By Anthony Beckingham, Women's Wrestling Specialist

As I've mentioned before with the DVDs from Vol. 3 onwards up until (currently) Vol. 12, all early volumes of Shimmer are sold out. Unfortunately, I don’t have a copy of Vol. 8 or 10 to review and DVDs are continuing to sell out completely. So, for those keeping score, the Vol. 8 card reads like this:

(1) Lexie Fyfe (2-1) defeated Lorelei Lee (2-2)
(2) Cindy Rogers (2-2) defeated Serena Deeb (1-1)
(3) LuFisto (0-1) defeated Allison Danger (4-3)
(4) Amber O'Neal (1-5) defeated Josie (0-0)
(5) Nikki Roxx (4-2) defeated Malia Hosaka (0-1)
(6) Nattie Neidhart (0-1) defeated “Portuguese Princess” Ariel (2-0)
(7) Daizee Haze (3-4) defeated Tiana Ringer (1-3)
(8) The Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew (Lacey & Rain) (1-0) defeated Cheerleader Melissa & MsChif (0-0)
(9) Mercedes Martinez (1-2-1) defeated Sara Del Rey (5-0-1)

So the plucky, always-so-close Serena Deeb suffered another loss while LuFisto picked up her first victory, but injury would keep her away from Shimmer for a while. Cheerleader Melissa showed her babyface side for the first time, not that she was ever not popular, by teaming with MsChif but they fell to the experience of the Home Wreckers. In the main event Martinez finally picked up a victory in the three-match series with Del Rey dating back to the first show, giving Del Rey her first Shimmer loss.

SHIMMER DVD Review Series
SHIMMER Vol. 9 DVD review
April 7, 2007
Berwyn, Ill.

Vol. 9 started with Del Rey backstage spending little time dwelling on her first Shimmer singles loss and wanting to get back on track by challenging another Shimmer stalwart: Cheerleader Melissa.

(1) “The Jezebel” Eden Black (0-0) beat Rain (2-4) at 12:09. Good action but scrappy in places. This was Black’s first U.S. match, the first of many Europeans in Shimmer. The Briton went straight for a roll-up pin and then bent Rain’s wrist. Rain reversed it, took her to the floor and pinned her while doing press ups. At four minutes, Rain was locked in the Garden of Eden triangle choke but reached the ropes with her feet. Rain escaped to the floor but Black springboard dived straight after her. Rain reversed an Irish whip into a chinbreaker but Black kicked out. This prompted Rain to heel up by choking Black on the ropes and in the corner, she then built to power moves. Black reversed the Acid Rain into a snap neckbreaker suplex. She then hit the Blaxploitation crucifix pin off an Irish whip but it didn’t work. Amazingly, Black reversed an Electric Chair and came down into a Garden of Eden to make Rain tap. (**)

Melissa replied to Del Rey backstage. It’s amazing how in the ring Melissa is a believably fearsome bruiser and yet she can’t translate that ferocity to her promos.

(2) “Portuguese Princess” Ariel (2-1) beat Alexa Thatcher (0-0) at 5:55. The New Jersey debutante vied for cheers against the popular Ariel and they went straight to it by running rope to rope that let Thatcher show off her arm drags. They traded bigger moves, Ariel opting for slams and Thatcher for high flying attacks, before they floored each other with a double clothesline and went to a punching exchange. Ariel grabbed Thatcher’s arm and landed the Dariel arm-trap cutter to win. (**)

Eden Black told the world that now she’s in U.S., all her opponents will tap out like Rain.

(3) The Experience (Lexie Fyfe & Malia Hosaka) (3-0) beat Allison Danger & Cindy Rogers (0-0) at 15:13. Danger came out wearing a hood and white mask to compliment her already amazing entrance music AtoZ. Fyfe lost rock, paper, scissors and had to wrestle Rogers. Rogers dominated with wrist snaps that Danger then utilized to try and roll Fyfe through for a pin. Hosaka yanked Danger’s hair to allow a tag in. She used dirty tactics and elegant high kicks but neither team dominated. Danger was stretched with the Boston Crab. She started to be double teamed and stretched for a tag but Rogers was too busy talking to the fans. Danger eventually ducked a double team move and Hosaka kicked Fyfe. Just as Danger cleaned house, Rogers hit her with a facebuster and while the ref was confused Danger took a Double Gordbuster and pin. (***)

Danger talked backstage, holding her head in pain, with a mix of anger and sadness as she recounted all the help she’d given to Rogers, the times Rogers had slept at her house, asked for her wrestling advice, and how she’d tried to keep her fighting the good fight. She threatened to put Rogers in her place on Volume 10.

