DVD Review: SHIMMER Volume 45
Cheerleader Melissa defends her newly-won SHIMMER Championship against Nicole Matthews, Athena looks to settle the score with Mercedes Martinez, and four women make their debuts.
Results
1. Courtney Rush pinned Rhia O’Reilly with a Skyward Suplex.
2. Melanie Cruise & Mena Libra defeated Shazza McKenzie & Veda Scott. Cruise got the pin following a top rope legdrop on McKenzie.
3. Sara Del Rey beat Leon following a big powerbomb.
4. Sweet Saraya made Davina Rose tap out to the Knightmare (half crab).
5. Jessie McKay beat Mia Yim with the Boyfriend Stealer.
6. Ray pinned Kellie Skater with a Phoenix Splash.
7. Hailey Hatred & Kalamity beat LuFisto & Kana. Hatred pinned LuFisto following a running powerbomb.
8. Ayumi Kurihara & Ayako Hamada retained the SHIMMER Tag Team Championship by beating ReGeneration X – Allison Danger & Leva Bates. Hamada pinned Danger with the AP Cross.
9. Athena defeated Mercedes Martinez with the O-Face.
10. SHIMMER Champion Cheerleader Melissa retained the title by beating Nicole Matthews with the Air Raid Crash. (more…)
nCw Femmes Fatales IX results
A big card of action takes place tonight in Montreal, Quebec, Canada as nCw Femmes Fatales IX strikes. The International Championship is on the line, a grudge spanning two promotions could be settled, and the most fearsome trio in women’s wrestling today head north of the border.
Current titleholder Kalamity faces her toughest test yet when she faces the challenge of Sara Del Rey, while former champion LuFisto takes on Mercedes Martinez following their brawl at Femmes Fatales VIII in March and subsequent encounter at WSU’s Uncensored Rumble V last month, where LuFisto cost Martinez the WSU Championship in the main event Casket Match against Jessicka Havok. And speaking of Havok, she and her Midwest Militia partners Sassy Stephie and Allysin Kay take on Courtney Rush and two mystery partners.
Elsewhere, Kc Spinelli meets former SHIMMER Champion Cheerleader Melissa, Sweet Cherrie and Cherry Bomb take on the Canadian Ninjas of Portia Perez and Nicole Matthews with the winners earning SHIMMER Tag Team Championship match at Femmes Fatales X on November 3 against whoever the titleholders are at that time. Click after the jump for a look at the matches, and we will update them as we get word, courtesy of Pat Laprade, who is in attendance at the show. (more…)
Ringbelles Retro: Sweet Saraya’s knee injury
Funny how time flies. Five year ago this Saturday, Sweet Saraya and Cheerleader Melissa were poised to settle their feud, which started in January at ChickFight VII at a Real Quality Wrestling show in Colchester, England. The match never made it to the ring – in fact, technically, the match never got started.
What happened was a freak accident that almost spelled the end of Saraya’s career when her kneecap was severed, and led to doctors telling her that her wrestling career was over, something that she discussed with us in the Women Of Wrestling Podcast last year. Fans at the building still recount Saraya’s terror-filled screams of agony, as well as facing the very real prospect of just witnessing the end of her as an active performer. As it turned out, the doctors had no idea how driven (or stubborn) Saraya is, and she was back in the ring less than eight months later. The fact that she is still competing five years later and is the current SHIMMER Champion shows her mettle and endurance.
This week’s retro has footage from that fight in Colchester which got out of hand, and didn’t immediately end when the injury occurred. Also included in the footage from an episode of RQW TV are clips from the original Saraya/Melissa match from ChickFight VII, clips of Wesna Busic winning ChickFight VIII by defeating Pandora, Jade and MsChif, British sensation Eden Black (who we miss desperately) taking on Allison Danger, a four-way with Black, Jetta, MsChif and Melissa, and another four-way with Black, Jetta, Wesna and Amazing Kong. It’s a great insight into the thriving women’s scene back in 2007, so click the jump and check it all out. (more…)
In Video: Davina Rose v Cheerleader Melissa
We like Davina Rose. As well as raising her profile in SHIMMER over the past year, she has featured in two Ringbelles Retros (here’s the first; here’s the second) and she has the seal of approval from one Serena Deeb, and we know she’s no slouch.
Another reason why we like Davina is because she is easy to follow. As well as her Twitter, and also has a YouTube account, to which she uploads her recent matches. Admittedly, she’s not the only one, as wrestlers like Aleida Ortiz and Taeler Hendrix set up playlists linking to matches that their fans have uploaded – but it’s a great way to follow wrestlers even if you are unable to make it to the shows.
