McXal's Reviews

It is time for the landmark 50th SHIMMER Volume, and we are promised a special show to mark such a momentous occasion. The main event is a colossal ten-woman tag match featuring all three current SHIMMER champions alongside every SHIMMER original left on the roster - Allison Danger, Cheerleader Melissa, Mercedes Martinez, MsChif - as well as a few others. The semi-main is an international dream bout which pits 'World Famous' Kana against Ayako Hamada. And with so many women in the main events it opens up quite a few slots down the card for new talent too. Recognisable names like Su Yung, Santana Garrett and Cherry Bomb (Allie/The Bunny) all make main show debuts here. Dave Prazak and Portia Perez provide commentary for the action taped in Berwyn, IL.

In her SHIMMER return bout at Volume 49 'Miss Natural' Heather Patera defeated KC Spinelli. She will look to back that up with another win; this time over fiery youngster Veda Scott. Scott hasn't won too often since making her main show debut at V44, but the lone singles victory she does have is a DQ win over current SHIMMER Champion Saraya Knight. She will know she needs to start winning more to solidify her spot on the incredibly crowded and competitive roster.

Natural tries to crowd and overpower Veda from the bell, but finds Scott more than adequately-equipped to trade holds with the veteran. Patera chokes her in the ropes next, but then gets so distracted by the crowd that Veda is able to boot her to the floor and sock her with a double axehandle off the apron. Heather continues with her strategy of illegally choking her opponent in the ropes. STALLING SUPLEX by Miss Natural! Scott survives that and retaliates with a Stunner for 2. Veda climbs to the top rope looking for a flying crossbody...but Patera rolls through. Veda counters an attempted fallaway slam into a small package for 2, but Natural gets right back up and decks her with a chokebomb. Scott is struggling to catch her breath, but defiantly tries a couple more ragged submissions. Miss Natural shakes them off and hits the Deal Breaker to win at 06:52

Rating - ** - Another extremely solid performance from Miss Natural here, once again demonstrating why Prazak has brought her back into this roster and given her this platform to showcase her skills. Here she displayed decent control of the audience as a heel, a few genuinely impressive power moves, a smart strategy (constantly making it hard for Veda to breathe) - and it felt like she was generally doing a sterling job working with a less-experienced performer like Scott to deliver a competent opening match. 

It is a SHIMMER debut for Santana, who by this point had already impressed in sister promotion SHINE and appeared for Evolve. She'd go on to work for TNA, appear in WWE's Mae Young Classic, feature semi-regularly in NXT and even make an appearance in the 2021 Women's Royal Rumble. McKenzie's last singles match was a win over Rhia O'Reilly at the last taping, so she'll be looking to keep building her own momentum here.

We start with lots of smiles and respectful handshakes, which quickly progresses to both women going for flash pins in an effort to secure the all-important victory. Santana showcases her athleticism with a big dropkick. That continues as she propels her body into a flying crossbody block which gets a nearfall. They each brawl down to the mat with their legs in a split-position...but are both so flexible that they can trade strikes from there! Shazza Driver blocked with a Sole Food by Garrett...but in turn McKenzie puts her in a tree of woe before she can climb to the top for a moonsault. Garrett escapes to hit a facebuster, but misses the Shining Star Press. Shazza Driver nailed, giving McKenzie the win at 04:43

Rating - ** - It would feel somewhat mean-spirited to go lower than this on my rating. There was nothing essential about this one at all, but for it's relatively brief run-time both women produced moments of genuine entertainment. Garrett is a naturally gifted athlete and made an impression on debut, and that 'split legged' strike exchange was certainly a fun moment. 

