Come on, I had to use that title. Nothing else fit!
I have been home since Monday the 19th, and I put off this entry because I wanted to do SHIMMER and the women who wrestled on it justice. But I really don't know if I can. SHIMMER is always an experience. Always. But this time was different. There were several new faces replacing some established ones, and two major players who are on the sidelines due to injury were sorely missed (we love you Serena Deeb and Madison Eagles!). We saw story lines introduced, titles change hands and (as always) tremendous wrestling you probably can't see anywhere else outside of Berwyn.
This set of tapings also proved that a lot of assumptions made about SHIMMER were inaccurate. For instance, one of the main complaints about the company is the lack of story lines. In these volumes you'll find:
-The re-ignition of the feud between Sweet Saraya Knight and Cheerleader Melissa that has five years of history behind it. Not to mention Saraya's escalating level of violence over the four volumes. That in and of itself was a story line.
-The unlikely formation of the tag team of Courtney Rush and Sara Del Rey ("Queens of Winning"/"Death Rush"). Their partnership is quite the odd couple and should make for interesting unfolding over the next year or two.
-The determination of Kellie "Rate Tank" Skater to become more than a comedy act. Her 4 matches did much to showcase this, as well as the experience she picked up during her time in Japan. No more "open challenges" - this Tank is ready for battle.
-The moral struggle of Jessie McKay. After being threatened by Saraya to do whatever it took to pin Melissa, she had to choose between winning at all costs or remaining true to herself. It was a conflict that played out in her match against the champion, and one that many fans felt truly involved in. I know I did.
That's only a few I could name. Another criticism of the promotion was how predictable the title reigns are, mostly the main championship. Everyone expected Melissa to leave this weekend as the champion. Some probably thought Ayako Hamada and Ayumi Kurihara would also retain (I admit, I'm one of those people). This past weekend effectively proved there are never any guarantees. I can understand some fans' frustration (especially with Melissa losing the title so quickly) but if you can look past that, the title changes made sense. It wasn't "Vince Russo booking" as I heard someone in the crowd say after the show ended (when told about this remark, one SHIMMER woman said derisively, "Fuck Vince Russo." Sums it up.); there is reasoning and thought behind both title changes. I'll get to that though.
I can't do justice to the matches, so I won't try. Needless to say these are must-buy volumes when they come out. Instead I want to give my thoughts on the women, the story lines, the atmosphere - just the whole thing. I'll certainly talk about some of the matches, but as far as trying to give something like a top five or top ten or give them star ratings, forget about it. I never saw a 3 star match. They were all 4 and 5's in my opinion.
The Next Generation
We saw a few more fresh faces for these volumes. Some (such as Athena, Mia Yim, Davina Rose) had been at SHIMMER before while others (such as Veda Scott, Rhia O'Reilly, NY Knockout and Shazza McKenzie) were either making their presence known or debuting altogether. I want to start with one woman who really upped her game the entire weekend, only losing once - "The Wrestling Goddess" Athena.
Athena immediately resumed her feud with Mercedes Martinez on the first volume (number 45) and the match was stellar. The referee pretty much let it go, leading to some devastating spots and her getting the win with her "O Face". This finisher has to be seen to be believed. I'm not sure how it hasn't broken someone's neck yet, the way it's designed, but both Athena and her opponent always take care to make sure it's properly set up before hitting it. Her only loss came to one half of the Canadian Ninjas, Nicole Matthews on Volume 46. Number 47 had her pinning Sassy Stephie in a superb match, but her against Ray on number 48 was just as good as her versus Mercedes.
One criticism I'd heard from several folks about Athena was that she was great at spots but there wasn't much wrestling from her. I think some of that was dispelled by the great showing against Ray, which brought out a technical side to her that we hadn't seen before. In my view, it solidified her as well rounded and with the potential to become one of the best in the world. Charisma, skill, looks, personality - she has it all. I hope she gets the chance to work in Japan and learn from them as it would only increase her skill level.
Plus, all her matches were higher up on the card than before. Athena really elevated herself after this set of volumes and it shouldn't be long before she gets a title shot. We may well be seeing her as SHIMMER champion in the future.