One recent Davina example is from May 12, when she took on former SHIMMER Champion Cheerleader Melissa in a match for Big Time Wrestling in Newark, CA. Considering both are native Californians, both were favourites with the crowd. But who would get the win? Click after the jump and find out… (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (17 April 2012)
There are three strands to Women Superstars Uncensored’s hellraising triumvirate known as the Midwest Militia. At the top of the heap is Jessicka Havok, the current dual singles champion in the promotion, undefeated in singles competition and general baddest bitch on the block. She is backed up by Sassy Stephie, former Spirit Champion, current Tag Team Champion and SHIMMER regular. And then there’s the third corner of the triangle, Allysin Kay – tag team partner of Havok in Team Be Jealous, other half of the Tag Team Champion and the owner of wrestling’s most colourful tattoo. However, there was something about Kay that felt like she was placed 3rd out of three when it came to the Militia’s pecking order. I can’t put my finger on it, as it is an intangible that is difficult to define, but there was a perception that while she was an integral part of the Militia, her accomplishments left her at the back.
That is, until last weekend.
On Saturday, Stephie and Kay defended the Tag Team Championship against the team they defeated at WSU’s 5th Anniversary Show last month, Alicia and Brittney Savage. Though the booking could be questioned – after all, the Militia defeated the challengers in an Uncensored Rules match back in March – it really did a world of good for the champions’ reign to prove that they are no fluke team who weaselled their way to the straps by beating an already exhausted Jana & Luscious Latasha, who had just defeated Lexxus & Destiny and/or Tina San Antonio to win the titles for themselves. By beating two of the promotion’s top babyfaces under regular tag team rules rather than a big brawl with tornado stipulations served them well as established them as a tandem who would be difficult to take down. Credibility asserted, Kay then went on to Cleveland, OH to compete for the vacant Absolute Intense Wrestling Women’s Championship in the main event of Girls Night Out 6… (more…)
DVD Review: nCw Femmes Fatales VII – World Summit (8 October 2011)
Kalamity challenges her tag team partner, mentor and friend LuFisto for nCw Femmes Fatales International Championship, Mercedes Martinez looks to extend her win streak, and SHIMMER original Tiana Ringer returns to the ring.
Results
1. Angie Skye beat Cherry Bomb with a handful of tights on a roll-up.
2. Mercedes Martinez pinned Tiana Ringer following a Fisherman Buster.
3. Courtney Rush defeated Kellie Skater with the Skyward Suplex.
4. She Nay Nay bested Xandra Bale via submission with a Fujiwara Armbar.
5. The Sherbrooke Connection – Loue & Kira defeated Anna Minoushka & Missy. Loue pinned Missy with a top rope splash.
6. Cheerleader Melissa beat Yumi Ohka with an Air Raid Crash.
7. Tomoka Nakagawa won a 3-way over Portia Perez and Sweet Cherrie by pinning Perez with a roll-up.
8. Kalamity pinned LuFisto with a Ki-Krusher to win the nCw Femmes Fatales International Championship.
Highlights
• Martinez extends her win streak in the promotion to five by defeating the returning Tiana Ringer, who returned to wrestling following a four year absence, then challenged the winner of the main event for a title shot.
• Courtney Rush and Kellie Skater broke out the comedy at the start of their match, engaging in an 
arm-wrestling match, using the referee as a table. Rush antagonised Skater on her way to the ring by carrying a toy kangaroo, which ended up being punted into the front row.
• Cheerleader Melissa and Yumi Ohka earned a “this is awesome” chant from the audience in Montreal, Quebec, Canada for their match.
• Kalamity ascends to the top of the ladder in Femmes Fatales by defeating LuFisto to win the International Title. Following the contest, Martinez tried to snatch the belt from the new champion, but ended up offering her hand, setting up Kalamity’s first challenger to her championship.
Ringbelles Roundup (27 March 2012)
What have Rachel Summerlyn, Nikki Storm, Amazon, Jenny Rose and Maria Kanellis all done this year, and what has Kurumi done twice?
