McXal's Reviews

I'm jumping back in to the world of SHIMMER for their Spring 2012 tapings, with the promotion once again bringing together a packed roster of stellar women athletes from all around the world. Having acknowledged that the tapings had started to get too big with simply too many wrestlers, Prazak has scaled the roster down somewhat this time around however. SHIMMER mainstays like Daizee Haze, Ariel, Nikki Roxx and more are gone. Joshi staples like Hiroyo Matsumoto and Tomoka Nakagawa have Japanese commitments whilst Madison Eagles sits these shows out with injury after dropping the title last time around. Expect the bar to remain incredibly high though; fronted by new champion Cheerleader Melissa and a host of contenders now chasing her for the belt. 'World Famous' Kana is back, as are the Tag Champions of Ayako Hamada & Ayumi Kurihara. Masked Joshi stars Leon & Ray are over for debuts too. Volume 45 kick-starts a long weekend with a trio of hotly-anticipated main event bouts; Hamada and Kurihara defending the Tag Titles against Regeneration-X, Mercedes Martinez and Athena looking to settle their grudge, then Melissa putting her newly won title on the line against Nicole Matthews in the main event. Dave Prazak and Portia Perez provide commentary, and we are taping in Berwyn, IL.

Nicole Matthews smirks about ruining Melissa's moment last time out, and says that in a single Volume she is going to take away what it took Melissa 44 Volumes to achieve. Saraya Knight shows up with a 'proposition' for Nicole, saying she wants the challenger to do 'a little more than just beat' Melissa tonight. They leave to talk business...

The geeky, likeable charm of Rush has seen her quickly win over the SHIMMER fans, although she has been a skilled and growingly confident in-ring addition to the roster as well. She opens the weekend against a main show debutant in O'Reilly (who had appeared in a couple of dark matches before this). Rhia is 'Fighting Irish', and has been trained by the likes of the Knight Family and Lance Storm.

This is being taped on St Patrick's Day, so the grouchy O'Reilly isn't thrilled by the amount of faux-Irish paraphernalia in the audience. Rush tries to control the mat but finds Rhia a competent match for her; taking her down and delivering a blow to the neck. Courtney is able to counter and starts targeting the head and neck as she looks to set up the Skyward Suplex. O'Reilly pulls the hair to escape...but finds Courtney doing the same thing to her seconds later! Instead O'Reilly drills her face-first into the turnbuckles when she tries to deliver a series of mounted punches in the corner. After six minutes tempers start to fray and they throw some big strikes at each other, until Rhia hits a Finlay Roll for 2. T-Bone suplex by Rush, followed by a Sling Blade for 2. Skyward Suplex blocked with a neckbreaker by O'Reilly though. Courtney counters another Finlay Roll into the Skyward Suplex to win at 08:39

Rating - ** - Unambitious and little bit safe, but the charm and personality of both wrestlers really carried this. I liked that both women visibly targeted the head and neck all match since they both have finishers which theoretically target that body part. This was a pretty solid debut for O'Reilly, who is pretty unrecognisable from the composed, stalwart veteran presence she now projects on the UK shows I've seen her at in the last couple of years (as of writing in 2022). Rush leaves with a victory as she continues to grow her reputation on the SHIMMER roster despite still being a relative newcomer.

Athena bemoans the conduct of Mercedes Martinez in their previous encounters. She thinks Martinez can't beat her and is here to prove that the 'younger people' in the locker room can hang with the main eventers...

This is quite a curious mix of talent. Cruise is the SHIMMER veteran and has taken Mena under her wing to mentor and form a team with. Veda is still fresh out of the ROH/SHIMMER training school whilst Shazza is making her SHIMMER debut this evening. She is another in the line of Australian talents who cites Madison Eagles among her trainers and had been working for around three years at this point. 