(4) Portia Perez (0-0) beat Josie (0-1) at 7:38. Both women were cheered, especially after Perez popped up with a muscle pose after an initial tussle. After being dominated by Josie’s big moves, Perez hit her with a powerful punch in the corner. While Perez showed her plucky fight, Danger mocked Perez’s astoundingly youthful looks by asking if she’s finished her homework. After kicking Josie’s head she was caught and thrown in a cradle suplex. Perez went under the ring for a chain while the referee admonished Josie and knocked her out with it for the win. Brilliant heel turn, much better than Rogers’s but the impact lessened by coming straight after. Josie had to be revived with water and helped to the back, really selling the blow. (**1/2)

Becky Bayless (TNA’s Cookie) came to the ring and invited Daffney for an interview. She got a major pop when she came out. Bayless noted that Daffney commentated on previous volumes and asked her if she had other plans. Daffney put over Shimmer and said she might wrestle soon, but for now she’ll be a manager. She left without saying who she would manage.

(5) Daizee Haze (4-4) beat Amber O’Neal (2-5) at 8:40. O’Neal shouted at a crowd member, which allowed Haze to boot her into the corner and embarrass O’Neal. She replied by dragging Haze to the mat by her hair. After a flurry from Haze, O’Neal escaped to the apron and dropped her over the top rope by her hair, then began to stretch her around the ropes and mandible clawed her in the corner. Haze eventually stunned O’Neal with a jawbreaker out of a chin hold. After the reset she picked up speed with multiple clotheslines and a Northern Lights suplex. She missed the Heart Punch and took an STO but kicked out. They struggled back and forth until Haze eventually hit the punch and then a Yakuza Kick to win. (*1/2)

Backstage, Becky Bayless asked MsChif why she would dare challenge Amazing Kong to a match. MsChif replied in her usual manner, screaming like a banshee until Bayless backed out of the screen and said she wasn’t afraid of Kong, then screamed some more for good measure.

(6) Nikki Roxx (5-2) beat Tiana Ringer (1-4) at 10:24. Really good build to this match, albeit a bit one sided. Ringer got laughed at to begin with by doing hyperbolized kung-fu poses. She tried to keep Roxx in the corner but she toe-dropped Ringer out then hit a flurry of dropkicks and a flapjack making her flee. Ringer hit a big boot to take control. She wrapped Roxx’s leg around the apron and focused her kicks on the leg as Roxx struggled. Roxx’s short bouts of control were stymied by a strike or sweep to the leg. Ringer started to do bigger moves including a massive spine buster and missile dropkick but Roxx kept kicking out. Out of nowhere Roxx ducked under an Irish whip and set up the Barbie Crusher to win. (***)

Afterward, Bayless came out to interview Roxx, who noted her winning streak and challenged the winner of the main event to a future match.

Kong was backstage telling MsChif that just because she had the third best women’s match in Japan that year (I assume she means against Yoshiko Tamura but I’m not sure), doesn’t mean she can beat Kong. Kong has a back-fist waiting for her.

(7) Lacey (0-4) beat Serena Deeb (1-2) at 15:59. Lacey took some chops to Deeb but when Deeb hit her with one she spent a while running away, which bated the crowd. Deeb landed some arm drags and then a leg drop on Lacey’s elbow before working a hammerlock. Lacey fled to the corner but Deeb ran up and did a monkey flip. She tried it in the opposite corner but Lacey fell backwards, dropping Deeb’s face onto the turnbuckle. Lacey took the opening to dominate Deeb with harsh, nasty moves and by choking her on the ropes. They reset the match with a duel spinning facebuster. Deeb got in some strikes before applying a seated abdominal stretch and throwing in some chops for good measure. Deeb missed a spear and Lacey threw her into the ring post then set up a facelock neckbreaker then reverse DDT to win. (***1/2)

(8) Amazing Kong (1-0) beat MsChif (4-3) at 12:22. One of the best matches I’ve ever seen, if only it had more time in between spots to build more pathos and suspense. During her entrance, clips of Kong’s former dominance was shown. Kong stared down MsChif the other side of the ropes. She ran into Kong straight away but couldn’t budge her, falling over herself. Kong shoulder tackled MsChif and screamed at Chif to mock her, but she roared right back. MsChif brought Kong to the ground with a Boston Crab but she escaped and threw Chif out the ring and into the crowd barrier. Back inside Kong picked up Chif for a body slam but Chif moved into a mounted sleeper. Kong started to fade but whipped her forward over her head. Kong picked MsChif up for another slam and fell to a DDT but MsChif couldn’t get the pin. Chif kept her down and beat her into the corner, then did a running Delirious inspired knee lift while selling weariness.