If you guessed “win tournaments”, take yourself to the Winners’ Circle.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I love a good tournament. It’s a great way to have multiple storylines running in one show, concluding some, forwarding others and starting a few more. It can also be a push for the winner, and even for a plucky name who gets further than you would expect them to. But the reason why I mostly love tournaments is because it’s a special occasion, much like your birthday, Christmas (although people who know me will know that I’m not fond of Christmas) or the release of a new Police Academy film. Across North America, the UK and Canada, there have been seven tournaments in the past 12 weeks. (more…)
Blog: Madison Eagles on last weekend’s SHIMMER tapings
The weekend just past saw the first weekend of SHIMMER Women Athletes shows of 2012 come and go in the USA. Coming off the end of last year, losing the SHIMMER title and subsequently injuring my right knee, unfortunately I was not a part of them. And trust me, I held out hope until the last possible moment to make that decision, hoping for some sort of modern day miracle to occur just like I had in the past with my many other injuries. I even thought that maybe if I could just out up with the pain for the weekend I might be able to compete, but my knee is too unstable when straightened and the thought of re injuring it at the cost of my pride just didn’t make sense (even thought my pride can sometimes seem like Godzilla).
So what did I do leading up to the weekend? I trolled! I sat on my computer and figured out all the girls that were going to take part on the show, sat amazed, thinking what kind of match-ups there would be, and took my pick on whether I thought the Champions would retain their titles or not. So to break it down, I was acting like a fan.
So what did I do the weekend of the shows? I hit refresh on my iPhone’s internet about a hundred times!!! Excited to see what matches the SHIMMER office had come up with, deciding whether or not I would have booked them that way or not, swearing at my internet connection for not letting me see who were winning the Title matches fast enough. Again, I was acting like a fan. But why shouldn’t I? I love SHIMMER. It’s where I went to spread my name worldwide, and it and the girls gave me the kind of matches that helped me win the 2011 PWI Female 50. I love SHIMMER because it really does bring so many women from across the World together to compete. Many of the girls are my best friends, and I love watching them wrestle, whether it be on the screen backstage, on the TV once I get the DVDs or when I am face to face across the ring from them. And yes I do have my favorites, the ones who (as I read the match reviews) I cross my fingers for hoping they had an awesome match and that I fist pump for when I find out they won a big match up or title. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (20 March 2012)
Almost five years ago, Sweet Saraya was injured in a match against Cheerleader Melissa where her kneecap was severed – an injury so bad that not only was she told she may never wrestle again, but she may lose her leg. Showing the same sort of guile and determination that saw her endure brutal attacks while as a valet, and become clinically blind, she returned to the ring four months later – probably earlier than she should have, but nobody is going to stop Saraya when she sets her mind on something.
Saraya and Melissa didn’t share a building again until a year ago when the British veteran debuted in SHIMMER alongside her daughter Britani. The fact that she even made it to the promotion in the first place was a big unlikelihood, as she believed her time for wrestling in the US had passed, and in her own mind, was only tagging along as part of a showcase for her 18-year old offspring, who was well on the radar of WWE at the time – she’s now signed, as has been renamed Paige, making her FCW TV in-ring debut last week – but something happened. Instead of being in the background, Saraya ended up right in the spotlight due to her surly demeanour, violent tendencies and venom-filled promos – so much so that when Britani turned babyface and they wrestled on SHIMMER Volume 44 last October, the pair brutalised each other with Britani getting the win, and the wicked witch was vanquished. Some thought that would also be the last we would see of the red-haired menace in SHIMMER.
They were wrong. (more…)
SHIMMER volumes 47 & 48 results – title changes (now updated with live observations)
It’s day two of the SHIMMER tapings in Berwyn, IL (you can find out the results, thoughts and photos from yesterday’s DVD tapings by clicking here), and a number of matches have been announced.
After defeating both Canadian Ninjas in singles matches yesterday, Cheerleader Melissa defends her SHIMMER Championship against Jessie McKay, aware that Sweet Saraya has apparently put a bounty on her head.
Elsewhere, the Tag Team Championship will be on the line as holders Ayako Hamada and Ayumi Kurihara defend against high-fliers Ray and Leon in an all-joshi affair, Mercedes Martinez takes on Hailey Hatred, and the unlikely team of Sara Del Rey and Courtney Rush will meet ReGeneration X – Allison Danger & Leva Bates.
As with yesterday, we will be adding the results to this post as they happen, and Stew will offer his thoughts from ringside later. Click after the jump and keep hitting refresh to follow the goings-on. (more…)
SHIMMER volumes 45 & 46 results (now updated with live observations)
We’ve had WSU; we’ve had Femmes Fatales, and now it’s the turn of SHIMMER as part of wrestling’s March Madness.