SHIMMER MEMORABLE MOMENTS - Highlights of the historic Volume 1, narrated by a heartfelt promo from Allison Danger. Then highlights of the outrageous MsChif/Melissa Falls Count Anywhere bout from Volume 4, the technical clinic between Del Rey and Nattie Neidhart at V7 and the brutal battle between MsChif and King at V9

Yung is another SHIMMER debutant tonight who has earned this shot after impressing in SHINE. She would go on to have a pretty note-worthy career in Impact (using a WILDLY different gimmick to how she works at this point), but at this stage was still rebuilding that career after a brief stint in WWE's pre-NXT Floridian developmental territory FCW. Stephie comes into this on the back of an incredibly impressive match against Hiroyo Matsumoto on the previous Volume - but a match in which she lost. A loud fan actually taunts her for lack of victories during her entrance so it is something she'll badly want to rectify...

Yung starts incredibly strongly, interspersing a variety of armdrags with repeated pinfall attempts. In fact, Stephie is only able to slow her down by trapping her in the corner and pounding on the back and neck. That is made worse as both Stephie and her manager Mademoiselle Rochelle take turns to strangle Su in the ropes. Last Chancery by Sassy, cranking on the neck again...and followed right into a neckbreaker as soon as Yung finds a way to escape the hold. Rochelle tries to get involved again, but this time inadvertently collides with her own client and almost gives Yung the opportunity to sneak a win...until again Stephie shuts her down by working the neck. Su hits a powerslam, but looks extremely fatigued and in pain now. Figure 4 Leglock applied...but quickly broken when Rochelle blows powder into Yung's eyes. Kiss My Sass scores, giving Stephie the win at 06:38

Rating - * - Something of a one-sided, overly long squash with a little too much Mademoiselle Rochelle for my taste. Stephie was wrestling a technically sound match and - even it at this stage - it was clear that Yung had plenty of potential. But at the best part of seven minutes this really dragged without much top-end quality.

On Volume 49 we saw Rush in a sombre mood, mournful both for the loss of the SHIMMER Tag Championship and also for the departure of her idol, Sara Del Rey. In defeat against Ryo Mizunami she turned to several of Del Rey's signature holds but couldn't get the job done, and in an encounter with Regeneration-X backstage Allison Danger (another former partner of Del Rey) encouraged Courtney to concentrate on being the best version of herself. Perhaps we'll see that tonight in her match with Taylor Made, who's confidence will be boosted by the successful debut of her 'Made In Sin' team with Allysin Kay at the last show...

Rush remains incredibly popular, which Made takes great offence to even before the opening bell has sounded. It visibly throws her off her game and Courtney is dominant through the opening couple of minutes. Taylor tries to fire herself up by dropping a few strikes, but Rush strikes right back before dragging her down into an anklelock. The 'Queen Of Winning' runs through her arsenal of suplexes until Made crawls under the ropes to the floor looking to catch her breath. Rush tries to suplex Made on the floor too...but Taylor counters by shoving her spine-first into the ring apron. For the first time Rush's momentum is halted and Taylor capitalises with a barrage of strikes. She pummels the body and legs with shots...but even that isn't enough to halt Courtney as she scoops Made up into an exploder suplex. Made blocks the Skyward Suplex and plants her with a neckbreaker for 2 though. Rush gets up and snaps off the Skyward Suplex with real velocity...and secures victory at 09:02

Rating - ** - Definitely Taylor Made's best SHIMMER match thus far. She was great here, aided by the fact that Courtney is so over as a babyface that Made really didn't have to try hard at all to get decent heat. But she did a lot with it, putting over Rush's skills and taking a wicked beating early but then showing some really sound, aggressive offensive work of her own later in the match. The second half of this was good, with only a slightly ponderous start holding me back from a higher rating. The overall design here was to give Rush a win by going back to 'being herself' (as Allison Danger suggested at the last show), whilst also giving Made a strong singles outing - and both boxes were emphatically ticked.

SHIMMER MEMORABLE MOMENTS - Sara Del Rey defeats Lacey to become the inaugural SHIMMER Champion at V12, then defends it in a hard-hitting classic against Amazing Kong at V15. Then we see Ashley Lane and Nevaeh become the first SHIMMER Tag Champions.

