By Anthony Beckingham, Women's Wrestling Specialist

SHIMMER DVD Review Series
SHIMMER Vol. 12 DVD review
June 2, 2007
Berwyn, Ill.

The culmination of ten DVDs of credible women’s wrestling, not to mention Shimmer’s first all-weekend filming, came to fruition on this DVD. It featured four women duking it out to become the inaugural champion of arguably the best current all-female wrestling promotion. The championship belt in question is an expensive-looking, plain gold belt with the Shimmer logo on all three plates, much larger in the middle.

Lacey opened the show backstage, promoting herself as one of the Final Four in the Shimmer Title tourney. She blamed her last loss against Haze on incompetent refereeing and claimed to have more wins over Haze than losses. Afterward, Haze sung to her entrance theme song about wanting the Shimmer Title and being able to beat Lacey.

(1) Josie (0-3) beat Alicia (1-1) at 6:32. Danger acknowledged Josie’s roster spot was in jeopardy due to her winless streak. Alicia did some cocky slaps and strikes, looking proud of herself until Josie body slammed her. Alicia took some time out then came back in and built up towards a side slam. Her cocky posturing allowed Josie back into the match and they went back and forth. Alicia pinned Josie with a handful of tights, but the referee reprimanded her for it. While she was arguing her case, Josie snuck a victory with a roll-up. (*)

“Dark Angel” Sarah Stock (TNA’s Sarita) said she was the only person who deserved to win the Shimmer Championship and she dared Sara Del Rey to try and stop her. Del Rey kept it short and sweet, saying she’d win whatever it took. Afterward, highlights of Vol. 1’s main event where Haze defeated Lacey were shown.

(2) Lacey (3-5) beat Daizee Haze (7-5) at 14:18 in a Shimmer Championship semi-final match. Lacey ran straight at Haze, but hit the turnbuckle and was dropkicked to the outside. Haze then threw her into the barrier. Lacey retaliated by throwing her into the crowd. She tied her through the railings and stretched her while the referee tried to get them back into the ring, being liberal with the 10-count. Lacey took her back into the ring and choked her with her flower prop that Haze always carries. She threw Haze back out and her head smacked the unprotected floor. Back inside, Haze rolled up a body slam but Lacey kicked out and clotheslined her brutally. A lifeless Haze kicked out so Lacey set up the Muta Lock, doing an elbow drop into Haze’s head before securing the hold. Haze rope breaked. Lacey took the Heart Punch but sidestepped the Yakuza Kick and reversed a second punch into a Rain style lungblower and an Implant DDT. (**)

(3) Sara Del Rey (9-1-1) beat “Dark Angel” Sarah Stock (2-0) at 19:53 in a Shimmer Championship semi-final match. A hard-fought match with a variation of good moves, but not much psychology or storytelling. The fans chanted “let’s go Sara(h)” to show their undivided support as Del Rey shoved Stock to the ground before they go for a test of strength. Both women went for the other’s legs, traded reversals, and faced off after stereo somersaults. Stock landed on her feet after a monkey flip but Del Rey hit a body block then a seated senton and a falling headbutt as she began to take control. With five minutes left Stock went up top but Del Rey pulled her off the turnbuckle into the Royal Butterfly. She failed to flip her over twice with the suplex as Stock held her own. In the dying seconds Stock went for a jumping hurracanrana, but Del Rey held on and in lieu of a powerbomb sat into a strong piledriver for the win. (***)

(4) Allison Danger (4-6) beat Cindy Rogers (4-3) at 13:12 in a Street Fight. Before the match, Rogers’s heel turn from Vol. 9 was shown, followed by highlights of their Vol. 10 brawl, which Rogers won with her feet on the ropes. Rogers came out with a long chain around her neck to compliment her biker chick look. Danger came through the crowd in street clothes and knocked Rogers down as they brawled to the ground. They threw each other head first into the barrier. Rogers put Danger inside the ring and locked in a ring post figure-four. She then put her in a Tree of Woe on the barrier, then went to the locker room for a stop sign which she dropkicked in her face. Rogers then sideswept Danger into the barrier. Danger bought some time with a rough punch or two and stomped on Rogers’s head through the sign. She took Rogers back inside the ring who toe dropped her onto a chair and then went at Danger’s knee with the chair. Rogers fetched a shovel and continued the assault on Danger’s knee. Back in the ring Rogers grabbed her chain and a tug of war ensued. Rogers charged at Danger, who went for an STO and the shock pin. Rogers sadistically choked Danger with the chain after the bell. A spluttering Danger said she proved she could win, but if Rogers had to resort to a chain then they could settle it in a Dog Collar match. (**1/2)

(5) Nikki Roxx (7-4) beat “The Jezebel” Eden Black (1-2), Portia Perez (1-2), and “Portuguese Princess” Ariel (4-2) in a Four Corners match at 9:07. After Perez worked the crowd, they all chanted for a three-on-one match as she was the only heel. She dragged Roxx to the floor but fled around the ring then tagged in to face Black. Black traded arm twists with Roxx, then was flung to the outside. Perez and Ariel got rough, then Perez pinned her while doing a strongman pose. Ariel tagged Roxx and Perez tried to escape but couldn’t tag either wrestler. Roxx finally got her hands on Perez with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but had to settle for giving the Barbie Crusher to Black for the win. (**)

