Top 30 SHIMMER matches from first 2 years, July 5th taping, more!

Courtesy of the SHIMMER Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shimmerwrestling/


TOP 30 MATCHES FROM SHIMMER'S FIRST TWO YEARS
----------------------------------------------------

Fresh03 has posted a list of what he feels are the Top 30 Matches in
SHIMMER for each of the company's first two years, along with his
analysis. It was originally posted at http://forums.prowrestling.com/
for discussion.

There is a thread at The SHIMMER Forum opened for discussion of
Fresh03's picks. Post your thoughts...

http://shimmerwomen.proboards50.com/index.cgi?
board=shimmer&action=display&thread=2166

Below is Fresh03's write-up.

--

Here's something different.

Myself and CMF put together two lists of SHIMMER's top 30 matches
from each of it's first two years.

Right now we've put up our thoughts for the top 10 in each year.

Here's what I envision for this thread.

As you view a SHIMMER match, feel free to jot down a quick review of
the match if you're so inclined and I'll post it up under the match,
as LS has so graciously done already for a couple of matches.

Obviously the list will continue to grow as year 3 has begun.

But basically this is a spin off of HR's Wrestling Database put
together by two huge SHIMMER fans and I'd love to keep it growing as
I'll slowly but sure be adding reviews and matches as they come in.

Anyway enough rambling, onto the main event:


Year 1:


1. Daizee Haze vs. Rebecca Knox, 2 out of 3 falls match, Vol. 5

CMF- Knox made an immediate impact upon her shimmer debut and
instantly became the companies top heel in her match against Allison
Danger on Vol. 3. The Haze ended up avenging Danger's loss to K-Nox
on Vol. 4. All this led up to a 2 out of 3 falls match. The match
includes the greatest pre-match shenanigans ever. Before the two
women locked up they had themselves a good old fashioned dance off.
The haze won that round. Then the wrestling commenced and the two
women displayed some of the fastest paced chain wrestling involed in
a shimmer match at the time. Haze and Knox went hold for hold for the
majority of the first round. What I like about this match is that the
two not only use chain and technical wrestling, but also include
other elements like strong style with big impact moves and some high
flying. They did it all in this match and kept it interesting for all
three falls. Even after the release of 16 Vol's this still happens to
be one of my favorite shimmer matches.

Fresh03- Why is this match #1? I've gone over it in my head several
times. Was it Rebecca Knox's antics? Daizee taking a heck of a
beating and fighting back? The pre match dance off? No, while all of
these certainly added to this match, it's all about the wrestling on
this one. These two ladies put on a technical showcase here. Now,
allot of people hear "Technical" and think boring. There's nothing
boring in this match, every hold mattered, every missed move leads to
a counter that makes sense. The one thing that stands out in my mind
is that things that happened early in the match play into the final
fall. This one will stand as one of the best women's matches in North
America for a long time.

2. Sara Del Rey vs. Mercedes Martinez, Vol. 1

CMF- This is the match that many people would say put shimmer on the
map. Martinez and Del Rey never met in the ring up until this point
and the two delivered a strong showing. At the time of this taping
Del Rey had been a virtual unkown to most fans of the US indy
wrestling scene. Those of us familiar with both women's wrestling
styles had an idea what the match would be like. Going into this
match I knew that both women would strike hard and they did. I knew
that both would show off their technical ability and use of their
physical strength. It all came down to the last seconds of a match
with a time limit of 20 minutes when Martinez hit her Fisherman
Buster on Del Rey. The ref was about to strike the mat for the three
count when the bell signaled that time had expired.

Fresh03- This is the one that started all the hype about SHIMMER.
Intense, brutal, nearly flawless in every way. These two ladies beat
the crap out of each other and kept coming back for more. This is
also the match that introduced Sara Del Rey to the East Coast, which
turned out to fairly prominent since she's now a staple in just about
every major indy in the US. If you're into hard hitting matches, it's
hard to beat this one.

3. Sara Del Rey vs. Mercedes Martinez, Vol. 8

CMF- I love it when wrestling matches have drama. Both women became
instant rivals during their first encounter on Vol. 1. The first
match was a draw and Del Rey got an out-of-nowhere pinfall on
Martinez on Vol. 5, then Del Rey practically cost Martinez and
herself the loss in a tag match against the MnHWC. That lit a fire
under Martinez' ass and she wanted a win over Del Rey pretty damn
bad. When it was time for the match on Vol. 8 Martinez didn't even
wait for the bell to sound when she went in for the attack on Del
Rey. Mercedes ended up getting a clean pinfall in the middle of the
ring after hitting several saito suplexes on Del Rey.