This is quite an eclectic mix of talent promising young talent from all around the world. Mizunami made her debut at the previous Volume with a victory over Courtney Rush. Kalamity is now pursuing singles action since Hailey Hatred is no longer around, and started that off with an impressive performance - even in defeat - against Ayako Hamada on V49. Cherry Bomb is making her main roster debut, but the future Bunny/Allie was far from a rookie even at this point; with multiple years of experience, appearances for the likes of SHINE, AIW, CZW and more plus Japanese tours too. 

Cherry and CVE start, quickly getting physical and lighting each other up with some big strikes. Kalamity and Ryo tag then start repeatedly colliding in the middle of the ring like trucks. The power of these two competitors sees them extremely evenly matched. Bomb blind-tags in then scurries out of the ring before hitting Mizunami with a dropkick in the ropes. Von Eerie in next, absolutely BLASTING Ryo with a back fist! She tries to come off the top as well, only for Cherry to blind-tag her way in again to apply a Cattle Mutilation (her version is called 'Anger Is Beauty'). Kalamity breaks that, but Cherry continues to hammer on Ryo in the corner. Shoulderbreaker by Mizunami. then a flurry of leg-drops. Kalamity again makes a save, hitting a spinebuster on Ryo. Flying crossbody from CVE to Kalamity! Cherry Valley Driver on Ryo! CVE back-fists Bomb into The 138 and gets a big win at 08:53

Rating - ** - There were quite a few segments within this match that I really liked. I thought Cherry Bomb and Von Eerie were great opponents for each other and brought a terrific intensity to all of their exchanges. Similarly Kalamity and Mizunami were highly enjoyable to watch. I thought they had a great, fast-paced finishing stretch as well. But those all felt like quite individual, isolated segments without much connective tissue to hold the match together. Nine minutes is a tight time-limit, but I could've used a little more structure to some of the really solid material they had here.

Rose is on a bit of a losing streak so needs to grab a win. Rhia hasn't won too many SHIMMER matches herself, but will come into this with renewed confidence after a strong display even in defeat to Cheerleader Melissa last time out.

Rose repeatedly drives O'Reilly into the ropes during the opening minutes. She has more success on the mat; stretching the legs and bouncing Davina's head off the canvas. Rose goes for a headlock out of sheer desire to defend herself, but starts to enjoy real success using that move as it nullifies Rhia's size advantage. O'Reilly breaks it with a big back suplex though. She keeps the bout grounded and continues to work the back and neck. Finlay Roll gets 2, before Davina tumbles away from the Irish competitor and connects with a big axehandle. DOUBLE SPRINGBOARD AXEHANDLE! Half crab applied, but O'Reilly escapes and rolls Rose up - with her feet on the ropes! Rhia wins at 07:59

Rating - ** - I don't have much problem with the finish here. O'Reilly is trying to establish herself as a heel on the roster, and cheating to win at the expense of someone like Davina who is extremely popular but will lose very little in defeat (and wouldn't be part of the company after this weekend either) is a smart way to help. The match itself was probably a little methodical given the nature of the finish they had planned, but it felt logical that O'Reilly would want to keep a wrestler like Rose grounded where she could use her size and British wrestling influences to her advantage. 

SHIMMER MEMORABLE MOMENTS - LuFisto and Wesna Busic beat each other to a pulp at Volume 22, which is the same show that saw Serena Deeb score a memorable victory over Sara Del Rey. V28 saw Ayako Hamada and Del Rey lock horns in a No DQ Match, whilst at V30 delivered even more violence when bitter rivals Portia Perez and Allison Danger met in a Last Woman Standing Match.

Mena Libra has worked her final SHIMMER match, meaning once again it is another failed partnership/direction for Melanie Cruise - who has consistently struggled to maintain traction and focus throughout her SHIMMER career. But she is still a tall, tough, formidable competitor and will pose a stern test to the popular Joshi star Matsumoto here. A win would instantly reignite Melanie's SHIMMER run.

