McXal's Reviews

We've reached the final SHIMMER event of 2012, with all eyes on the main event as bitter rivals Saraya Knight and Cheerleader Melissa once again collide. The SHIMMER Championship is on the line in that one, and it isn't the only gold up for grabs tonight either. Regeneration-X have been chasing Tag Champions the Canadian NINJAs all through this taping and finally get that title shot on this Volume. The card also boasts a Hamada/Athena dream match, Courtney Rush stepping up to Hiroyo Matsumoto, Kana and LuFisto squaring off with Made In Sin and a grudge match between Davina Rose and Rhia O'Reilly. Plenty to sink our teeth into as SHIMMER looks to end the year with a bang (and set the scene for their first ever WrestleMania weekend show in 2013). Dave Prazak and Portia Perez provide commentary on all the action, taped in Berwyn, IL.

This would be a main show debut for Layne, after having worked dark matches for SHIMMER all year. Oddly, of her nine SHIMMER bouts this is one of only two which Cagematch lists as televised, despite working pretty much every taping over a two year period. Spinelli is chasing her first win of the weekend and won't want her roster spot to be jeopardised by going home empty-handed.

Angelus does her best to avoid locking up with Spinelli, meaning the battle actually gets underway on the floor where both women take turns absorbing some fierce bumps against the metal guardrails. Layne endures a succession of big strikes from KC, before delivering a couple of knockdowns of her own (whilst getting jeered by the fans). She gets 2 with a sidewalk slam, whilst still selling the ill-effects of crashing into the guardrail earlier. Spinelli retaliates with a discus lariat for her own nearfall. She follows that with a version of the Eye Of The Hurricane to win the match at 04:04

Rating - ** - I've previously voiced my frustration that the format of these SHIMMER cards can be a little predictable. If you've seen any recent SHIMMER Volume you'll probably know what to expect here. It doesn't go long, it features some of the newest members of the roster and ends with the (slightly) more established act going over. Within those confines this was fine. I really liked the violent and explosive opening exchange on the floor, and that Angelus basically sold the impact of that for the remaining three minutes of the match. 

Mademoiselle Rochelle explains to Sassy Stephie and Amber Gertner (in French) what Stephie can expect when she wrestles Kalamity tonight. 

It has been an impressive return to the SHIMMER fold for 'Miss Natural' Heather Patera. Two wins last night, and an impressing even in defeat against Cheerleader Melissa at V51. She looks to end her weekend strong against Su Yung, making only her second main show appearance (and still a long way from the undead gimmick she'd go onto enjoy great success with).

Su dances to the ring, smiles and is so likeable the crowd immediately get behind her. Sadly it also annoys Miss Natural who attacks her from behind to get us started. Hurricanrana from Yung, signalling her intent to use her speed and illusiveness to get ahead in the match. Patera quickly clubs that out of her though; smashing her across the face with a clothesline then dragging her around by the hair. Yung tries another athletic dropkick...but Patera swats her away then hits her version of a Code Red for 2. To the apron goes Su, where she fights Natural's attempt at a suplex and delivers an outside-in tornado DDT! It is one last flurry of energy for Yung, who screams furiously but is soon caught in the Natural Disaster giving Patera the victory at 06:39

Rating - ** - The match itself could have been shorter and lost none of its impact, and it felt like a continuation of the impressive form shown by Miss Natural all weekend. But actually what stuck with me about this one was the performance of Su Yung. It is drastically different to her more recognisable gimmick that she's worked in promotions like Impact for so long, but she was genuinely very likeable here. She danced out to a catchy theme song, she engaged the audience with her personality and she took a hell of a beating once the bell rung. You can't watch her here and act like you 'knew' what she'd go onto achieve in wrestling, but she very clearly has SOMETHING about her.

This one marks Davina's final appearance in SHIMMER before she departs to join WWE and become an international superstar as Bayley. Before she leaves she has one last score to settle, that being to avenge the loss she suffered to Rhia O'Reilly two shows ago. Rhia won in controversial circumstances (and sustained a black eye in the process) and has undeniably had her strongest SHIMMER taping ever this weekend. Can she finish in the same fashion and send Rose packing with another defeat?