Fresh03- Little back story here, up to this point Sara Del Rey had
been running roughshod over the rest of the SHIMMER Roster while
Mercedes had been taking a few losses during her time on the roster.
This match is basically the vindication of Mercedes Martinez. As hard
hitting as their first match, didn't quite have as epic a feel to it
as that one did though. The ending is one of the nastiest series of
bumps ever taken in SHIMMER.

4. MsChif vs. Cheerleader Melissa, Last Woman Standing, Vol. 6

CMF- Both women already had some brutal encounters with each other in
previous shimmer matches, but this one stands out the most. Melissa
takes her brutality to new levels in this match including a nasty
looking sit-down boston crab an even nastier looking tree-of-woe
hangman's neckbreaker. As usual the two are very creative when it
comes to using submission moves; especially when a chair is invloved.
The Melissa/MsChif fued lasted the majority of shimmer's first year
and it ended in this last woman standing match with MsChif coming out
the winner. Melissa and MsChif finished off year one be becoming a
team and shaking hands as a sign of respect on Vol. 8.

Fresh03- This one is about two women who hated each other fighting
until one of them couldn't fight anymore. One thing that really
struck me in this match is that neither woman slipped up and went for
a cover, something you never see in wrestling since it becomes second
nature to do it. This match also cemented MsChif as a force to be
reckoned with in SHIMMER, easily my favorite in one of the most
intense series of bouts ever put together in women's wrestling.

5. Daizee Haze vs. Cheerleader Melissa, Vol. 7

CMF- The scheduled main event for Vol. 7 was going to be an Iron-
Woman match between the Haze and the K-Nox. Knox suffered an injury
prior to the taping and Haze didn't have an opponent. Melissa stepped
in for her second main event match against year ones main event
queen, Daizee Haze. As usual Melissa displayed her brutality against
her opponent. Daizee is a great underdog performer especially against
someone like Melissa. I believe this is the match where Melissa
debuts her "wheelbarrow into anything and everything". It is also the
first match where Melissa hits the Kudo Driver. Melissa had tried to
hit the move in every one of her shimmer matches and had never hit
it. The move was built up so much and Melissa hit it to win her first
shimmer main event match.

Fresh03- This was just a classic David vs. Goliath match, Daizee's
uber selling of Melissa's torturous offense really made this one for
me. This is Cheerleader Melissa at her finest, bullying her opponent
and letting her inner sadist have some fun. From checking the
ringside rail's structural integrity with Daizee's head to the
SHIMMER debut of the Kudo Driver, this one is all about Melissa's
brutality.

6. Daizee Haze vs. Lacey, Vol. 1

CMF- Lacey and Daizee main evented shimmer Vol. 1 and the match that
they had to follow was the match that got the number two spot on our
little list. This was an old rivalry renewed and is one of Vol. 1's
most memorable matches. Both showed a good amount of technical
ability in this match and Lacey was tremendous at heeling it up any
chance she got (which was alot).

Fresh03- The Main Event on SHIMMER volume 1 is more of a testament to
Daizee and Lacey's chemistry in the ring together. Both ladies are
very familiar with each other from their years of matches down in IWA
MS and other various indy shows and that comes across here. The match
has a great flow to it, Lacey pulls off her oldschool heelish offense
here to perfection and slows down super baby face Daizee Haze only to
slip up and let the Haze speed the match up to her pace only to have
Lacey cheat her way back onto offense. Really fun match and up till a
few matches last year, this was their best encounter with each other
in their long history.

7. Nikki Roxx vs. Amazing Kong, Vol. 5

CMF- On Vol. 3 and 4 Nikki Roxx was involved in opening matches
respectively against Rain and Amber O'Neal. So this is her first high
profile match in shimmer against the debuting Amazing Kong. Before
the bell sounded Nikki received a "Please don't die" chant from the
crowd. Nikki took everything that Kong threw at her and kept on
fighting. She even got a few close near falls on Kong. In the end it
was two backhands and a spinning backfist followed by a sitdown
powerbomb onto Nikki Roxx. Even though she lost the match Nikki
became a star in shimmer. Nikki eventually went on a winning streak
after her loss to Kong that lasted until Vol. 10.

Fresh03- Nikki Roxx's break out match, period. Up till this point she
was just another face on the roster, the beating she took and gave
back to Kong really catapulted her into the spotlight in SHIMMER and
in the fans eyes, something that grew and grew until she was the top
face on the roster prior to her departure to TNA and becoming the
Voodoo Queen. Kong does what Kong does best here, wreck someone and
get them over like crazy. She's truly the master of this. Nikki plays
a great baby face in peril the whole match and hits some pretty crazy
moves on Kong trying survive in the ring with the Amazing One.

