McXal's Reviews

The money for this show is all in the top three matches. The rest of the card is absolutely loaded - but mostly with matches that could be great, but will most likely be 'just decent' given how stacked the roster is and how many women need to get onto the card this weekend. This show has a whopping 13 matches (16 if you include dark matches) so we have a lot to cover - but the main events should carry this one comfortably. We have the conclusion in the bitter Portia Perez/Serena Deeb rivalry in a No Holds Barred Match, a #1 contendership showdown between Cheerleader Melissa and Kana, then a Tag Title headliner as Hamada and Kurihara defend against SHIMMER Champion Madison Eagles and Sara Del Rey. Dave Prazak and the aforementioned Portia Perez are in Berwyn, IL.

This is a main show debut for Mia, but she has been appearing regularly on dark matches for the last year. Her opponent is the dangerous LuFisto, although the 'Super Hardcore Anime's SHIMMER career has been weird for the last year or so. Her last main event was back at Volume 28 when she unsuccessfully challenged for the SHIMMER Title in a triple threat match. Since then she has been loitering in the lower midcard, rarely featured in high profile matches at all. Obviously that's an indictment into the quality of the talent that has flooded into SHIMMER in the last fifteen Volumes, but she is better and more valuable than we've been seen recently. This is a woman who has competed in some of the best SHIMMER matches ever after all. Is she priming herself for another rise up the card? Debutants like Mia, imposing and Swedish though she may be, must be swept aside for LuFi to progress into higher profile matches.

Like most women she faces, Svensson has a height advantage over LuFisto so Lu decides to maintain a hold of her arm at all times to negate it. Mia slaps LuFi...and gets absolutely f*cked up in the corner! Stretch Plum applied...then she starts pulling Mia's nostrils...and eventually Fisto just starts beating on her. Svensson tries to get into her head by punching Pegaboo, which obviously pisses Fisto off. She retaliates with a ruthless kick to the face. Mia is rattled and then bootscraped into the corner by a rampant LuFisto. Mangalizer (Shellshock) gets Lu the win at 05:21

Rating - ** - For everyone except Mia Svensson this was fine for an opening match. It could have done with being shorter, but LuFisto got to show plenty of personality whilst also looking as outright brutal as we've seen her in several episodes - and this one pretty much only existed to showcase her. She was presented well here, which was the whole point. There is an argument to be made that LuFisto is the most under-utilised worker in SHIMMER. 

Nicole Matthews has requested some interview time, entirely to complain about not getting a title shot (which, if you look at her win/loss record is laughable). Cheerleader Melissa enters, pretty much tells her to shut up and takes over the interview for herself. Apparently even Kana won't stand between Melissa and her destiny of becoming SHIMMER Champion...

These four women have had opposing fortunes this weekend. Nevaeh came into the taping newly aligned with Stephie - and her choice to turn her back on the fans has paid dividends. She is 2-0 for the weekend with a big win over her old partner Ashley Lane followed by up a huge win over Pretty Bitchin' for her and Stephie's SHIMMER debut as a team. Danger and Leva haven't won a match yet, but do have the benefit of moderately more experience as a team to fall back on. 

Leva is dressed as Marty McFly (although in 2019 it feels just as much like Kushida cosplay) and starts the match with Stephie still wearing her red vest. Danger is less committed to her Doc Brown look, but her actual wrestling gear is much less prohibitive and she looks impressive in easily out-wrestling Steph. After several minutes of RX putting the boots to Sassy, Nevaeh decides to take matters into her own hands and simply barges into the ring to attack Bates from behind. Danger is pissed...but makes matters worse for her partner as she distracts the ref and allows the Ohio Girls 2.0 to rough Leva up even more. Stephie tries to force a submission with a Last Chancery but can't maintain the hold and both women wind up face-down on the mat scrambling for their partners. Allison comes in swinging hard at Nevaeh, who eats some brutal elbows in the corner. Once again the Ohio Girls use a 2-on-1 situation to their advantage...until Leva makes a save. Regeneration-X hit the Sonic Screwdriver for the win at 07:54

Rating - ** - I considered going lower on my rating for this as it didn't particularly capture my interest, but upon reflection 2* feels fair. There was nothing bad about the match at all and individually Allison Danger's performance was superb. Stephie and Nevaeh deserve praise too because they were a lot better in this one after a really poor display against Roxx and Ariel yesterday which they'd have no doubt been disappointed with. Neither of these teams feel like they have a great deal of momentum at present. Their alliances feel as much about giving them 'something to do' as it does telling a good story - and this match felt very similar. It was a match, for the sake of having a match. If this wasn't on the card you wouldn't miss it.