Cheerleader Melissa walks into these four DVD tapings as the SHIMMER Champion, while Ayumi Kurihara and Ayako Hamada hold the Tag Team Championship. Although no matches have been announced, we offered some thoughts about what could happen, but they are just musings and nothing more. We will all find out together how things will unfold.
Stew is in Berwyn, IL watching the shows live, and will offer up thoughts on the tapings later on. For now, we will bring you results as they happen, so keep refreshing the page to keep up with all the developments.
Click after the jump to dive in. It’s going to be a busy one. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (13 March 2012)
Reports from Montreal, Quebec, Canada on Saturday say that the most recent instalment of NCW Femmes Fatales was the best yet. With a 25 minute draw between Cheerleader Melissa and Hailey Hatred, Jazz and Lufisto tearing up the building and Kalamity securing her first International Title defence on a FF show over Mercedes Martinez, all three of the main event matches delivered. Groundwork was also laid for Femmes Fatales IX on July 7, and a number of the talking points have relevance to the FF/Women Superstars Uncensored relationship…
First off, there was the announcement that the Midwest Militia of WSU’s dual champion Jessicka Havok and Tag Team Champions Allysin Kay and Sassy Stephie will appear in July. For Kay and Havok, it will being their debut in the promotion, while Stephie wrestled at Femmes Fatales IV. As the most over talent, it seemed logical that the Militia would be part of this talent-sharing initiative, and as a trio, it lends itself to an invasion-style storyline with three badass heels walking into another promotion, and it’s unlikely that the Militia will be out to make friends. Before that happens though, three homegrown FF talents – Kalamity, LuFisto (who were announced during the 5th Anniversary iPPV) and Sweet Cherrie (who was named afterward) – will make their WSU debuts at the Uncensored Rumble on June 16, so the Militia will see their north-of-the-border opposition before making the trip to Canada three weeks later.
However, don’t expect it to be like the old USA/Canada storylines from the WWF in 1997 where talent would be faces OR heels depending on which country they’re wrestling in, as the Militia are already the top heels in WSU, so they are unlikely to be cheered by the WSU fans if a confrontation between them and Kalamity, Cherrie and LuFisto takes place in Deer Park, NY, and they are sure to be booed in Montreal at FF IX. Of course, this is all speculation, as nothing has been announced beyond the names who will be appearing, but this is what fantasy booking is all about. It would be a shame for there to be this overlapping without there being some in-ring friction to spice things up. (more…)
Femmes Fatales live show thoughts and observations
So, I’ve had nearly 24 hours to digest the events of Femmes Fatales VIII on Saturday night at the Centre St-Barthelemy in Montreal, Quebec (full results here), and to be honest, I’m still struggling on where to begin. I suppose the easiest place is to say that I’ve seen the first six Femmes Fatales shows on DVD, and this was the best one yet, in my view. 
(I’ve picked up the DVD of FF VII, but everybody was in agreement by the end of the night that this was the best show in company history, top to bottom). There wasn’t a bad match on the show, in fact – and when it was *really* good – as it was for Cheerleader Melissa vs Hailey Hatred in particular, it was utterly fantastic. It’s not a newsflash for patrons of this website in particular that both Melissa & Hailey are tremendous pro wrestlers – so the fact that they put on such a great match is hardly unexpected. Hard hitting, technically sound, and nicely paced – the twenty minute time limit flew by way too quickly, ending with Hatred holding out in a Kondo Clutch for what seemed like an age before eating a curb stomp. “Five more minutes”, which were put up on the big screen as a 5:00 countdown clock, gave us more of the same and ended with a raucous final 1:00 where the two simply struck each other into oblivion with back and forth strikes like a marathon runner sprinting the last hundred metres. Brilliant stuff. (more…)
nCw Femmes Fatales VIII results
All eyes are on Montreal, Quebec, Canada this evening as nCw Femmes Fatales hosts its eighth instalment, and boasts a triple main event. In the main event, defending International Champion Kalamity takes on Mercedes Martinez; elsewhere, Hailey Hatred meets Cheerleader Melissa in a Battle Of The Champions; and former International titleholder LuFisto faces former WWE Women’s Champion Jazz in a First Time Ever Dream Match.
Elsewhere, Jessie McKay and Rhia O’Reilly join Jazz and Hatred in making their debuts, while Portia Perez and Sweet Cherrie look to settle their differences.