8. Sara Del Rey vs. Mercedes Martinez, Vol. 5

CMF- Both women went into this match wanting to get the win over the
other since their fist match ended in a time limit draw. So the
stipulation was that the time limit was thrown out. The match started
out slow but the two picked up the pace as the match went on. My
favorite part of the match was when the two were in a knuckle lock
and started trading kicks and then forearm shots while still locked
up. The match also includes Del Rey's first suicide dive, thus
showing everyone that she can fly.

Fresh03- Yet again, here they are. This series of matches really
cemented SHIMMER as the top fed for women's wrestling in North
America. I've said it before about their other matches, hard hitting,
technically excellent, near perfect matches. It's quite simply
amazing what happens when these two get in the ring together, I'm not
sure how much more I can say that I haven't said already

9. Mercedes Martinez vs. LuFisto, Vol. 7

CMF- This is one of shimmer's many first time encounters. When it was
announced that LuFisto would be making her shimmer debut many fans on
the shimmer forums made request for this match to happen. LuFisto's
strong style of wrestling mixed well with Mercedes technical skills.
Theres just plain good wrestling in this match. LuFisto may be small
but she kicks ass and hangs with Mercedes. Most people will believe
LuFisto to only be a deathmatch worker, but shes not. She can do
everything and this match is an example of what she can do when light
tubes and barbwire are not involved.

Fresh03- This one is probably my favorite DVD debut match in year
one. For those of you that haven't seen LuFisto wrestle, she looks
like Tinker Bell but wrestles like a wrecking ball. Mercedes was her
usual fantastic self in this match. Two of the hardest hitting women
in North America going at it, you can probably guess what happened,
what started out as a wrestling match turned into a war in a hurry
with both ladies laying on the stiffness like crazy on each other
trying to pick up the win.

10. Nikki Roxx vs. Lacey, Vol. 7

CMF- This is Nikki's first big test since her loss to Kong. This is
also an important match for Lacey. Since Vol. 1 the only match that
she has ever been victorious in was a tag team match. Lacey is in
bitch heel mode (like always) and the crowd is behind Nikki.
Umm...I'm going to say this here. I can't wait until Nikki makes her
shimmer return so that I can hear the crowd chant, "Nikki...Roxx".
There was plenty of that in this match. Lacey was on offense most of
the match with Nikki making a comeback every now and then. Nikki
eventually hit the Barbie Crusher on Lacey to pick up her first big
singles win and continue her winning streak in shimmer.

Fresh03- Lacey decided to take it upon herself to teach Nikki Roxx
what it means to be a main eventer in SHIMMER as Nikki continued her
meteoric rise after her match with Kong back on Vol. 5. This was just
a great heel vs. face match up. Both ladies are top tier talents and
they proved why in this one. Lacey's antics are also in full effect
here as her and Nikki go back and forth, so if you're a fan of those
you'll love this. Another big part of this match is the crowd.
They're insanely into everything Nikki does while trying to boo Lacey
out of the building for every ounce of offense she gets off, the
biggest thing that comes out of this is Nikki claiming her spot as a
legit main eventer in SHIMMER.

11. MsChif vs. Cheerleader Melissa, Falls Count Anywhere Street
Fight, Vol. 4.
12. Daizee Haze vs. Sara Del Rey, Vol. 3
13. Allison Danger vs. Rebecca Knox, Pure Wrestling Rules, Vol. 6
14. Nikita vs. Lacey, Vol. 5
15. Daizee Haze vs. Rebecca Knox, Vol. 4
16. Sara Del Rey vs. Mercedes Martinez vs. Daizee Haze vs. Lacey,
Vol. 2
17. Sara Del Rey vs. Nattie Neidhart, Vol. 7
18. Daizee Haze vs. Nikita, Vol. 6
19. Allison Danger vs. Rebecca Knox, Vol. 3
20. The Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew vs. Sara Del Rey and Mercedes
Martinez, Vol. 6
21. MsChif vs. Cheerleader Melissa, Vol. 1
22. Allison Danger vs. LuFisto, Vol. 8
23. Allison Danger vs. Cheerleader Melissa ,Vol. 5
24. Allison Danger vs. Beth Phoenix, Vol. 1
25. Shantelle Taylor vs. Cheerleader Melissa, Vol. 3
26. Ariel vs. Nattie Neidhart, Vol. 8
27. MsChif vs. Beth Phoenix, Vol. 2
28. Sara Del Rey vs. Rain Vol. 4
29. Daizee Haze vs. Tiana Ringer, Vol. 8
30. Allison Danger vs. Rain, Vol. 2


Year 2:


1. Sara Del Rey vs. Sarah Stock, Vol. 12

CMF- This match is one of many great matches that year two has
presented. Stock entered shimmer mostly as an unknown to most fans in
attendance, but won the crowd over with her first two matches against
Melissa and MsChif the previous night. In this semi-final match of
the shimmer title tournament the two "Angels" faced off for the first
time in a shimmer ring. Both women tore it up and had the crowd on
there feet from the first moment they locked up. Sarah Stock
displayed some amazing aerial moves throughout the match and Del Rey
showed everyone another style of wrestling that she could work:
lucha. Both women built a great closing moment for the match with the
desperation they showed in trying to get a win over the other. As the
match was reaching its time limit both women went for rapid pin-fall
attempts on each other hoping to get the three count. It seemed that
Del Rey had met her match in Stock, but it was shimmer's MVP, Sara
Del Rey, that got the three count in this classic from year two.