Earlier in the show we saw Nicole throw her hat into the ring for a future SHIMMER Title shot. Whilst there is no doubt she is among the most rapidly improving members of the SHIMMER roster and she has had some exceptional matches over the past year or two her record doesn't necessarily suggest she should be at the front of the line. Granted she scored a win over Serena Deeb at V42 which helps, and she also got a big 2/3 Falls win over Jessie McKay at V39. But around those big wins are losses to Hiroyo Matsumoto and Ayumi Kurihara, plus dropping the Tag Titles to Hiroyo and Misaki Ohata too. Therefore to get a shot she needs wins, which puts Davina in the firing Line. Rose, a protege of Serena Deeb, has looked extremely competitive in her first SHIMMER weekend - but comes in 0-2 after losses to Mercedes Martinez and Portia Perez. This would be considered a major upset if the future-Bayley could pull something out of the bag. Apparently Davina asked for this match after the pull-apart brawl between the Canadian NINJAs, Deeb and Rose at Volume 42.

'Who are you' - Nicole Matthews to the future WWE Women's Champion. She begins the match by out-wrestling Davina and calling her a 'joke'. Rose is obviously pissed off and fires back with some outstanding chain-wrestling around the arm of the Canadian (and follows that with some nice armdrags too). ROUNDHOUSE KICK TO THE HEAD! Matthews just turned Davina's lights out! She gets spiteful and peppers Rose with nasty kicks as she tries to fight off the canvas. Davina tries to hit back with chops...so Nicole takes her head off with a running forearm. Matthews is confident of the win so starts yelling at fans and the referee - turning her back on Davina who almost steals a win with a defiant schoolboy pin. RUNNING PUNT TO THE RIBS! That looked rough but again Rose gets back up and comes back at Matthews with a tackle. LARIAT by Matthews gets 2! Enraged that Davina kicked out she tries the Vancouver Manoeuvre...only for Rose to counter into a diving neckbreaker. Rose Plant COUNTERED to the Vancouver Manoeuvre. Matthews wins at 07:09

Rating - *** - Bayley's time in SHIMMER was brief and largely inconsequential, but she is now 3-for-3 this weekend for outstanding lower card bouts. In each she has played her role perfectly, worked hard, taken her licks from the 'bully' standing across the ring from her...and in each showed tenacity, heart and the kind of relatable babyface fire which would make her such a hit in NXT/WWE. This was the best of the lot, albeit largely because Nicole Matthews was on fire. Clearly motivated by the prospect of more opportunities at the top of the card, she looked every bit a main event talent in waiting. Her striking was crisp, her character work was on point (whilst not being excessively screamy) - she came off as a disrespectful bully therefore getting herself and her opponent over enormously.

Well this could be fun. We have the Rate Tank versus the Lady Destroyer, representing a huge opportunity for Skater to elevate her status in SHIMMER. She never disgraces herself and always puts up a fight whenever she gets the opportunity to face those higher up the roster than herself - but is awaiting a signature performance or victory which moves her up the card. Hiroyo needs to rebound from the disappointment of failing to take the SHIMMER Championship from Madison Eagles in the main event of the previous show.

I think these two are friends in real life, and the knowing smiles and laughs as they riff off each other in a comedic exchange that has the ref searching through Kellie's gym bag would attest to that. Matsumoto absolutely lights Kellie up with chops then violently throws her around by the hair. Hiroyo's broad grin as she sadistically beats up the Australian is pretty terrifying. Incredibly, Skater survives the beatdown and viciously hurls Matsumoto out of the ring. Sadly for her that simply changes the venue for Hiroyo's attack - as she smashes the Australian into the railing instead. Kellie gets desperate and tries choking the Lady Destroyer. It actually works, and for the first time in the match the Rate Tank gets to show off a few of her own strikes. Next she rakes the eyes and gets 2 with a judo throw. She Warrior Splashes the Japanese flag across Hiroyo's midsection...but when she tries to further disrespect Matsumoto by standing on the flag Hiroyo simply uses it to trip her. For some reason the ref doesn't disqualify Matsumoto for clocking Skater with the flagpole...then witnesses Matsumoto hitting a back suplex/missile dropkick sequence. Kellie is still swinging...BACK DROP DRIVER! Matsumoto wins at 07:12

Rating - *** - Again you won't be able to consider this Kellie's break-out match as a serious in-ring performer, but as usual she entertained the hell out of everyone whilst still being an incredibly skilled worker. Hiroyo's 'happy' persona has been a constant in her SHIMMER matches thus far, but this was the first match that has actually made it part of the story. She was positively giddy with delight in getting to massacre the plucky, big-mouthed Aussie...but as we've seen so many times before with Skater, she doesn't know when to quit. She took a hell of a beating but was still swinging strikes back at Hiroyo right into the closing seconds. The beauty of this is that if you stripped all the 'comedy' away, you'd still have had a pretty good match with a fiery youngster trying to take down a top Joshi star...