Veda is rather dwarfed by Cruise at the bell and is easily tossed around by the bigger wrestler. McKenzie wants a shot...and suffers the same fate. Shazza gets illusive instead and almost surprises Cruise with a sneak roll-up pin. Mena tagged, and she is taken to the ground as Veda and Shazza use rapid-fire tags to work her over. That is until Cruise delivers a vicious cheap shot - booting McKenzie in the side of the head from the apron. Melanie and Mena maul the Australian in the corner before Libra winds her partner up for a spinning side slam which gets 2. They are really working over Shazza's midsection...meaning when she tries to mount a comeback with a flying crossbody on Mena she is barely able to get back up and make a hot tag to Scott. Veda does fight her way in, only for Cruise to drill her with a spinebuster. Libra gives McKenzie a Samoan Drop, setting her up for a devastating top rope leg drop across the ribs from Cruise. That wins it for Melanie at 07:07

Rating - ** - Some of this was a little ragged and uncontrolled but, like the opening match, it was brief and focused enough that it was largely a pretty sound match. I thought Cruise and Libra showed clear improvement in their cohesion as a team and their aggressive working over of Shazza was my favourite portion of the match by a distance.

Jessie McKay and Mia Yim are backstage to announce they've agreed to have a friendly but competitive match tonight to see who the better athlete truly is. Jessie felt she was close to becoming SHIMMER Champion when she challenged Madison Eagles and knows she needs wins if she is to earn another shot.

This is Sara's final SHIMMER taping before she would depart and begin her career as one of the most influential trainers within the WWE developmental system, although that wasn't known at this point. She starts what would be her farewell weekend with another 'dream match' against a debuting Joshi star. Leon is a masked veteran of more than a decade with a fine resume across multiple promotions. Del Rey's record against the visiting Joshi stars is mixed, and she'll be looking to start her weekend with a victory.

Portia reveals that Leon was a conditioning coach when Sara trained in Japan in the mid-00's, and Leon immediately shows her skill by taking Del Rey down with a headscissors. Sara is comfortable on the mat though and quickly recognises she needs to ground the athletic masked star. Stretches and big strikes rattle Leon...who reacts by quickening the pace to hit an armdrag. Boston Crab applied in an effort to neutralise Sara's size and power. She tries to blitz Del Rey's midsection with more strikes...but is swatted away with a brutal elbow smash by Sara. The Queen Of Wrestling batters her with kicks and chokes against the ropes too. Leon shoulder blocks the injured ribs...then hits the ropes for a brilliant blind-siding Spear for 2! Sara is visibly hurt, but smirks broadly as she lures Leon across the ring to schoolboy her head-first into the bottom turnbuckles. Another savage head-kick follows for 2. A bridging northern lights suplex gets 2, with Leon noticeably kicking out by shoving against Sara's damaged midsection. Springboard bulldog smashes those ribs into the ground again, followed by a missile dropkick TO THE RIBS! Frog Splash gets 2! Capture Brainbuster blocked with the CAPO KICK by Sara! Roaring Elbow follows; snapping Leon's head back for 2. She delivers an emphatic powerbomb (whilst clutching her chest) and pins Leon at 09:02

Rating - *** - A significant step up in quality from the first two matches, as you might expect. Sara Del Rey did what Sara Del Rey always does; that being to ooze quality and make professional wrestling look like the easiest thing in the world. I love midcard destroyer Sara and this was no exception (even though she was actually on the back foot for long periods). She was BRUTAL with her offence; recognising her best tactic against a smart (but smaller) veteran foe was to bludgeon her with a barrage of strikes to the head - and that tactic ultimately brought her victory. In between, Leon's work on the midsection was a neat sub-plot which added drama to the debutant's offence and was sold with a knowing deftness and subtlety by Del Rey. The nine minutes absolutely flew by...although I couldn't help but feel ready for something a little more substantial by this point in the show.

