radharani-photo-credit-Editorial-use- fcielitecompetitor.com fciwomenswrestling2.com grapplingstars.com, femcompetitor.com fciwomenswrestling.com
https://fciwomenswrestling.com/
