SHIMMER Women Athletes – Volume 28 – 8th November 2009
Interestingly, the SHIMMER roster will go into a real state of flux after this, the final event of 2009. More and more Joshi talents will start to appear, but a steady stream of talent will also depart. All three members of the International Home Wrecking Crew will depart (in Jetta’s case she’s not appeared since), as do Wesna Busic and Amazing Kong. Lexie Fyfe is already gone, whilst Malia Hosaka only has one taping left. Exciting times and uncharted waters await us as, after four years, it really feels like this is something of an ‘end of an era’ moment for SHIMMER. They’ve packed in some big matches for this one; none bigger than the pre-advertised Sara Del Rey vs Ayako Hamada dream match (which some insist still remains among SHIMMER’s best ever matches). MsChif has a colossal challenge in the main event as she defends the SHIMMER Championship against both LuFisto and Amazing Kong. Nicole Matthews meets Allison Danger in a grudge match, as do Daffney and Rachel Summerlyn. Kellie Skater and Cat Power get serious chances to progress their careers with matches against Cheerleader Melissa and Mercedes Martinez respectively, whilst the Nikki Roxx vs Wesna match could steal the show if given enough time too. Dave Prazak and Allison Danger are our hosts once again – and as usual we are taped in Berwyn, IL.
Malia Hosaka vs Ariel
‘Lexie Fyfe on a Stick’ once again accompanies Malia to ringside for this. These two women enjoyed contrasting fortunes at Volume 27, with Hosaka beating Tenille as Ariel dropped her rematch against Cat Power. These two are SHIMMER veterans at a time of real flux on the roster, as I’ve just discussed in my introduction. Both women face a stark choice – adapt or make way. Who leaves the final event of 2009 with a moral-boosting victory?
Malia appears to have lost her marbles and now performs under the full-on delusion that ‘Lexie on a Stick’ is her actual tag partner. Fake Lexie’s presence, and her earlier victory over Tenille, have filled her with confidence…which Ariel does her best to extinguish using her power. Malia dislikes that so much she actually tags in Lexie on a Stick to no avail. She even tosses ‘Lexie’ into the ring…so Ariel pins her AND THE REF COUNTS TWO! Hosaka uses the stick to choke Ariel…prompting the ref to presumably count for an illegal double team and choke rather than an automatic DQ for weapon use? Even I’m confused about what’s real anymore, but it is infinitely more entertaining than Hosaka’s usual matches. Malia hits a miserable version of an F-5 and tries to get Stick Lexie to cover! The referee has had enough and EJECTS LEXIE ON A STICK! He literally carries ‘her’ to the locker room as Hosaka protests. She starts outright cheating now, choking and gouging the eyes of the Portuguese Princess who has now been on the back foot for several minutes. She goes for a hopeless Dariel only to be kicked to the ground by the veteran. Malia misses her signature heel kick though, and walks into the Dariel from nowhere! It’s a critical victory for the Portuguese Princess at 09:07
Rating - ** - A generous 2* on this, because the comedy stuff with ‘Lexie on a Stick’ was very funny and drew lots of laughs. In truth they went on far too long after her ejection (or, alternatively, ejected her too early and didn’t do enough with the gag) and it all got a bit boring. I criticised Ariel after her loss at V27 for becoming stale, and it’s a criticism which could be levelled at Hosaka too. The pressure is very much on for both of these two women to evolve and come up with something new as we go into 2010 if they want to retain their spots.
Kimberly Kash vs Melanie Cruise
This is a main-show debut for Kash, who had impressed during multiple pre-show ‘Sparkle’ dark matches and finally makes the step up. Unless she adopts another gimmick that I’m not aware of, this is also her only main show appearance – and in fact I’m struggling to find a record of her competing anywhere after 2009. She faces the imposing Melanie Cruise, who will want to show how she’s developing under the tutelage of Wesna Busic and Annie Social.
