By Anthony Beckingham, PWTorch specialist

What To Look Out For: Fans of tag team wrestling should be excited for Shimmer Volume 17 with three team matches booked. This includes a main event with the Shimmer Champion, who takes a rest after her fifth title defense at ROH’s Sixth Anniversary Show, to face Daizee Haze. The Home Wrecking Crew continue to stake their claim in Shimmer’s tag division as calls for a tag title increase, but the singles division receives a shot in the arm with the return of Mercedes Martinez, who spent nine months out of wrestling after shoulder surgery. Also featured is the debut of the Croatian Panther Wesna, a European powerhouse. Wesna debuts along with a host of international talent from Croatia, Canada, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

SHIMMER DVD Review Series
SHIMMER Vol. 17 DVD review
April 26, 2008
Berwyn, Ill.

(1) International Home Wrecking Crew (Rain & Jetta) (0-0) beat Danyah & Jennifer Blake (0-0) at 12:37. Lacey came out in an England football kit for Jetta but had to leave without a manager’s license. Jetta did too much comedy and botched a back body drop outside to Blake, but Danyah showed some elegance when escaping Rain’s holds. Blake sat Rain on a chair outside for a strong dropkick, but Jetta choked her from behind as they isolated her with a double Russian leg sweep. Danyah made a hot tag but Jetta broke up a pin attempt then they hit a chinbreaker/lungblower combo, with Danyah tapping out to a straitjacket. Just a bit long. (*1/2)

(2) Shark Girl (0-0) beat Nicole Matthews (0-0) at 6:58. Shark Boy’s sometimes-manager bit Matthews’s hand to open the contest. Matthews responded by beating Sharky, played by Daffney, into the corner, then she repeatedly complained about the referee’s fast five count and slow three count. Matthews elegantly delivered a Northern Lights suplex and side slam but missed a springboard, this left her exposed to being bitten on her behind. Shark mounted a comeback with a Thesz Press and a running bulldog. She followed up with a single-knee facebreaker to win; why put the comedy character over? Good match otherwise. (**)

(3) The Experience (Lexie Fyfe & Malia Hosaka) (6-1) beat Ashley Lane & Nevaeh (0-0) at 10:12. Fyfe, fresh off playing Hilrod Clinton on WWE Raw the previous week, stopped Lane’s (Madison Rayne) lucha moves with an eye-rake. She kept Lane isolated with power moves including a sit-out torture rack. Lane found a cradle pin, which they traded until she made a tag. Nevaeh was thrown into the corner and awkwardly tried to jump over Fyfe, she was caught in a wheelbarrow for an assisted Pedigree to win. (**)

(4) Amber O’Neal (2-10) beat Lorelei Lee (2-4) at 5:45. After Vol. 16 highlights were shown, O’Neal attacked Lee mid-entrance. Lee took control by leapfrogging over O’Neal then springing back up for a hurracanrana. After a near fall, Lee was crotched on the turnbuckle but when O’Neal dragged her she flipped onto her feet. After being choked on the rope, Lee tried to backslide Amber and a tug of war ensued. O’Neal found the pin and rolled over for extra leverage. The best effort so far by both. (***)

(5) Daizee Haze (8-8) beat Cindy Rogers (7-5) at 10:02. Haze never stopped selling which built the drama well. Haze wore Rogers’ biker jacket so Rogers bent Haze’s toy flowers, ruining everyone’s fun. They went to the mat early, with Haze varying holds on Rogers’s left arm then moved to strikes. Rogers backslide pin gave out due to her arm so she dropkicked Haze’s knee. Rogers stayed dominant with an inverted Sharpshooter and a ring post figure-four. Rogers set up the Tree of Woe but Haze sprang out of the turnbuckle to deliver a stunner. She couldn’t bridge a Northern Lights suplex into a pin because of her leg, but reversed a powerbomb into a sunset flip pin. (***)

(6) “Portuguese Princess” Ariel (5-4) beat Amazing Kong (5-1) at 8:15 by DQ. Ariel shoulder barged Kong but just fell over. Kong clotheslined her outside then threw her into barriers. She grabbed a chair but the referee confiscated it. Inside, Ariel jumped on the ropes for a test of strength but an unimpressed Kong slapped her to the mat and leg dropped her. Ariel kicked out of an Implant Buster then kept finding ways to reverse Kong’s moves into pins. Ariel was eventually floored by Kong’s backfist combination but took the rope break. This was the final straw for Kong who kicked the referee and gave her an Amazing Bomb. As referees flooded out to hold her back, she was fined with a suspension warning. (**1/2)

(7) Mercedes Martinez (2-2-1) beat Wesna (0-0) at 12:34. The Croatian Panther came out first, wearing a hooded gi. They shook hands then locked up but neither found advantage. After trading shoulder barges and a flurry of big moves, they backed off to reset the match for deserved applause. Martinez tried running the ropes but Wesna found an STO and a knee lock whilst slapping the Latina’s face. She threw her back down with a fireman carry toss, then wore her down with a senton and a full nelson bodyscissors. Martinez cradled in for a sit-out slam to reverse Wesna’s advantage and then combined a cloverleaf and crossface submission.

