SHIMMER Volume 98
Berwyn Eagles Club
Berwyn, IL
November 12, 2017
Live Correspondent: Pat Lucey
STOP! Read the results of Vol. 96 & Vol. 97 before continuing.
RISE Pre-Show Matches
-Jewells Malone & Hyan defeated Derby Doll & Trixie Tash
-Heather Monroe defeated Kylie Rae.
-Tessa Blanchard defeated Indi Hartwell via Diving Codebreaker
Pre-show notes:
-Standard tag match to kick off Day 2 of Shimmer. Not a bad match. I think Jewells Malone is ready for bigger opportunities in RISE/Shimmer.
-Monroe has the look and character down, but I’m hoping she improves on her ring skill to really complete the package.
-Kylie continues to display popularity with the Chicago crowd. It might be enough to convince Shimmer to book her on the main show next year
-It was a (good) surprise to see Tessa work the pre-show.
-Tessa’s opponent, Indi Hartwell, who is from Australia, looked the most impressive of all the RISE pre-show talents this weekend. Surely, she’ll be back in Berwyn next year.
MAIN CARD
Zoe Lucas vs. Havok
Zoe continues to impress me this weekend as she carries herself with such presence that you’d think she was a former Shimmer champion. Havok wins the opening match at 4:45 with a running powerbomb. A good way to officially start Day 2 (or Day 3 if you count RISE).
Team Blue Nation (Jess Troy & Charli Evans) vs. Thunderkitty & Solo Darling
Blue Nation wins after a double-teamed reverse Russian leg sweep in 10:48. Another fun tag match. Overall, I must say I’ve enjoyed the string of tag team matches this weekend. For while, I thought Shimmer’s tag division was in a rut since teams like Kimber Bombs and Slap Happy left but this weekend proves the division is in good hands. Kitty/Solo looked better as a team, while Nation continues to prove they could be a permanent staple in Shimmer’s tag division.
Cheerleader Melissa vs. Rachael Ellering
Melissa wins at 9:40 after curb stomp followed by an Air Raid Crash. This was a fine enough match. This was Melissa’s best match of the weekend, so far but I still feel she’s not bringing her A-game this weekend. Meanwhile, Rachael is trying to prove she belongs on the Shimmer weekend and so far I’d like to think she’s earned her spot.
Deonna Purrazzo/Ashley Lane vs. Leva Bates/Delilah Doom (c) (Shimmer Tag Team Championship Match)
The official team name for Bates/Doom is “The Totally Tubular Tag Team”. They were dressed as Bill and Ted from the Keanu Reeves cult classic, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Bates/Doom win at 7:30 after a Gory Bomb/Superkick combo. This was a fine first title defense for Bates/Doom match, though I wouldn’t have chosen Purrazzo and Lane as the first challengers. I appreciate what they’re trying to do with the team of Purrazzo and Lane but I just don’t see it working out long term.
Aoi Kizuki vs. Chelsea Green
Kizuki wins at 9:25 with top rope twisting splash. Very fun, competitive match. Kizuki was looking rocky during the first day but she found her groove on the second. Chelsea was also a great singles opponent for Kizuki.
Ivelisse vs. Saraya Knight
This was the wild brawl you would expect out of these two competitors. The two fighters took the match all around the Eagles Club. Knight wins at 7:30 via her signature “Rocking Horse” submission. Both ladies went out and beat the hell out of each other and it was done in a fantastically fun way.
Veda Scott vs. Dust vs. Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae
Veda wins at 6:25 pinning Blackheart with a step-up kick. Another perfectly fine four-way fray, though I think this is one that could have used a few extra minutes. While short, no one here looked like the weak link in the match, especially Shotzi who I feel is starting to come into her own and gain more momentum with each passing show.
Courtney Rush (Rosemary) vs. Mia Yim
If you’ve seen any of their matches against each other on TNA/Impact programming, you know the chemistry between these two is off the charts. After avoiding Rush’s signature mist, Yim wins at 11:10 after spitting her own mist and hitting a Package Piledriver. This was a damn awesome match. I feel it is on par with Yim’s match with Aja Kong from the previous day.
Kellyanne vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto
Kellyanne wins in 10:17 after pushing Hiroyo into the ref, using a piece of her ring gear to choke her with it. She followed with a rolling elbow. A good, hard-hitting match that was suitably able to follow the Yim/Rush match. Kellyanne is on a good streak this weekend and is another performer I can see being a major player in Shimmer’s future.
Tessa Blanchard vs. Vanessa Kraven
This is a match that was two years in the making. As expected, Tessa spent the majority of the match trying to duck Kraven’s offense. Kraven won in 5:15 via count out. Not too much of a match here, but the story here was told smoothly without hindering either wrestler.
Tessa tries to leave ringside but is blocked by Fire & Nice near the entrance. Vanessa grabs the mic and lets Tessa know there’s lot of workers in the back who still don’t like her. Vanessa then challenges Tessa to a lumberjack match at the following taping.
Allysin Kay vs. Shazza McKenzie (c) (Heart of Shimmer Championship Match)
Shazza hit Allysin with a hurricanrana on the outside of the ring and Allysin ended up hitting her forehead on the metal part of the ring apron near the corner. Allysin started to gush blood once she got back in the ring. It looked bad. Shazza wins at 3:30 after referee stoppage. This was the first major disappointment of the weekend but it was simply a freak accident. To her credit, Allysin wanted to continue but officials simply would not let her. I’d love to see a full-length rematch between the two in the near future.
Aja Kong & Mercedes Martinez vs. Nicole Savoy & Hikaru Shida
Savoy is now doing a “Number 1” gesture in the same style as Tye Dillinger’s “Perfect 10” gimmick and it’s catching on pretty quickly. After a good back and forth contest, Aja and Martinez win at 15:22 after referee Andy Long was distracted and Aja hits Savoy with her signature metal box twice, along with a back fist. Martinez pinned Savoy. Great main event with Aja and Martinez looking like a solid duo.
Afterward, Lexie Fyfe, who now is in a commissioner-like role that Allison Danger previously occupied, comes out and berates Andy Long for the decision. She calls him the worst referee ever, which got one of the biggest crowd reactions of the weekend. Lexie then proclaims Savoy got screwed and makes a title match between Savoy and Martinez for Volume 99.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
There were some unfortunate setbacks during this taping, such as the Shazza/Allysin incident, but the good definitely outweighs the bad. While some might see this show as simply one big setup for Volume 99, there’s still plenty of great matches to check out (Yim/Rush, Kellyanne/Matsumoto, Tag main event); all the while doing a fantastic job at setting up Volume 99 as a must see show with matches such as Vanessa/Tessa and Savoy/Martinez.
-Pat Lucey
(Questions or comments about the review? Hit up Pat Lucey on Twitter HERE to contact him directly.)
Click HERE for more information about upcoming SHIMMER events.
Check out Indi Hartwell vs. Tessa Blanchard from the SHIMMER Vol. 98 pre-show:
More Wrestling Coverage:
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