McXal's Reviews

To briefly recap where we left off at the Spring 2011 tapings, Madison Eagles is still clinging onto the World Title showing flashes of brilliance alongside paranoia and insecurity as challengers close in around her. The villainous Daizee Haze and Tomoka Nakagawa captured the SHIMMER Tag Titles from the popular Seven Star Sisters (then went off to defend the belts in ROH). The Knight Dynasty debuted at the last tapings, bringing violence and chaos to every match they were involved in (sadly Rebecca Knox doesn't return as their manager for this weekend). Serena Deeb is #1 contender to the SHIMMER Title, but is still embroiled in a bitter rivalry with Portia Perez. Nicole Matthews ended her rivalry with Jessie McKay at the last tapings, and continues to climb the card by impressing in high profile singles matches. The Joshi invasion is well underway and, perhaps more crucially, SHIMMER have started developing stars at a real pace with Athena, Christina Von Eerie, Kellie Skater, Courtney Rush, Leva Bates, Mia Yim and more all filling out the undercard with serious potential. We return to the Eagles Club this weekend with even more new talent lined up. Kana, now better known as WWE's Asuka and acknowledged by many at this time as arguably the best Joshi worker in the world, makes her hotly anticipated debut, with Yumi Ohka also coming in for her first shows. North American indy scene workers Hailey Hatred and Kalamity are booked for the first time, and a youngster by the name of Davina Rose also comes in, years before she'd go on to become Bayley in the WWE. Volume 44, the final show of this taping, is often singled out as one of the best SHIMMER shows ever, and this whole weekend is so packed that it received rave reviews. Volume 41 kicks us off, featuring Madison Eagles defending the SHIMMER Title against Serena Deeb, Sara Del Rey welcoming the debuting Ohka, Kana looking to destroy a young Mia Yim, Cheerleader Melissa looking to do the same to a young Britani Knight (Paige), Ashley Lane returning to battle her former tag partner Nevaeh, Nicole Matthews and Hiroyo Matsumoto locking horns in one of the most intriguing matches of the entire weekend, and a grudge British Rounds showdown between Allison Danger and Saraya Knight. Dave Prazak is on commentary with Portia Perez in Berwyn, IL.

A car is shown arriving at the Eagles Club - with Kana being driven to the building (instantly making her seem like a superstar). Sara Del Rey tries to welcome her but is completely ignored...

This is SHIMMER original Nikki Roxx's final weekend. Given that she didn't retire until 2013 and worked for SHIMMER's sister promotion SHINE a few times, I assume it hasn't been announced as such. She started on the very first Volume as an undercard talent but through hard work battled into the main event scene whilst also becoming a recognisable face on TNA television. The fact that she is back down at the bottom of the card tells you much about how her career has progressed in recent tapings. Skater, is an old hand at opening SHIMMER shows by this point. Nikki's tag partner Ariel is in her corner, and she is another SHIMMER original dropping off the roster after this weekend it seems. The Rate Tank regularly gets some of the biggest responses from the SHIMMER crowd, and despite some valiant performances rarely secures the type of high profile victory which would see her rise from the bottom...

Fans are actually joining in with Kellie's prolonged ring introductions now. She brings a whole bag with her this afternoon which contains weights, protein shakes and a fitness magazine which happens to feature Nikki Roxx apparently. Having stalled by looking through her bag, the Rate Tank continues to avoid confrontation by leaving the ring to drink some water too. All the stalling and posturing works as it puts her in a position to sucker punch Nikki then start pounding on her in the corner. Roxx counters an attempt at a body slam into a reverse DDT for 2...but Skater shows impressive resilience to come back, punt her between the shoulder blades and apply a leg full nelson. She then LEG DROPS Nikki's fitness magazine across the chest and neck! Elbows by Nikki, followed by a mafia kick in the corner for 2. Skater blocks the Barbie Crusher into a judo throw for 2...but then misses a roundhouse kick to the neck. Roxx capitalises with a roll-up to snatch a win at 07:27

Rating - ** - This was a smart choice to open the show. Nikki is popular with the SHIMMER fans, and Skater is as entertaining as anyone on the roster. At this point, Kellie's gimmick is so prominent that I feel like people might miss how good a worker she has become. She is actually much better than just working the comedy stuff now, but is SO good with this Rate Tank gimmick it's hard to move past it. As it's Nikki's last weekend I feel like Skater should have gone over...but from the point of view of Kellie's character development I'm not sure that made sense. Roxx is a TV star and 'main event' level competitor in SHIMMER. Skater has been losing to talents of that calibre regularly, so to suddenly jump to beating Nikki in seven minutes would've felt sudden. Instead I thought the finish was smart, in that we saw Kellie blocking Nikki's signature finish, with the veteran instead having to grab a flash pin just to escape the Rate Tank. Assuming there is a pay-off and Skater does finally get that big 'break-out' moment, I'm fine with taking a long-term approach to get there...

EARLIER TODAY - Kana enters the building and sneers at Cheerleader Melissa as she tries to introduce herself. That is now two SHIMMER main event players she has pissed off...