Rhia ambushes Rose during the ring introductions and quickly pummels her into the corner. But a fired up Davina retaliates immediately; exploding out of the same corner with a Thesz press and a flurry of punches. They brawl on the floor where Rose's tenacity continues to bring her success. Back in the ring she maintains that aggressive approach...but eventually springboard straight into a SAVAGE kick to the ribs. O'Reilly starts targeting the midsection instantly and very quickly we see Davina struggling to catch her breath or fight back. The next couple of minutes are relentless; O'Reilly continually pounding on the ribs and back, inflicting such damage that Rose's natural speed and athleticism advantage is substantially diminished. Finlay Roll nailed, but this time when Rhia tries to pin using the ropes Bryce Remsburg refuses to count. Davina capitalises with a couple of shoulder blocks then uses the hair to drag her opponent into a neckbreaker for 2. T-bone suplex by Rhia, only for Davina to counter the Rhi-adjustment into the '1, 2, 3...Floor' for a victory in her final SHIMMER match at 08:19

Rating - *** - I wish they'd have opened the show with this one. It was packed with energy and purpose, feeling authentically like a grudge bout between two fiercely determined competitors who had points to prove. It wasn't flawlessly executed by any means, but even when it was messy it was always very natural and organic. Davina oozed babyface charm and charisma here; so good that even with a younger O'Reilly still very much finding her feet as a more prominent villain on the SHIMMER roster, she excelled. Bayley's SHIMMER run as Davina Rose certainly isn't crucial viewing, and she leaves before really getting a chance to attack the top end of the SHIMMER roster. But she is a role model for always delivering no matter what your position is on the card. She has been consistently engaging, exciting and entertaining, she rarely had a bad match and gave us plentiful glimpses of the high quality superstar she'd go on to become even if she barely scratched the surface of that potential within SHIMMER.

The team of Taylor Made and Allysin Kay only appeared together in SHIMMER for the first time at these tapings. Their match against Regeneration-X on V51 was really fun, and indeed so competitive that it was the final hurdle that Bates and Danger needed to clear before cementing the Tag Title shot they will be receiving later tonight. That is heights of the standard set by Made In Sin...but those are standards that will be tested to the extreme in their final bout of the weekend. Kana and LuFisto aren't a regular team but have formed an alliance based on mutual respect. They are two of the hardest hitting women on the roster and both come into this having participated in really violent matches on the last show.

Made In Sin attack their opponents during the introductions...and instantly get battered into the ropes by their hard-hitting opponents. Kana and LuFisto have some fun dishing out so many strikes that Made and Kay flee the ring to regroup. Allysin tries to use her height to get the better of Fisto, and actually holds her own momentarily in an exchange of leg kicks. LuFi responds by ripping at Kay's nose, emphasised with an axehandle smash from Kana too. They continue to work over AK's nose and she finally hobbles away on the receiving end of more big kicks from Kana. Jawbreaker/dropkick combo gets 2 on Made, with Kay having to dive in and make a save even at this early stage. She takes Kana's legs out...then punts an unsuspecting LuFisto in the face whilst she is distracted by Taylor. Kay proudly proclaims that they are going to stop Kana kicking by injuring her legs and they persist with that strategy for the next couple of minutes. Even when Kana does manage to land a kick successfully, she limps away and isn't able to make a tag before being caught and dragged back for more targeted punishment on her injured leg. She starts throwing palm strikes instead, but can't resist kicking again...and again is so hobbled afterwards she can't capitalise. Both she and Kay crawl into tags, but LuFisto is left fighting both opponents on her own. She flattens them both with a cannonball in the corner, then scoops Made up for the BURNING HAMMER! LuFisto pins Taylor to win at 09:25

Rating - *** - In a tightly-packed nine minutes of action this delivered pretty much everything you'd want to see. You got snippets of Kana and LuFisto having fun striking lumps out of Made In Sin. You had Made and Kay being devious villains, then unleashing a really smart strategy in taking out Kana's legs. Kana sold it well enough to keep you interested, and it played into a relevant finish with Kana basically removed from the match after tagging out (not before landing one last heavy strike on Kay, wounding her sufficiently that she couldn't stop LuFisto storming to victory at the end). It has been a fun SHIMMER debut weekend for Made In Sin, with solid performances in all of their matches. 

EARLIER TODAY - The Canadian NINJAS belittle Regeneration-X, and have no intention of losing the Tag Titles to them tonight...