We have results after the jump (thanks for Rick McLean from North Starz for the updates). Coming later, we will bring you post-show news, analysis and thoughts from Stew, who is in attendance in Montreal. (more…)
Ringbelles Roundup (6 March 2012)
So, Jessicka Havok ascended to the top of Women Superstars Uncensored’s mountain on Saturday night by winning the promotion’s top championship from Mercedes Martinez at the 5th Anniversary Show, making her an undefeated Champion and putting an end to Martinez’ reign four days shy of the three year mark. In a match that was a wild brawl of a war more than a technical affair, it was unconventional, but successful. The pair fought all over the building and took some crazy bumps along the way – the Fisherman Buster from the apron through the table to the concrete floor being the height of the lunacy. No doubt, Havok was given the best springboard that she could possibly get for the start of her reign, and Martinez pulled out everything to give her that launch.
The ending was somewhat of a head-scratcher, with both going through a table from the top rope but Havok managing to get the pin, but I imagine the idea is that it shows just how evenly matched the two are and a draped arm was the only thing that could separate them. However, having a slightly more decisive match-ending move may have sweetened things slightly – though at this point I’m splitting hairs on what was a great main event, and also an early contender for Match of the Year.
Many have described the 5th Anniversary show their best iPPV to date. Having seen most of them, it would be hard to disagree with that. When it came to aesthetics, things went well – most of the direction was good, the cameramen were in the right place for most of the stuff (barring a couple of incidents, which I’ll get to) and the graphics and editing went well. As a TV product, it was the sharpest yet. And there was a boob toss. Nothing more to be said about it really, but I felt it just HAD to be mentioned. (more…)
DVD Review: SHIMMER volume 39 (27 March 2011)
Cheerleader Melissa continues her quest towards Madison Eagles‘ SHIMMER Championship, while Jessie McKay and Nicole Matthews settle their feud in a best of three falls match.
Results
1. Kellie Skater defeated Courtney Rush with a Skate And Destroy.
2. LuFisto beat Sassy Stephie with the Mangalizer.
3. Rachel Summerlyn made Mena Libra tap out to the Texas Cloverleaf.
4. 3S (Hiroyo Matsumoto & Misaki Ohata) beat Pretty Bitchin’ (Nikki Roxx & Ariel) to retain the SHIMMER Tag Team Championship – Matsumoto pinned Roxx following an Exploder Suplex.
5. Mercedes Martinez pinned Britani Knight with a Fisherman Buster.
6. Daizee Haze & Tomoka Nakagawa defeated Mia Yim & Jamilia Craft. Nakagawa pinned Yim with a Fisherman Suplex.
7. Jessica James pinned Athena after hitting the Hard Boiled Egg.
8. MsChif beat Sweet Saraya with a Desecrator.
9. Serena Deeb defeated Portia Perez via DQ when Perez hit Deeb with a cookie sheet.
10. Nicole Matthews beat Jessie McKay in a best of three falls match. Matthews took the first fall with a tights-assisted O’Connor Roll, McKay equalised with multiple Schoolgirl Crushes, and Matthews scored the third fall with the Vancouver Maneuver.
11. Cheerleader Melissa & Ayako Hamada beat Madison Eagles & Sara Del Rey when Hamada rolled up Eagles for the pin.
Highlights
• 3S continue their run as SHIMMER Tag Team Champions and establish themselves as the most over team in the promotion’s history with a second successful title defence over Pretty Bitchin’.
• Both Sweet Saraya and daughter Britani Knight are defeated by SHIMMER originals, MsChif and Mercedes Martinez respectively. The former sees the Knight’s manager Rebecca Knox get involved in the match but gets her comeuppance when a Saraya basement dropkick goes awry.
• Haze and Nakagawa earn a SHIMMER Tag Team Title shot by remaining undefeated, beating Mia Yim & Jamilia Craft.
• The Serena Deeb/Portia Perez feud that began following Deeb’s return to the promotion after her release from WWE the previous year continues and starts to involve weapons.
• Nicole Matthews and Jessie McKay put their on-off feud to bed after their best of three falls match after trading victories in singles and tag matches.
• Ayako Hamada pins Madison Eagles to earn a shot at the SHIMMER Championship, much to the chagrin of Cheerleader Melissa, who wanted to get the pin to earn the shot for herself. (more…)
Ringbelles Retro: SHIMMER & WSU Champs in WWE
That title might seem a little misleading, and it is. What I mean is that the current SHIMMER and Women Superstars Uncensored Champions have both had tryout matches that were on WWE TV back in 2006.