Davina Rose and Mia Yim made an unlikely tag team which only saw each of them have one singles match over the weekend, but their partnership worked. (There were a lot of people paired up in tag teams due to the large roster, but by and large most of them worked well together.) Davina is still finding her personality but she makes a good babyface with her look and stature. Mia has come a long way since I first saw her at SPARKLE in September 2010. Her time in Japan served her well and both finally achieved their first win in SHIMMER when Mia hit her corkscrew moonsault on Mena. Davina's only singles match was against the fearsome Saraya Knight, which was mostly one-sided, whereas Mia faced Jessie McKay in her only singles that was highly competitive and evenly matched. She may have lost but she shined during it. Both ladies still have a ways to go, and more years to put under their belt, but they are well on their way to becoming solid, dependable wrestlers.
Veda Scott was a SPARKLER last October who made it onto Volume 44 in a losing effort against Taylor Made. This time she was in a few more matches and learned quite a bit from her opponents. I can't help but feel that Veda has all the traits to make it far in wrestling, although maybe that's personal bias speaking. So does Shazza McKenzie, a newcomer from Australia that made her SHIMMER debut. Both women are talented, enthusiastic, energetic, beautiful and eager to learn. They made for a random tag team but they had chemistry together and separately. Shazza wrestles in PWWA, alongside Madison Eagles, Kellie Skater and Jessie McKay. Seems like Australia is a breeding ground for greatness along with Canada.
KC Spinelli had been part of SPARKLE before but she hadn't really 'clicked' with me until this time around. She has a unique look with her hair and gear, and I thought she was Canadian since she mostly wrestles in ECCW, but it turns out she's from New Jersey. That detail made for a fun match between her and someone who made her SHIMMER debut from the west coast, the "New York Knockout" Nikki (although here she was announced as "New York Knockout", dropping the Nikki). Their New York v New Jersey thing in their match was hilarious. Spinelli competed in SPARKLE back in October 2011 so this was also her debut onto the main volumes as well. Nikki has had a heated rivalry on the west coast against Allison Danger, and apparently impressed enough to gain a spot. Like I said, Spinelli clicked with me and definitely stood out. So did Nikki, she has a great look, tall, athletic and her Brooklyn accent is ear-catching. Both women did well against their respective opponents and it was nice to see the new additions stand out.
I'm not sure if Irish import Rhia O'Reilly will return to SHIMMER but I daresay her presence would be welcome from now on. I first saw her in Pro-Wrestling EVE at their first show taping in the spring of 2010, and in the space of two years she has improved tremendously. She has a real presence, her wrestling has gotten better and since turning heel her character has caught fire. By a happy chance, St. Patrick's Day fell on the first day of taping and her match against Courtney Rush was hilarious and a great way for her to debut. Back in March 2011, Rhia had traveled over on her own dime to compete on SPARKLE. She had no guarantee that she would be on the main card, yet she still came. That takes real dedication and it payed off. If she continues to up her game, she could be another version of Rebecca Knox, SHIMMER's original foreign heel. Her outings at the EVE v Ice Ribbon shows in October 2011 and EVE's "No Man's Land" iPPV were great and I thoroughly enjoyed her matches against Rush, Shazza, and Taylor Made.
But whereas we had an influx of new blood, the SHIMMER mainstays continued to put on matches that were of the best quality. Some upped their game to new levels and some remained as awesome as they always are. Some ran solo and some formed unlikely partnerships that, while strange on paper, worked very well together. The Joshi contingent lost a few familiar faces but the new additions made up for those losses. There was a strong tag team presence throughout the weekend.
Tag Teams Replenish
Since becoming free from any obligations to TNA, Christina von Eerie returned and took up with an unlikely partner in MsChif. The Punk and Metal Connection teamed up on Volumes 47 and 48 after having good singles matches on 45 and 46. An interesting combination but I'm not sure if it will last beyond March. In her only singles match of the weekend, MsChif was specifically requested as an opponent by Jessie McKay, who wanted to earn a title shot by beating the former champion. Part of MsChif's appeal is her attire, and her gear in this instance was awesome. She sported a top hat and cane, and had the iconic artwork from "A Clockwork Orange" on the front and back of her shirt and pants. As a special bonus, whilst delivering a beating to the former Pink Lady, she began growling/singing "Singing in the Rain" - absolutely tremendous. Her tag match with Von Eerie against another interesting duo was chock full of comedy. It's a different direction for MsChif, who for years as been "Your Soul's Tormentor" - but even tormentors have a sense of humour.