Kalamity came into these tapings without her previous partner Hailey Hatred and, despite continuing to look imposing and powerful in the ring, hasn't won a match all weekend. She is highly rated, but with a roster as competitive as this she simply won't stick around if she can't back up that potential with victories. It has been a better weekend for Stephie, who delivered one of her best SHIMMER performances in defeat against Hiroyo Matsumoto on V49, then beat Su Yung on V50. Her manager, Mademoiselle Rochelle, has briefed her on what to expect from Kalamity this evening too...

Stephie smack-talks Kalamity in broken French and gets popped across the jaw for her trouble. She clearly wants to wrestle with Kalamity to avoid her powerful strikes, and sure enough as soon as Kalamity breaks free from her clutches she batters her with knees and kicks (until Rochelle pulls Stephie to the floor). Kalamity tries to dive at the pair of them, but they both move causing her to crash into the guardrails. Stephie starts targeting the neck to set up for her finisher (Kiss My Sass); landing suplexes and stretching it out with a Last Chancery. Kalamity powers out of that, then outright ignores some Stephie kicks before landing a choke-hold STO variant for 2. Rochelle trips Kalamity though (with Kalamity so obvious dangling her foot out to remind her to grab it the whole thing looked very silly)...allowing Stephie to take over on her opponent once more. She gets nastier than before with Kalamity - raking the eyes whilst working a camel clutch then choking her over the ropes in an effort to further damage the neck. Rochelle sprays hairspray into her eyes as well, causing her to stumble backwards almost right into Kiss My Sass. Kalamity somehow blocks it with a blinded, swinging lariat that leaves them both down. She follows that with the diving forearm in the corner...but Stephie goes to the neck to block the Kalamity Driver. Spinebuster scores, then she scoops her up for the Kalamityville Horror Driver! Kalamity wins at 09:01

Rating - ** - It was a little messy, and over the course of three matches this weekend the presence of Mademoiselle Rochelle in Stephie's matches has made her act start to feel quite repetitive, without adding much to it either. There were aspects to this I liked (Stephie's neck work, and how they presented Kalamity as a dangerous, hard-hitting striker) but the excessive and predictable interference spots - one of which looked really bad too - did drag this one down. 

Kalamity gives Rochelle a Kalamity Driver for good measure as well, which the live crowd particularly enjoy...

The SHIMMER OG will come into this match enormously frustrated. Fed up of being seen as a measuring stick for newcomers to the roster to test themselves against; at the last show she was once again placed in that role and succumbed to defeat to the popular Courtney Rush. That came hot on the heels of failing to eliminate anyone and being pinned by MsChif in the big Volume 50 elimination tag main event. Does that make her an extremely dangerous opponent for the plucky Australian newcomer McKenzie, or will she be driven to such distraction that she is vulnerable to another upset defeat?

Martinez immediately throws Shazza to the ground and stomps her, quickly setting the tone for the match we're about to see. Shazza tries a monkey flip, but stumbles momentarily and is boxed around the ears by an extremely agitated Latina Sensation. To McKenzie's credit, she recovers quickly and starts trying to score flash pins on Mercedes, which makes sense given that is how Courtney Rush beat her. It doesn't work here though and Martinez soon crumples her in half with a backbreaker. Shazza keeps running, keeps creating space and tries her hardest to hang in the fight. It just isn't enough though; Martinez swats an attempted dropkick aside and decks her again with a choke-bomb. Headscissors by Shazza, who just doesn't know when to quit it seems! Martinez hammers her in the corner...and McKenzie throws shots back! MUSCLE BUSTER BULL RUN! Mercedes wins at 05:48

Rating - *** - For what they were going for, this match was so awesome I even considered going higher on my rating. Sure some of Shazza's offence was a little messy, but that was literally the point. She is young and inexperienced - and thrown to the proverbial wolves in the face of a pissed off veteran who is fed up of being made a spectacle of at the expense of newcomers. Martinez was coming to rip her apart, so it made absolute sense that Shazza would go for every move in her arsenal even if she isn't able to hit it cleanly or set it up just right. In a match where a participant has limited skills and is fighting to stay alive at every turn, it is entirely believable that their execution might not be perfect. And Shazza sold the beating brilliantly. She bounced around the ring with gusto, she took some seriously big hits (including that epic Muscle Buster variant of Mercedes' Fisherman Buster) and more than played her part here. Martinez has been on the roster since the very beginning and yet in many ways this new bitter gatekeeper character makes her as interesting and versatile as she's ever been - capable of believably stepping up to the main events, and equally gripping when working those at the lower reaches of the roster. 