(6) Rain (3-6) defeated Serena Deeb (2-3) at 9:56. Prazak talked about Deeb missing out on the tournament as she used her trademark arm drags to take the advantage on Rain. She tried spearing Rain, but went through the ropes to outside. Rain drove her into the ring post and steps. Rain dominated Deeb into the corner and went for two running double-knee strikes then stopped a comeback with a reverse DDT. With a hurt back, Deeb fired up with a kneelift and some clotheslines which piqued the crowd until Rain found a lungblower. Deeb tucked Rain in for a cradle and they rolled around the ring, both unable to find a pin. Rain stumbled around allowing Deeb to hit a boot and neckbreaker combination. Deeb went for a moonsault, but Rain picked her on her shoulders and won with the Acid Rain. (***)

(7) Cheerleader Melissa & MsChif (w/Daffney) (0-1) beat The Experience (Lexie Fyfe & Malia Hosaka) (4-0) at 18:09. MelisChif were sporting matching green and black outfits, with Daffney borrowing Melissa’s pom poms to cheer outside. The Experience didn’t hear the ring bell as they had ear plugs to block Chif’s scream. Melissa worked Fyfe’s wrist by bending it, then viciously throwing it repeatedly to the mat. Chif came in with an arm bar to further stretch Fyfe’s wrist. She then hit a suplex and rolled into an arm-trap dragon sleeper. Fyfe eventually found the tag and Hosaka stretched Melissa on the ropes then kept her grounded in the middle. She threw her head into Fyfe’s boots and they double teamed her. Fyfe put on the pendulum stretch and rocked Melissa’s head into Hosaka’s boot.

Melissa reversed an Irish whip so Hosaka booted Fyfe, then MsChif took the hot tag and they bounced Hosaka back and forth with forearms. After a sunset flip, they traded pins until Chif headbutted Hosaka. Fyfe came in and took control as they cheated and Melissa complained to a distracted referee. The Experience locked in a Boston crab and camel clutch until Melissa ploughed through them. MsChif took the hot tag and cleaned house with brutal chops, forearms, and then power moves.

MsChif hit a DVD from the top rope but Hosaka found the rope. MelisChif hit stereo curb stomps, but Fyfe sweeped MsChif’s leg during the Desecrator. Melissa hit the Air Raid Crash to Hosaka followed by an Unhallowed Grace springboard moonsault for their first win and The Experience’s first loss. (***1/2)

(8) Sara Del Rey (10-1-1) beat Lacey (4-5) at 19:36 in a Shimmer Championship Final match. This match has no time limit. Both competitors posed for a photo while holding each strap, like in Japan, but Lacey kept yanking the belt. After dueling chants from the crowd, Lacey went straight for the Implant DDT but Del Rey grabbed the ropes. Del Rey swept Lacey’s leg and put on a half Boston crab. Lacey then used a headscissors hold from the side for extra torque and showed off by doing press-ups. Del Rey was sent running, then Lacey did the splits, grabbed her ankle and rolled into a cloverleaf then a half crab until Del Rey grabbed the rope. Lacey did the splits again, but Del Rey flipped over here for a roll up pin. Lacey climbed up the turnbuckle to drive Del Rey’s head back into her knees and finished with a bulldog. Lacey rolled a neckbreaker into a dragon sleeper.

Del Rey tried to pick her up again into the Royal Butterfly but Lacey landed a chinbreaker instead. She then followed with a bridged bow-and-arrow until the rope break. Lacey cockily asked for a chop, but came back with a rake to the eyes. Del Rey was sent into the corner but blocked with a kick and came back with chops then hit a Samoan Drop. Del Rey executed a six-second suplex as she called to the crowd, finding her second wind. She hit a series of big boots, telling Lacey to get up every time.

At 18 minutes, Lacey pulled the referee in her way and he went down which gave Rain the chance to run out and hit a reverse DDT but Del Rey kicked out. Danger ran out from commentary with Roxx and picked up Rain to take her back. Lacey reversed a suplex into a lungblower. After Del Rey kicked out Lacey went for a backslide, but Del Rey flipped over her and landed the Royal Butterfly Suplex and followed it immediately with a piledriver to become the first Shimmer Champion and gain a standing ovation. (****)

Overall thoughts: 7.0. Not Shimmer's best effort, but the championship matches and the final tag match are all worthwhile efforts here. The wrestlers in the last two matches used their time wisely to slowly build up the seriousness and determination as time went on. Del Rey is a deserving champion, but Lacey really stepped up from comedy heel to a serious contender which really drove home the importance of being the Shimmer Champion. Elsewhere on the card, there is little that stands out, but that at least adds to the importance of the title.

FYI: This volumes is 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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