Matsumoto comes out wearing a Godzilla mask and has plenty of fun with the crowd, which Cruise watches with the most indifferent look on her face you could ever possibly see. Melanie has enough size and power to be completely indifferent to the physicality Hiroyo brings to her matches, and refuses to budge as the Joshi star attempts tackles, headlock takeovers and more. Cruise decapitates her opponent with a mafia kick and crowds her with strikes and chokes. She starts targeting the back and neck...and we immediately see the benefit as Matsumoto is rendered unable to get her up for the Hiroyo Stone. Instead she collapses in pain holding her back, and Melanie attacks it again with a surfboard. Swinging sidewalk slam gets 2. Matsumoto tries to engage her in a strike exchange...but Cruise simply grabs her by the throat and rams her spine-first into the corner. Hiroyo tries to rally, delivering a body avalanche in the corner and defying her injured back to deliver a big rack slam. Vader Bomb misses...causing Hiroyo to walk right into a swinging front slam from Cruise for 2. Melanie climbs the ropes but MISSES the guillotine leg drop! Back Drop Driver blocked with shots to Matsumoto's spine though. RUNNING ELBOW! BACK DROP DRIVER! Hiroyo wins at 09:34

Rating - *** - The first 90 minutes of the show have been rather forgettable, but these two women really kicked things up a gear with this one. It was a big match for Cruise, getting the opportunity to wrestle one of the Joshi contingent in the aftermath of another failed tag team. She stepped up and produced one of her best SHIMMER displays; an excellent, imposing bad-ass contrasting wonderfully with the smiling, charismatic presence of Matsumoto. It felt like a unique match for Hiroyo too, in that we're used to seeing her overwhelm opponents with her aggression and physicality - but she simply couldn't do that with an opponent like Melanie. I thought she sold Cruise's attacks really well too. After Cruise blocked her Back Drop Driver with more strikes to her injured back, Hiroyo's entire demeanour and facial expression changed. The smiles were gone, and she genuinely looked a little frantic and desperate as she sprinted across the ring with a wild elbow strike. Great from her as always, but plaudits go to Cruise who may even have saved her SHIMMER career with the quality of this match.

The Wrestling Goddess pushed SHIMMER Champion Saraya Knight to the limit in the main event of Volume 49, but was ultimately unsuccessful in her attempt to win the title from the British veteran. But the match nevertheless marked a deserved ascension into the main event for one of SHIMMER's brightest native talents. Athena will now spend the rest of this taping testing herself against various Joshi talents, starting with Nakagawa tonight. Tomoka returned to SHIMMER with a win over Davina Rose on the last show and will be eyeing up going 2-0 for the weekend.

Nakagawa attacks Athena during her entrance in a typically villainous move. She batters Athena to the floor and pursues her around ringside clubbing at the neck or bouncing her head off the steps and ring apron. CANNONBALL OFF THE APRON by Athena! It's only at this point that they actually enter the ring for the match to officially start. Tomoka pulls at her opponent's hair, stepping on it and using it to throw her across the ring too. She then blocks an attempted kick from Athena by grabbing her boot and THROWING HER into the referee! With the official reeling Tomoka wraps tape around Athena's neck to choke her (all whilst still pulling the hair as well). A grounded headscissors is applied next, inflicting yet more damage to Athena's neck. Nakagawa then starts attacking the leg to stop Athena throwing kicks at her too. Athena actually starts using her other leg to keep throwing kicks...and SOMERSAULTS into a headscissors takedown. Unfortunately it's only fleeting respite as Tomoka drop toeholds the bad leg, causing her to crash into the corner where Nakagawa can drive her entire body weight into the neck and back once again. Abdominal stretch with the leg trapped as well; Tomoka looking to torture as many body parts as she possibly can now. More kicks from Athena, setting up a HANDSPRING HEEL KICK IN THE CORNER! MOONSAULT DOUBLE KNEE DROP gets 2! The weary Wrestling Goddess climbs the ropes...but Nakagawa spits in her face to block the O-Face. FISHERMAN SUPERPLEX by Tomoka! This is getting increasingly heated now - and the two women just start teeing off on each other with some ferocious shots. Nakagawa gets 2 after an enzi to the back of the head. Fisherman Suplex gets 2 as well! SPRINGBOARD TORNADO DDT by Athena! Both women collapse after that. Athena is up first and they battle up the turnbuckles once again. Tomoka wants another superplex, but this time Athena tosses her aside. O-FACE NAILED! Athena wins at 10:11