Rose (of course, now known better as WWE's Bayley) debuted at the last tapings and put up some strong performances against Mercedes Martinez, Portia Perez, Nicole Matthews and Kellie Skater in singles action - without winning any of those bouts. She deservedly has a spot for this weekend too, but the prospects for her first win look bleak here as she faces the intimidating presence of Saraya Knight. This is the first time we've seen Saraya without her daughter (their mini-feud ended with Britani beating her at Volume 44) and she appears to have returned with an agenda against new champion and long-time rival Cheerleader Melissa. The British veteran will want to make short work of young Davina here...

Saraya has barely taken a step into the aisle before she's already in the crowd trying to tear some kid's mask from his head. She also slaps the sh*t out of ring announcer Joey Eastman then starts trying to find members of the SHIMMER message board as well. Rose probably makes her mood even worse by slapping her in the face at the bell. Unsurprisingly Knight reacts badly and starts dragging the future Bayley around by the hair. She stretches Rose out in the ropes with sadistic intent to the extent that the ref actually looks fearful at the prospect of having to disqualify her. Repeated cheap-shots follow to the midsection (and lower) to leave Davina writhing in pain in the corner. She shows her resilience by trying to headlock Saraya, then builds up a head of steam to land a running crossbody block. DDT nailed (albeit largely because Knight had got distracted by yelling at fans again) then Davina climbs the ropes for a double axehandle from the top. She tries the same spot a second time, which is a fatal error against a veteran like Knight - who easily counters with another cheap shot to the stomach. Knightmare applied, forcing Davina to tap out at 06:24

Rating - ** - It is impressive how quickly Saraya and her utterly unpredictable, visceral act has become a staple of the SHIMMER live event experience. As I said during PBP, as soon as the opening strains of her music hit, the crowd audibly picked up and by the time she got out there the atmosphere was already as heated as it has been at any point in the show so far. This was pretty much a squash, but I thought it was an effective piece of business in how it firmly re-established Saraya as a dangerous threat and an uppercard force in the aftermath of losing to her daughter Britani at Volume 44. Davina did her job well, but she was pretty much here to smile and get slapped about in all honesty.

Amber Gertner catches up with Kellie Skater, who is fresh off a tour in Japan (and faces the other masked Joshi debutant Ray later tonight). The Rate Tank is fed up of being taken as a joke and is going to prove she can 'take on anyone, from any country'...

As their brief promo earlier alluded to, Jessie feels like she was desperately close to dethroning Madison Eagles to become SHIMMER Champion ten Volumes ago at V35. Since then she was sidetracked in her rivalry with Nicole Matthews, but comes back after a forgettable final taping of 2011 looking to force her way back into the title picture. Her and Mia are apparently friends, but each eager to use victory in this 'friendly but competitive' encounter to promote themselves up the card; Jessie wanting a title shot, Yim looking to ascend the ranks after impressive performances against the likes of Kana and Yumi Ohka at the last taping.

The opening is - as promised - competitive, with both women showing good athleticism and speed before shaking hands having worked to a stalemate. McKay tries to quicken the pace first - but fails to land a meaningful shot on Mia. Finally she delivers a monkey flip to take Yim down and quickly steamrolls through her with a double knee strike and a fist drop. Mia shows her skill by absorbing those then trapping Jessie in a Tarantula. Missile dropkick follows for 2. Yim hits some hard kicks to the back then climbs up Jessie into a guillotine choke - which McKay only survives as she collapses near the ropes. McKay tries to hit the Boyfriend Stealer...and instead settles for a spinebuster when Mia tries to put her in the front choke again. School Girl Crush gets 2! Boyfriend Stealer COUNTERED back to the guillotine choke! Again Jessie makes the ropes, only to eat another volley of kicks from Mia. Boyfriend Stealer from nowhere - and McKay grabs a hard-fought win at 08:41

Rating - *** - Of all the matches we've seen thus far tonight this was perhaps the one which had the most energy and packed the most in to its relatively brief run-time. McKay looked good here and gets the win which presumably moves her into a position where she'll be considered a challenger to Melissa later in this taping. But Mia's performance was probably the bigger story here as she continues to dramatically improve with every set of SHIMMER tapings. She was so good here - so sympathetic in her selling of McKay's attacks and showing so much conviction in her desire to snag a huge win for herself - that she actually seemed to become the more popular of the two (which is surprising given how beloved Jessie has been with the SHIMMER crowd). This was Mia's only singles match of the weekend and she certainly made it count.

