Ashley Lane & Nevaeh - SHIMMER Tag Team Champs
Well, boys and girls, it’s time for another rare event … another Wrestlin Wally blog post! This time, I’m finally getting around to saying something about the latest SHIMMER tapinhs, Vols. 21 and 22. My usual disclaimer: I actually know very little about wrestling and do not have the knowledge to be a critic per se. That’s why these are simply “reflections” and not a review. Just the purely subjective musings of a fan.
Vol. 21
This was a MUCH anticipated volume by me [and a lot of others, judging by the SHIMMER message board] as it would feature a tag team gauntlet match to determine the first EVER SHIMMER tag team champions. I am a huge fan of tag matches and I knew this was gonna be good! But first things first.
This was the inauguration of women’s matches as part of the so-called SPARKLE pre-show. It’s a great concept. Give newer talent a place to get some exposure and meet other up-and-comers as well as the SHIMMER roster. But the fact is, you are going to get a match between two fairly inexperienced women. And that is what we got. In my opinion, it would have been better to have the rookies take on lower or mid-card talent from the SHIMMER roster. The matches would have been better with the more experienced wrestler taking the lead. But Dave noted that this would put more stress on the regular roster and result in them being more tired for the later matches. Excellent point. That being said, the matches were perfectly respectable. Cherry Bomb [who actually has been around for a few years and is, in my opinion, good enough for the SHIMMER roster] took a loss to big Melanie Cruise [who I think was the newest of the newbies]. Melanie has a great look: big but still very feminine. As she improves, I think she will be very impressive. Second match pitted Sassy Stephie Sinclair and Rachel Summerlyn. Stephie lived up to her ‘sassy’ reputation, but Rachel’s size advantage kept the Ohio girl on the defensive. Rachel finished Stephie off with a perfectly executed Texas cloverleaf [you don’t see that too often in women’s matches]. Again, very credible work from all the wrestlers. I have a feeling we will be seeing more from all these women.
It was strange to kick things off with Sara del Rey and Serena Deeb, but I wasn’t complaining. Another beatdown by Sara on the perpetually game Serena, with many ‘winceable’ moments. But this was just to set the stage for the really big match in the next volume. Sara’s new Japanese inspired look is perfect for her and that long samurai-type black cape or whatever it’s called looks fabulous!
First time I’ve seen Miss Natural. Wow! Nice ring robe which she flaunts nicely and a great figure packed into a fire engine red suit. Cool old school look! Now this match got skewered by the experts at the SHIM message board, but I thought it was fine. A little rough on the edges with some missed spots, but overall a good basic match that helped settle everybody down after the opening match. I hope we see more of Miss Natural.
Daffney got a second chance at Cat Power. Cat has begun to fully own her new ring persona. The mask was an awesome touch. Licking her ‘paws.’ Kicking back the kitty litter. Playing with yarn! Leave it to Daffney to find her weakness! Daffney is hilarious as always and Cat has impressed me from Day One [yeah, even from when she was Haley Rogers!] and she seems to be getting better all the time.
I am a big fan of Danyah’s and I was happy to see her matched with Nikki. It shows SHIM thinks she is ready to move up in the roster. There was a rumor that Danyah was being tapped by WWE. Sadly, just a rumor, but my first reaction was “YES! Vince HAS a brain!” I could definitely see her as WWE material. As far as I could tell, Danyah was completely holding her own with Nikki. Am I allowed to say that Nikki actually looks fantastic with her short hair? She has this perfectly proportioned face, like a Greek statue, and the hair really shows that off. I thought I saw Danyah doing some slightly heelish things, although she was definitely a face. Was that my imagination or is she going to turn heel? She makes a great face, so I’d hate to lose her … but then she also makes a great heel! Like I said, I’m a big fan! Lol
Next, Wesna versus Amber O’Neal …? Yeah, you read right. Wesna’s intensity is awesome, but then Amber rocks the house! There is no such thing as a boring Amber O’Neal match. She seems to be in the big leagues now and although she lost, I hope she will be able to take her rightful place as lead heel [replacing Lacey] … well, there is still Kong and Sara now, but they are kinda in their own leagues.
Now for the gauntlet match. There was no part of it that I would say “WOW” about, but the effect of the whole thing was very impressive. The Pink Ladies from Australia were new to me, but they did extremely well and well deserved the “please come back” chant their work elicited from the crowd. Part of me wanted The Experience to win, but I was pretty sure Ashley and Nevaeh should be the first champs. They work so well together in the ring, they really seem to be a team. And as I’ve said before they are almost annoyingly perky and exuberant. They make excellent champs! [Hey, I even called it back in my August blog – no, really, I did!] Honestly, I would have put the gauntlet match at the end. The main event does not always have to be a singles championship defense. And in my mind, the tag championship is as important as the singles’ championship [although not all agree with me on that one].