Amber Gertner interviews Courtney Rush, who reminds everyone she is on a winning streak and plans to continue it against 'Boss' Matsumoto tonight.

Kellie Skater marches to the ring, and despite having pretty much lost her voice she musters up the energy to introduce her tag team partner (someone she says she has come to respect whilst touring Japan) - Tomoka Nakagawa.

This is the SHIMMER debut for '3G', who will go on to become a beloved team in the annuls of SHIMMER history. They start in the deep end with a match against an opposing team featuring former SHIMMER Champion MsChif. Kellie Skater comes into this on the back of two huge shows for her personally; defeating Yumi Ohka on V50, then pushing SHIMMER Champion Saraya Knight to the limit in the main event of the last show. Her stock has never been higher...

MsChif tries to high five the new team...and is booted in the gut by Tomoka, much to the confusion of the Rate Tank who was happy to give the high five! Nakagawa then claws at Chif's mouth to prevent her from screaming as well which is pretty novel. Double headbutt/backfist combo by MsEerie to Kellie though, whilst Tomoka continues to remonstrate with the official. A cheapshot from the apron from Nakagawa helps her partner out though and sees 3G able to isolate CVE from her partner. Kellie grabs Christina's mohawk and using it to drag her face-first into the boots and knees of Tomoka. The Gangsters showcase the fluidity they've developed as a team when working together in Japan as they tag in and out frequently and leave Von Eerie looking increasingly fatigued. She lands a desperate boot to Nakagawa's face and finally crawls to the fresh MsChif...who flattens Tomoka with the standing moonsault. Skater blocks The 138 from CVE into an inverted DDT for 2. Tomoka blasts Chif with the enziguri...then spits water into Christina's eyes to blind her and pin her at 08:21

Rating - ** - This existed as a showcase for the tag team skills of 3G, and on that front it worked. It was immediately apparent how fun the dynamic between them is, and how entertaining the combination of Skater's big attitude and Nakagawa's constant cheating will be. But as this was little more than an exhibition it could've done with being a little shorter. I understand why it wasn't - MsEerie are a semi-reputable team and MsChif is a former SHIMMER Champion who was in the main event of the last show. But they contributed almost nothing to this, with CVE so constantly falling for Tomoka's antics that she came off a little silly by the end of it. Nevertheless this run of three shows has been massive for Skater. Her win over Ohka, her stunning performance in the V51 main event and now the formation of 3G essentially MAKE her for the remainder of her SHIMMER career...

It is always a treat when two of the Joshi guest-stars square off with each other in the SHIMMER ring. Bragging rights in their home country are absolutely up for grabs, and an international victory over the more established Ohka would be a significant moment for Mizunami in particular.

Ohka is clearly aware that she cannot afford to get overpowered or to brawl with an opponent the size of Ryo. She starts the match full of smart, wily counters and escapes to constantly prevent Mizunami from dominating her. She peppers Ryo with kicks in the corner...only for Mizunami to literally POWER out and tackle her into the turnbuckles. She batters Ohka with shoulder blocks, then a version of the Rocker Dropper for 2. Yumi acts quickly to ground Mizu again, using a lungblower to drag her into a stranglehold. Unfortunately Ryo isn't weakened sufficiently and powers out to nail her with a shoulderbreaker. Stranglehold DDT by Ohka! She clings onto that straightjacket choke and uses that hold to block a back drop over the ropes to throttle Mizunami on the top rope! Ryo desperately hangs Ohka in the ropes and connects with a second rope leg drop across the back of the head. Top rope shoulder tackle gets 2! Ohka throws elbows to block an Urinage then plants Mizunami with a back suplex! Bloody Ex in the corner, into a flying crossbody block gets 2! She puts a series of big boots through Ryo's skull - but Mizunami refuses to stay down, battling back to her feet and delivering the Urinage for 2. Ryo sets up for the guillotine leg drop but MISSES, jamming her already injured spine into the canvas. AXE KICK by Yumi! FOR 2! Chokebomb by Ohka, and this time she is victorious at 10:48