That "interesting duo" I mentioned would be "The Oncoming Hatred" - Hailey Hatred and Kalamity. Champions in different promotions, they teamed up back in October in a losing effort to Melanie Cruise and Mena Libra in what people thought would be a one-time thing. Evidently they took notice that fans liked their combination, as each only had one singles match over the weekend, instead teaming together for their other three matches. Personally I loved the duo working as a team. They are both hard hitting, known for their strikes, and Kalamity can learn a lot from Hailey. Their win against another new tag team earned them a shot at the SHIMMER tag titles but they were unsuccessful. I'm a huge fan of both ladies and the more I can see them, the better! Hailey is a phenom and I'm incredibly happy we got her for all four tapings this time around. Kalamity is becoming more and more solid in the ring, and her character is a real departure from others in the promotion. Both are a pleasure to watch perform.
Plus, they were part of one of the absolute best matches of the weekend, in my humble view. The Oncoming Hatred faced a duo that, to my knowledge, had never partnered before anywhere. The World Famous Kana teamed with the Super Hardcore Anime Lufisto in a partnership of mutual respect and admiration. It made sense - in Kana's last match, Lufisto wrestled her and wound up losing. Yet whereas after facing Mia Yim, Sara Del Rey and Cheerleader Melissa, she refused to shake hands, this time she took Lufi's hand in a gesture of sportsmanship and respect. I'm not sure whose idea it was for them to team up but they made a tremendous tag team! Kana and Lufisto against Hailey Hatred and Kalamity. I'd absolutely wanted Lufisto to wrestle Hailey, but this match was beyond my wildest dreams.
It. Was. AWESOME. I tweeted that words failed me on how "f'n awesome" the match was and words STILL fail me. It has to be seen to be believed. Kana and Lufi were a superb team and I can only hope that they get a shot and win the SHIMMER tag straps. But not for awhile because the duo that currently hold said straps are one of the oddest pairings of the whole weekend...
It began with Sara pinning Leva Bates and continuing to assault her after the match. Enter the other half of ReGenerationX, Allison Danger, to make the save. Danger calls out Del Rey for her behaviour and tells her to find a tag partner, if she can - Del Rey has no friends. Death Rey scoffs, saying she has several hundreds of twitter followers. However the people she approaches (Melissa, Lacey - of all people! - Nicole) turn her down. Enter one Courtney Rush. She begs constantly to team with Del Rey, who shoots her down. In a twist involving SDR's weakness (gum), Rush tricks her into agreeing. Not only do they beat ReX...........on Volume 48 they win the tag team titles in a four way elimination match.
I'm not even going to try to describe what happened, either. It has to be seen to be fully appreciated. The dynamic of Rush and Del Rey is golden. It's been compared to Raven and Stevie Richards, which is a very good comparison. They have chemistry and Courtney's comedic timing was on point both days. Their skits were some of the funniest things over the weekend, and to say that them winning the straps was unexpected is an understatement! It's definitely going to be interesting to see where they go from here. Courtney has proven herself to be a total package as far as charisma, personality and skills go and I'm really happy to see her elevated. And the win makes Del Rey the first double crown (can't really say triple crown since there's only two belts in SHIMMER) champion. An extremely worthy woman to have been the first SHIMMER champion and now one half of the tag team champions.
I admit, I was disappointed when Ayumi Kurihara and Ayako Hamada lost the tag straps. I felt after changing hands three times in 2011 it would be nice for them to have a lengthy run. Maybe not as long as the Ninjas, but make it through a full set of tapings. However with "Death Rush's" win, I can let it go. HamaHara had a great set of matches, against the two debuting Joshi, Ray and Leon this past tapings; against Kalamity and Hailey; and in a dream match for the former, against Allison Danger and Leva Bates. (Not to mention their defenses over the weekend in October.) Elsewhere, Mena Libra and Melanie Cruise continue to form an imposing partnership as the bruisers of the company; and despite their singles runs, Portia Perez and Nicole Matthews have shown that they always have each other's backs and remain a dominant tag team as the Canadian Ninjas.