The rest of the matches seemed like a denouement from the tag championship. The four way with Kong, Mercedes, Ariel, and Melissa was outstanding, with some especially sick spots. Good enough for a main event. And it gave Ariel the top contender’s spot for the next taping, so it served a good purpose too. MsChif and Daizee had an excellent match, with really amazing mat work [they really are the specialists in SHIMMER] and some chances to show off both women’s astounding flexibility.
Vol. 22
I’m gonna be more brief on this part since I’m getting tired. lol
Daffney has really risen in my estimation over the last couple of shows [I’m sure that will just make her day! lol] She is such a professional and while her own personality comes out loud and clear, she makes herself a perfect foil for whomever she’s wrestling, whether it’s Rain or Cat Power or Nicole Matthews. She brings out the best in whomever she is working, and that is REAL talent!
A very nice match between two of my favorites from north of the border. Danyah and Cat have worked plenty of times and they had an excellent match together. Those lucky Ontarians, for whom these women are weekly fare!
Kudos to Rachel Summerlyn for being fed to the lioness … Amazing Kong! I guess she drew the short straw from the Sparkle Girls! lol Another Kong squash and Rachel did a fine job.
Allison Danger looks just as beautiful pregnant as always. Pregnant women like to hear that. And it is in fact true! At first I was not keen on this Portia threatening Allison’s baby angle, but I was led to see that I should not have been so concerned. The angle obviously did what it was supposed to do … make me uncomfortable. And I was uncomfortable. It feels good to be a mark!
Got to see more of Madison Eagles [what kinda name is that? Sounds like a basketball team from Wisconsin] and Jessie McKay. They make a great team. Madison is willowy and athletic, Jessie is cute as a button and dynamic. They have the kind of energy and aura that Eden Black had. Lexie and Malia were the perfect opponents for them. It was an old school tag team tour de force, with The Experience isolating Jessie most of the match and finishing her off with a double team DDT. Sweet action.
As if wrestling Wesna wasn’t enough, Amber next went up against Mercedes Martinez. Poor girl. Funniest line of the night: [actually from earlier match] someone shouted “Wesna’s gonna kill you” and without missing a beat, Amber yells back “I KNOW!” Amber reminds us again that she can actually wrestle. Mercedes is, as always, amazing and in no way did the outcome of this match seem inevitable.
Jennifer Blake receives the award for most punishment taken in a match. Her match with Melissa was crazy! Again, I think Jennifer is being positioned to move up. Next show, there could be a lot of Canadians at the top of the cards!
Daizee Haze faced Miss Natural. A fairly brief match to relieve some of the pressure built up during the last match. The lithe Daizee makes a nice contrasting opponent for the more sturdily built Miss Natural. I enjoyed Daizee’s constant counters to Natural’s attempts at offense. A very enjoyable match.
Surprising to see Jetta get the win over Nikki. Jetta certainly knows how to get the fans riled up! You WILL be entertained when Jetta is wrestling.
Ashley Lane and Nevaeh got to defend their titles against their fellow teens Portia Perez and Nicole Matthews. Both teams seemed to mesh well with each other and the action was fast without getting frantic. My recollection is that Portia had little ring time for some reason, with Nicole being in the ring far longer. Does that mean anything? Probably not, although I always enjoy seeing Ms. Perez working. Watching Ashley and Nevaeh, I thought, yeah they are the right champions!
To me, LuFisto versus Wesna was the Match of the Day hands down. It was hard hitting without becoming just a chop fest. Some good mat work plus some sick power moves. Both women have seemingly limitless energy. And LuFisto’s gear is over the top!
I did not envy MsChif and Ariel having to have their match between LuFisto/Wesna and Del Rey/Deeb. But they did a good match, albeit a little short in my estimation for a title defense.
This was the ‘Hoosiers’ type moment everyone has been waiting for, when Serena Deeb finally gets one over on Sara del Rey. There were so many times I thought, oh no, Sara’s gonna take this one too. But Serena played the part of the comeback underdog like a pro. Seeing her pin Sara after hitting her with a spear was the feel good moment of the day.
All in all, I’ve been pretty long-winded, but heck, there were a ton of wrestlers and matches! I understand SHIM is going to trim the roster. I really love everyone on the roster and I’m just glad I don’t have to make those decisions. Once again, I can say that I have never seen a bad match at SHIMMER! Thanks SHIMMER!
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