MsChif went for the Desecrator DDT, but Kong stood up, lifting Chif up and locking on a Torture Rack, then bending MsChif’s spine like a weights machine, slamming Chif’s feet and head into each other. Kong went to the top rope and hit a devastating missile dropkick to a standing opponent, then went for an Amazing Press and even more devastatingly MsChif rolled away so rather than taking the splash perpendicular, all of Kong’s body landed on MsChif. MsChif walked the top rope and hit a tornado DDT sending Kong to the floor. MsChif followed up with a leaping splash and took her down. She rolled Kong back inside then hit a standing moonsault but Kong kicked out.

Kong hit a number of back fist strikes and then the Implant Buster but MsChif kicked out and the crowd went wild. She even kicked out of the Amazing Bomb. Kong picked her up and began to do her backfist sequence but Chif hit her own to block it. She went for a running shoulder barge but Kong hit the final backfist then lifted her up for a spinning Amazing Bomb for the pin. The match garnered a unanimous standing ovation. (****1/2)

(9) Sara Del Rey (5-1-1) beat Cheerleader Melissa (4-2) at 19:19. They sized each other up; Del Rey was the first to strike by controlling Melissa’s head with her legs. Melissa rolled her over into a seated cloverleaf. Reversals kept coming and Del Rey worked Melissa’s arm. After a flurry of running moves from Del Rey, Melissa began a protracted attack on Del Rey’s legs in multiple holds before Del Rey eventually kicked her to the outside. Del Rey ran along the apron and missed a senton to hit the unprotected floor. Melissa bodyslammed her for good measure then back inside did some impact moves ending with a Samoan Drop.

After Del Rey kicked out, she was thrown into the corner but came back with a moonsault. This was followed by a superplex but Melissa kicked out at the last minute. Melissa reversed the Royal Butterfly into an Air Raid Crash but Del Rey took the rope break from the pin. Melissa went straight for the Kondo Clutch cloverleaf to put pressure on Del Rey’s weakened leg. After a rope break, Del Rey locked in the Royal Butterfly but her back and leg stopped her converting it into a suplex. When Melissa wouldn’t tap, Del Rey found the suplex and won but could barely get up herself after. (****)

Overall thoughts: 9.0 A few volumes ago, the main-eventers broke away from the undercard, but the undercard is starting to catch up. Combine that improvement lower down the ranks with the two magnificent final matches, particularly Kong vs. MsChif, and it’s no wonder this volume regularly fetches over $70 on eBay.

Also for those keeping score, these are the results of Vol 10:

(1) Ariel (3-1) beat Portia Perez (1-0)
(2) Rain (2-5) beat Alexa Thatcher (0-0) and Josie (0-2) and Malia Hosaka (0-2)
(3) Cindy Rogers (3-2) beat Allison Danger (4-4)
(4) Serena Deeb (1-3) beat Lexie Fyfe (3-1)
(5) MsChif (4-4) beat Amber O'Neal (2-6)
(6) Tiana Ringer (1-5) defeated Eden Black (1-0)
(7) Cheerleader Melissa (4-3) beat Lacey (3-1)
(8) Amazing Kong (2-0) defeated Daizee Haze (5-4)
(9) Sara Del Rey (6-1-1) defeated Nikki Roxx (6-2)

In Shimmer's second four-way match, Josie was about to get her first pin on Thatcher before Malia broke it up and the two brawled to the back while Rain stole the pin. Rogers continued to embarrass Danger by using the ropes to grab a pin and Deeb eked out a win by reversing Fyfe's TKO to upset the veteran. Melissa got a measure of revenge against Lacey, while Roxx reportedly proved she could hang in the big leagues. After 10 Volumes of stand-out performances and raising the bar for serious and engaging competitive women’s wrestling, Shimmer announced a tournament for Vol. 11 and 12 that would crown the inaugural Shimmer Champion.

FYI: These volumes are all sadly sold out indefinitely, but volumes occasionally crop up to be sold on the ShimmerWrestling.com forum or on eBay. Individual matches can be bought on ClickWrestle.com and all in-print Shimmer Volumes can be found at ROHStore.com.

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