Rating - *** - Match of the night to this point in the show. It was feisty, competitive and a constantly entertaining battle between a smart, savvy, more experienced but smaller wrestler and a brawling brute with less ring-smarts but enough power that you felt she could end the match at any moment. Beyond that basic premise there wasn't much depth here, and whilst they were certainly getting respectable reactions from the Eagles Club audience I don't think either of these two have yet connected with the SHIMMER fans in the way some of their Joshi contemporaries have. Nothing we saw here really felt like it electrified or really energised a tired Berwyn fanbase in their fourth show of a long weekend taping. We wouldn't actually see Mizunami in a SHIMMER ring again for four years after this...

Rush entered this weekend at a crossroads after losing the SHIMMER Tag Titles and seeing her idol Sara Del Rey depart the company. After an initial loss to Ryo Mizunami at V49, she has found her smile and recaptured her spirit and comes into this huge test on the back of consecutive wins at V50 and V51. Matsumoto failed to win the World Title last time out, but remains a top competitor and one of the most feared of the Joshi guest stars. Rush will know a win here would put her right into SHIMMER Championship contention.

They are evenly matched from the outset; Rush's height and long limbs allowing her to negate some of Hiroyo's power and big strikes. She deposites Hiroyo's Godzilla mask onto her head then pummels her with mounted forearms before proclaiming herself the 'Godzilla Killer', much to Matsumoto's annoyance. She then calls herself King Kong, prompting Hiroyo to point out someone dressed as a banana in the crowd...then blindsiding her for a Stinkface in the corner. Courtney armdrags her back to the mat then works her neck with a chinlock. Matsumoto tries to even things up with her big strikes, but Rush is already so far ahead in the match she is able to swiftly shut the Lady Destroyer down with a suplex. Spinning sidewalk slam by Matsumoto, who screams in fury after being on the receiving end of so much punishment thus far. She slithers out of a superplex attempt and NAILS a powerbomb! Rebound double knee drop gets 2. Back Drop Driver blocked into the Russian Legsweep by Rush though. BACK FIST by Matsumoto! SPEAR BY RUSH! Courtney is up first and hits a flying crossbody, but Matsumoto skips to the apron when she tries another Spear and counters with a Stunner in the ropes. GERMAN SUPLEX out of the corner by Courtney! Skyward Suplex blocked! BACK DROP DRIVER! Hiroyo wins at 10:59

Rating - *** - The match was solid, but what really sold me on this was the excellence of Rush's performance. Matsumoto is a quality performer, which goes without saying. However, at points even she was taking a back seat to how downright fun to watch Rush can be. I'm disappointed she was booked to lose here as it felt like she had plenty of momentum after defeating Mercedes Martinez last time out, but the quality of her work here was exceptional and really broke new ground for her. The crowd love her, but arguably for the first time this wasn't smiling, 'happy to be here' Courtney. She was here to win; taking the fight to one of the top Joshi stars and dominating long periods of the contest. Her height and skill make her such a dangerous opponent; one that even the hard-hitting strike-force of Matsumoto struggled to withstand. She lost after being suckered into dropping offensive bombs with Matsumoto, where Hiroyo had her number, but Courtney pushed her to the very limit here. Even with this loss she will surely enter the SHIMMER Title picture come 2013.

Leva Bates and Allison Danger have been chasing this title shot all taping. They've racked up wins over the Ninjas in SHINE singles matches, the V50 elimination tag and we've reached the point where Nicole Matthews and Portia Perez can't duck them any longer. Portia and Allison contested one of the most bitter, personal rivalries in all of SHIMMER history too, so this has the potential to get very fiery. The challengers start the mindgames during their entrance by coming out dressed as ninjas for the occasion.