Cheerleader Melissa (billed under her real name of Melissa Anderson) was the first, wrestling on the episode of Sunday Night Heat that was broadcast on May 26, taking on Victoria (currently Tara in TNA), while Mercedes Martinez faced the same opponent on the June 12 broadcast. Instead of them being rapid-fire squash encounters, both were competitive outings with both getting the chance to display some offence in the process. Naturally, both fell to the Widow’s Peak, but both matches were chances for the WWE higher-ups to see if they would fit on the roster.
As we discussed with Martinez on the Women Of Wrestling Podcast back in 2010, she was desperately close to putting her name on the dotted line, but decided that she couldn’t do it with a clear conscience while she knew that her shoulder (which was dislocating on a regular basis) needed urgent surgery which would keep her out of the ring for some time, and turned down the deal.
Since then, both have had their own personal successes – Melissa made it to TNA under the guise of Raisha Saeed and then as Alissa Flash, and won the SHIMMER title last October from Madison Eagles (by the way, have you read her new blog yet?), while Martinez has been WSU Champion for close to three years, and will defend the title against Jessicka Havok on March 3 at the promotion’s 5th Anniversary show.
Click after the jump, and you can see both of their WWE matches. (more…)
Hailey Hatred added to SHIMMER DVD tapings
As well as making her debut at nCw Femmes Fatales on March 10 taking on Cheerleader Melissa, Ringbelles‘ choice for Wrestler of the Year 2011 Hailey Hatred is scheduled to return to SHIMMER for the volumes 45-48 DVD tapings the following weekend in Berwyn, IL.
The 28-year old made her SHIMMER debut last October, competing on volumes 41 and 42, defeating Kalamity on the first taping, then teaming with her in a defeat to Mena Libra and Melanie Cruise on the following DVD.
However, she would only wrestle for half of the SHIMMER weekend, as she had accepted another booking in her home state of Ohio. She would go on to defend the JWP Openweight Championship which she held at the time against Cherry Bomb in Absolute Intense Wrestling in the first JWP title match to ever take place outside of Japan. This time around, Hailey will wrestle on both days of tapings, meaning that there a strong chance of her being part of a storyline arc.
Hatred joins Melissa, Ayumi Kurihara, Ayako Hamada, Portia Perez, Nicole Matthews, MsChif, Sara Del Rey, Athena and Christina Von Eerie as being confirmed for the tapings. In addition, Del Rey, MsChif, Matthews, Perez, Von Eerie and Athena will all compete the day before the tapings at AAW in trios action. (more…)
Alissa Flash wins RCW Triple Crown; now with video
Congratulations are in order for Alissa Flash (AKA SHIMMER Champion Cheerleader Melissa) who won the River City Wrestling International Championship in San Antonio, TX tonight, which means that she has won the promotion’s Triple Crown of titles.
The 29-year old (who was hyping the event on KENS-5 on Friday) defeated Rick David with an Air Raid Crash for the belt, which is the secondary singles title in the promotion. Her first accomplishment in the promotion was on August 7, 2010 when she beat Joey Spector in a No DQ, Pinfalls Count Anywhere match to win the top crown, the RCW Championship, becoming the first woman to win the title since its inception in 2003. She had defeated Spector back in May, but the result was scrapped as the contest was a 15 minute time limit, and the contest went 30 seconds over. She was stripped of the title in November when she was unable to appear for a scheduled defence.
From there, she claimed the Tag Team Championship with Darci Drake, defeating San Antonio’s Most Unwanted on May 5 last year, holding the straps until September 3, when they dropped the titles to Gulf Coast Connect. With Flash taking the fall, she was also forced to leave RCW for 90 days, and made her return to the promotion tonight, winning the International Title and securing the Triple Crown in the process.
You can see clips from the match after the jump. (more…)
Hailey Hatred announced for Femmes Fatales; takes on Cheerleader Melissa; plus Serena Deeb update
Ringbelles’ Wrestler of the Year Hailey Hatred is the next international star to be added to the lineup for Femmes Fatales VIII in Montreal, QC on March 10th. The American, who has been living in Japan since September 2010 has worked hard to become the most successful gaijin (foreign wrestler) in many years, currently holding five different championships (two singles, three tag team). On March 10th, however, she will go one-on-one with another champion… the new SHIMMER Champion, Cheerleader Melissa in the third part of Femmes Fatales’ “Triple Main Event”.
Already announced is a Title Match (Kalamity vs Mercedes Martinez), an international Dream Match (Jazz vs LuFisto) and now a Champion vs Champion match (Hatred vs Melissa). Neither woman will have championship gold on the line, but pride most certainly will be.