Madison Eagles joins the show, albeit from behind a webcam in Australia. She says she has been out injured for five months and she isn't yet ready...but she vows she will be coming back to SHIMMER and will be a 'living nightmare' for the entire roster

This is a debut for Hong Kong-born masked Joshi superstar Ray, and she has a Rate Tank welcome waiting for her. Skater is fed up of being treated as a joke and knows a signature victory over one of the high profile international talents would be an instant way to garner the respect of the roster. 

Kellie starts this match clearly looking to make a statement; trying to dominate Ray whilst ensuring the match is fought at her pace. She tries to work Ray's leg in an effort to slow her down too. On commentary Portia reveals that Skater is also competing with torn shoulder muscles and cracked ribs coming off her Japan tour. Ray creates some distance with an armdrag, and then hits a second moments later - both of which visibly wrench Kellie's taped shoulder. It seems like Kellie has grown distracted by Ray's flashy moveset, as she derails the match trying to do 'cool stuff' for the fans...but it's actually a cunning plan, because she gouges Ray's eyes when the masked wrestler doesn't expect it! She hauls Ray out of the ring, looking to brawl on the floor with the high-flyer (chopping her hard right in front of the Joshi banner hung at ringside dedicated to her). Ray fights back with kicks and chops - then lands a handspring elbow in the corner for 2. Camel Clutch applied by Skater; clawing at the mouth and mask at the same time. But still Ray won't stay down; again using the shoulder and arm to wrench Kellie down into the path of more kicks. They trade chops and elbows...until Ray snares the Rate Tank in another arm submission. She pivots that to a kneebar as well when Skater refuses to tap. Kellie downs her protein shake and POWERS OUT of the submission! The fans chant 'roo roids' at her as she seems rejuvenated and powers Ray around the ring. But the masked athlete cartwheels away seconds later before delivering a thudding dropkick into the ribs...followed by a slingshot elbow drop across the sternum as well. Tiger feint kick nailed...so Kellie starts kicking at the midsection again to deliver a northern lights suplex. BACKLASH powerbomb by Ray gets 2! CORKSCREW MOONSAULT! Ray wins at 12:12

Rating - *** - MOTN thus far in the show, getting the most time to deliver something substantial and filling it with genuinely interesting and meaningful content throughout. The match appears to mark a clear progression in Skater's character in a really positive way. She retains a lot of the fun elements which have endeared her to the SHIMMER crowd, but also projects as a more skilled and confident fighter. From the opening bell there was something different and more composed about her style, and she seemed crystal clear that her strategy would be to ground Ray and wear her down so she couldn't fly. Ray provided a flashy, glamorous star power which the crowd really latched on to, but it was the gritty showing from her opponent which held the match together. Portia's commentary - providing some extra context on the injuries Kellie was competing with - really added to this as a DVD-viewing experience as well. 

Hatred and Kalamity both debuted at the last tapings, initially against each other then forming a team. Kalamity even scored a surprise win over former Tag Champion Tomoka Nakagawa on the last show to underline her potential. But they face a formidable challenge tonight. LuFisto has consistently proven herself to be among the most hard-hitting and tenacious members of the roster - to the extent that she even earned Kana's respect at Volume 44 when they engaged in a ferocious battle. Kana won and shook hands with LuFisto - who became the only woman Kana extended that courtesy to during her debut weekend. They've also formed a team it seems and this could be among the most hard-hitting bouts of the entire taping. Kalamity was trained by LuFisto so their exchanges will be particularly interesting.