Kash has a clear strategy to take out the legs, and annoys Cruise with a couple of early takedowns. Melanie emphatically puts her down with a swinging front slam. More raw power comes moments later as she legit muscles her foe into a swinging sidewalk slam as well. She hits ‘Cruise Control’, her spinebuster finisher, to take a dominant win at 01:58
Rating - N/A - I don’t know enough about Kash to comment on whether this was a waste of her potential or not. From the little we saw here she looked rather unpolished, but the purpose here was to put Cruise over, and in that regard this was just fine. I’m interested to see what SHIMMER do with Melanie in 2010 after Wesna retires. It doesn’t really feel like the Cruise/Wesna/Annie stable has really gotten started yet.
Sassy Stephie/Kacey Diamond vs Ashley Lane/Nevaeh
I believe this is a main show debut for Stephie and Diamond too, although again they’ve bounced around Sparkle dark matches for some time. They face the former SHIMMER Tag Champions, who didn’t rebound well from losing the belts to the Canadian NINJAs and lost at V27 to Wesna and Melanie Cruise. The Ohio Girls know that victory over the proudly French (Canadian) Kacey – who brings along manager Mademoiselle Rachelle with her – and fellow Ohio native Stephie is imperative if they want back into the title picture.
Is it racist that Diamond is instantly a heel based almost entirely on the fact she vocally speaks in French during her entrance? Apparently Lane knows enough French to piss her off, meaning she starts in a foul mood. She lures Ashley into the corner where Sassy can illegally work the arm almost from the bell. She gets too confident though…and without looking starts accidentally working over her own partner’s arm, whilst Lane points and laughs from the outside. Nevaeh looks for some payback by going after Stephie’s arm as Prazak talks up her familiarity with the former Tag Champs after the time on the Ohio scene. She rakes Lane’s eyes and then it’s Kacey’s turn to take some illegal cheap shots from the apron. The debutants don’t pull out anything too ambitious and make a few naïve errors, but for the most part do a commendable job drawing heat and getting the crowd into their isolation of Ashley. Diamond actually has some fierce strikes on her…but inexperience and enthusiasm counts against her when Lane connects with a modified (i.e. messed up) neckbreaker for 2. In comes Neveah with a bridging German on Stephie for 2! Curse Of Curves puts Sassy away at 09:04
Rating - ** - Is it just me or did the debuting team just do a really good job? They didn’t do anything complicated, lacked some cohesion, and the success of their act is predicated on how much you can look past Kacey’s French-Canadian gimmick…but they were solid in there. They got good heat, they didn’t massively mess anything up, Stephie had some charisma whilst Diamond threw around some painful looking strikes. Credit to Lane and Nevaeh for being so generous and giving them so much (so generous that I’d argue that even in victory the former Tag Champs don’t get much out of this) but the newcomers were the story here. Arguably they helped produce one of the more enjoyable Ohio Girls matches in SHIMMER history. I’m actively surprised that, as far as I can see, this is Diamond’s only main show appearance.
Amber Gertner catches up with a smiling Cheerleader Melissa, discussing her recent success and plans for main events and championships in the future. They are interrupted by Kellie Skater, who wants to know when her ‘interview time’ is. She apparently doesn’t know who Melissa is, but does know that as a ‘Rate Tank’ she is ‘virtually indestructible’…a theory Melissa plans to test when they meet in the ring later.