Wesna recovered with a lariat kick to a running Martinez and then a DVD. She went up top but Martinez found an underhook powerbomb. After the double down, Martinez hit the Three Amigas (two verticals and a German) then after a near fall landed a brutal fishhook brainbuster but her shoulder gave way from the bridge pin. After recovering, she hit a side backdrop then a fisherman suplex to win a terrific match. (****)

After Martinez recovered, she hugged Wesna before Becky Bayless (Cookie in TNA) came in the ring to interview Martinez. The Latina Sensation pointed out her injury occurred just prior to the Shimmer Title tournament and that Martinez is the only person to have pinned the reigning champion, so Sara Del Rey better watch her back.

(8) “Dark Angel” Sarah Stock (4-2) beat Lacey (4-7) at 17:38. Int'l Home Wrecking Crew baited the crowd before the bell rang. After the other two left, Stock and Lacey lock up intensely but Lacey immediately sulked after her first bump. Stock springboard dropkicked Lacey then showed off some athletics. Lacey sidestepped a missile dropkick, though, which gave her room for a Camel Clutch. She then tossed Stock around the ring and prevented a fightback with an inverted bow and arrow hold. They exchanged strikes until Lacey hit a brutal Russian leg sweep into the ring post outside.

Lacey continued to work Stock’s back with a camel clutch and a spear into the turnbuckle. Despite shutting down comebacks, Lacey couldn’t secure a pin and her exasperation allowed Stock to find a number of roll ups. Lacey reversed a Tiger Driver by grabbing Stock’s hair and twisting into a lungblower then elegantly floating over a TKO into a pin before lifting her into a chin hold. Stock stood up in the hold and negotiated a Northern Lights suplex. She followed with a Tiger Driver to win. (***1/2)

(9) Cheerleader Melissa & MsChif (1-1) beat Dangerous Angels (Sara Del Rey & Allison Danger) (0-0) at 24:12. Danger turned some arm-holds on MsChif into a loose Chickenwing. She further torqued her until MsChif forced a pin to escape the hold. A rolling cradle left them both dizzy and tagged out. Melissa went at Del Rey with a ground-and-pound but it was held off with a bodscissor that evolved into a Tazmission. Melissa twisted Del Rey into a rocking Surfboard Stretch and then a bodyscissor that Del Rey sold effectively, blocking it by striking Melissa down with punches and headbutts. Del Rey then tied up MsChif over the ropes and Danger speared her as the Angels tagged frequently.

After taking power moves, MsChif found respite with a brilliant Octopus Stretch that went from side to side. After losing more ground, she tagged Melissa in who grinded Danger with kicks and strikes. Del Rey broke up a double Pendulum Stretch and duelled forearms with Melissa. MsChif came in and her Code Green was somehow turned into a Dragon Sleeper by Del Rey as bedlam broke out.

Del Rey took an Air Raid Crash and then an Unhallowed Grace from MsChif which Danger broke up. As the referee broke up Danger and Melissa, MsChif hit the Desecrator and the crowd counted nine. Danger broke the pin again, before Melissa pinned her after another Air Raid Crash. (****)

Overall: 7.0 A bit of a dip in this volume. Shimmer is typically reliable for three solid main event matches, but for the first time in Shimmer, Sarah Stock didn’t quite push the envelope with her effort. However, the main event and Wesna’s debut were both solid and interesting, especially in the case of the tag team match, which played around with what can often be a tired formula very well. Kong never has a bad match, but I find it questionable to give Ariel a win over her, even by DQ, when she’s lost the flare that once made her stand out. Equally as questionable was putting the comedy character Shark Girl over Nicole Matthews, who struggles a bit with her character but performs like a pro in the ring and has a bright future.

FYI: ROHStore.com, where all in print Shimmer copies can be bought from, sold their last copy of Volume 17 last week, but Highspots.com have a few copies. All individual matches can be found on ClickWrestle.com and more info is available at ShimmerWrestling.com.

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