Hailey and Kana rip into each other instantly - landing a couple of blows but missing more before cautiously backing back to their corners. LuFisto and Kalamity in; shaking hands before commencing this teacher vs student battle. They hammer each other with forearms, kicks and WILD slaps too! FACE KICK DUEL! LuFi out-kicks her student, and is then joined by Kana for a jawbreaker/dropkick combo. Kana then taunts Hailey whilst stretching her partner out in a camel clutch! Hatred is soon unleashed though and she piles into LuFisto with a brutal face kick then a butterfly suplex for 2. Yakuza Kick in the corner nailed, and she finds time to cheap-shot Kana off the apron as well - whilst Kalamity pastes Lu with a diving forearm in the corner. Turnbuckle STO from LuFisto in response! LEG CAPTURE GERMAN from Kana to Kalamity! Kalamity survives that and absolutely flattens her World Famous foe with a spinebuster! Bridging cradle suplex from Hailey gets 2...but she is almost tapped out instantly with a cross armbreaker from Kana. Kalamity saves with another brutal kick though. LuFisto gives Hatred a sliding dropkick in the corner for 2 in the aftermath of that. BACK DROP DRIVER from LuFisto to Hatred gets 2! CRADLE SUPLEX by Hailey in response! Kana KICKS HAILEY IN THE HEAD! Kalamity climbs the ropes after her mentor and gets into a top rope strike battle with LuFisto. HANGING DOUBLE STOMP BY LU! KNEE STRIKE BY HAILEY! GERMAN SUPLEX...KANA BREAKS THE PIN! LIGERBOMB! With Kalamity and Kana brawling on the floor, Hailey pins LuFisto to win at 10:28

Rating - **** - An obviously generous rating, but this is a style I really like so I got a lot out of this. There wasn't heaps of story to work with (outside of the Kalamity/LuFisto relationship) but they knew fans were expecting a hard-hitting, strong-style battle and for ten minutes that is exactly what we got. Every exchange felt exceptionally tense, every strike had fans cringing and flinching, and for me it was the intensity that they came out with which prevented this from feeling like an exhibition match. It never felt like women hitting spots for the sake of it - simply because the entire bout was knitted together by spurts of unbelievable violence and malice. They ended with plenty more in the tank, and ended in a way which really put Hailey and Kalamity over. Unfortunately Hailey would finish with SHIMMER after this taping (she retired in 2013 and her extensive Japanese commitments presumably made booking her a challenge anyway), but Kalamity does have a slightly longer run and their team was given immediate credibility due to the strength of this match.

Amber Gertner's second interview of the night is with Mercedes Martinez. She calls herself a superstar and dismisses the notion that Athena is anywhere close to her level. But she is clearly rattled and yells at Amber as the interview ends...

With Serena Deeb out of SHIMMER again for the time being and her partner Nicole Matthews distracted by SHIMMER Title aspirations in the main event here, it leaves Portia free to concentrate on her own singles goals. Von Eerie impressed when coming into SHIMMER despite having to square off with high profile opponents like Sara Del Rey. CVE is another who will now be looking for high profile victories to elevate herself up the card and towards championship contention.

Portia cheap-shots to get us started (unsurprisingly), but Christina rides that and clocks her with a strike to the face. Von Eerie starts really strongly and gets the better of the Canadian Ninja repeatedly (and slaps her in the face multiple times as a result). It is only when CVE gets distracted playing to the crowd that Portia is able to get a foothold in the contest by attacking her from behind and dragging her off the top rope. She targets the head and neck, although as much because that means she gets to mess with Christina's signature mohawk. She tortures Von Eerie with chokes in the ropes, interspersed with a neckbreaker and a suplex to keep up that pressure on the neck. School's Out blocked into CVE's Dead Rising lungblower...leaving both women on the canvas. Von Eerie rallies with a springboard crossbody, before the fight spills to the outside. Christina sets up the Graveyard Smash on the wooden floor...but Perez counters into a back body drop! It means CVE's injured neck crashes into the floor hard. Back in the ring Portia applies Just Facelock briefly, only for Christina to roll out and deliver a running boot for 2! Superkick by Portia...and she wins at 08:35