This is Ariel's final SHIMMER match, and what a task she has before her. Not only does she have to face the intimidating, notorious 'Sweet' Saraya...but she has to face her when Saraya is in an extremely bad mood. She had wanted to be participating in this match as a SHIMMER Tag Champion, but feels that she was let down by the underperformance of her daughter Britani Knight as they challenged Hamada and Kurihara. Of course, that ignores the fact that Saraya refused to tag in and forced her daughter to take a beating from the Joshi champs, and then went on a nasty post-match tirade calling Britani 'unwanted'. She tells the live crowd that she wants to 'smash someone's face in' tonight, which means Ariel is in for a fight just to survive.

Knight almost starts a fight without approximately five different fans before the match starts, and finds time for multiple weight-related jibes at poor Ariel just because she's in a bad mood too. Ariel uses that size to catch and flatten Saraya with a diving front slam in the opening moments. Saraya keeps running at Ariel...and the Portuguese Princess keeps putting her on her ass. 'Sick of being thrown around', Knight offers a handshake...then KICKS HER IN THE CROTCH! Is that not a DQ? Like a maniac Saraya works a surfboard, whilst yanking Ariel's hair, raking her eyes and fish-hooking. This is the match she wants to work though, as the bigger Ariel is on the ground and susceptible to Saraya's arsenal of sadistic stretches. Ariel manages to fight back with a Samoan drop...but is worn down from Knight's attack on the mat and now struggles to recover. Saraya hits a sunset flip powerbomb out of the corner and nabs the win at 07:00

Rating - ** - This was actually one of the better Ariel matches in recent Volumes. Her sunny, happy character was the perfect foil for the antagonistic and aggressive persona coming from Saraya. It was a limited match, made memorable as much for Saraya as a character as it was for the wrestling - but there was a decent little story to be had in the seven minutes this one played out. Ariel has been a valuable part of the roster as a lovable undercard babyface, and at times did threaten to break out...but the SHIMMER roster has evolved so much since the promotion first started and she has now been left behind unfortunately. Nowadays the roster has lovable babyfaces who are simply better wrestlers, entertaining undercard acts like Kellie Skater who can go and women like Leva Bates, Davina Rose, Mia Yim, Athena all starting to stack the talent in the lower half of the roster. Ariel leaves with our gratitude for her contribution, but it probably is the right time to take her off the roster. According to Cagematch, this was her last match anywhere for four years (and even that was only for a very brief comeback).

And having said goodbye to one half of Pretty Bitchin' in the previous match, we now get ready for Nikki Roxx's final SHIMMER match. In many ways she was the original SHIMMER 'homegrown' star, rising from the bottom of the card to main events in this company whilst going on to become a face on national television with TNA. Her exit feels less natural than Ariel's as she can work, is in great physical condition and remains immensely over with the Berwyn fans. She also continued wrestling for sometime after this (including in SHIMMER's sister promotion, SHINE). She leaves facing another one of the immensely talented newcomers to the SHIMMER roster. Rush pushed Yumi Ohka hard in an extremely good match at V42 - but like so many others, she knows that she needs wins, not just good matches, if she is to earn a permanent spot.

Dave puts over Courtney's suplexes, and it seems like Nikki has those scouted too as she starts the match trying to work the mat and keep them out of the equation. We then break for more than a minute of muscle poses - which comes off as pretty odd, but does put them over as well-conditioned and equally matched talents. Courtney shows her wrestling skill by putting Roxx in a few submissions - but that is the match Nikki wants to wrestle. She escapes Rush's clutches to apply a Boston crab for an extended period. Nikki actually starts trying to nab a flash pin on Rush, then sees the Barbie Crusher blocked before getting dumped out of the ring by Courtney. STEREO MAFIA KICKS ON THE FLOOR leave them both flat out on the hard wood. Back in the ring they keep throwing strikes at each other...until Roxx breaks ground and nails the Beauty Special for 2. Still Rush blocks the Barbie Crusher...this time into the Skyward Suplex! Rush pins Roxx at 07:52, and the Eagles Club fans are stunned into silence!

