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Post by Jason on Aug 26, 2009 23:41:52 GMT -6
;DHate to be his mailcarrier.
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Post by gcwphotoguy on Aug 28, 2009 5:54:54 GMT -6
I decided this morning I couldn't wait 3 more weeks to Chicago so I ordered 23/24 and 4 ROH dvds in the $10 sale that I've been wanting to pick up for a while. Plus , that is less stuff I have to haul around with me on vacation if I get them now.
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Post by SHIMMER office on Aug 29, 2009 1:16:55 GMT -6
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Post by Woo on Aug 29, 2009 6:27:01 GMT -6
One of those will be mine as I just ordered
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Post by JSMwrestling on Aug 29, 2009 9:52:02 GMT -6
I just ordered my copy as well as vol. 23, I look forward to watching them.
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Post by shawn on Aug 29, 2009 17:25:24 GMT -6
Fantastic cover!
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Post by Shanti on Aug 31, 2009 14:35:21 GMT -6
Damn. I'm going to have to wait a couple of weeks to get this. The tag main event is a must see and is right up there with the Volume 17 main event as far as the best tag match in SHIMMER history goes.
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Post by stew on Sept 3, 2009 5:38:38 GMT -6
I'll kick us off on reviews again, then...
First up was Kellie Skater vs Jessie McKay, and having failed to see the hype for the Rate Tank on Vol 23, I was expecting something special here from her. I didn’t quite get it. The match was fine, and I enjoyed seeing Jessie again, but again, Skater seemed very ordinary. The match was more competitive than the one she had with LuFisto, and was fine in and of itself, but it was your standard SHIMMER undercard match with a fairly blah ending. I can only assume that Skater breaks out on Vols 25 & 26. Hmmmm.
I feel like I’ve seen The Experience vs Two Random youngsters a billion times, and I never need to see it again – but for whatever reason, I quite enjoyed their tussle with Tenille & Rayna Von Tash. I suppose it’s because I was really keen to see what the young team had to offer, as Tenille got nothing from Amber O’Neal on Vol 23, and this was Rayna’s debut (with the added pressure of being Daizee’s first graduate from the SHIMMER wrestling school). I was pleasantly surprised. Tenille showed some poise and fire, and Rayna didn’t look bad at all. In fact, with her distinctive flowing red hair and her red/black attire, she *looked* fantastic. “Welcome to professional wrestling, ROOKIE!!!” yelled Malia post match. Indeed.
Next up was Amber O’Neal vs Jennifer Blake. Ah... well, I quite enjoyed the early part of the match, as Amber’s character work is lots of fun – her near Maryse-esque camel clutch for one when she distracted the referee by asking the referee for a guy in the front row’s number. Very nice. Match sort of fell to crap thereafter, with Amber’s bustier coming increasingly loose and a finish that featured Amber going to the top rope... and randomly falling off in a half comedic and half just plain embarrassing... I guess we’ll be generous and call it a flying body press (though she did not so much fly as plummet). Superkick later and it was mercifully over. No good.
What *was* good, however, was Mercedes Martinez vs Madison Eagles. Madison’s had a couple of cracking breakout singles matches with Del Rey on v23 and now Mercedes on this one. Not a lot I can really say about this other than I liked it and it was the sort of slow building, hard hitting, big finish match you’d expect from these two competitors, and Martinez in particular. In fact, I possibly liked it more than the Del Rey/Eagles one... though it’s more than possible that I’m just saying that because I’ve literally just watched this one. Mercedes puts over Madison post match, and it’s a love fest all round.
Jetta channelling Scrappy Doo and Lacey introducing Jetta in an English accent were pre-match highlights of the International Home Wrecking Crew vs Pretty Bitchin’ match, though as someone pointed out at the time, the Swine Flu masks are already on the dated side. I’ve seen far better SHIMMER tags, but this was still entertaining, if a tad sloppy in places. I took issue with the awful finish to vol 23’s IHWC vs Ohio Girls tag match, and I’m taking issue with this one too. PB hit the Homewreckers with stereo Stunners, and the referee counts 1, 2... and then breaks the count because Lacey is standing on the apron. There is no way she’d have even reached the competitors should she have wanted to interfere before the referee counted three, so why on earth didn’t he just finish the count? That just looked bad. A couple of minutes later, Jetta wraps up Ariel in the Stranglehold Lungblower for the submission. Eh. It was OK.