Making her SHIMMER debut is Davina Rose, a young kid in her early 20's who would go on to become a hugely significant player in WWE's 'women's revolution' as Bayley. At this point she was a few years into her training, and other than not having the ponytail she doesn't look a whole lot different to her look as of writing in 2019. Martinez has a reputation for not taking it easy on these new kids coming into SHIMMER. She is continually in the hunt for the SHIMMER Championship, but out of the title picture after her loss to Madison at the last taping so needs to start racking up the wins again.

No fear from Rose (it feels so weird not calling her Bayley) as she sprints right at the Latina Sensation and goes right for a flurry of pinfalls. Martinez ends that sequence by splattering her face-first into the canvas. Next she slaps Davina in the face, before pummelling her in the corner with elbows and chops. Prazak and Portia are putting over how Davina includes Serena Deeb as one of her mentors, of course drawing the ire of Portia. Rose counters a slam from Mercedes into an Edge-O-Matic for 2, showing that she is still very much up for the fight. Martinez has seen this before and easily steps out of an attempted sunset flip to hit a diving dropkick - yet another strike into Davina's face. She chops Rose so hard that the debutant collapses and almost tumbles out of the ring. Chokes in the ropes by Mercedes, then some more punishing strikes...then a violent brainbuster. And still Rose is fighting, countering the Bull Run into another pinning predicament for 2. She misses a flying crossbody (Mercedes did the Samoa Joe casual stroll out of the way)...and walks into an emphatic thrust kick. Bull Run wins it for Mercedes in a time of 06:28

Rating - *** - For the spot on the card this was an awesome little match. As far as squashes go this was exceptionally good, in that it made Mercedes look like a killer whilst also simultaneously pushing Davina as a spirited, hard-working newcomer. The structure was perfect, with Mercedes having to sell very little but Rose still getting to 'do things to her' so to speak. Martinez was outstanding as a bully and quite literally worked over Davina's face as a 'welcome to SHIMMER' message. Don't expect the type of match you'd get if it was Mercedes vs Bayley in 2019, but for where both women were in 2011 this was a killer little outing.

Melanie Cruise and Mena Libra get some promo time. Neither comes across as a confident speaker, but succinctly make the point that Melanie is taking Mena under her wing just as Wesna Busic did for her, and announcing that they will now be a team. Fingers crossed for Melanie that this one sticks better than Wesna and Annie Social did...

It's slightly odd that we've made it all the way into 2011 before Hailey Hatred makes her first appearance for SHIMMER. She was a relatively recognisable face on the American indies, had worked extensively in Mexico, then moved to Japan because demand for her talents in various Joshi promotions warranted her relocation. She has a cameo in Colt Cabana's first 'Wrestling Road Diaries' film too. Her opponent is a Canadian who was, I believe, trained by LuFisto - which should immediately tell you everything you need to know about her style and her toughness.

Hailey gets a big reaction, again making the point that it's a surprise how long it has taken for her to debut. She is, by a distance, a more established star than her opponent, so Kalamity very much lays down a marker with the way she out-strikes and floors Hatred in the first minute. They angrily stare off, still beating the sh*t out of each other with strikes. Still Hailey can't stop Kalamity beating her down with kicks and elbows. Running knee by Hatred, who looks thoroughly pissed off and emphasises that by nastily dropping her on a basic body slam spot. After her initial flurry of offence Kalamity looks to have punched herself out, with nothing left in the tank as Hailey starts to have fun with her. That is until she lunges with a diving elbow right into Hailey's f*cking throat! HEADBUTT by Hailey...into a lariat for 2. She tries to hit that again seconds later but runs into a spinebuster from the Canadian. Kalamity-ville Horror blocked with a roundhouse kick, then an EVEREST GERMAN from Hailey for 2. RUNNING KNEE! LIGERBOMB! Hatred wins at 07:24

Rating - *** - Martinez/Rose was a great match in that it told a sound story and was brilliantly executed by the two performers. This was totally different, but equally as enjoyable. It wasn't pretty (it actually looked a real mess at times), but stood out because it featured two tough competitors beating the crap out of each other. This was intense from the opening bell. Neither looks to be a great technician but they stuck to their wheelhouse, showed their courage, each took some nasty bumps and hits and told an interesting story of the young Canadian upstart trying to KO the more established, world-travelled star only to punch herself out and get picked off by the more experienced name.

Hailey Hatred shakes hands respectfully with Kalamity...before they are both attacked from behind by Melanie Cruise and Mena Libra. That sets up a tag match at Volume 42.

LAST NIGHT - During a SHIMMER attraction match at the AAW show which took place in the Eagles Club, Nevaeh turned heel on her partners MsChif and Jessie McKay - handing victory in a trios match to Madison Eagles, Sassy Stephie and Mena Libra. Nevaeh and Stephie celebrated afterwards, leaving fans demanding that Nevaeh explain herself at the SHIMMER shows...