Rating - *** - This felt generous, but I wanted to reward the match because of how focused it was on putting Courtney Rush over. This is a really interesting time on the SHIMMER roster, with so many significant names making their first steps on the roster (Athena, Mia, Davina, Britani, Leva, Von Eerie etc) and Rush is right there looking as talented as any of them. Everything about this presented her on an equal footing to Nikki Roxx (an established top talent in SHIMMER). Nikki worked defensively trying to negate Courtney's skills, she stalled for time in a pose-off...and even began trying to just escape with a flash pin after a while. The finish felt legitimately shocking, but at the same time felt like a real 'changing of the guard' moment as the SHIMMER original fell comprehensively to one of the stars of the new generation. 

The fact that Mia has spent time living and training in Japan has been mentioned several times at this taping. That investment in her future has definitely resulted in an increased presence this weekend, as she got to work Kana's debut match, and now becomes the third SHIMMER talent to enter the ring with Ohka too. Yumi fell on debut to Sara Del Rey, but looked much improved in an imposing victory over Courtney Rush last time. 

Mia comes straight out of the gate throwing kicks...so Ohka is like 'f*ck no' and takes her down for some savage mounted elbows. GERMAN SUPLEX BY MIA! Yumi looks like she doesn't know what has hit her, but recovers fast to punt Yim in the side of the face and hit a superplex for 2. Mia dodges a top rope dive...and then they stand in the middle of the ring BOOTING EACH OTHER IN THE FACE! Yim checks her jaw isn't broken, and eventually goes down like she's been hit by a train - with Ohka slumped alongside her. Yumi goes for her chokebomb, but Mia counters into a guillotine choke. YAKUZA KICK by Ohka! She looks shocked at how hard she is having to work against the plucky young Mia here. She doesn't pin, instead opting to hit the Sakura Drop - then getting 2. Yim refuses to be suplexed...and goes back to the choke! Ohka battles out with a northern lights suplex, then comes close to decapitating her opponent with an axe kick. Tiger suplex blocked with a roundhouse kick, followed by a PK which gets Yim a 2. A second PK misses, allowing Yumi to put her on her neck with a German suplex. NO SOLD! Gutwrench suplex by Mia leaves both women down! TIGER SUPLEX! Ohka grabs the win at 08:13

Rating - **** - And just like that Mia Yim is officially made in SHIMMER. She seems to have improved so quickly since the last taping, and really didn't look hugely out of place trading bombs with a Joshi veteran like Ohka. I loved the opening seconds of this where we saw Yim explode out of the starting block trying to kick Ohka's head off. Yumi took Mia down and tried to f*ck her up for that insolence...except Mia took her best shots then countered to keep throwing more. It set the tone for the match immediately; the young American impressing and trying everything in her locker to get a career-defining win over an increasingly pissed off and despairing veteran. 

Yumi puts Mia over hard after the match - helping her to her feet, embracing her then raising her arms to the fans. Both women get a deserved ovation for the contest we just witnessed...

This comes as a direct consequence of a Volume 42 fourway featuring these two women. Nakagawa won that match by pinning MsChif - but only after she profited from Kellie Skater taking MsChif out with her finisher, then Tomoka spat water into the former SHIMMER Champion's face. 

'Green is my colour' - Nakagawa to MsChif and the fans. Screaming is very much MsChif's thing however, and the former champ screams loudly in Naka's face to intimidate her. Tomoka is happy to work a slow pace and test Chif for weaknesses in her grappling game. Ms wants space, but Nakagawa denies her it and becomes the latest SHIMMER athlete to attempt snapping the ultra-flexible MsChif in half. Eventually MsChif does create that distance - and profits by double stomping Naka's face into the turnbuckles. Chokebomb gets 2 for Chif - and Tomoka has to start biting to free herself from the ex-champ's clutches. Nakagawa misses trying to spit water into her opponent's face, then has to fight like hell to block the Desecrator. Gateway To Annihilation gets 2 instead. Desecrator COUNTERED to the Fisherman Buster...but MsChif's leg is in the ropes. Green Mist by MsChif MISSES! Jumping Enzi by Naka...converted to the Desecrator! MsChif wins at 07:33

Rating - ** - The live audience were really into this match, but it took a lot longer for them to reel me in. I liked the basic premise - Nakagawa being a strong mat worker therefore MsChif wanted to keep her distance to pick her off with her signature big offensive moves. But it wasn't until the last couple of minutes did I feel like this really ignited. Up to that point it felt like we were watching an awful lot of bland, stalling wrestling - with the two women using their big gimmicks to mask a comparative lack of sizzle to their work. The lethargy of this when compared to the intensity of Yim/Ohka previously was striking.

The 'Wrestling Goddess' gets one of her biggest SHIMMER opportunities to date as she enters the ring with one of the women who put the company on the map in Mercedes Martinez. Not only did Mercedes help establish this promotion, in recent Volumes she has developed something of a reputation for taking new SHIMMER talents through an extremely brutal finishing school. Will this be another match of that type, or can Athena surprise people and take the fight to the Latina Sensation?