Fresh03- Many of you have seen this match, but I'll elaborate on why
this is #1 here on Year 2. To be honest I have a hard time imagining
a better worked match than this at all. Both women displayed
everything that they had in their arsenals and still couldn't put the
other away. As great as the title match was in the tourney, this is
the match that stood out in the two days, and is quite honestly the
best match SHIMMER has ever put on up to this point. It cemented Sara
Del Rey as the top dog in SHIMMER and Sarah Stock as a force to be
reckoned with even though when she walked through the door on night
one almost no one knew who she was. This one has everything,
striking, technical wrestling, lucha (even Sara(no h) gets in on the
act a little, something you hardly see out of her), drama, and one of
the best endings in any match in SHIMMER history, I really can't say
enough about this match, if you haven't seen it, this is one you need
to make a point of seeking out.

LS- This match was my first experience of having the privilege of
seeing Sarah Stock wrestle, and I must say my expectations were
exceeded. This match was excellent from start to finish, enough where
it kept my eyes glued to the screen the whole way through without
being distracted or getting bored. This match was pure entertainment
and wrestling and had an excellent ending with both women athletes
stressing to get the win as the time limit clock went down. I can
honestly say this is one of the best women wrestling matches I have
had the privilege of watching. Sarah Stock's lucha work is off the
charts and Sara Del Rey showed why she was at the top of the SHIMMER
federation. Sarah Stock had the crowd behind her despite the title
tournament being her first SHIMMER appearances, which shows how
impressive the Dark Angel was in this match.

2. MsChif vs. Amazing Kong, Vol. 9

CMF- This has got to be one of the most memorable matches in shimmer
history. MsChif vs. Kong was the only match announced for the Vol.
9&10 taping; it ended up being shimmer's first show to sell out.
MsChif went into the match showing no fear towards her much larger
opponent, the returning Kong. Kong showed no mercy (this is the match
where Kong debuted the "Accordion Rack"). What makes this match
worthwhile is seeing MsChif taking all sorts of abuse from Kong and
then getting back up for more. MsChif showed lots of heart by
fighting back and getting some near falls. Both women busted out
crazy maneuvers and bumped like crazy. You wouldn't think at first
glance that Kong could bump like a cruiserweight, but she can. The
crowd was so into this match that they didn't even mind the one blown
spot. In fact it received shimmer's first "This is Awesome" chant.

Fresh03- MsChif's eventual run at the title started here, she was
already one of the most over women on the roster before this, but
with this one match she proved she could be the woman to carry
SHIMMER. Epic in every sense of the word, one of my favorite
sequences in SHIMMER history is in here, Kong looks to put away
MsChif with her backhand series only to have MsChif duck it and hit
the infamous spinning backfist on Kong herself which sent the entire
crowd into mark out mode. Everything in this match was just spot on,
both women tore the house down here and this will stand as Kong and
MsChif's best matches in Year 2. When I want so show someone what
SHIMMER is all about, this is usually the first match I reach for.

3. Cheerleader Melissa vs. Amazing Kong, Vol. 16

CMF- Dave Prazak and Allison Danger usually refer to Melissa as a
bully on commentary. She would need to use every single bullying
tactic that she had in order to survive a match with Kong. It is very
unusual to Melissa on the receiving end of a beating. The thing about
Melissa in this match is that I didn't see her as an underdog; I
actually believed that Melissa could beat Kong clean. Melissa just
has that aura about her. Kong was her usual self in this match, but
Melissa showed a different side of herself in this match. Melissa
matched Kong move for move. She never got flurries of offense in this
match; they were more like blizzards. It was truly amazing to see
Melissa drop Kong down hard to the mat with a powerbomb. Melissa has
been the one woman in shimmer to look like she could actually get the
win against Kong.

Fresh03- Brutality, plain and simple, these women beat the hell out
of each other. I love both women, but Melissa showed me something I
haven't seen from her in a long while, she flew all over the ring
like a luchador at several points in this match. Kong was Kong, and
there is no such thing as a bad Kong match. From the opening bell
this thing was off the charts, both women took pleasure in this match
as they got to unleash that sadist that we all know lurks not so
below the surface in both of them. From the strikes to the suplexes,
this match was nonstop insanity and it nearly tore the Eagle's Club
in Berwyn to the ground. One huge sequence after another from both
women and they'd get back up to fight on again. This is probably my
favorite Cheerleader Melissa match of all time and that's saying
allot.