Ashley Lane makes her return to SHIMMER, and she too demands answers from her former partner Nevaeh. That brings Nevaeh out, and she has some valid points - such as Ashley leaving SHIMMER, the fans turning on her, losing her spot, and being the 'better wrestler' when the Ohio Girls were a team. Referees have to keep them separate, with Ashley challenging her former partner to a match later...

It hasn't been acknowledged as an 'angle' per se, but as Del Rey remains the ace of SHIMMER, she has spent much of her time at the last few tapings working 'dream matches' with all the new talents coming in from Japan. She seems to have ditched the eye make-up now and is fully working the 'Queen Of Wrestling' gimmick in SHIMMER too. Yumi debuts this weekend, so she is the next in line for the Death Rey treatment. Ohka is one of the owners of the Pro Wrestling Wave and is a ten year veteran of the sport. 

No handshake from Sara, who looks focused on sending a message as the standard-bearer of SHIMMER. She repeatedly tosses Ohka to the ground and doesn't like it one bit when Yumi keeps getting up and throwing elbows into her face. Stomps on the head from Del Rey, followed by chokes in the ropes as she starts to lose her cool. Yumi stands up to the bullying tactics of the American with a flurry of leapfrog Thesz presses, taking Sara to the ground where she can weaken her legs and core with a Boston crab. Del Rey knocks her away again with a trilogy of big boots and the former SHIMMER Champion smirks ominously as she punishes Yumi still further with an abdominal stretch - using the ropes for extra leverage. YAKUZA KICK in the corner by Ohka! That looked brutal and Sara is clearly rattled...so she schoolgirl throws Ohka into the turnbuckles and takes her head off with a capo kick. Bloody Ex by Ohka though, proving that she isn't backing down. It sets up a bootscrape against the ropes and a vicious running punt to Sara's exposed head soon after. Sara has to check her jaw isn't dislocated afterwards so it is to her credit that the comes back strong via a stalling northern lights suplex. Royal Butterfly blocked with yet another nasty kick to the head for 2. Del Rey counters a tiger suplex with a roundhouse kick...right before Ohka almost steals victory with a victory roll. Capo kick again by Del Rey...into the ROYAL BUTTERFLY! The Queen gets the win at 11:16

Rating - *** - I haven't seen enough of Ohka to understand if this was a typical showing from her or not. Whilst she was good, I personally didn't find her as immediately striking as some of the other Joshi talents who have come in. Most of the enjoyable stuff here felt like it was coming from Sara, whilst Yumi was along for the ride. She fought hard, and in a typical way for a Joshi talent, some of her strike work looked exceptional. But it was Del Rey driving the story, Del Rey setting the standard and Del Rey holding everything together. I don't say that to discredit Yumi, she looked decent here. But she did nothing to outshine someone who is one of the most cruelly underrated and unappreciated workers of her generation in Sara Del Rey...

Madison Eagles comes out next to be presented with her plaque for topping the PWI Top 50 women. It feels like Madison is going to stay out of character, but chats to Amber Gertner afterwards and calls her opponent tonight, Serena Deeb, a 'big fat loser'. Serena comes out to disagree and delivers an impassioned reminder to Madison to take her seriously. Deeb thinks she could be the 'best in the world', and plans to prove it by taking the belt home with her...

Here it is, the debut of the 'World Famous' Kana. Few debuts in SHIMMER history come more hotly anticipated. She is one of the top Joshi stars, one of the best female wrestlers on the planet, violent, destructive, unpredictable and enigmatic. Well before she'd be an 'Empress Of Tomorrow' as Asuka in WWE, it was SHIMMER who showcased her skills to an American audience. Her opponent tonight is young Mia Yim, who made her main show debut at the last tapings with limited success. She was recognisable as 'Princess Mia' in the 2011 incarnation of The Embassy in ROH, but didn't really go anywhere with that because the booking sucked and she became far too talented to waste her time in ROH without a women's division.

Much of Kana's look, gear and mannerisms haven't changed a great deal from this point to her WWE run. The entrance mask and face paint is different, she doesn't have neon hair colouring and is slightly less exaggerated and gimmicky in her movements, but much of her act was already down at this point. Mia is willing to trade kicks with the debutant meaning the opening sequence resembles more of a kickboxing match than pro-wrestling. That changes when Kana snaps Yim to the ground with a lightning-fast leg submission. Yim tries to work a wristlock but it's easily escaped by Kana, who has some fun stretching out Mia's arm instead. Kana smiles as she dusts off a Mia kick attempt and hits a devastating German suplex. Billiken misses, triggering an elaborate kung fu movie fight sequence which isn't Low Ki vs Amazing Red but gets the Eagles Club rocking nonetheless. Mia actually wins out with a kick to the head, setting up a running PK. GERMAN AGAIN by Kana! NO SOLD! Mia hits a gutwrench suplex for 2. Kana slaps and elbows at Yim, then FLOORS her with a spinning heel kick. FACE KICK gets 2! Fujiwara Armbar blocked by Mia...so she starts looking for the Kana Lock instead (yes, it's the Asuka Lock). KANA LOCK APPLIED! Yim taps at 05:45

Rating - *** - This match had two purposes, firstly to debut Kana in a spectacular and exciting manner and secondly to showcase Mia's growth as a worker since the last tapings. The story here was that Mia has spent time in Japan since the last shows and has improved by modelling herself and her style on performers like Kana. That was a smart choice as it set the stage for some impressive strike sequences and fun hold/counter-hold moments. Ultimately we saw that Yim is a far more dangerous foe than she was at the last SHIMMER weekend, but equally why Kana is one of the most feared and exciting female talents out there.