Wesna Busic vs Nikki Roxx
The Croatian Panther will be locking horns with a frustrated Nikki Roxx here. She dominated the V27 main event against champion MsChif, but made a costly error in the closing stages and succumbed to defeat just when victory appeared within her grasp. Title shots are hard to come by in SHIMMER, and she needs to put together high profile victories if she wants another one. A win over the fearsome Wesna would be a good place to start…
Roxx seems happy to engage Busic in an exchange of chain wrestling, but Wesna is more than a match for her in that regard…and uses her skills to work Nikki into positions where she can land some of her signature big strikes. The hard-hitting style of the Croatian Panther is a stern test of Roxx’s toughness – and one she shows she’s up for by retaliating with a flurry of big hits back in Wesna’s direction. Busic doesn’t like that at all so double stomps her in the gut for 2. She tries to choke Roxx out with a sleeper but yet again Nikki shows her resilience. More kicks take out Busic’s leg, and as she slumps in the corner Nikki lands a running hip attack for 2. MAFIA KICK in the corner by Wesna, followed by a big Samoan drop. ELBOW DUEL! Busic calls time on that by dropping Nikki with a flatliner. Tiger Driver blocked…German suplex blocked…Roxx rolls Wesna up for three! 10:20 was your time
Rating - *** - I feel a little bad for Nikki, because this is the second time this weekend that it’s felt like she’s not been given enough time and the match she delivered felt like a small portion of what could have been a much more rewarding bigger story. What we got here was fun, with Wesna pulling out her usual tough guy act, only to find Nikki more than a match for her no matter what she tried. In the end Busic just couldn’t find a way to drop a bomb from her huge arsenal before being out-smarted by the now-experienced Roxx who snuck in a roll-up for a huge victory. It was certainly a very low key manner for Wesna to end her SHIMMER run. She hasn’t always been the most consistent but when she’s been ‘on’ (i.e. her classic with Melissa at V26) she’s been top quality, and she brings the kind of ‘big fight’ intimidatory persona which is very hard to replicate.
Rachel Summerlyn comes to the ring next, looking for answers as to why her ‘friend and mentor’ Daffney abandoned her in their match against the Home Wreckers at V27. Daffney herself interrupts (now using her TNA look and music), calling her a garbage worker who only knows ‘thumb tacks and light tubes’ before sucker punching her with the mic. They have a brief match, which ends as quickly as it starts when Daff chokes Rachel out using the ropes and is disqualified. She has to be pulled off of Summerlyn – and clearly this issue isn’t finished. Despite a notional victory Rachel leaves in tears…
SIDENOTE – Instantly Daffney becomes more interesting than she has done at any point in her SHIMMER tenure thus far, and elevates Summerlyn as a result too. I’ve constantly stated that she is a worthwhile booking to SHIMMER because she is a recognisable name and although her persona is completely marmite, you are always guaranteed a reaction with her. During Rachel’s promo fans were disinterested and disconnected. The second Daff got out there the mood changed and, just like when she walked out on their tag match, the fans rallied behind Rachel. The big question is, will Daffney bring her working boots to SHIMMER and actually pay off this angle with a worthwhile match…
International Home Wrecking Crew vs Jessie McKay/Tenille
McKay is really starting to build some genuine support from the Berwyn audience, particularly after her brave performance against Sara Del Rey at Volume 27. Therefore putting her in there with the walking heat magnets that are the Home Wreckers is a smart call. Jetta and Rain have become a strong tag team unit since Lacey’s retirement and come into this after a big win over the Ohio Girls last time out. Can the plucky, feisty but inexperienced young Australians find a way to outsmart and overcome the shenanigans, horseplay and rule-breaking of the three Home Wreckers?
