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Missy's Manor: Shimmer DVD Review

Posted: Aug 17th 2009 By: CMBurnham

Shimmer has turned in to my favorite #2 women's promotion [WSU is #1]. I couldn't wait to get my hands on another Shimmer DVD in order to review it, especially after I enjoyed the last one that I seen. Unfortunately the DVD opens up with no opening. An opening video and the announcers previewing & recapping the previous show would be a major improvement in my opinion.

Shark Girl VS. Amber O'Neal:
It's no secret that I'm a fan of Shark Boy. I thought he had a great gimmick when I first saw him at a Brian Pillman Memorial show. Shark Girl is the alter ego of Daffney. Daffney did a great job in the presentation of Shark Girl with the costume and the character. Amber is fun to watch. She got tons of charisma. I marked out big time when she did the Terry Funk spot in sitting on the middle rope and teetering in to punches from Shark Girl. Daffney impressed me on her comedy spots and her wrestling. Daffney picked up the win with a stunner. I'm starting to become a later in life Daffney fan [better later, than never]. I enjoy her Shark Girl character and especially her recent TNA work. This match was fun. I'm looking forward to watching Amber make her WSU debut on 8/22. The girl got a great look & knows how to work a crowd.

Nicole Matthews VS. Lorelei Lee:
I had seen Nicole work on WSU & NWS shows last year. She makes a decent tag team partner with Portia Perez. This match was decent. Both wrestlers are still a little green at this time. Nicole picked up the win.

Jetta VS. Daizee Haze:
I can't stop praising the talent of The International Home Wrecking Crew. Lacey & Rain got the talent & the looks to belong in TNA. They are such great heels that they probably could turn The Beautiful People in to baby faces for a feud. Jetta is very underrated as a heel. I find her heel antics to be very entertaining. Rain & Lacey are the more marketable combination, but Jetta is actually the better worker than Lacey. This would be equivalent to picking out your favorite Midnight Express combination.

Daizee Haze got a great look. I enjoyed her work in the past for ROH. I never had seen Daizee not get over. The girl got charisma and can work. This match revolved around comedy spots. Jetta's ring work leaves a little to be desired in comparison to her charisma. Daizee picked up the win.

Becky Bayless Interviews Allison Danger:
It's no secret that I'm willing to give Becky the highest recommendation. I think she got a great look & is one of the best heels I worked with in recent years. I once managed Dawn Marie against Becky with Angelina Love for WSU. Becky's persona is equally as great as Angelina Love's persona [my personal favorite Knock Out]. People fail to recognize that Becky can actually have decent matches. I had seen her & Alicia tear it up in a hardcore brawl for WSU in '07.

Allison Danger comes to the ring selling a shoulder injury with a make shift sling [sweat shirt]. She even jarred with a fan about him calling her out on the sling. Allison vows to recover from her injury. My biggest gripe was how little mic time that Becky got on this DVD.

Lexie Fyfe & Malia Hosaka VS. Jennifer Blake & Danya:
Malia is one of the most underrated veterans in the biz. I'm glad that Shimmer & WSU are giving Malia the respect that she deserves. I have seen Malia help the young girls out by having long matches. The young girls get the ring time with a veteran that keeps the match cohesive. I applaud Malia for taking the senior role by being patient with the new generation of wrestlers. I'm proud that Malia & I were both inducted in to the WSU Hall Of Fame together this year. Too bad I didn't get the five figure pay off or receive a gold ring with diamonds that the WWE legends get. Ughhh! The veterans picked up the win. I was impressed with the potential of Jennifer Blake & Danya.

Cindy Rogers VS. Mercedes Martinez:
I'm pretty familiar with the talent of both wrestlers from WSU. Mercedes is one of the hardest working wrestlers in the business. I have seen her tear up WSU with excellent matches with Angel Orsini with every stipulation imaginable. Each match had psychology & told a different story. Cindy Rogers is also another WSU regular. She took some time off a few months ago for an injury and is back tearing up the indy scene. She is a very hard worker that just needs to find a missing variable that will break her out of the pack.

I'm very impressed with Mercedes as a heel in Shimmer. Both wrestlers display decent chain wrestling skills. Both wrestlers pulled out a large array of submission maneuvers. Mercedes would pick up the win with a Saito suplex. Very enjoyable match. If you are a fan of technical matches, this match is definitely worth picking up.