4. Lacey vs. Sara Del Rey, SHIMMER Title Tournament Finals, Vol. 12

CMF- This was the final match in the shimmer title tournament and it
couldn't have been a more perfect pairing. The match had a classic
face vs. heel feeling to it. Lacey, who had the worst win loss record
in shimmer, was on fire throughout the tournament defeating three
different women. Two of whom had previously defeated Lacey on other
volumes of the shimmer series. Del Rey, who has the best win loss
record in shimmer, was the only woman in the tournament to receive
a "next world champ" chant. The crowd was clearly on Death Rey's
side. Lacey tried to hit her implant DDT ASAP in order to secure a
win. In the end after taking 8 big boots from Del Rey Lacey pulled
the referee, Bryce Remsburg, in front of a charging Death Rey. Rain,
Lacey's partner in crime, made her presence felt by interfering and
hitting a reverse DDT on Del Rey. Hope returned when Del Rey kicked
out and finally put Lacey away for the win. Sara Del Rey became the
first shimmer champion. The match was great as was the audience in
attendance. Everything worked in this match.

Fresh03- Epic, there's no other way to describe this one. The stakes
were as high as they've ever been in SHIMMER, the winner of this
match would be the first ever SHIMMER Champion, the looser gets
nothing. After a grueling two day tournament it all came down to
this, and both women held nothing back. Once again, many of you have
seen this match and know how good it is, but sometimes words don't
really do justice to what these two did in this match. Both women
were exhausted, beat up from their matches prior to this one, but
still brought a level of wrestling to this match that's hard to beat
any day. They made you feel how important this match was, that they'd
do anything to win, and you ate every second of this one up. From
Lacey's Shenanigans to Sara's never say die attitude, this one was a
fitting cap to an incredible tournament. CMF mentioned it, but Lacey
eating a nearly endless series of big boots really was one of the
highlights of the weekend, and the ending was so fitting, just a
fantastic culmination.

LS- I knew this match was going to be a spectacular one and I was
extremely excited to watch it. These two ladies are at the top of
their profession and are probably the two premier SHIMMER Athletes in
my opinion. To describe this match, I'd use the word epic. Being that
this match was the finals of a tournament for the precious prize of
being the first SHIMMER Champion, I expected nothing less from these
two ladies, and they delivered. As usual, we saw great wrestling and
psychology by these two women. Sara Del Rey hit almost a dozen big
boots on Lacey, and each kick had me shocked as Lacey got up for
more, only to be on the receiving end of another boot by Death Rey.
The crowd was insane for this match and it helped set the bar for the
new SHIMMER Championship.

5. Sara Del Rey vs. Sarah Stock, 2 out of 3 falls, SHIMMER
Championship Match, Vol. 16

CMF- One of the important details in this match is that Sarah Stock
scored a pin-fall on Sara Del Rey; thus becoming the second woman in
shimmer history to get a pin on Del Rey (after Mercedes Martinez).
Sarah Stock showed off some of her amazing moves in the first fall of
the match; it was very lucha-riffic. Both women traded many holds and
kept up with each other. Stock hit several lucha inspired moves, but
Del Rey got the first pin-fall after reversing a wheel barrow into a
bridging German suplex pin. Del Rey then displayed her technical
skills by taking Stock down to the mat. Del Rey took control
throughout the second fall; then out of nowhere Stock became the
second woman to pin Del Rey. For the third fall it was power versus
speed. Del Rey used her strength to punish Stock; and Stock used her
speed to counter whatever Del Rey threw at her. And just like their
first match on Vol. 12, both women went for rapid pin-falls to try to
secure the win. In the end it was Del Rey who got the win with a roll
up variation. The match was a good follow up to their classic
encounter on Vol. 12, but lacked the feeling that the first match
had. I'll be corny and just say that the first match was magical.

Fresh03- This one picked up right where the first one left off, both
women showcased everything they can do in the ring in an incredibly
fast paced match, only for three falls instead of one like their
first encounter. At one point I thought Sarah Stock was legit out
after one of the moves Death Rey pulled on her due to the impact of
Sarah hitting the mat. The only reason this one goes lower is because
it lacks a bit of the drama the first one did. It's still one of the
best women's matches in North American history, and rightfully so.
Incredible from start to finish, I'm not sure that either woman can
have a bad match in any sense of the word, but when they get together
it's always something special similar to Bryan Danielson and Austin
Aries' encounters.