There are shenanigans a-plenty before the bell ensuring we have a lively crowd by the time we finally get underway (with Jetta and Rain attacking the Australians from behind). The Australian team retort by faking tandem dives then laughing as the Home Wreckers cower and skulk for cover. Jetta takes a beating from ‘Tenacious T’ (the nickname Allison has given to Tenille), before eating a wheelbarrow senton from ‘J-Mack’ (the nickname Prazak has given Jessie) for 2. Rain comes to her partner’s aid by grabbing a handful of McKay’s hair and tossing her across the ring. Jetta cracks me up by bouncing around doing kangaroo impersonations whilst slapping Jessie in the face! Even Prazak wants Jetta to ‘go home’ after that. McKay starts trying roll-ups in an attempt to escape with an unlikely victory but is quickly shut down by more IHWC double teaming. Rain tries her moonsault for the second time at the taping (this time from the second rope after missing at V27)…but misses it once again! Hot tag to Tenille gets a big pop…and the future Emma storms in with a roaring elbow on Jetta for 2. Rain jumps her from behind, so eats stereo roundhouse kicks from the Aussies. School Girl Crush gets 2! German suplex by Jetta! T-BONE ON MCKAY! DOOMSDAY ACID RAIN ON TENILLE! The Home Wreckers score the win at 11:00
Rating - *** - I liked this one as well! None of the wrestling was particularly special (though that Doomsday Acid Rain finish was awesome), so the success of this was almost entirely down to the personalities of the five women involved. The Crew are so entertaining as loud-mouthed heels. Since the very first show Lacey and Rain have stood out as some of the most watchable heels on the roster, and bringing Jetta into the fold as a stable only enhanced that. Therefore it’s pretty sad that this is the last time we’ll see them. Jetta retired in 2010 (though as of 2018 now wrestles actively in the UK again), but Rain’s disappearance is a little harder to explain. She was part of Mexico’s AAA promotion until the summer of 2010 which probably limited her availability, but she continued to wrestle actively (and was even champion of Floridian sister promotion SHINE for a time)...so perhaps Dave felt there wasn’t a spot for her once the Joshi talent (plus the likes of Madison Eagles and Saraya Knight) start appearing regularly. Jessie McKay has enjoyed a good weekend, first with a strong showing against Sara and here delivering a very decent babyface performance as a counterpoint to the heel hijinx of the Home Wreckers. Tenille is less capable, but was kept on the apron for the majority and competently did all that was asked of her. This one definitely exceeded my expectations.
The Home Wreckers say goodbye with a lovably uncoordinated dance-off, then head for the locker rooms. They are an act I’ll really miss at future SHIMMER events…
Kellie Skater vs Cheerleader Melissa
This is a match that Kellie’s big mouth talked her into. She acted the fool backstage and drew the ire of Melissa, who is notoriously tough and also on a three-show winning streak right now. She is in pursuit of main events and title shots, but in the process has also made something of a reputation for bludgeoning young up and comers – as Alexa Thatcher and Jennifer Blake discovered to their peril. Can the Rate Tank (who continues to impress even if she’s struggling to pick up wins) pull off one of the biggest upsets in SHIMMER history tonight?
Skater is so confident she demands a brief moment after the bell rings to get some final push-ups in, then she steals Melissa’s pompoms to mock her with. The ‘you gonna die’ gasp from the Berwyn fans is quite something. Cheerleader shoves her to the ground so violently that she decides to take a time out on the floor. SLAP TO MELISSA! Then she pokes her in the eyes…so the Cheerleader almost breaks her arm with a shoulder tackle. CHOP DUEL! Kellie doesn’t back down! She pokes Melissa in the eyes again before putting the boots to her in the corner. LARIAT ON HER NECK! The Cheerleader looks in a destructive mood…so Skater once more flees. WHEELBARROW INTO THE RAILING BY MELISSA! SHE WON’T STOP! She goes all around ringside battering the Rate Tank’s skull into the barriers as the crowd roars her on. Such is the force of those blows that she knocks some of the lighting out, yet still Kellie kicks out. Lucha rope run super rana COUNTERED TO A POWERBOMB! KUDO DRIVER! Melissa wins at 07:11
Rating - *** - She’d already won me over, but I think if anyone had any doubts about Skater’s future in SHIMMER this was the performance that cemented her spot. She was entertaining, she filled the room with her personality, she was impeccable in her execution and she earned people’s respect with her toughness. Melissa is now well established as one of the biggest badasses on the roster, so to take a beating like this from her is something akin to ‘earning her stripes’. Melissa is now on a four match undefeated run and looks poised to make a play to challenge her old rival MsChif for the SHIMMER Title, assuming her on/off tag partner survives Kong and LuFisto tonight.