Rating - *** - Portia really needed this. For the first time in a while she isn't really in a feud to speak of and doesn't have a focus on the Canadian NINJAs as a tag team, so it was crucial for her development as a singles star that she is able to bust out strong, gimmick-free matches like this. And this was one of the stronger matches on the show. Portia is incredibly over with the Berwyn crowd (who absolutely adore her as a pantomime villain), Christina is an athletic and likeable babyface - their chemistry was easy and relatable from the outset. I enjoyed Perez's focus on the neck too. Dave Prazak had some big plans for Portia at this taping and it was important she started with a strong performance here, and she definitely delivered.

Cheerleader Melissa is in the back with Amber Gertner, pissed off that Nicole Matthews ruined her big title celebration at Volume 44. She won't let Nicole ruin her title reign in a single show tonight...

After defeating Daizee Haze and Tomoka Nakagawa for the belts, Hamada and Kurihara's reign has already seen them survive The Knight Dynasty, the Canadian NINJAs and a classic against Madison Eagles and Sara Del Rey. They've committed to another busy round of defences at this taping, starting with a bout against the popular 'Regeneration-X' team of Allison Danger and Leva Bates. 

Kurihara and Danger start, with Allison keen to lock up with the Joshi champion to prevent her building up any speed. She finds Ayumi a skilled competitor on the canvas as well, but then respectfully asks her to tag out to Ayako so that she can fulfil a career dream of her and face off with Hamada. The match pauses so Allison can take a picture with Ayako for memories (they eventually make referee Bryce Remsburg take pictures of all four of them)...but it quickly turns violent as Rengeration-X sucker punch the champions! Bates lays in some strikes to Hamada...who retorts by almost taking her head off with a thrust kick! Danger eats an enziguri as well with the champions now starting to dominate. Portia returns to commentary and has me in stitches by mistaking Re-X's 'Rocky' themed costumes for Butterbean and Bart Gunn! Kurihara starts working over Allison's legs, eventually needing Leva to come in and break a stretch muffler just to keep her team alive in the match. STEREO Octopus Stretches applied by the champions, leaving Danger with an arm injury to go along with her bad leg as well. Hamada doesn't even let Allison get off the mat; swarming her with mafia kicks. Allison hits a desperate STO...so Hamada almost turns her lights out with a palm strike! Leva cheap-shots Hamada instead, allowing Danger to hit a hanging Lovelace Choker for 2. STEP-UP FACEBUSTER from Kurihara to Danger! MISSILE DROPKICK! Kurihara holds down Bates whilst Hamada hits the moonsault on Danger! Urinage! AP Cross sees Hamada pin Danger at 12:50

Rating - *** - This was a little one-sided, but in storyline terms that makes perfect sense given the status of the champions versus someone like Leva who is still lower down the 'SHIMMER rankings'. What this match did provide was a tangible sense of fun. The camera phone portion was a little goofy, but it had a purpose as it set Regeneration-X up for their biggest period on offence. Leva is a constantly likeable performer, whilst Danger remains a beloved veteran to the SHIMMER faithful. And any time Kurihara and Hamada get to cut loose and unleash offensive flurries as they did in the final couple of minutes it is undeniably entertaining. Compared to some SHIMMER Tag Titles matches we've seen recently this felt a little inconsequential with the result never truly in doubt, but sometimes wrestling can just be fun and I thought this was a blast to watch. 

The central theme of this rivalry is that Mercedes doesn't think Athena is on her level and is fed up of wrestling 'lower level' athletes on the SHIMMER roster. Yet on two occasions she has failed to defeat Athena. Their first match ended in a double count-out (with Mercedes walking out and declining Athena's invitation to get back in the ring and continue fighting), and in the rematch Athena put up such a courageous, defiant display that Martinez snapped and viciously assaulted her with a chair. A rivalry which began with Athena as a big-mouthed, cocky young heel and Martinez a respected SHIMMER veteran has turned, has since seen Athena win over the Berwyn crowd and she comes here on a mission to prove that she is on the same 'level' as the Latina Sensation with a victory tonight...