Rain & Lacey VS. Ashley Lane [AKA Madison Rayne] & Navaeh:
Rain & Lacey came out sporting T shirts that said "Silicone Free". I guess that's the straight edge movement for Shimmer, I already failed that policy. Jetta plays her role great in providing comic relief for Rain & Lacey. Rain & Lacey worked the match as old school heels. They tagged in & out. They distracted the referee. All of these heel nuances impressed me.

Madison will make a great baby face if TNA ever decides to break her up with The Beautiful People. I would even suggest bringing in Navaeh that way they can wrestle against The Beautiful People. Ashley had shades of Ricky Morton in being the baby face in peril that needed to make the hot tag to her partner. Old school psychology still works!

Glad to see that Rain implemented an MMA spot in to the match by using knee strikes from a standing clinch. Navaeh & Ashley would pick up the win. All four wrestlers deserve major credit in putting together an excellent match in my opinion. The majority of the crowd gave this match a standing ovation when it was done.

Awesome Kong VS. Wesna Busic:
Having Kong come out to techno-club music was a bad idea, especially if you compare it against her TNA music that fits her perfectly. Kong dominated the match early with some clothes lines and a spinning back fist that had me popping. If you watch Kong closely, she had shades of Bruiser Brody in her style. Kong creates an aura of danger when she dominates. Kong sells in the right context in which it creates a chance of an upset. Wesna got flurries of kicks on to Kong Both wrestlers knew perfectly when to allow each other to shine. When Kong got a desperation German suplex, she got the whole building in shock that they might have seen an upset. Eventually Kong would reverse a somersault off the top rope from Wesna in to a power bomb. Great match that got Kong over as a monster & made Wesna seem like she can hang with one of the best women workers in the business. This match is a text book example on how to elevate both wrestlers with a clean finish. I loved it.

Cheerleader Melissa VS. Sarah Stock Highlights From Volume #11:
Both wrestlers were trading kicks that had me in awe. Sarah pulled out a tope. They reversed moves that had me going nuts on this three minute highlight. That's how you sell matches & DVD's folks. Present two hard working athletes with a clean finish. This had me psyched to see their rematch on this DVD. Cheerleader Melissa & Sarah Stock are money & I hope TNA recognizes their talent before they put another Jenna Morasca match on PPV to the delight of nobody.

Cheerleader Melissa VS. Sarah Stock:
It would be a major glaring omission in my part by not mentioning how Dave Prazak does a great job in describing back stories & strategies in every match. He made this match feel like a main event right from the start. Match starts with off with excellent chain wrestling. Melissa starts working the arm & Prazak describes how that would immobile Sarah's high flying.

When Melissa took control of the match, she knew how to control the crowd without using cheap heat or cheating in order to garner the desired reaction that she wanted. When Sarah took control, she knew when to hit her high spots in a context that made sense. Both girls are total pros in their pacing of this match. They didn't crash & burn thru high spots, submissions, and moves. They told a story!! Melissa & Sarah would reverse out of holds for several minutes, until Melissa finally beat her with the Kudo Driver. This match was one of the best technical U.S. women matches that I had ever seen. I strongly recommend that TNA should allow both of these wrestlers to show off their skills against each other at a PPV with an adequate amount of time. I guarantee that it got the potential to steal any show. I can't stop praising this match.

Sarah Del Ray VS. MsChif:
MsChif got a great gothic look with the green hair. TNA is missing the boat in not hiring MsChif and pairing her with Daffney as a tag team. MsChif is a very hard worker and is beyond flexible. This allowed Sarah Del Ray to be able to bend MsChif in a million different ways that would have my lower lumbar and vertebrates screaming in agony. The best comparison on Sarah's ring style would be to Samoa Joe. Match had tons of submissions & reversals that kept me entertained. The last several minutes had me popping for submission & pin reversals in variations that I had never seen. MsChif would get a CLEAN PIN [what a novelty in this day & age] to win The Shimmer Title. Matches of this caliber are how you get titles over.

Tags: Midnight Express, WWE, TNA, Bruiser Brody, Cheerleader Melissa