by Anthony Beckingham, PWTorch specialist

Well underway in the Reign of Torment, Shimmer Women Athletes hit the ground running with Vol. 19, its best volume for a while. Vol. 19 featured many more top-quality matches than previous volumes which had adhered to the, in fairness, logical booking of matches improving as the show went on. In this review, I'll look at whether Vol. 20 continues the momentum with the Perez-Danger feud starting proper, MsChif facing a more likely title contender in the Latina Sensation, and plucky underdog Serena facing the freshly-turned-heel powerhouse of Sara Del Rey.

SHIMMER DVD Review Series
SHIMMER Vol. 20 DVD review
July 5, 2008
Berwyn, Ill.

(1) Shark Girl (2-1) beat Veronika Vice (0-0) at 7:02. Vice came down to Billy Squier’s The Stroke with a funky strut, but sounded an awful lot like Mickie James’s TNA theme. Vice was cheered when she came out but she soon showed her true colors by pulling hair. Shark bit herself free but Vice did a double suplex soon after and kept control. She hit a sidewalk slam then stretched her with a backbreaker, but after going to the top rope was crotched and brought down with an iconoclasm. Sharky took control, finishing with a suplex stunner to win. Vice showed potential to begin with, but seemed green. (*)

A replay was shown of The Canadian Ninjas interrupting Danger and accusing her of being a diet-Canadian. The Ninjas came out and Perez worked the crowd in her usual manner, with Matthews warming to the heel role. Perez then went on the mic and insulted the crowd before declaring it impossible to bodyslam her.

(2) The Canadian Ninjas (Portia Perez & Nicole Matthews) (1-1) beat Allison Danger & Jennifer Blake (0-0) at 10:53. Danger bet Perez $1,000 she could bodyslam in a minute; Perez made sure it was Canadian dollars. Once the bell rang, Perez tagged out to ensure winning the bet. Danger and Matthews traded holds before Danger lost it and went after Perez, only to be scolded by the ref. After an even contest they tagged out and Perez left the ring in protest of a Blake slap. She sat down on a chair, allowing Blake to hit her with an Ole style dropkick. Perez took control with choking while Matthews distracted the ref. Blake eventually shoved Perez face first into the turnbuckle and Danger took the hot tag to take care of Matthews. Blake came back into the action and the Ninjas were Irish whipped into each other as the crowd chanted for a bodyslam. Blake’s Kenta chops looked more impressive.

Matthews raked Blake’s eye and tagged Perez while Danger was also tagged and the feuding duo met for the first time. Perez came off the ropes and kicked a bent Danger’s shoulder hard. Danger went down selling pain as the referee did a far too explicit X sign which made the re-injury of Danger’s shoulder from Melissa’s Vol. 17 Air Raid Crash obviously a work. Perez but Danger in a hold as she tapped, but carried on attacking it while Matthews threw Blake upside down into a guard rail. The cameras stayed with Danger, selling the injury well if it wasn’t for the attempt at breaking the fourth wall. (***)

(3) Amazing Kong (7-2) beat Danyah (0-0) 4:32. Fine match, but too short; Kong walked with a limp so her back issues may have been a factor. Danya sized up Kong with cautious strikes but Kong soon downed her with a lariat. Kong delivered her backslap series but Danyah flopped down before the discus came. She resisted a chokeslam only to dropkick Kong to little affect. She punched her way out of an Amazing Bomb. She tried a fireman’s carry but couldn’t pick her up leading to the Amazing Bomb. (**)

(4) Cat Power (0-1) beat Daffney (0-2) at 5:32. Daffney pulling double duty after being Shark Girl is odd considering how large the roster will soon become. Daffney played up Power’s forename by making claw mimes. Power threw Daffney down but she fought back and kicked her into the corner only to hit a running splash. After Daffney missed a leg drop, Power slammed her down and tried to bridge over a pin, but kept hold of Daffney’s leg for a horse collar stretch. After a rope break, she stayed on the weakened knee by hitting it against the ring post. Daffney hit a desperate slap but Power stomped her down and put on a figure four. She rolled it over, demanding “give up meow” but Power rolled it back and she tapped. Daffney’s empathetic babyface juxtaposed with Power’s cold arrogance. (**)

A replay was shown of veteran tag team Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew being bested by the Ohio girls, Ashley Lane and Nevaeh. With Lacey missing as part of ROH’s Age of The Fall angle, it’s up to the international contingent to repay the debt.

(5) International Home Wrecking Crew (Rain & Jetta) (1-0) beat Ashley Lane & Nevaeh (2-1) at 12:09. Jetta pointed out that an IHWC sign had coloring outside the line; she works a crowd effortlessly. Rain attacked Nevaeh from behind but Lane saved her and ran rings around Jetta. Ohio girls did a hammerlock trip and double dropkick but Rain pulled Nevaeh’s her from the apron and guillotined her on the rope. Rain tagged in, stretched Nevaeh’s shoulder and tagged Jetta by her foot; Jetta ran at Nevaeh’s shoulder and fell over only to bounce up from the bottom rope and pose victoriously.