Rating - **** - Arguably the match of the weekend thus far (even over Athena vs Saraya on the last show). This was a hell of a battle, that brought out the best in both performers. Nakagawa was absolutely delicious, revelling in all of her villainous glory and taking the fight to Athena in a vicious, calculating and outright mean manner from the moment the Wrestling Goddess stepped through the curtain. And Athena produced a stirring babyface performance in response; throwing her body all over the building, taking countless risks and having to go deep into her bag of tricks to find a way to defeat Tomoka. They made for great opponents, it was another show-stealing effort from the Wrestling Goddess and a reminder that she is very much a top tier player in SHIMMER now even if she didn't take the belt on V49.

SHIMMER MEMORABLE MOMENTS - Serena Deeb returns to SHIMMER (after her Straight Edge Society run in WWE) to defeat Kellie Skater at V33, the Seven Star Sisters defeat the Canadian NINJAs to win the Tag Titles at V37. Saraya and Britani Knight come to blows at Volume 43, a show that also featured a bitter No Holds Barred match between Serena Deeb and Portia Perez. Cheerleader Melissa finally wins the SHIMMER Title, defeating Madison Eagles at V44.

The Rate Tank has been turning heads with the quality of her work in recent Volumes. She has been on a mission to make people take her seriously, and the perception of her is starting to change. But she is missing victories over high profile opponents to catapult her to the next level, and knows how valuable a win over one of the Joshi visitors would be in that regard.

They grapple on the mat with real intensity to get us started, where Ohka seems to have the edge and hurts Skater early with a crossface. Yumi pastes her with elbows against the ropes, before going to the mat and working a half crab leaving Skater crying out in pain again. Yakuza Kick flurry in the corner next, but Kellie somehow absorbs those shots and explodes out of the corner to deliver a full nelson facebuster. Ohka punishes a momentary lapse in concentration with a DDT...but again Skater endures and overcomes, getting up and laying her out with a judo throw. MORE big boots by Yumi! And still Skater gets up! It seems like Ohka is going to need to knock the Australian out cold to beat her! BRAINBUSTER by Kellie! Ohka gets up and plants her with a high impact suplex of her own. Yumi relentlessly kicks Kellie in the head now. FOUR mafia kicks in quick succession finally knock the Australian down, but so close to the ropes she can't be pinned. And she is quickly back up to put Ohka in an Anklelock! BACK DROP DRIVER by Yumi! But she can't stand up properly thanks to her now-injured ankle, and Skater once again recovers. BRAINBUSTER by Ohka...for 2! CHOKE-BOMB! SKATER KICKS OUT! She counters the tiger suplex with SKATE & DESTROY! KELLIE WINS! She has her major win at last, in a time of 10:18

Rating - *** - A tad sloppy in places, but the drama was palpable. The story here was clear, with Skater desperate to finally get a high profile win in SHIMMER. After years of being the punchline and butt of the joke, she truly was an 'indestructible Rate Tank' in this one. She absorbed shot after shot to the head. Almost every sequence was littered with repeated kicks to the head by Ohka, but she just couldn't keep Skater down. Kellie took all of Yumi's biggest shots; defiantly refusing to be beaten, always getting back up and pushing forward towards victory. It has been an almost two-year slow burn on the 'Rate Tank' persona to get to this point, and it was definitely a genuine, emotionally resonant moment to see her finally get that win.