Martinez attacks Athena during her entrance, stomping her to the floor and choking her with her own t-shirt before the match even begins. Yet by the time we do get a bell Athena is already fighting back with kicks (and a handspring slap to the face). Mercedes uses her signature heavy-handed strikes to batter the younger wrestler to the mat again though. Despite taking real punishment Athena refuses to stay down - somersaulting out of a snapmare attempt and hauling Martinez down for some mounted punches. That is until Mercedes smears her into the canvas once more with a spinebuster. She sends Athena to the apron and bounces her face off it on her way back to the floor, in the same part of the building where she injured her at V44. Athena retaliates by tossing her into the side of the ring...only for Mercedes to LAUNCH HER INTO THE GUARDRAIL! Not to be outdone, Athena comes back from that and throws Martinez into the barricade with such force that she spills into the front row. HANGING DDT FROM THE GUARDRAIL TO THE FLOOR! Somehow Martinez isn't completely unconscious after that and finds a way to fight back with more brutal chops. O-FACE OFF THE APRON! BOTH WOMEN DOWN! Athena manages to get her opponent back in the ring before they are counted out...but Mercedes GRABS HER AND HITS THE BULL RUN! Athena kicks out! Dave points out she is the first person to kick out of that since Amazing Kong. Mercedes tries to murder Athena by setting up an avalanche Bull Run...but the Wrestling Goddess throws her back down. O-FACE COUNTERED TO A GERMAN SUPLEX! But Athena rolls through another Bull Run attempt. She climbs the ropes...O-FACE NAILED! Athena wins at 13:46!

Rating - **** - This mini-feud had already turned Athena from talented youngster to one of the hottest prospects on the SHIMMER roster, but it was pleasing to see them deliver a thrilling climactic encounter to cement her rise up the card. As always Athena was athletic, exciting to watch and put her body through unbelievable amounts of punishment; taking some really physical bumps alongside the obvious pain of getting beaten up by Mercedes. Her babyface fire and tenacity felt completely natural, effortlessly drawing the crowd to support her in her quest for victory. The match itself delivered all that you'd want it to. Mercedes (showing how much of a talented worker she is with a brilliant display as the veteran trying to batter away the challenge of a young pretender) looked to pummel and bludgeon Athena into the dirt, quite literally from the moment that she stepped through the curtain. But as has been a definitive calling card of the feud; despite everything Martinez threw at Athena, it was never enough to keep her down. Great stuff all round, leaving the main event needing to deliver something really special to stop these two women from stealing the show.

Melissa has been one of the definitive wrestlers in SHIMMER since the very first show. She has been a consistent high quality performer through every single subsequent Volume and everyone recognised how much she deserved her moment when she finally defeated Madison Eagles to become SHIMMER Champion at V44. But that moment was ruined by Nicole Matthews, who attacked her from behind ensuring the show ended with the new champion laid out. It has provoked Melissa into giving her an immediate title shot, and cements a remarkable rise to main event status for Matthews, who started right at the bottom of the card and - despite her nefarious tactics - has earned this opportunity through constant hard-work and continually improving, high quality matches. Melissa is the obvious favourite, but Nicole is dangerous and as she's said - is here to take in a single show what it took Melissa 44 shows to obtain. 