Athena looks determined not to let this be another smiling Mercedes stiff-fest - as she takes the veteran down and tries hard to snap her arm into an armbreaker. Unfortunately her reward is an ANGRY  Mercedes stiff-fest instead; Martinez absolutely lights her up with slaps and chops. Athena hits a springboard crossbody for 2...then rattles Mercedes skull with a jumping enzi. Thoroughly unimpressed, Martinez dumps her with a spinebuster for 2. Prazak and Portia put over Mercedes' frustration at continually getting stuck wrestling the newbs - and that shows as she smashes Athena with yet more chops. She follows that with a devastating German suplex as the Wrestling Goddess looks for a headscissors. Athena grabs the leg to stop Martinez kicking her! Dropkick from a fired up Athena, who blocks Three Amigas and lands a handspring elbow strike. SPRINGBOARD elbow smash by Athena to knock Martinez from the top rope to the floor. Mercedes lies dazed on the ground, and Athena is feeling daring. She tries a dive to the floor...ONLY FOR MARTINEZ TO KNEE HER IN THE FACE ON THE WAY DOWN! They keep scrapping out there, eventually going to a double count-out. The final time was circa 06:05

Rating - *** - I can see why people wouldn't like the finish, but I thought this was GREAT in so many ways. It was a brilliant progression to the theme of Mercedes beating up the new kids. Prazak and Perez put over that she is getting fed up of working these women, which added a whole extra layer to her aggression. And given that she has worked so many, we now know the pattern these matches tend to follow. So when Athena came out from the opening bell openly defying Martinez and refusing to be sucked into that 'kind of match', it puts Athena over huge. This didn't go long, but it was a constant struggle between Mercedes trying to beat the f*ck out of the brash youngster, but being thwarted by the younger, more athletic and insanely talented Athena. We've seen Martinez amble through matches like this with a smile on her face and without breaking a sweat. Here she was reduced to rolling around on the floor of the Eagles Club with a young gun who was determined to make a name for herself. As a piece of progressive story-telling it was brilliant. As a match it was very good. As something to make a new star - on the same night that we've seen Mia Yim come to the party in a major way, Courtney Rush pin a SHIMMER original, Davina Rose hang with Nicole Matthews and Kellie Skater take all kinds of punishment from Hiroyo Matsumoto - it was outstanding. 

Fans want to see the match restart, but we don't get the chance as the two participants get into a vicious argument on the floor and have to be separated. In the end it is Athena in the ring wanting to restart the match and Mercedes storming out! 

The question here is whether Britani is mentally prepared to wrestle this evening. She left Volume 42 on the brink of tears having been savagely beaten by Ayako Hamada and Ayumi Kurihara in a Tag Title Match - then blamed for defeat and publically berated by her own mother. She is desperate to get back into her mother's good books, so will be eyeing up a win over the popular Australian. For McKay this is also a big match. Having impressed at a number of tapings recently, this weekend she is currently winless and in danger of being lost in the shuffle as a whole swarm of rising stars threaten to overtake her...

Britani seems in high spirits; joking with the fans and even riding around on Bryce Remsburg before the bell rings. Jessie looks the more accomplished in the first minute - acting as the aggressor for the most part and finding answers for anything Knight throws at her. Britani clobbers the Australian off the apron though - but then shows her youth by celebrating to the crowd and eating a HEADSCISSORS OFF THE APRON by Jessie! McKay almost landed head-first on the metal steps...and seconds later does meet them after an Irish whip. Back inside the ring she displays tactics reminiscent of her mother - hitting McKay low (albeit out of sight of the referee). McKay tries another headscissors, but this time Britani counters into a sidewalk slam. Jessie goes lucha with a somersault armdrag off the ropes, right into a Thesz Press for 2. Frankensteiner nailed, but with such force that McKay stays down alongside her opponent. She recovers to hit a northern lights bomb...only for a determined Knight to kick out. Boyfriend Stealer wins it at 07:39

Rating - ** - Much as with MsChif/Tomoka, it felt like the crowd was really into this whilst I struggled to relate. There was some good stuff in here, like McKay's bravery to attempt that big spot on the floor and Knight staying to true to her character whilst putting over her desire to win in order to impress her mother. But so much of this felt ragged and poorly executed. By no means was this bad, and my word are these two ever talented for their age and relative experience levels - but right now SHIMMER roster is so loaded that the bar is set extremely high. I don't think this was of a particularly high standard and nor did it tell a story I was particularly invested in.