This is the first half of our double main event. A Joshi dream match pitting the World Famous Kana against the international veteran Hamada. Both have imperious records in SHIMMER singles competition, and are undoubtedly top contenders for the SHIMMER Championship. 

Kana willingly shakes Hamada's hand before the bell, indicative that she respects her greatly, unlike many of the native SHIMMER talents. She tries to pick Ayako's leg from under her...but the veteran simply picks her up and DUMPS her with a German suplex! Hamada repeatedly staves off Kana's attempts to work her legs...and when she tries to work the arms instead Ayako blocks her by standing on Kana's bare feet! But when Hamada tries to open up and lay in a few kicks Kana counters in a flash - grapevining the leg in a vicious anklelock. Kana knows how important the legs are to Hamada...and Hamada reacts extremely defensively too. She delivers some thunderous elbows then a KICK TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD! Kana returns fire with a drop toehold on the leg she's been targeting...into a buzzsaw kick of her own! BRUTAL HEAD KICK BY KANA! Hamada tries to give her a spinning heel kick, but it's wild and Kana ducks it with ease. Big boot instead by Ayako, setting up a heel kick in the corner. She hits a frankensteiner which drops Kana right on her neck...and she's still reeling from that as Hamada starts slapping her in the face! Roundhouse kick by Kana COUNTERED TO AN ANKLELOCK! Kana barely makes the ropes, but as soon as she does she hooks Hamada up for a LEG CAPTURE GERMAN! NO SOLD! BRIDGING GERMAN BY HAMADA! Kana kicks out and locks in a Kimura! Hamada hoists her over the ropes and delivers a SUPERKICK OFF THE APRON! Kana springs back up and kicks the legs before she can hit a moonsault though. APRON DDT by Hamada! HAMADA MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR! And she isn't done - she hits a missile dropkick back into the ring as well. KANA NO SELLS! ROUNDHOUSE KICK TO THE HEAD! ENZIGURI BY HAMADA! REPEATED HEAD KICKS! BUT KANA REFUSES TO STAY DOWN! PALM STRIKE DUEL! Both women collapse...but come back up still throwing kicks at each other. Fujiwara Armbar by Kana...but Ayako rolls through into the AP CROSS DIAMOND! SPINNING HEEL KICK! KANA KICKS OUT AT ONE! They both throw kicks...but Hamada's superior momentum and size mean she essentially kicks THROUGH Kana. PALM STRIKES! SPINNING HEEL KICK! AP CROSS! HAMADA WINS! She has bludgeoned her way to victory at 14:17

Rating - ****1/2 - This one has a reputation for being one of SHIMMER's finest bouts, and it doesn't disappoint at all. They went out there with the shackles thrown off and went full throttle, beating each other to an absolute pulp in a fifteen-minute war which rivals (and possibly exceeds) any of the greatest matches in the history of the promotion. For most of her SHIMMER run we've seen Kana as the imposing, 'World Famous', hard-hitting bully who is able to dominate and bully her opponents. But not Hamada. Ayako is a Joshi legend, whilst also being bigger, stronger and hitting every bit as hard as Kana. It meant that not only were some of the strike exchanges utterly insane, but also that Kana's usual modus operandi wouldn't work. She came in with a game-plan to work the legs, and the vociferous nature with which Hamada defended herself against that suggests it was a smart plan...but she just couldn't execute it. At every turn the veteran cut her off with a big strike or huge offensive bomb. Though Kana fought with all she had, she just couldn't overcome the relentless, brute force of her adversary. That was never more clear than a moment during the closing stretch when both threw simultaneous kicks...but Hamada's was so much more forceful she essentially blasted THROUGH Kana's strike to knock her out. It was one of so many gorgeous little moments of detail, and I could list quite a few more (Hamada stepping on Kana's bare feet to get an advantage, or Kana seemingly having repeated counters prepared for many of Hamada's signature moves come to mind). It really is one of those must-see, iconic, legendary matches in SHIMMER history that you absolutely should seek out.