The pre-match shenanigans over Danger and Leva's concealed ninja weaponry are very funny, and leave the champions visibly rattled and agitated. Perez initially wants to leave, then refuses point-blank to start the match with old nemesis Allison. She tries to re-establish control by bullying Leva...only for Bates to shove her on her ass too! Danger cheap-shots Perez as she paces around angrily to continue the nightmare start for the Ninjas. Even when Portia tries to get serious and wrestle with Leva, she finds herself on the receiving end of a flurry of pinfall attempts and almost loses the match. Danger and Nicole tag in, with Allison still pointedly talking smack in Portia's direction. Matthews yells at the veteran to take her seriously, which Danger duly does by taking her to school on the canvas! We reach the ten minute mark and Regeneration-X have been absolutely dominant thus far. But they perhaps get over-confident; Danger leaving her less-experienced partner in the ring for a moment too long with the dangerous Nicole Matthews - who snatches the opportunity to drag Bates into the Ninjas' corner. That brings Perez into the ring - but this time there is no escape and Danger at last gets her hands on Portia. She wails on Perez in the corner then drags into a half crab (which she needs some illegal assistance from Matthews to escape). CURB KICK ON MATTHEWS! She hangs limp in the ropes, where Danger and Bates nail her with repeated kicks as the frantic Perez argues with the referee. Satellite headscissors from Leva to Nicole...but again that means Bates is left alone with Matthews, who capitalises by landing a brutal neckbreaker! We are nearly fifteen minutes in and its the first time the Canadian Ninjas have exerted any kind of control - which yet again Perez loses for them after eating a hanging neckbreaker out of the corner. Flirting With Danger into a LARIAT on Matthews (one of her own signature moves!) for 2. NECK DROP NORTHERN LIGHTS by Matthews! Ouch, that looked brutal! Funky Cold Medina blocked...SPEAR BY LEVA! Double stomp/inverted DDT combo...but Perez pulls the ref out to break the pin! RUSSIAN LEGSWEEP INTO THE GUARDRAILS from Perez to Danger! FUNKY COLD MEDINA! Ninjas retain at 17:42

Rating - **** - This won't be to everyone's taste, but I thought this was a brilliant match. On a roster with the likes of Ayako Hamada, Kana, Athena, LuFisto, Cheerleader Melissa, Hiroyo Matsumoto, Mercedes Martinez (and more) these four athletes certainly wouldn't expect to have the fastest, most exciting, highest flying or hardest hitting match of the night. But they are four of the biggest characters on the show, and in Danger/Portia they had one of the single nastiest rivalries in company history to build around too. What they delivered was a masterpiece in story-telling and in subverting expectations. I loved the direction they went with this; instead of having the NINJAs cheat and use all manner of hijinx and chicanery to get ahead (we know they're great at that, but we've seen it plenty of times) you had the challengers dominate the match and win ALL the mental battles. Even before the bell rang it was visible how rattled Perez and Matthews were. They might be the more experienced team. In Nicole Matthews they may well have the best individual wrestler in the match, and in Portia Perez they might have the single most devious mind in the whole match too. And Leva Bates may well be significantly less experienced to boot. But from the moment they came through the curtain Regeneration-X looked fired up, focused and were so deliciously intent on psychologically ruining the champions that it almost took them all the way to victory. For fifteen minutes it felt like nothing would stop them...and as a result we got to see a whole new side of the Canadian NINJAs. They aren't just pantomime villains - they are tough as nails too, and willing to do whatever it takes to retain their belts. Ultimately they won the match after Nicole nearly MURDERED Danger with a brutal suplex, then Portia savaged her still further with the legsweep against the guardrails. They violently took their most dangerous opponent out, then picked off the weaker member using a numbers advantage. It wasn't a flashy match, it wasn't a wild brawl or a technical classic but I thought this was masterful - one of my favourite bouts of the entire taping. 

This taping has cemented Athena's spot as one of the premier native performers in SHIMMER. Her matches against Saraya Knight, Tomoka Nakagawa and Kana have all been hugely different, but all absolute bangers. Can she end this trio of dream matches against Joshi talent with a win over the legendary Hamada - who is undefeated all weekend including one of SHIMMER's best ever matches (versus Kana) at Volume 50?