Saraya Knight comes out and orders Jessie McKay to the back. The fans beg Britani to run too, but she stays and is told once again what a let-down she is by her own mother. Saraya says she is 'sick' of being told what a bright prospect her daugher is when she can't even win. The verbal tongue-lashing continues...UNTIL BRITANI SNAPS AND ATTACKS HER! The pop for that is huge! The Knight Dynasty explodes into a vicious and intense brawl with officials desperately trying to separate them. AAW male wrestlers are called in to help - and even they struggle to regain control. Britani calls her mother an 'old cow' who is 'nothing' without her daughter - then lays down a challenge!

This one has been brewing since Serena made her return to SHIMMER ten Volumes ago at V33. She and Portia used to be closed, but Perez has taken offence at Deeb leaving SHIMMER to seek fame and fortune in other promotions whilst she has stayed here and busted her ass. Now a commentator, still one of the most identifiable heels on the roster, Perez is as synonymous with the SHIMMER product as anyone else at this point - and would consider it a humiliation of the popular Serena was able to beat her. She has the benefit of more SHIMMER experience in this type of match too, following her bitter feud with Allison Danger of a couple of years ago...

Portia begins the match as she has done through this entire feud - by being disrespectful to Deeb. She pie-faces and shoves Serena away...provoking a fired up Serena to haul her ass out of the ring and start beating her around ringside. Willing fans hold Perez in position so Deeb can lay in some big chops with such ferocity that Portia tries to hide under the ring to prevent further damage. Serena pulls her back, not knowing that Portia has a weapon - and the Canadian decks her with a trash can lid. It provides only temporary respite and soon Deeb grabs the lid and whacks Portia right back. Nicole Matthews briefly appears trying to interfere on her partner's behalf, only for Davina Rose to come to the ring and drag her back to the locker rooms. Superkick off the apron by Portia! It rattles Serena and the NINJA is quick to capitalise - flinging her legs and sternum-first into the ring steps. Now cocky, Perez reclines in a chair in the middle of the ring and cockily watches as Deeb desperately tries to crawl back to the ring. When she gets there she is armed with the trash can lid though and uses it to take the fight to her opponent. Facecrusher into the open chair nailed! Next Serena lands a gutbuster into the open chair...then leaves the ring in search of more plunder. She brings a table (and a f*cking heavy-duty looking one at that) into play - propping it up in the corner. That's a set up for the Spear but Portia counters by raking the eyes. She follows with a sliding DDT onto the steel chair, drawing the closest nearfall of the contest. The two women fight onto the table (which is so sturdy it doesn't look remotely like giving even with both of them throwing punches on it). RUNNING SPEAR OFF THE TABLE BY SERENA! She wins at 12:07

Rating - *** - Regardless of what I may have to say about the match, I thought that finish was absolutely brilliant. I loved the idea of switching up from a nominal 'table spot' to finish a grudge move, but instead teasing a table bump only to use it as a platform for a spectacular spot instead. That Deeb Spear was an awesome visual. I wasn't as positive about the match that preceded it. It was fine, it was spirited and I felt how hard the two women were working. But something about it didn't quite click. I didn't feel much of the storyline or thread holding this together - and most of it came off like two women working through generic grudge match brawl spots until they got to their hot finishing sequence. I don't mean it was bad at all - Perez and Deeb are extremely solid at playing their characters so even at it's worst we still had two dynamic performers bouncing well off each other. Finishing spot aside this didn't feel memorable or special though and I do wonder if, in hindsight (Deeb would be gone for almost two years after this weekend - and even then only return for a few further Volumes), Portia possibly should have been the one to go over here. Moving forward I'd like to see Portia do something different. She's spent most of the last three years in 'grudge feuds' with various people. She is extremely effective in that role. But, whilst they've all been decent, I'm still to be blown away by any of her 'big' matches - and I think it's time she got a shot at showing how strong a worker she can be when you strip back all the bullsh*t, bells and whistles.

I don't know if this is officially a #1 contendership match, but at the very least it will go a long way to determining who gets the next crack at Madison Eagles. Kana is 2-0 and has looked extremely impressive since debuting - particularly with her win over Sara Del Rey on V42. Melissa has been petitioning for a title shot and still has a score to settle with the champ, and will know a win over the 'World Famous' Kana makes her claim undeniable. She has an axe to grind with Kana too, given that Kana disrespected her and refused to shake her hand when she arrived before Volume 41...