Cat Power vs Mercedes Martinez
By this point Cat has been lurking at the bottom end of the SHIMMER roster for sometime. Her emphatic win over Ariel at the last show, avenging her debut loss to the Portuguese Princess, seemingly signalled her intent to start climbing the ranks. The Latina Sensation therefore represents a significant step up in quality, making this a huge opportunity for Power. Can she add her name to the likes of Madison Eagles, Kellie Skater, Nicole Matthews, Portia Perez, Jessie McKay and more whom are really starting to breakout as the next generation of SHIMMER talent?
Power’s strategy appears to be to keep Mercedes on the ground where her power, brawling and striking games are negated. Dave talks up her ability to hang with the biggest names in SHIMMER, giving the impression he has high hopes for her. Martinez demonstrates why she has been in and around the main event scene since SHIMMER began by smartly creating some distance then instantly using it to build some momentum and level Power with a few strikes. They look formidable, meaning Cat’s ability to withstand them before smartly taking her back to the canvas with a backbreaker is equally impressive. CROSSFACE STRIKES BY MARTINEZ! Great camera work on that means we are looking down the barrel as she f*cking hammers Power’s face! But again Power stands strong, going after the back again with a double knee strike. Martinez is soon carrying an injury – and her back gives out on her as she attempts a body slam giving Power the chance to counter into an inverted DDT. Prazak lets slip that the Latina Sensation has been struggling with back issues in recent months, making Power’s attack all the more purposeful. Mercedes rallies with a tornado DDT out of the corner, only to find herself in as much pain as the recipient of the move. Back-selling spinebuster eventually follows for 2…so Power hangs her in a tree of woe and uses her LIKE A SCRATCHING POST! Lion (Big Cat?) Tamer applied to leave Martinez screaming in pain. Cat Nap blocked…BULL RUN! Mercedes wins at 10:57
Rating - *** - Hands down the best Cat Power has looked inside a SHIMMER ring thus far. The V27/28 tapings have marked a huge step forward for her, as she finally looks to have found a comfortable blend of the moderate ‘feline’ comedy stuff whilst also getting herself over as a credible worker in her own right. Her execution wasn’t always perfect here, but none of the slips were major or enough to distract you from the action. In a completely different way to Kellie Skater in the last match, this felt like a star-making showing for Power. She capably hung with an established top name like Mercedes, she was believable in taking the match to her, and proved herself ready for a more prominent spot in future. Meanwhile Martinez is up there as one of the MVP’s of the weekend. Her match against Hamada at V27 was great, and she follows that up with a sterling job elevating a rising star at V28.
Nicole Matthews vs Allison Danger
The feud between Danger and Perez still rages, but has gone on the backburner this weekend since Portia is stuck in Canada with ‘the Swine Flu’. After she objected to Allison trashing her fellow Tag Champion at Volume 27, Danger now challenges Portia’s fellow Canadian NINJA to a singles match. It won’t be an easy task, as Matthews looks better and better with each passing show right now, and can already be regarded as a dangerous opponent in singles competition. However, Danger proved with her win over Kellie Skater at V27 that she is back to her best having missed some ring-time after giving birth to her daughter.