Meanwhile, as had been somewhat expected, it has been announced that Serena Deeb has pulled out of FFVIII due to her concussion which she suffered back in October: (more…)
Retro DVD review: SHIMMER volume 1
This retro DVD review is all ass-backwards. Instead of us doing a review of a show from days gone by, instead, it is the review which is old and it is of the (then) newly-released SHIMMER: Women Athletes volume 1 – a show that you can still buy as part of the Collectors’ Edition.
Back in February 2006, Stewart Allen decided to pick up a DVD of this new SHIMMER thing – based on Beth Phoenix v Allison Danger – and wrote a review for Figure Four Weekly. So let’s jump in the time machine and go back five and a half years to see what Stew’s first impressions of SHIMMER really were…
***
I was initially attracted to the idea of checking out the new SHIMMER promotion for the sole intention of being able to see Beth Phoenix in competition. I’ve been a fan of Beth’s in OVW for some time (where she works as the valet to Aaron “The Idol” Stevens) and while she’s quick to get physically involved in his matches, I’d never seen her wrestle a proper match. It was a further bonus that on this Volume 1 release, she happened to be facing Allison Danger – one of the relatively few other women I know from the US indy circuit. So, the promise of some Phoenix/Danger action coupled with the fact that the promotion name was based on a song title by one of my favourite bands (“Shimmer Like A Girl” by Veruca Salt) meant that I actually laid down some dollars and ordered a DVD from ROHWrestling.com. Yay me.
I’ve got to say, I was very surprised to hear that the DVD is reportedly one of ROH’s fastest selling DVDs of all time. “Why??” asked a friend of mine when I told him this piece of information. I honestly didn’t know. I know why *I* bought a copy – but what was the attraction for everyone else? Either way, I unwrapped the DVD with some excitement tonight and stuck it in the machine. Fingers crossed it won’t suck. (more…)
SHIMMER announces next tapings, plus video
It’s less than a month since the SHIMMER volume 41-44 DVD tapings wrapped, but promoter Dave Prazak has already announced the dates for the volumes 45-48 tapings.
It will take place on March 17-18, 2012 – the week after nCw Femmes Fatales VIII in Montreal (featuring the Femmes Fatales debuts of Serena Deeb and Jazz) and just a few days before the provisionally-booked Pro Wrestling: EVE v Ice Ribbon 2 event, which has been pencilled in for Korukuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan on March 20, though nothing is official with that yet.
Coupled with the Women Superstars Uncensored 5th Anniversary Show on March 3, it’s expected to be a busy March for women’s wrestling fans – very similar to March of this year, which had WSU’s 4th Anniversary show, SHIMMER, Pro Wrestling SUN and the exhibition matches at the Ring Of Honor shows.
Click after the jump for a sneak peek at footage from the most recent tapings… (more…)
nCw Femmes Fatales: Kalamity wins the big one
The pupil surpassed the teacher in Montreal this weekend, as Quebec’s “can’t miss” prospect Kalamity ascended to the position of champion in the main event of NCW: Femmes Fatales VII: World Summit in what was reported to have been an excellent hard hitting affair on par with the other two times they’ve fought in the last year, and a worthy passing of the torch from one generation to the next. The twisted tale of LuFisto and Kalamity’s friendship was told in the form of a four and a half minute history package which played before the main event. You can view it here.
The event, which took place in front of 175 fans at Centre St Barthelemy in Montreal, Quebec, Canada saw Mary Lee Rose beat Milouu in the preshow match when she hit her Encore (RKO) on Milouu after Milouu missed her moonsault.
1. Angie Skye beat Cherry Bomb with a handful of tights on a roll-up. The match was very competitive with lots of submission attempts. At the end, Cherry had Angie in her Cattle Mutilation, but Angie reached the ropes. Cherry thought she had won, but Angie snuck up on her with the rollup whilst Cherry argued with the referee.
2. The Sherbrooke Connection defeated Anna Minoushka & Missy. Minoushka used some impressive power moves on both opponents – but at the end of the match, the Connection was able to eliminate Anna from the ring and double team Missy for the quick finish.
3. She Nay Nay bested Xandra Bale via submission. Bale entered a strong performance, overcoming She Nay Nay with quickness for much of the match before falling to She Nay Nay’s modified crossface finisher.