I have to put in a few words about ReGenerationX. Allison Danger is a vet and continues to show why she is an integral part of SHIMMER with her great matches leadership. When she took Leva Bates under her wing in March of last year, Leva's skill level in the ring has grown by leaps and bounds. She already had the personality and the charisma thanks to her love of all things geeky (seriously - X-Men, Doctor Who, Big Bang Theory, horror movies, comics, gaming - this girl is awesome!), but she was still slowly learning. Danger's tutelage has done wonders, but it's not a one-way partnership. Allison's role for awhile was taking younger rookies and gauging them when they came into the promotion. Now, thanks to teaming with Bates, she has reinvented herself and let her own geeky side out. Each time she wrestles she looks like she is having a ton of fun and it's fantastic to see her enjoying a renaissance of sorts in her career.
The Mainstays and New Joshi Faces
Due to a conflict in schedules, these tapings were missing two long-standing Joshis - Hiroyo Matsumoto and Tomoka Nakagawa. One who had made an impressive debut back in October, Yumi Ohka was also absent (if she was going to be there that is, she may not have been booked) due to the same show that had Tomoka and Hiroyo on it in Japan. However, we got two new Joshis that took SHIMMER by storm - Ray and Leon. Both are high-flying masked competitors that I had not seen before but they're on my radar now. Their matches were some of the best in the weekend, including their tag title match against Ayako and Ayumi. That match had a ton of near falls and a ton of action that you had to really keep up with! "That was awesome" was chanted by the crowd for almost five minutes after the match was over - a testament to how fantastic it was. Those two will definitely be welcomed back with open arms if they choose to come.
Kellie Skater made it clear at the onset that she was tired of being seen as a joke, and with her stellar matches over the weekend, I don't see how anyone can take her as a comedy act anymore. Sure she still has her entrance (being announced as having "muscles so big they make the Incredible Hulk GREEN WITH ENVY!"), but once in the ring, she was a machine. The time she spent in Japan (from December 2011 to March 2012) has only improved her. Kana's only solo match was against Skater, and even though Kellie lost, it was one of the best matches I had ever seen her in. I'm very much looking forward to seeing the new, serious Rate Tank carve out a path for herself.
Kana, Lufisto, Sara Del Rey, Jessie McKay, MsChif, Sassy Stephie (minus tag partner Nevaeh, but accompanied by Mademoiselle Rachelle, who makes a fitting valet for Steph) - they all continue to be awesome as they always are. Mercedes Martinez had some stellar matches over the weekend (although almost all the matches I saw were stellar, so this may be a moot point!), against Athena, and getting two big wins against Kana and Hailey Hatred. Some have criticized that her heel turn hasn't taken or gone nearly far enough. But I like the subtle arrogance that Mercedes is radiating - she's always been confident but now the confidence has been turned up to 50 on the volume meter. The way she brushes her shoulder towards each of her opponents after beating them shows her contempt. It suits her character very well.
Missing but not Forgotten
Noticeable by their absence were two SHIMMER mainstays - one, the former SHIMMER Champion Madison Eagles, the other the Deebious One Serena Deeb. Both were out due to injuries that have put them on the shelf for the time being, but both sent touching videos in their place that touched everyone in attendance at the Eagles Club.
Madison spoke of her knee injury and though she tried to be the menacing, brooding Eagles we know her to be (even referring to herself as "Your Living Nightmare"), there was real emotion with a ting of sadness and determination in her voice. She vowed to come back when she was fully healed so she could compete with the best, since, in her words, that's what SHIMMER has to offer, the best female wrestlers in the world. Knowing her determination, I have no doubt Madison will return to us - better than ever.