6. Sara Del Rey vs. Lacey, SHIMMER Championship Match, Vol. 14

CMF- First off, Volume 14 was taped in Florida instead of Berwyn, Il.
What I like about this match is that Lacey and Sara were able to let
the crowd know who they are and what they represent. Both did great
in getting the new crowd into the match. Now onto the wrestling. This
was a well executed wrestling match. In the early part of the match
neither woman had the clear advantage over the other; it was back and
forth. Sara Del Rey, when in control, clearly outclassed Lacey. And
Lacey, well, she takes her heel shtick to another level. She was very
cocky when on offense. She even went on to say that her cravat was
better than Del Rey's. Sara wrestled a smart match and looked to be
in control until Lacey ran her knee into Sara's face. After that,
Lacey smartened her game plan and took complete control of the match
working on Del Rey's back. Every time Del Rey made a comeback she
wasn't able to capitalize due to the work Lacey inflicted on the
back. This marks the first match, in shimmer, that Del Rey has made
anyone submit to the Royal Butterfly lock.

Fresh03- Once again, this one lacked a touch of drama, it's every bit
as good as the first one, maybe better wrestled, but the crowd and
the atmosphere weren't as intense. To be honest this may be Lacey's
best match of Year Two and one of her finest ever, she worked
everything she could thing up as far as tactics to take out the Death
Rey here, and her antics were off the charts, the crowd was tiny at
this show but every single one of them hated Lacey and wanted Death
Rey to kill her. I loved Lacey in this one, she's not as big and
powerful as Sara, so she cut her down to size by working her back and
cutting off any offense Sara could muster for the majority of the
match, which is where Lacey is at her best. Death Rey really sold
well in this one and while she's normally the dominant force in her
matches she played the babyface in peril incredibly well.

7. Daizee Haze vs. Sarah Stock, Vol. 15

CMF- As Allison Danger said it on commentary, "holy Lucha, Batman.
That was fan-frik'n-tastic". This match was breathtakingly good.
Daizee vs. K-Nox HAD the fastest paced wrestling in shimmer up until
this match between Haze and Stock. This also happens to be the second
time that these two women meet in shimmer competition, and this match
definitely tops their first outing. The match itself is very exciting
complete with fast chain and counter wrestling, high flying moves,
and a great long Lucha exchange sequence. One thing that I like about
Sarah Stock is that she can be very cocky, but also be a smart
wrestler. At one moment in the match, after a lengthy exchange,
Daizee gets on the second rope to receive cheers from the crowd;
Stock then pulls Haze off, gets on the ropes, to get her praise from
the crowd. At another moment in the match Stock suckers Daizee onto
the top rope only to beat her to the top and knock her off. Haze
managed to counter Stock's Tiger Driver, but still ended up taking
the loss to Dark Angel.

Fresh03- Sarah Stock as a heel, you don't see it often, but it's
something special. Great technical wrestling all over the place with
allot of Lucha thrown in for good measure. I say this without a
shadow of a doubt in my mind, this was Daizee's finest match, she
didn't have to go into insane sell mode, she held her own with one of
the best in the world and gave it right back no matter what it was,
strikes, chain wrestling, lucha insanity, this one cemented Daizee as
one of the top wrestlers in the country to me here. Incredibly fast
paced and everything was executed to near perfection. When you leave
Allison Danger and Dave Prazak speechless you know you've done
something right. It's easy to put on a great match with a great
opponent, what's harder is to put on a timeless match that could very
well define your career; this one will likely go down as that kind of
match for Daizee.

8. Sara Del Rey vs. Amazing Kong, SHIMMER Championship Match, Vol. 15

CMF- There really is a big match feel to this match between shimmer's
mvp and Champion, Sara Del Rey, and the undefeated Amazing Kong. This
is the first time that Sara actually looks worried going into a
match, but she musters up the courage to punch out a fans cardboard
cutout of Kong and then step on it. She would eventually pay for that
later in the match when Kong slammed that cutout over Del Rey's head.
Sara started the match fast by taking Kong out of the ring and then
hitting her second suicide dive in shimmer history. The big holy ****
moment happens when Sara gets Kong up into the Royal Butterfly lock
and then somehow manages to hit the slam Okay for those of you who do
not know what the Royal Butterfly is here is a youtube link:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZrDxRM2k6o Yes, Del Rey hit THAT on
Kong! Then something happened that could only happen in a horror
movie. As Del Rey made her way to cover Kong, Kong backfists Del Rey
while still lying on her back. Yeah, they always come back for one
more scare. As both women were now on the mat the referee started his
10 count. Del Rey was up before 10, but Kong was still on the mat.
Bryce Remsburg, the ref, awarded Del Rey the win. This is one of the
few matches where Del Rey gets her ass kicked. She was lucky to have
won this match with the weird 10 count finish.