Even Matthews, who is normally very outspoken and brash, looks fired up for this. It actually proves to be her undoing as she runs at Allison, gets tripped into the bottom rope then Curb Kicked right out of the ring. Big strikes and verbal barbs are traded on the floor, again at an entirely appropriate level of intensity and hatred given what we’ve seen between Danger and Portia Perez. Nicole aka ‘The Lariat’ whips her rival sternum-first into the steel steps then sets about softening Allison up as much as possible for Portia. She rocks Danger with some really hard shots then gets two with a running corner dropkick. Want to know how much she has rocked the veteran? Allison actually tries a sneak pinning cradle in the hope of simply escaping with a win. Backbreaker into a bow and arrow next as the NINJA presses home her advantage. Danger has eventually seen (and heard) enough, slapping Matthews hard in the face then dragging her to the ground with an STO. Big elbows to the throat in the corner…then close-range knee strikes…THEN HEADBUTTS! Nicole ducks for cover and pulls referee Laura Mattano into Danger’s path as she swings another elbow! Down goes the referee…LARIAT BY NICOLE! Referee Daizee Haze slides into replace Laura and counts to two! Matthews tries to use one of the SHIMMER Tag Title belts as a weapon, and as Haze confiscates it she pulls out the other belt (she’s been carrying Portia’s belt about all weekend too!). A running title belt shot floors Allison, giving Matthews arguably the biggest win of her SHIMMER career at 08:35
Rating - *** - I didn’t particularly care for the overbooked finish, although objectively I can see why it was included given the strength of feeling and level of hatred involved in the Danger/Portia feud. Thankfully before that these two women got the tone absolutely right and delivered a hell of a smash-mouth brawl. No weapons were used, but everything they did was intense, hard-hitting and completely befitting of a ‘grudge match’. After initially being Portia Perez’s #2, Nicole’s recent performances against Daizee, Melissa and now Allison have elevated her to a serious player in her own right.
Matthews smirks and makes Daizee Haze repeatedly lift her arm to signify her win. She then heads to the locker room and proudly proclaims that she ‘did her job’ in beating Danger and sending a message ahead of Portia’s return to SHIMMER.
Sara Del Rey vs Ayako Hamada
She might not be champion anymore, but to many Sara remains the ‘ace’ of SHIMMER. A star since day one, rarely beaten, always impeccable inside the ring, and now sporting a dangerously bad attitude; Death Rey remains the measuring stick for all major names coming through this promotion. When it was announced that the first Joshi star (albeit one who spends plenty of TNA-funded time in the US without being particularly well-used) was coming to SHIMMER, there was no doubt who was top of everyone’s wishlist as an opponent. Hamada debuted with a hell of a match and a big win over Mercedes Martinez. A win over Del Rey would take her 2-0 and give her the strongest opening weekend from an international talent we’ve seen since Sarah Stock beat Melissa and MsChif during the tournament to crown the inaugural champion.
Del Rey kicks aside Hamada’s offer of a handshake then attacks her from behind to get us started. She swarms the Joshi star early then tries to choke her out on the mat…only for Hamada to instantly counter to an anklelock. She tightrope walks along the top into the SOMERSAULT lucha armdrag, followed by an axe kick with such force that Sara thinks about walking out. She comes back with a steel chair…and after a few wild swings and misses, eventually does crack Hamada across the face with it. Just like her Tag Title match with Kong against the Ohio Girls, she’s disqualified at 03:24. Death Rey rants that she ‘built this company’ and puts the boots to the foreign star…except Hamada gets up and yells that she’s ‘NOT FINISHED’. Bryce Remsburg agrees with her, and restarts the match under No DQ rules! The buzz of the audience is immense, and the two athletes instantly brawl out amongst them! They trade elbows…until Hamada FLOORS Sara with a superkick. HEAVY FLOOR CHAIR SWUNG INTO DEL REY’S HEAD! The thudding clunk of that sounded grotesque! Amazingly Del Rey isn’t dead, and retaliates by literally throwing Ayako AT fans! People scatter like pigeons as the two competitors fight wildly all over the building. Hamada thinks about a moonsault off the apron – but Del Rey has it scouted and pulls her back down for a slingshot into the ring steps. Mafia kick THROUGH an open chair gets 2 for the ‘home’ athlete. CHAIR SUPERKICK BY HAMADA! UNPROTECTED CHAIR SHOT TO THE SKULL! WILD THING CHAIR SHOT TO THE FACE! Hamada is on fire, then scales the ropes for a CHAIR-ENFORCED MOONSAULT! SARA KICKS OUT! GERMAN SUPLEX gets 2 for Sara! Royal Butterfly blocked with a SHOTEI! Hama-Chan Cutter blocked…so Hamada counters Sara’s missile dropkick and hits a powerbomb! AP CROSS DIAMOND…FOR 2! STEREO YAKUZA KICKS send both fatigued women to the mat! Legs buckling and bodies swaying, they rise from the canvas still trying to stiff lumps out of each other. Spinning heel kick by Ayako…before Del Rey gets her feet up on another moonsault. JUMPING PILEDRIVER NAILED! SARA WINS! 15:22 (total) is your time.