The SHIMMER Tag Champions come to the ring, but dressed in street clothes rather than combat gear. It is fair to say that Daizee was subject to a cruel and invasive level of scrutiny at this point in her career. Fans had started to notice her drastic changes in physique, in the summer Chikara rapidly wrote her out of their programming at very short notice so she could 'work on her health'. But she is, of course, still one half of the Tag Champions with Tomoka Nakagawa. She claims they have nothing else to prove and have already shown they are the best team in SHIMMER...and therefore wants the night off. Senior referee Bryce Remsburg interrupts and reminds her that she is contractually obligated to defend the belts...soon followed by Tomoka's rival Ayumi Kurihara. Ayumi isn't alone either - she brings Ayako Hamada out and they want a title shot. Bryce sanctions it - immediately!

The last set of tapings were hectic as far as the Tag Titles were concerned. The Seven Star Sisters of Hiroyo Matsumoto and Misaki Ohata shocked the Canadian NINJAs by taking the belts from them, then went on to defend them on every Volume taped. Daizee and Tomoka ended the tapings by winning the belts from Hiroyo and Misaki, then took them to ROH's WrestleMania weekend events in Atlanta to defend. Ayumi (teaming with Matsumoto in ROH) failed to get the belts from Haze and Naka at that huge event, but has recruited another high profile Joshi ally to have another crack. Hamada and Kurihara shared one of the most enthralling matches in SHIMMER history but respect each other more as a result and pose a serious threat to the titles. As I alluded to in the previous paragraph, Daizee was subjected to grotesque levels of invasive speculation about her health, wellbeing, appearance and personal life at this point. From a kayfabe perspective neither her or her partner were prepared to wrestle this evening - does that make a title change even more likely?

Daizee sits down in a chair in the middle of the ring, planning to 'sit here until the time limit runs out'. Kurihara jumps Nakagawa to get us started instead, as Haze continues her protest on the outside. Tomoka and Ayumi tear strips off each other just like the last time they were in the ring together, with Nakagawa opening up a back injury on Kuri before Daizee finally agrees to join in (still wearing her title belt). The ref has to literally rip it off her waist to stop her using it as a weapon. Ayumi uses the distraction to lock in a hanging armbar...but hangs herself into the path of more strikes from Nakagawa. Haze tags out and promptly puts her belt back on, creating more of a scene so Nakagawa can lay in some cheap shots behind the referee's back. Hamada is pissed off now - and she starts preoccupying the official as well. It opens the door for Tomoka to waffle Kuri with her signature green steel chair for 2. Daizee wants a go too....but accidentally nails Naka! Hot tag to Hamada, who steams in with big strikes (almost entirely on Tomoka) then a DDT for 2. Moonsault misses...and Nakagawa hits her with the chair as well! Still it isn't enough to force a victory for the defending champions though. Codebreaker by Ayumi, setting Naka up for the Pyramid Driver for 2. HAMADA MOONSAULT GETS 2! Kurihara is pissed off at Tomoka for daring to kick out of that and splatters her face with double knees. Diving Codebreaker...but still Nakagawa kicks out! KO SLIDING DROPKICK by Kurihara! Haze whacks her off the ropes as she lines up the Missile Dropkick, setting her up for Tomoka's Fisherman Buster. Sliding lariat gets 2, only because Hamada was able to lunge in and break the pin. Ayako headbutts Daizee out of the match and nails Naka with the AP CROSS DIAMOND! KILLER DROPKICK by Ayumi...but Haze breaks the pin! URINAGE SUPLEX! NAKAGAWA KICKS OUT! WRIST CLUTCH URINAGE! Kurihara pins Nakagawa, giving us new champs at 11:34

Rating - *** - I am going to be avoiding speculating on the reason for Haze's SHIMMER departure and retirement. There are plenty of sinister, unpleasant and invasive pieces on various forums to find online if you are so inclined. What I will comment on is her performance in this match however, and it was apparent something wasn't right. She hardly bumped (I can think of one occasion where she took a mild bump performing an offensive move, and another where she clumsily dropped to her knees selling a Hamada strike), she didn't run and some movements appeared obviously laboured and uncomfortable. The fact that this match was as good as it was, despite the fact that one of the participants very clearly wasn't in the best condition to work, is remarkable. Daizee used all her experience of working in front of this Berwyn audience to squeeze as much out of her vastly reduced capability. She couldn't contribute much as a worker, but she carried the personality of the contest on her shoulders. The star of the show, once again, was Kurihara though. Everything she did lit up the place, and every time she was in with Nakagawa it was solid gold. The way Naka laced up her working boots and carried the load for her team was also extremely admirable - and justly rewarded with her amazing kick-out flurry in the closing moments. 