Athena looks tentative and is pounced upon by the veteran, who wastes no time in depositing her on the canvas and trying to control her with mat wrestling. She applies real pressure to Athena, who has to live up to her moniker as a 'Wrestling Goddess' just to stay alive in the match. Hamada is the one to ratchet up the intensity too as she almost takes Athena's head off with a roundhouse kick. Headbutts and forearms follow, leaving Athena dazed - but still with enough about her to throw forearms back in Ayako's direction. Hamada thinks she can pick up the pace...and is rocked again when Athena evades her grasp and unleashes a couple of huge kicks of her own! Quickly Ayako slows it right back down; going back to headbutts then back to the canvas, having caught a glimpse of how dangerous her opponent can be if allowed to build momentum. She targets Athena's arm with strikes...but tries to get flashy with a lucha-inspired rope-walk and gives Athena enough steam to land a springboard crossbody. This time Hamada has to jerk her foe to the ground by the hair to cut her off! BICYCLE KICK by Athena gets 2! As we saw in her tussle with Kana, Athena's kicking is ferocious and she has rung Hamada's bell with that one! She isn't able to quickly shut the Wrestling Goddess down this time - and Athena peppers her with Kawada Kicks and a kick to the back of the head for 2. Pyramid Driver blocked, and Athena lands a Slingshot Suplex for another nearfall. The back and neck of the veteran are starting to take a lot of punishment, with successive submission holds both exhausting Hamada whilst softening her up for the devastating O-Face. FROG SPLASH MISSES! Hamada screams and levels her with a back suplex, but Athena intercepts her in the corner before she can set up the moonsault...and damages Ayako's back again with a superplex. O-Face COUNTERED TO A GERMAN SUPLEX! NO SOLD! SUPERKICK BY HAMADA! SPINNING HEEL KICK! Athena counters the Pyramid Driver again though and climbs the ropes again. Palm strike by Hamada! HAMA-CHAN CUTTER! Sliding enzi gets 2! AP Cross blocked...spinning heel kick blocked! HEAD KICKS BY ATHENA! Having missed the O-Face multiple times Athena switches to an attempted double-knee drop instead...butHamada DODGES IT, causing Athena to crash into the canvas and immediately cry out in pain! She can't stand...and Hamada STOMPS THE INJURED LEG! PALM STRIKE! MOONSAULT NAILED! Hamada wins at 20:49

Rating - **** - Athena has been in sensational form all weekend. She did look a little fatigued here (as did Hamada), but these two are so good that it really didn't matter much. This was a superb bout, with the experienced veteran pushed to the limit and needing to go deep into her reserves of skill and strategy to keep the young rising star at bay. Arguably it was Athena's hot-headedness which cost her the match; constantly trying to come off the top rope and after failing the O-Face so many times, trying the desperate double-knee drop which ultimately caused her to sustain an unsurvivable injury. But you could turn that round and attribute that error to the relentless skill of Hamada. She took some of Athena's best shots. She endured repeated head strikes and kept coming back. And most importantly of all she ALWAYS had a counter for the O-Face. Even the SHIMMER Champion Saraya Knight couldn't stop Athena hitting that move. Hamada successfully thwarting Athena's biggest weapon was what frustrated her, prompting the catastrophic error which led to her demise. The second half of this one in particular is a fantastic watch.

Athena demands a microphone and congratulates Hamada for her victory. But she wants a rematch, and challenges Hamada for WrestleMania weekend/Volume 53 (SHIMMER's first trip outside the Eagles Club since V14). Ayako immediately accepts...

This is the rematch Melissa has been waiting four Volumes for. Her arch-enemy Saraya stalked her throughout her first taping as SHIMMER Champion, and ensured she wouldn't even last a single weekend with the belt after injuring her leg in a locker-room attack then picking her off in the main event of V48. Knight felt it was fitting vengeance for Melissa inflicting an almost career-ending injury during a lusty brawl they'd contested in the UK years earlier and proudly sits atop Melissa's home promotion; the company that Cheerleader Melissa has helped build and carried for all 52 Volumes so far. Melissa pinned Saraya to win the elimination tag team main event of V50, albeit with Knight suggesting she took a dive since the title wasn't on the line. It was enough to convince Senior Official Bryce Remsburg (apparently something of an on-screen match-making authority figure) to sanction this rematch...