Rating - **** - I didn’t quite put this in MOTYC territory, but a clear match of the weekend and an unreal spectacle to witness. We haven’t seen scenes like this in SHIMMER since Cheerleader Melissa and MsChif fought out into the streets all the way back at Volume 4, meaning since this doesn’t happen very often it felt extremely unique and special. The atmosphere inside the Eagles Club was fantastic too. I don’t often agree with gimmicky over-booked stuff, but the fake finish tease early REALLY fired the fans up. It was a risk, but the place went nuts when Bryce restarted it, and the fact that they cranked the intensity up multiple notches and went straight into the crowd after that meant they retained that energy pretty much for the remainder. Sara Del Rey is an absolute animal; the biggest compliment you can pay her is that even against an established Joshi star, and even after getting a chair MOONSAULTED into her face she was still completely relatable as a female terminator marching through Ayako’s offence trying to straight-up murder her. Clearly the match of the weekend, capping off a phenomenal debut for Hamada – who will become a fixture on the SHIMMER roster for the next few years.
MsChif vs LuFisto vs Amazing Kong – SHIMMER Title Match
I believe this is the first time multiple combatants have contested a SHIMMER Championship Match. This all came about at Volume 27 when Daizee Haze made a match between LuFi and Kong to determine the #1 contender…then gave them both a title shot when their uncontrollable brawl led to them both being counted out. As a video package shows, the champion has history with both of her opponents. It was only two Volumes ago that MsChif was successfully defending her title against LuFisto (a hard-fought affair which also yielded a protracted brawl sequence on the floor), and her war with Kong back at V9 remains an iconic SHIMMER match (albeit she wound up on the losing side). After an amazing title reign which seems to have stretched on forever does she have enough left in the tank to survive what has to be her toughest test? Elimination rules apply, meaning she quite literally has to get past two of the most violent ladies on the roster to retain the belt.
Luck favours the Champion, since Kong and LuFisto are still so pissed off at each other they instantly brawl to the floor where Fisto gets wiped out on the guardrails. Just like at V9 Kong tries to snap MsChif with a torture rack…but this time there’s another woman involved meaning Lu can make a save. TOPE SUICIDA from LuFi to MsChif! Kong wants to dive as well…prompting both of her opponents to sprint for their lives! Michinoku Driver from Lu to the champ! FLYING GHANA-REA by Chif, only to have her pin broken by a Kong leg drop. Lu and MsChif increasingly start teaming up on Kong to take her out, with LuFi softening her up for the Panic Attack, then Chif’s standing moonsault. LuFisto terminates that alliance by attempting the Burning Hammer…but walks into the BACK FIST! AMAZING BOMB! Kong eliminates her at 04:32. We are down to two, and we do get the much-requested Volume 9 rematch at last! PANIC ATTACK IN THE GUARDRAILS! But Amazing K swats her attempt at a dive off the apron aside and drops her with the Implant Buster. Gateway To Annihilation scores for the game champ, who is getting in far more offence than she managed last time. AMAZING BOMB…GETS 2! CODE GREEN! Kong kicks out! Back Fist by Kong…NO SOLD! LARIATOOOO FOR 2! Chif attacks her challenger in the corner as she sets up the Amazing Press…SUPER RANA NAILED! DESECRATOR! BUT KONG KICKS OUT! Nobody has ever kicked out of that! She tries it again…COUNTERED TO A SPINNING AMAZING BOMB! MSCHIF GRABS THE ROPES! That move beat her last time! Kong tries one more Amazing Bomb, but it’s countered to a FLYING MID-AIR DESECRATOR! How is that possible?! MSCHIF WINS! SHE PINS KONG! It’s over at a blink-and-you-missed-it 10:34