After isolating Nevaeh, they played tug o’ war with her arms. Rain used a leg-held full nelson stretch but Nevaeh leant back to force a pin. IHWC hit a double Japanese arm drag then Jetta became vicious with a bite. At 11 minutes, Nevaeh dropped to the floor and kicked Rain out of the way. Lane came in with a flurry of moves on Jetta and Nevaeh set up the STO on Rain. Rain threw Nevaeh round by her bad shoulder to take a dropkick from Lane. Nevaeh kicked out but her crossbody was rolled over to a pin with a handful of tights while Jetta held Lane outside the ring like a bully. (***)

(6) “Portuguese Princess” Ariel (7-5) beat Nikki Roxx (9-5). A cheering contest broke out for both as Roxx put on a strong hammerlock before being bent into a bridge. Ariel dropkicked Roxx to the outside but she came back in and forced Ariel to take her own break after some strikes. An even battle broke down when Ariel used some power moves leading to Roxx using a snap belly-to-belly suplex to reset the match. Roxx ducked under Ariel’s arm, grabbed it and made a torture rack submission around her back. After falling free, Ariel hit the Three Amigos but Roxx rolled through her crossbody. Roxx picked her up in a wheelbarrow but Ariel rolled it through. They shook hands. (***)

(7) Sara Del Rey (15-2-1) beat Serena Deeb (5-5) at 16:45. Del Rey pushed Deeb into the ropes and glared. Del Rey’s single, bully moves juxtaposed Deeb’s tenacious attempts to artfully escape. Del Rey ended the back and forth with a brutal kick. She stretched Deeb in a bow and arrow, then dumped Deeb into a Tree of Woe so she could kick her knee. After a low dropkick, she stretched Deeb’s knee and stomped on it to weaken the Spear. Deeb shook off a referee stoppage only to take two Dragon Screws, a shinbreaker and a third screw.

Del Rey wrapped Deeb’s knee around the ringpost, but Deeb pushed her into the barrier. She tried the Spear, but missed and fell out of the ring. Somehow she made it into the ring, only to receive a two-handed raised choke which she rolled into a pin. After a brief attack, Deeb was put in a figure four as she emotionally crept to the ropes. After the rope break, Del Rey stomped her legs, and made her submit to a single crab. She was cheered while being helped out. (***1/2)

(8) Cheerleader Melissa (8-7) beat LuFisto (2-1) at 12:04. LuFisto, in her inimitably cute way, tried to match Melissa’s height by stepping on the ropes. Melissa tried stretches but Fisto went straight for power with a running cannonball into the corner. Melissa countered with a big boot and they brawled outside that led to another cannonball. As she climbed back in, Melissa grabbed her legs to put her in a wheelbarrow and whip her back and forth into the barrier. LuFisto rope broke an inverted cloverleaf but took a curb stomp anyway. She escaped the Kudo Driver and they set in on a stretch of back and forth strikes which popped the crowd, alongside failed shoulder barges. LuFisto hit the Michinoku Driver and a diving headbutt but Melissa kicked out. As she picked her up, Melissa used her strength to set up the Kudo Driver to win. (****)

A long highlight package was shown of Martinez becoming the first person to pin Del Rey, back on Volume 8 after five Saito suplexes. It also showed her wins on every match since her return at Vol. 17. I don’t know why the video missed out her Vol. 7 win over LuFisto, but they made the point of a five match undefeated streak.

(9) Shimmer Champion MsChif (8-6) beat Mercedes Martinez (5-2-1) at 17:03 in her second defense. MsChif tried her scream tactic but Martinez poked her eyes then sent her back with brutal chops. She whipped MsChif who came back with an Octopus Stretch which took Martinez to her knees. After breaking free, Martinez threw her around and stretched her back but MsChif punched free. Martinez fought back from a hold which worked her vulnerable shoulder with the Three Amigas, but she had to kick MsChif out to take a rest.

MsChif desperately pulled her onto the guardrail and they brawled with Martinez’s shoulder taking the ring steps. MsChif picked her up to hit the Desecrator but Martinez lifted her up on her shoulder and threw her down in a spinebuster. She followed with an insanely painful-looking bridged double-chickenwing which she then rocked for more torque, exposing the bloodied chest of Chif from those chops. Martinez tried to finish things with the Fisherman Buster but MsChif kneed her face on the way up.

After a six count, Martinez clean kicked Chif in the face. She went up top but MsChif jumped up and hit a Super DVD, which Martinez only recovered with the help of the ropes. After laying in exhaustion they stood up and Martinez once again tried her finisher but MsChif once again kneed her which put her in position for a winning Desecrator among a chanting crowd. (****)

Overall thoughts: 8.5 I don’t know if it only just happened or in the past few volumes, but it feels like the camera quality in Shimmer has improved from where the promotion started, or maybe the shows are just lit better. What is definitely true is the wrestling quality standing out. With an increasing influx of international wrestlers, match variety is improving. Also, putting the feud-driven tag match second on the card gave the opening hour of the show some real spice, then the audience recovered and before it was built back up. MsChif is showing the potential that was obviously seen in her to make her champion, though she is still not quite standing above the semi-main event.

FYI: Vol. 19 can be found, along with all other Shimmer DVDs, at ROHStore.com, with more information for live tapings and discussion available at ShimmerWrestling.com

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