Fresh03- Kong eats a Royal Butterfly... Yeah, not the submission kind
either, Del Rey literally tossed Kong over her shoulder here in what
will likely go down as one of the top moments in SHIMMER history. The
names in this match speak for themselves, I don't need to explain tol
you what these ladies are capable off, sheer greatness. Crazy match
with all kinds of Death Rey/Kong brutality. Both women left it all on
the line in this one; no offense/counter/defense was spared. The
image of Sara taking a nasty spinning backfist from Kong and not
going down and even going as far as getting a brutal kick to Kong's
head in return just sums up Sara's run as champ perfectly. Kong
pulling a Michael Meyers at the end of the match amuses me to no end
as well. The only thing that keeps this one from being the best match
of the year is the wonky ending. I understand why it had to happen
politically, but had there been a clean finish this match would have
been at #1 on the list.

9. Nikki Roxx vs. Amazing Kong, Vol. 14

CMF- This match had a complete different feel to it than their first
match back on Vol. 5. Nikki went into this match a changed wrestler.
From Vol. 5 to 14 Nikki went from a under card worker into a main
eventer; she also turned into a stronger, faster, and smarter
wrestler. Nikki knew what she was getting into when she stepped into
the ring with Kong and was determined to get the win. Kong changed,
not drastically, her wrestling style in this match. She used a few
submission holds to try and keep Nikki down, and Nikki did the same.
Roxx got in a lot more offense in this match than she did in her
first match with Kong. At one moment in the match there is a "Joshi-
esque" brawl on the floor; complete with Kong throwing Roxx into
chairs, throwing chairs at Roxx, and chocking Roxx with a chair.
There was a nice finishing sequence that had Nikki dodging a number
of back hands, spinning back fists, and clotheslines from Kong until
Kong finally nailed Roxx. The end result was a bloody nose from Roxx
and Kong once again victorious

Fresh03- I love this match just because it illustrates how far Nikki
Roxx came in her SHIMMER run, from curtain jerker to mainevent. Nikki
was so far changed in this one that I have a hard time comparing the
two matches they had together in SHIMMER. Nikki was far more
confident here and she didn't back down one bit and got Kong so
frustrated with her that Kong decided to take the match hardcore.
Another fantastic sequence was Nikki Roxx hitting a top rope Ong'Jack
(Double knees to the Chest and you ride the victim to the ground),
just plain nasty, and it showed that Nikki would do anything to take
home a win on Kong. When you look back at Nikki's run in SHIMMER this
will likely stand out as her best match.

10. Daizee Haze vs. Amazing Kong, Vol. 10

CMF- This was David vs. Goliath, if Goliath won. Daizee never had a
chance to win in this match, but she fought with everything she had.
Haze kicked out of many of Kong's signature moves in this match,
including the sit-out power bomb. One of the scarier moments in the
match is when Daizee hits a cross body from the top rope, to the
floor, and Kong catches her and then just chucks her into the first
row. The spot received a "lord have mercy" chant from the crowd.
Daizee did manage to get Kong off her feet several times in the
match. It took two yakuza kicks to take Kong down. One of the more
spectacular moments is when Haze took Kong off the top rope with a
frankensteiner. If there ever was a glimmer of hope that Haze could
of defeated Kong, it was destroyed when Kong kicked out at the two
count. Haze put up a great underdog fight against Amazing Kong.

Fresh03- Poor, poor, poor Daizee. If I had to guess who booked this
match, I'd guess Cheerleader Melissa with all of Allison and Dave's
talk about her sadism, because thing was the definition of sadistic
most of the time. Daizee fought valiantly against Kong, you've got to
give her that, but there's only so much you can do when you go for a
top rope cross body and wind up getting chucked in the fan's laps at
ringside for your trouble. She definitely showed that never say die
attitude, kicking out of the Amazing Bomb is quite the feat few have
ever accomplished. Spinning backfists, Impact Drivers, whatever Kong
threw at Daizee she managed to fight back, although most of the match
you could see this was a loosing fight for Daizee, you can't help but
love the heart she shows in her matches.