For once Knight has little interest in winding up the ringside fans, instead entering with a nefarious smirk and revelling coming to the ring holding the belt she knows Melissa covets so greatly. The initial lock-up between them is wild, sending bodies and limbs flying around the ring like a tornado. The challenger tries to impose her will on Saraya...but the champ uses that to her advantage as she delivers an unseen poke to the eyes to temporarily disrupt Melissa's vision. When it comes to an unbridled fight Cheerleader has an advantage; smashing her around and even going for leg submissions to target Saraya's surgically repaired knee. Saraya continues to bend the rules; gouging the eyes and nose whilst working a camel clutch. But she just can't live with the firepower of Melissa - who simply clubs her away and locks in the Kondo Clutch. Saraya has to leave the ring to escape that, now noticeably favouring her injured leg. Melissa simply drags her back in by the hair though and launches into a flurry of dragon screws to further hobble the champ. Knight pokes the eyes again, but can't successfully apply the Bridal Rocking Horse due to her knee causing her such pain. Cheerleader takes a rare trip to the top rope and sends Saraya flying through the air with a missile dropkick. Air Raid Crash countered to a DDT by the savvy veteran though! Samoan Drop instead gets 2! Knight just can't get anything going here, but again slithers out of the Air Raid Crash. Melissa starts CHOKING SARAYA! AIR RAID CRASH! But the Canadian Ninjas appear at ringside to distract the referee! They've been paid off by Saraya Knight before...and as they are chased off by Regeneration-X, the ref is completely unable to see Rhia O'Reilly arrive and hand Saraya the title belt! BELT SHOT TO MELISSA! Saraya screws Melissa out of the title again, taking the win at 12:56

Rating - *** - Their first match was very under-rated in my opinion. Melissa's work selling the leg was wonderful and the story they told in Saraya stealing Melissa's beloved SHIMMER Championship in her very first weekend as champion as a means of payback for a bitter rivalry going back several years was just fantastic. This was a worthy sequel, in the sense that after having Melissa chase Saraya through all four Volumes at this taping you got to see her give the loathsome heel a real beating. But they were weighed down by the fact that this isn't the end of the story. Prazak has clearly identified these two as an obvious main event for SHIMMER 53, at WrestleMania weekend and arguably the biggest show in SHIMMER history. The V48 main event was the end of Saraya's quest for revenge on Melissa and it worked in that sense. They very clearly weren't finishing a story here, so a twelve minute match with a tainted finish - whilst it makes absolute sense - wasn't quite as rewarding as their first SHIMMER encounter. That isn't to say it was without merit. Having Portia and Nicole get involved - referencing the previous taping when Knight tried to pay them off to injure Melissa - was a nice touch. Rhia O'Reilly's appearance brings her more firmly into Saraya Knight's circle and cements her elevation up the card after a strong performance against Davina Rose earlier. And the actual wrestling we got here was good. Melissa tore Knight's apart, and I loved that she worked the leg both as a means of payback for the last match but also as smart strategy given that we know it is a permanent weakness for the champion. Ultimately this was here to set the stage for SHIMMER 53's main event - and they successfully did that.

MsChif runs out to check on the semi-conscious Melissa whilst Saraya taunts her from the floor and is assisted up the aisle by O'Reilly. Melissa is irate, and since V53 will be in a bigger building she demands a rematch...inside a Steel Cage!

Tape Rating - *** - Is this the most essential SHIMMER Volume? In truth it probably isn't. At a main event level Melissa/Saraya 1 was better, and this instalment exists primarily to build for the climactic third bout next year. The undercard isn't necessarily the strongest either. But in a way those limitations indicate just how strong SHIMMER was, and just how consistent their product was at this point. This isn't a top tier show, and it features a fatiguing roster banged up after two days of relentless action. And yet it still delivers real bang for your buck. The Global Green Gangsters arrive in SHIMMER. Their future rivals the Canadian NINJAs produce an absolute classic in defending their Tag Titles against Regeneration-X. Hamada and Athena steal the show, capping off a stellar weekend for the Wrestling Goddess. Mercedes Martinez continues to be one of the most under-rated and fascinating characters on the roster. Davina Rose bows out of SHIMMER, whilst assisting Rhia O'Reilly to her best performance in the company so far. Made In Sin continue to stand out with their work in the tag division. Courtney Rush's performance in a war with Hiroyo Matsumoto was a joy to watch. And the main event wets your appetite perfectly for the conclusion of one of SHIMMER's most ferocious rivalries - on perhaps SHIMMER's biggest stage yet. Even when they aren't firing on all cylinders, this era of SHIMMER is just unrelentingly and unabashedly glorious viewing...

3) Hiroyo Matsumoto vs Courtney Rush (***)

2) Canadian NINJAs vs Regeneration-X (****)

1) Ayako Hamada vs Athena (****)