No messing around here, both women sprint across the ring and go straight into elbows, kicks and chops. That obviously favours the hard-hitting champion of course and she stomps the challenger into the mat then dropkicks her to the floor. They continue brawling on the floor where Melissa scoops Matthews up and starts swinging her repeatedly into the guardrails! Kondo Clutch applied with sadistic intent; Cheerleader constantly moving around the ring to ensure Nicole is trapped and endures maximum pain. But Melissa makes an uncharacteristic error and tries to come off the top rope; perhaps letting her hatred for Nicole cloud her judgement. Instantly Matthews pounces; hanging her in a tree of woe and delivering repeated kicks to the back. The champ is hurt and stumbles into a thunderous rolling elbow soon after. She concentrates on making it difficult for Melissa to breathe; working the ribs with an abdominal stretch then finding assorted ways to choke her in the ropes as well. Lariat to the ribs follows, and it leaves Melissa frantically crawling away in retreat for the first time. Melissa starts going for flash pins (a clear departure from her desire to hurt Nicole earlier in the match)...but can't get the shoulders down before Matthews traps her in a half crab. Melissa fights out with some thunderous big boots...but finds herself unable to elevate Nicole for the Air Raid Crash. German suplex by Matthews...NO SOLD! LARIAT BY MELISSA! Both women collapse! Another Air Raid Crash attempt fails, with Matthews able to escape and counter the Cheerleader into a Brainbuster for 2. Superplex blocked...but Nicole dives aside, shoving referee Bryce Remsburg into the path of Melissa's missile dropkick! With the ref down Portia Perez 'leaves commentary', as Melissa smears Nicole into the mat with ROLLING CURB STOMPS! Portia arrives to rescue her partner, laying Melissa out with a title belt shot! Bryce is revived...but Melissa kicks out at 2! Vancouver Manoeuvre blocked...Air Raid Crash blocked too! Perez appears on the apron again but this time Nicole accidentally knocks her out! AIR RAID CRASH! Melissa retains at 15:59

Rating - **** - Given that these two are among my favourites on the roster at this point in 2012, it won't surprise anyone to know that I really liked this. I thought they had such a smart story to tell here which pulled in the strongest elements of both their work. Melissa came out wanting to f*ck Nicole up, but was so hellbent on revenge for V44 that she made a mistake by going to the top rope too early. It allowed Nicole to do what she always does so brilliantly, which is find a way to cleverly work over a body part (this time the ribs and back) without it ever becoming boring or heavy-handed. This approach seemingly removed Melissa's ability to hit her big finishing moves too. In all honesty I could have lived without the ref bump and Portia's interference, but in a high profile match it does make sense that the Canadian NINJAs would do Canadian NINJA-type things in an effort to ensure they got the belt. The ref bump itself did at least feel opportunistic and organic rather than disingenuously forced. It is that which probably means I still prefer the V27 Melissa/Nicole match - but this is still a strong main event to start another weekend of SHIMMER tapings.

Melissa's hand is barely raised in victory before Portia Perez is back in the ring to lay her out with a Superkick. For the second show running Melissa is having her moment of victory ruined by one of the Canadian NINJAs - and the show ends with Portia standing triumphantly over the fallen champ.

Tape Rating - *** - One of the mission statements for this weekend was to book a few less wrestlers to deliver tighter, more compact set of shows. At 13 matches long this is still a BIG roster with far too much to squash into three hours, meaning run-times of matches inevitably suffer and some things don't get as much time as you might like. BUT the consistency of the card felt really good here. It wasn't an A+ SHIMMER line-up with plenty of big hitters keeping lots in the locker on what is the first of four shows to be taped over a single weekend...but across the three hours there isn't a bad match found, and some really good stuff as well. Mercedes/Athena stole the show and definitively elevated Athena to the 'next level' in her SHIMMER career, but the main event was a strong wrestling match to begin Cheerleader Melissa's reign as well and I really did like the midcard tag team slug-fest featuring Kana, LuFisto, Kalamity and Hailey Hatred too. There are quite a few big names who played a key role in the previous tapings who aren't here this time (Eagles, Nakagawa, Paige, Matsumoto, Ohka, Deeb), and it will become critical to SHIMMER's existence that from taping to taping they are able cope with such a fluent talent roster. Prazak and the SHIMMER crew did so ably here, delivering a really solid three hours of wrestling.

3) Hailey Hatred/Kalamity vs Kana/LuFisto (****)

2) Cheerleader Melissa vs Nicole Matthews (****)

1) Athena vs Mercedes Martinez (****)