Rating - **** - Look, I won’t pretend I don’t still have some problems with this. That awesome finish proved by point that what we really wanted was Kong/MsChif II. BUT, despite LuFisto’s lovable but unnecessary presence, and despite not going very long, this was an electrifying little main event and one of my favourite MsChif title defences. I was in the minority that thought the first Kong/MsChif encounter at Volume 9 was a little over-rated. I really liked it, but it’s not amongst my contenders for ‘best SHIMMER match ever’ like some had it. There were points in this I enjoyed even more than the original. I love how they kept referencing back to that match; not just tipping their hat to the previous bout, but actually using those references to show how being champion for two years has made MsChif grow as a performer. She kicked out of moves that beat her previously. She countered spots she’d fallen victim to last time. She got in substantially more offence than she could back then. The finishing sequence, with Kong becoming the first woman to kick out of the Desecrator, MsChif innovating a new version of it in mid-air, then becoming the first woman to pin Kong in SHIMMER was utterly outstanding. It would be easy to sleep on this main event. It doesn’t go long, it has LuFisto in it when she just isn’t needed, and MsChif has been a hard working but hit-or-miss champion anyways. But, they blew expectations out of the water. If you do have a subscription to the new SHIMMER streaming service check this one out. It’s ten minutes of your life, and it’s heaps of fun.
The beaten Kong rises to her feet and squares up to MsChif…but then offers her a respectful, sportsmanlike pat on the shoulder then walks away.
SIDENOTE – I don’t think it was necessarily intended to be, but that is a hell of a way for Kong to depart the regular roster. She does make a couple more appearances, but they are sporadic and brief amongst her multiple TNA runs, a WWE contract, Joshi commitments and eventual apparent in-ring retirement. She leaves behind a stellar body of work, particularly in her earlier outings. Sadly in recent shows she has been heavily managed, with reported restrictions on what she could do, inability to put people over and so forth – meaning she’s been hidden in tag and multi-person matches, or relegated to the bottom of the card squashing people, rather than delivering world class main events. Regardless she remained a big name, marketable draw and superstar presence on the roster, and will be badly missed even amongst the forthcoming Joshi invasion.
Tape Rating - *** - One of my favourite Volumes for a while. There isn’t a bad match on the card (even the usually troublesome undercard problems are mitigated well) and it builds to exciting and extremely memorable back-to-back main events which are well worth checking out. Del Rey/Hamada is one of SHIMMER’s wildest, uncontrolled matches to date; a ferocious fight going all over the building that had the live reports listing it as one of the promotion’s best ever matches (I wouldn’t go that far but it is great). Then the main event sees the end of an era as Kong’s ‘never-been-pinned’ SHIMMER streak comes to a spectacular end as she and MsChif riffed off their classic V9 encounter with spectacular results. Throw in young talents proving just how bright the future of the promotion is (Kellie Skater, Cat Power, Jessie McKay and Nicole Matthews), an intriguing new storyline emerging between Daffney and Rachel Summerlyn and a well-booked mix of styles and performers – this is the most complete show SHIMMER have delivered in some time.
Top 3 Matches
3) Cheerleader Melissa vs Kellie Skater (***)
2) MsChif vs LuFisto vs Amazing Kong (****)
1) Sara Del Rey vs Ayako Hamada (****)