The two warriors share a lengthy embrace after the match; a moment which feels genuinely heartfelt and emotional to both of them. 

To celebrate fifty SHIMMER shows we have a big 10-woman elimination match featuring all the current champions (Saraya Knight and the Canadian NINJAs), and as many SHIMMER originals as possible. That means that former rivals MsChif and Cheerleader Melissa once again join forces as a team. It means Allison Danger joins them, bringing her Regeneration-X partner Leva Bates along for the ride. Whilst on the champions' team, Mercedes Martinez is in tow along with a surprise return for veteran Lexie Fyfe (another SHIMMER OG). All eyes will be on Cheerleader Melissa and Saraya, as their heated rivalry over the SHIMMER Title continues to simmer. But we've also got Danger and Leva wanting to prove they deserve a shot at the Tag Titles. Portia and Allison contested one of the most bitter rivalries in SHIMMER history. MsChif lost to Mercedes Martinez on V49, and the former Champion is desperate to prove she isn't a spent force consigned to the annuls of SHIMMER history but instead still a genuine threat at the top of the card. We're packing in fifty shows and seven years worth of drama and storylines...unified and held together with a laser focus on Saraya, Portia and Nicole as the current champions of the promotion. Bragging rights are up for grabs and personal scores can be settled in our Volume 50 main event.

All ten athletes CHARGE at each other to get the match underway, which in a confined space like the Eagles Club looks incredibly awesome. Fyfe runs away from MsChif and 'tags' in a cardboard cut-out of her 'The Experience' tag partner Malia Hosaka. So Chif gives the cut-out a standing moonsault and 'eliminates' it at 00:47! Melissa and MsChif run wild, sending opponents scattering...before Melissa lies in wait and demands Saraya be fed to her. The babyfaces pick up the SHIMMER Champion and use her as a battering ram to hit Lexie with! Portia spits in Danger's face as a reminder of their bitter history, but in doing so takes her eyes off MsChif and LuFisto - who start working her leg over. Perez escapes well before Allison can get her hands on her though. Prazak points out that Danger has 'no means no' written in tape across her upper chest in reference to Mercedes' brutal chops...which Martinez duly ignores to chop the sh*t out of her. It means her team is able to isolate Danger; trapping her right in the rudo corner despite the protests of her partners. Soon enough Leva joins her partner in the ring though, and gets 2 with a Shiranui on Martinez. The Latina Sensation hits back by raking the eyes of former champion Melissa, then feeds her to the Canadian Ninjas to work over. BIG strike exchange between Melissa and Nicole! Knight ominously stalks into the ring looking to get at Cheerleader...and gives her a low blow whilst the ref is preoccupied with other competitors! Inevitably everyone flies into the ring again soon after, giving us a TEN WOMAN SUBMISSION DUEL! As everyone scatters to the floor MsChif gives Fyfe a camel clutch in the ropes, but since Melissa is still legal she is still in peril with the Tag Champions taking turns to choke her in the corner. The Cheerleader desperately and defiantly battles on, at times trading strikes with all five opponents at once...and finally escaping after powering through both Canadian Ninjas! Allison is tagged, hits the Lovelace Choker on Nicole and scores the first elimination at 18:57. She stares pointedly at the camera knowing she may have just earned a title shot for Regeneration-X...but doesn't see Portia sneaking up behind her. The remaining Canadian Ninja rolls Danger up (after the exiting Matthews pokes her in the eyes) to eliminate her, instantly evening up the teams at 19:12. SPEAR from Leva to Portia! Sensibly the villains drag the inexperienced Bates back into their corner...and Sweet Saraya tags in (to chants of 'don't kill Leva'). Bates is tenacious in trying to hang with both Knight and Fyfe, getting nearfalls on both of them. But eventually Lexie scoops her up for the Attitude Adjuster and eliminates Leva at 22:19. LuFisto tags and starts BOMBING on Fyfe with strikes, then counters another Attitude Adjuster into the Mangalizer, ending Lexie's comeback at 23:34. Cannonball on Perez next, Lu exploding into the match in spectacular fashion. Unfortunately she doesn't see Martinez coming with an illegal cheapshot as she lines up the Burning Hammer...and Portia drops down into another schoolboy pin, eliminating LuFisto (her second elimination of the match) at 24:39. LuFisto grabs Mercedes and starts smacking the sh*t out of her on the floor until referees separate them! DESECRATOR from MsChif to Portia - eliminating her at 25:32. Now we're down to 2-on-2 we see Melissa and MsChif's prior experience as a team come to the fore as they isolate Mercedes. Kondo Clutch on Martinez...into the CURB STOMP! BACK DROP DRIVER BY MERCEDES! Melissa (who took a lot of punishment earlier in the match) barely kicks out there. Bull Run blocked into a Samoan Drop though. MsChif tags in and hits another Desecrator...eliminating Mercedes at 29:10! The SHIMMER Champion is left on her own! DOUBLE powerbomb by Melissa and MsChif! Cheerleader pins the champ at 29:45!