On the second day, SHIMMER kicked off with a message from Serena, who gave the same heartfelt comments as Madison had, but in more gentle, less menacing tones. She regretted not being in attendance, and gave her best wishes for all the women in the locker room. She gave a special shout out to her protege, Davina Rose, which had to mean a lot to both women. It was a touching way to start Sunday's tapings off (and I believe Serena's video is up on YouTube), bringing tears to many people's eyes including my own.
No matter what happens, I wish both women all the best for the future. They have given us fans so much of their lives they deserve to be happy and completely healthy.
Knightfall
Neither of the Canadian Ninjas could get the job done. Nor could Jessie McKay (who struggled against the temptation to take the easy way out during her title match against Melissa, and successfully remained true to herself). So the person who had put a bounty on Melissa did it herself.
After five years, 'Sweet' Saraya Knight had her revenge against the woman who severed her kneecap at Real Quality Wrestling. The woman who had potentially ended her career with that brutal injury. She even choreographed how she would do it - in each of her matches against Davina, Veda and Shazza, Saraya put them in the Knightmare (a variation of a Boston Crab), torking back on their knee, to the point where she was disqualified in her matches against Veda and Shazza for not breaking the hold. She targeted their knees, foreshadowing what was to come.
To make sure Melissa got the point, Saraya ambushed her backstage, going after Melissa's knee with a wooden cane. The prey was weakened and in the match, Saraya went for the kill. I'm sure everyone in the audience expected a six-pier brawl, as had happened during her title defenses against Nicole and Portia (each going into the audience and around the Club) but to our surprise, it was almost a straight wrestling match. No going to the outside, no interference, no foreign objects. Each woman felt instinctively that they needed to win by submission, and we saw each do their best to put as many painful holds on each other as possible.
It was a glorious match. Saraya had been in a downward spiral all weekend, becoming progressively more violent and out of control. She had struck fans (which, I know a lot of people had problems with, but there were only two and each provoked her and knew what was coming. One man took off his glasses and leaned forward even), cursed at them, threatened them and at one point, in a wildly weird twist, named two people on the SHIMMER forum calling them out for comments they had made. After being DQed in the two matches mentioned beforehand it had taken several referees and wrestlers to hold her down and carry her out by her arms and legs. It was like she was becoming a wild animal - yet there was a method to her madness.
She had a plan, she even foreshadowed it, and in the end it worked. When I say no one in the crowd expected Melissa to submit, I mean NO ONE expected it. After all, she's Cheerleader Melissa. The Terminator of SHIMMER. The woman who feels no pain and does not stop until she has pinned her opponent. The woman who has chased the SHIMMER title for over a year. Who had finally achieved her dream last October, pinning Madison Eagles after a hard, brutal match.
Only to be confronted by a vengeful demon from her past. Who returned a knee for a knee, crippled her and stole her dream, cheating her out of her title by grabbing the ropes for extra leverage. Until the Volume comes out, the picture can be painted by several photos that have been taken of the match and it's outcome.
Saraya with her hand held high. Grabbing the belt. Laughing maniacally as she walks around the ring. LICKING the belt as Melissa stares in disbelief. The shock and outrage of the fans (including one small brunette with her hand over her mouth, eyes wide).
It was one of the most astounding moments in SHIMMER's history.
As we approach Volume 50, I can't help but feel like we have entered a new chapter in the promotion's story. Fans are buzzing about this and will no doubt keep buzzing until the next four tapings. Melissa has vowed to get the title she worked so long and so hard to attain back. Will she? Or will the Demon from the United Kingdom hold sway?
One way or another...SHIMMER has entered the era of the Dark Knight. How long that era lasts remains to be seen.
In summation, this set of tapings feels like a new chapter, not just with Saraya's win, but with more story lines, more backstage videos, the women showing more to their characters, and other noticeable shifts. Against the odds SHIMMER has succeeded and thrived and now draws fans from all over the world. Whenever my passion for wrestling starts to wane, along comes this weekend and not only restores it but also increases it.
My thanks to Dave Prazak, Allison Danger, everyone involved backstage, the camera men, the referees, Joey Eastman, Kevin Harvey and last but DEFINITELY not least every woman who makes the trek to Berwyn, puts on her gear and gets in the ring for us fans. Each and every one of you is appreciated!