The Ohio Girls collide with fans still reeling from Nevaeh's surprise heel turn the previous night. Her reasoning earlier in the show was solid, and much of her grievances stem from her former partner. She and Ashley were the first ever SHIMMER Tag Champions, pulling off a genuine upset to win the Gauntlet to crown the inaugural champs then defying the odds a couple more times in defence of the belts. But when they dropped the belts to the NINJAs, Ashley left to concentrate on her TNA commitments, leaving Nevaeh in the lurch. She scrapped to stay on the roster, but the fans didn't accept her and weren't interested in watching her as a solo act. Faced with slipping away from the SHIMMER roster, she has aligned herself with Sassy Stephie, changing attitudes in an attempt to cling to her roster spot. She also voiced earlier that she thinks she was the best wrestler in her team with Ashley, and that her ex-partner has taken the opportunities she should have been given. This is bitter and personal...

Nevaeh jumps Lane during her entrance ensuring she gets big heat from the outset. It means that Ashley is carrying what appears to be a neck injury before she makes it into the ring. She isn't shy about throwing big forearms at her former partner though - even with an injury Nevaeh has to rake her eyes to keep her down. A wind-up sit-out neckbreaker gets 2 and leaves Lane seriously struggling. She somehow hits a swinging neckbreaker on Nevaeh...but hurts herself in executing it. Lane's offence looks weak, and she stops selling her neck to hit a jawbreaker. Nevaeh lands a Saito Suplex with bridge to score a big victory at 07:17

Rating - ** - I wasn't a fan of the Ohio Girls during their run and wasn't desperate to see Lane return to SHIMMER, but credit to Prazak and Danger for pulling together a plausible story for her return and a match I think fans were genuinely interested in seeing. The story and match were designed to get Nevaeh over and I think they achieved that. Ashley's precision in her execution is still slack, and I didn't like her totally no-selling all the injuries in the closing minute because she had offensive moves to hit...but as a short match to get Nevaeh over I thought this was decent.

Daizee Haze grabs a microphone and loudly protests her loss earlier - announcing that she officially quits SHIMMER competition.

Oh baby Paige you are in trouble. Melissa has her sights set on getting back into the ring with Madison Eagles, and will therefore be in no mood to tolerate the brash, loud-mouth antics of the younger representative of the Knight Dynasty. Britani and Saraya haven't brought Rebecca Knox, and this is actually Britani's last taping before signing with WWE as well. She already looks a lot more recognisably 'like Paige' than she did earlier in 2011 with black gear, black hear and different eye make-up. She looked exceptionally talented considering her youth during her debut weekend, but does she have enough in the locker to pose a serious threat to the lethal 'Future Legend'?

Melissa is looking shredded for this taping, and looks on in confusion as Britani hides on the floor getting a pep-talk from her mother Saraya (who Prazak tells us has lots of history with Melissa from the UK independent scene). Predictably Melissa absolutely destroys Knight as she tries to stall and talk sh*t. Britani flees the ring again - this time luring the Cheerleader in and jerking her neck in the ropes when she comes. The sight of the pale, diminutive young Britani trying to credibly throw kicks at Melissa is pretty comical, but the point bring made is that Knight is targeting the neck (perhaps at the suggestion of her mother before the match). Clearly it is succeeding in hurting Melissa as Knight is able to hit a succession of basic spots - all of which go after the neck. Cheerleader actually starts going for flash pins just to escape! Knight blocks the Air Raid Crash...so Melissa hits a Samoan drop injuring her own neck some more in the process. Britani clubs at the neck again and succeeds in landing a scrappy victory roll for 2. Melissa misses a WILD lariat attempt and Britani nails a back drop driver for 2 as well! Paige Turner blocked...Kudo Driver blocked...AIR RAID CRASH! Melissa wins at 06:35

Rating - *** - Britani had a sloppy match here. It didn't impact my enjoyment, and it almost makes sense given her limited experience, but there were times when it looked rough. However, that was almost part of the charm. She was a kid; a young girl giving up masses of size and experience to a jacked, tanned potential future SHIMMER Champion...and busting her ass to survive. And in that regard this was compelling viewing. In just six minutes she found a weakness and looked terrific in exploiting it, we promoted a potential Melissa/Saraya rivalry, and Britani got to look awesome even in defeat. Certainly not MOTN, but the clear dramatic focus these women had smoked matches like Nevaeh/Lane for instance.

Saraya comes back out and yells angrily at her daughter for failing to beat her old rival Melissa. Saraya and Melissa also have a tense staredown as questions are raised about the cohesion of the Knight Dynasty in only their second SHIMMER weekend...

Clips are shown of Madison Eagles defending the SHIMMER Championship internationally for the first time, in her home promotion of PWA in Australia, against Jessie McKay and Nicole Matthews. 