Melissa tries to get Kana to shake her hand again...but again Kana ignores it and throws kicks at the SHIMMER original. Melissa tries to retaliate but is NAILED with a Buzzsaw kick and has to retreat to the floor. The crowd is evenly split in what is an intense atmosphere. Melissa tries to take the match to the mat, only to find that Kana is more than equipped to go hold-for-hold with her there. The World Famous athlete is totally in the zone and has an answer for everything the Cheerleader attempts. They fight to a stalemate with Melissa clearly left wondering what she can do to stop Kana. Her next strategy is to go after body parts - first kneeing the back repeatedly then tearing into arms and legs! Again Kana has her number and counters her into a variety of arm submissions. Cheerleader starts back-handing her in the face, taking her aback for just long enough to briefly apply the Kondo Clutch. Kicks from Kana to escape that, but Melissa is starting to make inroads now! She muscles her back down with a tackle which is soon followed by an emphatic body slam. Once more Kana targets the arm of her opponent to escape. She hits an inverted DDT after that...but now it's Kana's turn to make an error as she allows Melissa too much space and the SHIMMER athlete grabs her for a Samoan drop. Kana is first up - throwing kicks before dragging Cheerleader into a neckbreaker. GERMAN SUPLEX! NO SOLD! LARIAT BY MELISSA! Kana's turn to no-sell...and she steams into her foe with more kick combinations. Kicks to the arm and shoulder! CURB STOMP by Melissa! Does she have enough strength in her arm to hit the Kudo Driver? It appears not as Kana slides free and destroys her with kicks to the head and shoulder. Kana Lock COUNTERED TO THE RUNNING AIR RAID CRASH! Melissa gets the huge victory! 12:56 is your time!

Rating - **** - The structure of this is what made it so enjoyable for me. The pacing and rhythm didn't necessarily follow a predictable formula and they instead told what felt like a very organic and appropriate story with their limited ring-time. Melissa came in pumped; pissed off at Kana disrespecting her but in the bigger picture desperate to get another title shot. Her enthusiasm was evident, but she didn't seem to be making an impact on the ferocious Kana. 'World Famous' and extremely dangerous - Kana was picking Melissa off at will. She seemed able to kick her from any angle, and similarly able to latch onto arm submissions (setting up the Kana Lock) at any given moment. It never felt like Melissa was a better wrestler than Kana - but on this night they built up a story whereby she wanted to win more. The moment where Kana dropped her on her head with a German suplex - but she simply stood up and decked her with a lariat was pivotal. Of course it was no selling for a cheap crowd pop - but in the context of the match it made sense. Kana seemed impenetrable even when Melissa went after every body part at once. But on this night desire trumped skill. Melissa - too injured to hit the Kudo Driver - refused to accept being placed into the Kana Lock and snatched a win. The final 'roadblock' between herself and a rematch with Madison Eagles has been successfully negotiated...

Ring Announcer Joey Eastman announces that Cheerleader Melissa is now officially considered #1 contender with that victory - which the crowd goes nuts for.

Since their inception there have been some fun moments involving the SHIMMER Tag Title, but only very rarely has a SHIMMER Tag Title Match been a highlight of a SHIMMER Volume. There is no denying that Hamada and Kurihara are significantly higher quality performers than some of the women who have held these belts - and they bring immediate prestige. Will that translate to the Tag Titles actually becoming a draw for the first time? This foursome certainly have more than enough ability to deliver something special. Del Rey has history with both Kurihara (who has a victory over her) and Hamada. Eagles has successfully defended her championship against both Ayako and Ayumi too. The defending champions here will know that pinning Eagles would potentially get them another title shot too. There is also a question over how well either team will function. Neither have teamed regularly, both duos have faced each other in singles matches in SHIMMER before too. 