11. Sarah Stock vs. Cheerleader Melissa, Vol. 11
12. Sarah Stock vs. MsChif, Vol. 11
13. Lacey vs. Daizee Haze, Vol. 12
14. Nikki Roxx vs. Lacey, Vol. 11
15. Nikki Roxx vs. Sara Del Rey, Vol. 10
16. Sara Del Rey vs. Cheerleader Melissa, Vol. 9
17. Sarah Stock vs. Daizee Haze, Vol. 13
18. MsChif vs. Daizee Haze, Vol. 14
19. Lacey/Rain/Jetta vs. Haze/MsChif/Black, Vol. 16
20. Cheerleader Melissa vs. Lacey, Vol. 10
21. Allison Danger vs. Cindy Rogers, Street Fight, Vol. 12
22. Lacey vs. Nikki Roxx, Vol. 11
23. Sara Del Rey vs. Alicia, Vol. 11
24. Cheerleader Melissa vs. Rain, Vol. 14
25. Cheerleader Melissa vs. Ariel, Vol. 13
26. Lacey vs. Eden Black, Vol. 11
27. Cheerleader Melissa vs. Alexa Thatcher, Vol. 15
28. MsChif vs. Portia Perez, Vol. 13
29. Tiana Ringer vs. Eden Black, Vol. 10
30. Ariel vs. Alexa Thatcher, Vol. 9


Anyway, as always, participation is more than welcome here, hope you
like the reviews and are inspired to do a few of your own.

Post your thoughts in the following thread at The SHIMMER Forum...

http://shimmerwomen.proboards50.com/index.cgi?
board=shimmer&action=display&thread=2166



VOLUMES 15 & 16 AVAILABLE ON DVD
----------------------------------------------------

The first sixteen Volumes in the SHIMMER DVD series are currently
available at http://www.ROHwrestling.com/ for immediate worldwide
shipping.

Here's a look at the match lists for the newest DVDs in the SHIMMER
series...


SHIMMER- WOMEN ATHLETES Vol. 15 (DVD)
Item# SH015

Description:
1. Eden Black vs. Amber O'Neal
2. Portia Perez & Nicole Matthews vs. Lorelei Lee & Ashley Lane
3. Serena Deeb vs. Jetta
4. Allison Danger vs. Cindy Rogers
5. Lacey & Rain vs. Portuguese Princess Ariel & Josie
6. Cheerleader Melissa vs. Alexa Thatcher
7. Lexie Fyfe & Malia Hosaka vs. MsChif & Daffney (Grudge Tag Team
Match)
8. Daizee Haze vs. Sarah Stock (#1 Contenders Match)
9. Sara Del Rey vs. Amazing Kong (SHIMMER Title Match)

Features:
Region 0 DVD. Will play anywhere in the world.
SALE! $14.95

http://www.rohwrestling.com/shoponline.asp?
point=moreinfo&catid=252&id=2634


SHIMMER- WOMEN ATHLETES Vol. 16 (DVD)
Item# SH016

Description:
1. Amber O'Neal vs. Lorelei Lee
2. Portia Perez & Nicole Matthews vs. Portuguese Princess Ariel &
Josie
3. Alexa Thatcher vs. Ashley Lane
4. Lexie Fyfe & Malia Hosaka vs. Allison Danger & Serena Deeb
5. Daffney vs. Cindy Rogers
6. Lacey, Rain, & Jetta vs. MsChif, Daizee Haze, & Eden Black (Trios
Tag Team Match)
7. Cheerleader Melissa vs. Amazing Kong
8. Sara Del Rey vs. Sarah Stock (SHIMMER Title Match- Two Out Of
Three Falls)

Features:
Region 0 DVD. Will play anywhere in the world.
SALE! $14.95

http://www.rohwrestling.com/shoponline.asp?
point=moreinfo&catid=252&id=2635



GET YOUR TICKETS FOR JULY 5TH TAPING NOW!
----------------------------------------------------

General admission tickets are still available for the upcoming
SHIMMER Volumes 19 & 20 taping, which will take place on Saturday,
July 5th, 2008. The event will be held at the Eagles Club (6309 26th
Street) in Berwyn, IL, just outside Chicago. Bell time is 4pm. Doors
open at 3pm.

Front row seating to the July 5th taping is SOLD OUT. General
admission tickets are still available, at a cost of $20 plus $1
shipping per ticket. Visit the link below to order your tickets
online via PayPal right now.

http://www.freewebs.com/shimmerwomen/tickets.html

If you're planning on making the trip to Berwyn for the taping, you
can compare travel plans and tips with your fellow fans in the
Planes, Cars, and Hotels thread for 7/5 in the following thread at
The SHIMMER Forum...

http://shimmerwomen.proboards50.com/index.cgi?
board=shimmer&action=display&thread=2135



SARA DEL REY INTERVIEW ON DTA RADIO
----------------------------------------------------

SHIMMER's Sara Del Rey appeared on the 6/5 edition of DTA Radio. You
can listen to the interview right now on their web site.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/DTAradio



------------------------------------
Call the SHIMMER hotline!
630-585-3958
------------------------------------
Post at The SHIMMER Forum!
http://www.shimmerathletes.com/
------------------------------------
Visit the SHIMMER web site!
http://www.shimmerwrestling.com/
------------------------------------