On the subject of Jessie, here she is ready for another battle with the Canadian NINJAs. Her feud with Nicole Matthews appears over for the time-being, but there is certainly no love lost between her and Nicole's partner Portia either. Perez too will be jealous of McKay getting title shots, so knows that even with Serena Deeb top of her priority list she can't afford too many damaging defeats...

Portia has new, more evil gear - but certainly doesn't need it to get more heat from the Berwyn audience as she is consistently the most over villain on the roster. She does get some laughs by refusing to run the ropes or cooperate, so Jessie tries to give her a wrestling lesson - incorporating referee Bryce Remsburg into a basic shoulder tackle spot. I don't know if this was planned or off the cuff, but they literally fill more than two minutes with these shenanigans...and inevitably when they do start working again they retread the spots they just fake taught Portia. Jessie eventually knocks Perez out of the ring via a colossal face slap. Portia returns and goes fully 'no nonsense' in her approach; literally pummelling the Australian with clubbing forearms and kicks. Even when it's time to work the mat Portia doesn't try anything more ambitious than a basic rear chinlock. McKay eventually gets fed up with that and retaliated with a Thesz Press. Semi-botched, hair-grabbing version of the Edge-O-Matic gets 2, before Portia hits back with a sliding DDT. Boyfriend Stealer blocked...so Jessie hits a faceplant instead. Perez tries to bring a chair in - as a distraction so that she can actually KO McKay with a length of metal chain. It's a tainted victory for Portia at 07:45

Rating - * - They made a clear stylistic call for this match and steered hard into a very specific direction. Unfortunately, to my taste anyway, it was a direction which sucked. I didn't really find the 'comedy' at the start funny, I found most of the wrestling once it did start somewhat dour, when they tried to pick things up a little it got sloppy...and all that before a cheap finish. In truth these women probably suffered from being on such a loaded card. On some other SHIMMER shows this could've been considered a major, drawing, top tier match. But this weekend taping is so packed full of talent that ring-time is at a premium. They had less than eight minutes, they weren't in a marquee match, and in my opinion they bombed. You don't say that about SHIMMER matches at this level too often at least.

Portia gets on the microphone to bury Serena Deeb some more...but then wishes her luck in the main event tonight - because she wants to become SHIMMER Champion by beating Deeb.

The Knights attacked Danger's partner Leva Bates at the last taping, part of the general chaos they brought to the SHIMMER landscape. Danger wants revenge and is willing to play by the Brit Saraya's rules in order to get it. Britani Knight accuses Allison Danger of 'injuring' Rebecca Knox at the last taping too which is why Becky isn't back. Leva, in Iron Man themed gear, has made it to second Allison however. We are scheduled to have six five minute rounds, first to two round victories wins. There is also a 'public warning' system in place - if a competitor gets three warnings they are instantly disqualified and lose the match.

Saraya is literally balling out fans for a fight during Danger's entrance and once again contributes to a tense and uncomfortable scene before one of her matches. Danger runs at Saraya before the bell (as she argues with her own daughter to get her out of the ring) and, as the bell rings, drags the British veteran to the ground for a pin at 00:05 to win Round 1! Knight is furious and dumps Danger in the ropes with a dangerous body slam at the start of Round 2. She dishes out another moments later...but then gets distracted again by yelling at fans. Sweet Saraya is a cagey veteran though and quickly shuts Danger down with an eye rake...then leaves her in position for Britani to choke her in the ropes behind the referee's back. With Allison's chest and throat in pain after those chokes in the ropes Knight looks to capitalise with a clothesline followed by a jumping leg drop - both to that body part. She hits a running dropkick into Allison's groin - earning her a public warning. Britani understands what is happening and distracts the ref so her mother can punt Danger's intimate region once again. Round 2 ends with Bryce Remsburg getting hugely annoyed with Britani's distractions and Saraya eye-gouging Danger hard. No result in this round - 05:05 total match-time thus far. Leva Bates has to check Dangerous eye out in the rest period between falls. The 3rd Round starts with the Knight Dynasty taking turns choking Allison's bad neck and throat with a towel to such an extent this basically becomes a handicap match. Samoan drop by Saraya - earning her a two-count even though she evilly lodges an arm in Allison's throat as she covers her. In a piece of atrocious refereeing, Bryce somehow misses Britani shoving Danger off the ropes, then Saraya putting her feet on the same ropes right in front of his face! The result is Knight winning Round 3 at 02:20 (07:25 total) and taking the score to 1-1...so it's next fall wins. Knight smells blood now going for rapid pins then ground submissions in an attempt to finish things off. Danger defies her and SLAPS HER IN THE FACE! Strikes by Danger...so Saraya rakes her eyes, in front of the referee, for the thousandth time. Why include the public warnings if you weren't going to enforce it? Danger decides to chase Britani around the ring...causing the younger Knight to run like an idiot into a lariat on the floor by Leva. Saraya watches the chaos unfold...before hitting a vicious running punt into the ribs. Britani tries to interfere but accidentally collides with her own mother - which only makes Sweet Saraya more irate. She clocks Danger...then pins her with an ELBOW IN THE THROAT! She wins the fall at 03:41 (11:41 total time) and therefore the match 2-1.