4. Mercedes Martinez defeated Tiana Ringer in Ringer’s first match back in four years. Ringer was reported to have shown absolutely *no* ring rust at all. The match was a 50/50 affair, which Martinez narrowly won with the Fisherman Buster. Post match, Martinez says she deserves a title shot at the winner of LuFisto vs Kalamity due to being undefeated in the promotion to date. (more…)
SHIMMER Volumes 43 & 44 results and thoughts
Day Two of SHIMMER is in the history books, and now that the smoke has cleared from the shimnanigan-filled afterparty, it’s time to go back and review an absolutely amazing day of action. In my opinion, Day Two (encompassing Vols 43 & 44) was a stronger day of tapings than Day One, featuring many great matches and topped off with a history making Vol 44.
In male pre-show action, the team of Knight Wagner, Jordan McIntyre and the indiest man alive (a wrestler I failed to identify, but who wore the indytastic combination of a mask, t-shirt and pleather pants) defeated Team CLASH. After that, SPARKLE action saw Jett Riley & Kimberley Maddox beat December & Buggy Nova, while KC Spinelli pinned Su Yung with a hard powerslam.
Volume 43
1. LuFisto pinned Maja Svensson with the Mangalizer.
2. ReGeneration X (Allison Danger & Leva Bates) beat Sassy Stephie & Nevaeh after a Sonic Screwdriver on Stephie.
3. Nicole Matthews pinned Davina Rose with a Roll Of The Dice.
4. Hiroyo Matsumoto defeated Kellie Skater with a side suplex.
5. Saraya Knight pinned Ariel after a Sunset Flip Powerbomb.
6. Courtney Rush pinned Nikki Roxx following an Angle Slam.
7. Yumi Ohka pinned Mia Yim with a bridging Tiger Suplex.
8. MsChif pinned Tomoka Nakagawa after a Desecrator.
9. Mercedes Martinez & Athena went to a double countout. After the match, Athena wanted to restart, but Martinez walked off.
10. Jessie McKay pinned Britani Knight following a Boyfriend Stealer. Afterwards, Saraya Knight came out and berated Britani for letting down the Knight family name, and disowned her – suggesting she could put out a want ad and find a better daughter than Britani. Britani eventually snapped and the two brawled in a breathtaking extended pull-apart brawl. Britani vows to leave, but wants one match with her mother on Vol 44 to settle it all.
11. Serena Deeb pinned Portia Perez in an amazing no holds barred match, after spearing Perez off a table the two were standing on at the time.
12. Cheerleader Melissa defeated Kana after an Air Raid Crash. Post match, ring announcer Joey Eastman revealed that the win made Melissa the new top contender for Madison Eagles’ SHIMMER Championship.
13. SHIMMER Tag Team Titles: Ayako Hamada & Ayumi Kurihara (c) defeated Madison Eagles & Sara Del Rey to retain their titles after Hamada pinned Del Rey with an AP Cross.
Volume 44
1. Kellie Skater pinned Davina Rose after a Skate or Die.
2. Taylor Made pinned Veda Scott with a neckbreaker.
3. Kalamity pinned Tomoka Nakagawa with a Kalamity Driver.
4. Sassy Stephie & Neveah beat Ashley Lane & Mia Yim with a Kiss My Sass from Stephie on Yim. Former partners Nevaeh & Ashley Lane had already brawled to the back.
5. Serena Deeb pinned Yumi Ohka with a Spear.
6. ReGeneration X, Christina Von Eerie & MsChif beat Mena Libra, Melanie Cruise, She Nay Nay & Bonesaw when Von Eerie pinned She Nay Nay with a Pedigree.
7. Hiroyo Matsumoto pinned Jessie McKay with a side suplex.
8. Sara Del Rey pinned Courtney Rush with a Royal Butterfly.
9. Athena beat Mercedes Martinez via DQ when Martinez blatantly used a steel chair to attack the ankle of Athena. This seemed to cement a double turn, as Martinez was booed, while Athena was cheered. Athena pledged to get back at Martinez, but claimed she thought her leg was broken.
10. Kana beat LuFisto with the Kana Lock.
11. Britani Knight pinned Saraya Knight in a no DQ match with a Knight Light DDT.
12. SHIMMER Tag Team Titles: Ayako Hamada & Ayumi Kurihara (c) beat The Canadian NINJAs (Portia Perez & Nicole Matthews) after Kurihara pinned Perez after an Exploder Suplex.
13. SHIMMER Title: Cheerleader Melissa pinned Madison Eagles (c) with a rollup after escaping the Hellbound – NEW CHAMPION. After celebrating with the fans, Melissa was jumped and assaulted by Nicole Matthews, who claimed that this was “her time” now.
Click after the jump for more thoughts
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