The champs jump the challengers, showing you the extent of the bad blood between these four given their history in SHIMMER. Kurihara thinks about a dive to the floor, but Eagles has seen it before and intercepts her for a beating on the apron. She and Sara sensibly bring the match back to the ring and look to work Ayumi over whilst keeping Hamada incapacitated. It isn't always their sole focus, but the challengers subtly incorporate working over Kurihara's bad shoulder at all times. Ayumi is injured and looks ragged - and connects with nothing but thin air when trying a desperation dropkick aimed at Madison. Del Rey sarcastically belittles Kuri...but then explodes with a mauling volley of mounted forearms when Ayumi dares to retaliate. The leg becomes the focus of the challengers now. Even when working a Boston Crab it is noticeable that Eagles angles Kurihara's body so that all their weight is situated on her problem shoulder. Somehow Kurihara sacrifices her own shoulder to counter an attempted double suplex into a DDT...and gets the hot tag to Hamada. The veteran is on her own for the time-being...but uses all her experience to take the fight to the challengers. Kurihara tries to help with a flying crossbody as well! Eagles blocks a Ligerbomb then goes strike-for-strike with Hamada. German by Ayako! Kurihara gets a tag and hits a dropkick flurry on the SHIMMER Champion, followed by a Codebreaker flurry for 2! Hanging armbreaker on Eagles! Hamada HEADBUTTS Eagles' exposed neck at the same time! Stereo octopus stretches by the champs...before Madison counters with a brainbuster on Ayumi. DEL REY F*CKING DESTROYS AYUMI WITH AN AXE KICK! How is she still conscious!? OCEAN CYCLONE SUPLEX gets 2. Kurihara frees her bad shoulder from the Royal Butterfly...but can't get far before the first SHIMMER Champion clocks her with the capo kick. Ayako saves with a spinning heel kick. Urinage blocked by Del Rey...then Kurihara empties the tank going for endless pinfalls. Sara is gassed! URINAGE NAILED for 2. Hamada dumps Eagles into the railing then tags in legally for the MOONSAULT! Del Rey kicks out! Hamada climbs for a second moonsault...only for Sara to drag her back with the ROYAL BUTTERFLY! Kurihara makes the save at the death! Everyone brawls to the floor...so Kurihara climbs to the top for a SUICIDE DIVE TO THE FLOOR! DOUBLE MISSILE DROPKICK BY THE CHAMPS! SARA KICKS OUT! They hit that perfectly. Hamada hits the Ligerbomb...and again Del Rey won't be pinned. CAPO KICK! Eagles accidentally floors Sara with a roundhouse kick. STEP-UP CODEBREAKER OFF HAMADA'S BACK by Ayumi! URINAGE! HEEL KICK! DEL REY STILL KICKS OUT! AP CROSS! Hamada defeats Del Rey, retaining the Tag Titles at 19:29

Rating - ****1/2 - For what feels like the first time, the SHIMMER Tag Title Match just stole the show. And not just stole the show, produced one of the best SHIMMER matches ever. These four women just gave us some of the best professional wrestling this promotion has ever produced. And everyone played their role so well. Kurihara is an exceptional babyface and was a lightning rod for heat as Eagles and Del Rey viciously beat her. Hamada is so fun as the curmudgeonly veteran who just wants to smash through anyone standing across the ring from her. Sara and Madison were a revelation as a team, especially in their work with Ayumi and her shoulder. They nailed every facet - from a hot start, a riveting heat segment, amazing strike exchanges, right into a riotous closing sequence with Del Rey fighting for all she is worth before succumbing to yet another defeat to a Joshi star. I wouldn't have minded these women getting another ten minutes or more to really play with this. I'd have liked to have seem more of Kurihara selling the shoulder, more emphasis on the rivalries the four have built over the last ten to fifteen Volumes. They delivered the best 2-vs-2 tag in SHIMMER history, and it still felt like they left so much material in the locker. This was must-see....

Tape Rating - **** - I could understand why others may not go so high on this show as I have. It is long, it has far too many sub-ten minute matches and there is a fair bit which could have been cut without hurting the show at all. HOWEVER, the sheer volume of good stuff here is amazing. The main event is a SHIMMER classic, and beneath that Melissa/Kana and Yim/Ohka really smoke. What I really liked about this event however, and why I've gone as high on my rating as I have, is that I really feel like I just watched a promoter dedicate an three hour show to developing young talent and creating the stars of tomorrow. With so much talent in SHIMMER, and with so many exciting new stars from Japan it would be easy to rest on his laurels and use their names to sell tickets or DVD's (think modern-day ROH and their use of the NJPW relationship). But he isn't content with having a load of big name Joshi girls to sell tickets - SHIMMER wants to make new talents too. With very few exceptions, the majority of the segments on this show were geared around making new stars. Britani Knight's babyface turn angle with Saraya was brilliant. Athena and Mercedes almost doing a full double-turn in their star-making match for Athena was great viewing too. Mia Yim announced her arrival in SHIMMER in a major way with a stunning performance with Yumi Ohka. Courtney Rush beat a SHIMMER original on her way out. Kellie Skater was given a higher profile spot and more than delivered, taking a hell of a beating from Hiroyo. You can go all the way down to the bottom of the card too, with a main show debut for Mia Svensson in the opener, more exposure for the new heel Ohio duo of Stephie and Nevaeh...and a win for popular new star Leva Bates' Regeneration-X team. I found watching this show, and it's concerted star-building mantra a real revelation even if every match wasn't a stunner or every booking decision wasn't a winner. It's one of my favourite SHIMMER Volumes thus far for that very reason.

Top 3 Matches:

3) Yumi Ohka vs Mia Yim (****)

2) Cheerleader Melissa vs Kana (****)

1) Ayako Hamada/Ayumi Kurihara vs Madison Eagles/Sara Del Rey (****1/2)