Rating - *** - This was confusing and I'm somewhat undecided about how I felt about it. Some of this was really poorly mapped, with Bryce clearly seeing cheating on so many occasions but not punishing it and the sheer volume of Paige/Britani interference was brutal. But there was some seriously good stuff in here too. Saraya working Danger's throat over in a violent and cruel manner was fascinating to watch...and directly linked to that, Allison's job selling the impact of the Knight Dynasty tandem offence was spectacular. Fans didn't enjoy seeing this British invader aggressively mistreat a woman who has been the very heartbeat of SHIMMER - and that was the selling point for me. In the hands of other performers this could have sucked, but even despite some messy moments and unfamiliar rules, the performances of both meant it had genuine intrigue and remained watchable for the duration.

Portia is a born entertainer and one of the highlights of every SHIMMER show she participates in, but she isn't the break-out member of the Canadian NINJAs in my eyes. That would be Nicole, who has been incredibly consistent every time she is booked into high profile singles matches. This is another one, with Hiroyo effectively looking to rebound from losing the Tag Titles at the last show. Hiroyo's Seven Star Sisters were the team that defeated the NINJAs for the SHIMMER Tag Titles. Both teams would presumably like a title rematch, therefore even making singles matches like this relevant.

Matsumoto has a personalised 'Lady Destroyer' Japanese flag and of course is rocking a broad, cheerful smile as always. Matthews is aware of how destructive Hiroyo can be, so quickly engages her in an exchange of mat basics. Matsumoto isn't phased and smiles happily as she goes hold for hold with the Canadian. Nicole gets frustrated and hits her opponent with a running elbow strike...upping the stakes, which are instantly met by a Hiroyo hits elbows and a sadistic smiling double knee drop for 2. Matthews is winded, but like Matsumoto when they were working the mat, busts her ass to keep up with her opponent. She steams into Hiroyo with a kick to the spine followed by a charging dropkick. Matsumoto doesn't want to play ball on a suplex...SO NICOLE DOES IT ANYWAY! She quite literally pumps Hiroyo over onto her neck! And Hiroyo is still smiling like a psychopath! She rams Matthews neck-first into the canvas...and crushes the midsection again with a rebound knee drop from the corner. Nicole ducks behind the ref then starts throwing elbows, so Matsumoto picks the ref up onto her back to add extra weight on yet another double knee drop. Tokaido Otoshi gets 2 for Hiroyo and crushes the midsection still more. ROARING ELBOW by Nicole, who is showing incredible heart to hang with the Lady Destroyer. She throws kicks at Hiroyo, who sucks them up and punches her right in the mouth! Missile dropkick by the Canadian Ninja...NO SOLD! GERMAN SUPLEX gets 2 for Nicole. Matsumoto isn't smiling now, but chases Matthews up the ropes like a Terminator and crushes her midsection again with a devastating superplex. The fans erupt in applause just because they get back up to keep fighting! LARIAT by Nicole for 2. Vancouver Manoeuvre blocked...into a murderous running elbow smash by Hiroyo. BACK DROP DRIVER! Matsumoto wins at 11:39

Rating - **** - It wasn't always pretty, but this was a f*cking war and another critical breakout performance by Nicole Matthews. Their execution and selling was decidedly mixed, but they told a great story and nailed the two key plot points coming out of this match thusly making it a roaring success. Those points being that a) Nicole is a hell of a rising star who isn't just a whiny heel but a tough warrior who is capable of trading blows with the heaviest hitters in the company and b) that Hiroyo is a smiling assassin; a brutal, dangerous, violent competitor who is intent on mowing down all who cross her path as she hunts a SHIMMER Title shot. Clearly MOTN so far for me...

Hiroyo celebrates her win by dragging Nicole out of the dirt, grinning in her beaten down face, then slapping her back down

As the PWI 50 award (which Eagles wears to the ring tucked into her championship belt) would attest, Madison's skill at the top of the SHIMMER roster (and elsewhere in global independent wrestling) is not going unnoticed. Unpredictable and paranoid she may be, she maintains her iron grip over the belt - almost growing in confidence with every passing defence. Enter Serena, who has had a mixed relationship with the SHIMMER Title ever since a car accident forced her to be pulled from the tournament to crown the first champ. This is her moment - free from WWE, one of the most recognisable names on the roster and having won this title shot with a pinfall victory over her arch rival Portia Perez on the last Volume. Can she ride all that momentum to the top prize in the company?