Rating - **** - I didn't like the last ten minutes quite as much, since it was just a fairly cluttered run of eliminations, and the finish felt extremely sudden. But that shouldn't detract from what was an extremely entertaining half hour of wrestling. The first twenty minutes were heaps of fun, with a number of brilliant performances. Saraya wasn't involved often, but EVERY time she stepped into the ropes the crowd gasped or popped in anticipation of what she was going to do, such is her aura right now. On the other team Melissa - who isn't necessarily renowned as the most charismatic or expressive of performers - was fantastic in the heat segment on her; so convincing in selling her beating that I still believed she was feeling the adverse effects of it twenty minutes later when dropping bombs with Mercedes. The countless nods to SHIMMER rivalries and teams of the past, combined with a tangible feeling of progression in key storylines taking place in modern day SHIMMER like Melissa/Saraya or NINJAs/Regeneration-X kept it interesting throughout. This wasn't perhaps quite as good as the 'SHIM-vivor Series' elimination tag main event from Volume 36 a couple of years ago but it still packs a punch and puts some of the biggest names on the 2012 SHIMMER roster into the ring at the same time with predictably enjoyable results. The finish leaves us with an intriguing conundrum as well; Cheerleader Melissa has immediately put herself back into championship contention...but it also returns MsChif from her midcard wilderness and puts her right in line for a title shot too. And what about a 'Melis-Chif' Tag Title shot?

Melissa sarcastically dumps the SHIMMER Title at the feet of the beaten champion and walks out victorious. But Prazak points out on commentary that Knight took almost no damage in what was effectively a 30-minute non-title match for her (saving her efforts for matches that 'matter'), whilst Melissa sustained some serious punishment at points. What a unique idea!

Tape Rating - **** - I went back and forth on this rating, because this is far from a perfect show. The first 90 minutes are entirely skippable, and I do find myself thinking that it might be time for SHIMMER to switch up the traditional structure of their shows just a little. I'd love a hot opener once in a while, as opposed to the standard first hour of ever Volume predictably featuring a flurry of 5-7 minute matches as women look to work their way up the card. I completely understand why the Volumes have been laid out the way they are...but a little unpredictability isn't a bad thing. However, the last two hours of this show are GREAT. Everything from the under-rated Hiroyo/Cruise match onwards is must-see. Athena/Tomoka is one of the best matches of the weekend, Ayako/Kana is one of the best matches in the history of the company, and you've also got the rewarding pay-off of Kellie Skater's first 'major' SHIMMER win and a 30-minute main event full of star power that ends in a way which, in my opinion, progresses storylines in a smart way and ends with you fully invested in seeing where they go next. 

3) MsChif/Melissa/Danger/Bates/LuFisto vs Knight/Perez/Matthews/Martinez/Fyfe (****)

2) Athena vs Tomoka Nakagawa (****)

1) Ayako Hamada vs Kana (****1/2)