Madison wants to finish it early and repeatedly goes for Hell Bound inside the first minute...and then has to dive out of the ring when Deeb tries to fire back with her big Spear seconds later. Wisely the champ then wants to slow it right down and exploit her height advantage in a test of strength. Serena is fired up though and gets the better of the champ again - negating her height by taking her to the canvas and working submissions (which Eagles has to bite to escape). Madison uses some of her MMA training to mount Deeb...who bites her in receipt for earlier to escape her clutches. The challenger puts boots and shoulders into Madison's ribs in an obvious attempt to soften her up for the Spear, and Eagles knows it too. YAKUZA KICK! Madison almost KO'd the challenger with a single blow! She is seeing cartoon birds as Eagles grounds her and puts knees into her spine and neck. SPEAR THROUGH THE ROPES TO THE GUARDRAILS by Deeb! Her expression is still glassy-eyed, but going on instinct she just inflicted a major injury to the defending champ. Not content with that she rams a knee into the apron then whips Madison ribs-first into the railing. Eagles is seriously injured and actually tries to crawl under the guardrail and into the crowd to escape Serena's attacks. That is until, at close range, Eagles SHOVES Deeb back and neck first to the rails! And with that this breaks down into a f*cking fight on the floor - each woman hitting stiff strikes and trading rough trips into the unforgiving metal railing. BACK DROP INTO THE FRONT ROW from Deeb to Eagles! She then climbs up the ring steps for a RUNNING CROSSBODY OFF THE RAIL AND INTO THE CROWD! SHIMMER's lighting rig isn't the best, but the limited visibility actually made that look striking as Serena's silhouette launched into the darkness of the crowd! Both women battle to the top rope clubbing at their respective injuries. SPIDER GERMAN SUPERPLEX BY MADISON! Deeb still refuses to be pinned...so Eagles gives her a nasty roundhouse kick to the back of the head which crumples her on the ground again. Serena dodges a second Yakuza Kick and hits the champ with neck-selling jabs and knees. She lines up the Spear only for Madison to grab her and haul her up the ropes again. Flying tornado monkey flip by Deeb! Spear misses...BRAINBUSTER by Eagles crushes the neck again. Inverted suplex COUNTERED WITH A SPEAR! But Eagles lands in the ropes since she is so tall! When Serena is finally able to pull her away Madison has had enough time to recover - and kicks out by clubbing referee Bryce Remsburg trying to get herself intentionally DQ'd. Deeb convinces Bryce not to call for the bell. SO MADISON GERMANS HER ON HER HEAD AGAIN! NO F*CKING SOLD! HELL BOUND! Eagles retains at 16:36

Rating - ****1/2 - This is the absolute best Serena Deeb match I've seen, and up there with the absolute best SHIMMER Title matches we've seen thus far. I've loved Madison's title run and thought this would be decent, but what nobody saw coming was Serena going ballistic and bringing the performance of a lifetime. She bumped like crazy, she sold brilliantly, she emoted her burning desire to be SHIMMER Champion perfectly. She isn't done in SHIMMER quite yet (but after this taping she only works a few more shows, and they aren't for almost two years), but this was the perfect culmination of her career in this company. Dave Prazak, to his credit, has always seen star power in Deeb, and backed her from her very early days in SHIMMER. But the contrast between this bout her performances when she first began in this company is really astonishing. Eagles was brilliant once again as the cocksure defending champion on the edge of paranoid freak-outs at the very real prospect of losing her belt. But it was Serena who drove the excellence of this. 

Tape Rating - *** - At well north of three hours, this is a long show with a lot of content and a remarkable amount of talent getting showcased. Booking the sheer number of high quality women that turn out for these SHIMMER weekends must cost this promotion eye-watering sums, so shows like this represent crazy value for money. But it comes at a cost, when there is SO much to pack in that certain things are lost in the shuffle. Kana's debut was lots of fun, but in a five minute competitive sprint with Mia Yim which could be skipped for her higher profile bouts on later shows. We had two SHIMMER original vs future WWE star contests with Mercedes Martinez and Cheerleader Melissa taking on the future Bayley and Paige respectively...and whilst interesting neither of those went long either. Ohka's debut was interesting but well below the top tier of what Sara Del Rey can do. The SHIMMER Tag Title change was a historic moment and a sad farewell to another SHIMMER original - but the circumstances surrounding it and Daizee's limited contributions make it a difficult watch. There are a couple of disappointing bouts too - I thought Nevaeh/Lane and Perez/McKay were big letdowns. The point I'm making isn't that this felt like a bad show, but up until the last 40 minutes it felt very much like a strong B-show, or filler Volume setting the major players up for bigger things at future events. But then the main events stormed in and made this a really strong instalment in the SHIMMER series. Nicole/Hiroyo won't have been to everyone's taste and it was a little ugly, but I thought the way they busted their ass, told a story and beat the hell out of each other at the same time was brilliant to watch. And then came the main event - a genuine SHIMMER Title classic, and one of the more under-rated SHIMMER matches that I've ever seen (it doesn't appear to have anything like the buzz some matches get). SHIMMER have a VOD service now. If you're a member there's no reason not to start checking out hidden gems - and this show definitely has a couple of them.

3) Daizee Haze/Tomoka Nakagawa vs Ayako Hamada/Ayumi Kurihara (***)

2) Hiroyo Matsumoto vs Nicole Matthews (****)

1) Madison Eagles vs Serena Deeb (****1/2)