Serena Deeb vs Cat Power started fairly ordinarily, but then it got really great, really quickly. Don’t get me wrong – there was no re-inventing the wheel here, nor anything “cutting edge” – no, this was a good old school match that told a really fun story. Deeb shone early, establishing technical superiority and working a headlock for ages, Cat managed to turn the tide after dropping her across the ropes, which jarred Serena’s shoulder – so Cat went to work on that, drawing some excellent defensive counter-wrestling from Deeb. Cat slipped on a banana peel on a bulldog attempt, and Deeb saw her opening and hit her spear for the win. Goddamn, how I wish wrestling was kept this simple sometimes. Given that it’s nothing out of the ordinary, I expect it’ll get overlooked by people, but I loved this. Well played, ladies, well played.
Ooooh, rematch of possibly my favourite match from the previous volume, eh? No arguments here for Daizee Haze vs Nicole Matthews II. Again, I loved this – the two work very well together, and Portia on commentary was – to quote the T-shirt, ridiculously awesome. But then, I suppose that’s all part of the gameplan. I suppose Portia’s constant putting over of her partner’s mad ninja skills may irk some folks, but given that I’m a big Matthews fan, she was only putting into words what I was thinking anyway. I was disappointed that Nicole didn’t win in the end, if I’m honest. SHIMMER’s always had a pretty rigid ranking system whereby it usually takes a young wrestler a long time and a lot of proving before she can beat elite level SHIMMERers (which I like – wins and losses matter, people), but I’d still have liked to see Nicole win. Although in saying that... while she was effective in the singles division, there were bigger fish to fry in the tag team division for our friendly neighbourhood NINJAs soon...
Portia had already arrived on scene at the end of the previous match, so Danger comes out to jumpstart the No DQ match. This was a departure for SHIMMER’s usual fare, as you’d expect. Hate, cookie sheets with “KILL” written on the, hockey sticks and belts were the order of the day here. This walked the line quite well between being a hard hitting weapons match and not doing anything stupidly dangerous. Portia came across like such a bitch at the end. I assume Daizee’s save leads to NINJAs vs Danger/Haze – which I’m betting will be great, because Danger & Haze are possibly the two most empathetic babyfaces on the roster. Can’t really say much about the actual match. It was what it was.
Wesna and LuFisto seemed to come into their match with a “sod this buildup thing... let’s go right for the kill” attitude... and thus, they did. Big moves, strikes etc, and it was grand stuff. Seriously though... reverse Ranas? Super Northern Lights Suplexes? Tremendous. The addition of Annie Social at ringside seems to be effective, as she was certainly helping to draw heel heat for Wesna – and when she interfered near the finish (“Making full use of her manager’s licence” according to Portia), leading to Wesna’s sadly rather sloppy Sunset Driver win, the fans were NOT happy. This pleased me.
Amazing Kong & Sara Del Rey vs Melisschif was quite the epic main event, garnished by some fantastic commentary from PP & DP. Oooh, that kick. Things really started to go into overdrive when MsChif made the tag to Melissa, who was a Cheerleader o’ Fire, taking on Kong. In fact, the Melissa/Kong moments towards the end were my favourite bits. The double teaming that ended up in the Mutalock seemed to be it, but alas for Team Green, Kong had other ideas. Wacky finisher though. Oh, and I really get a kick out of Portia’s pronunciation of Sara *DEL* Rey.
So, that’s Vol 24 in the books. I’m trying to compare it to Vol 23, and it’s tough – both had outstanding Haze/Matthews matches. I enjoyed the main event of this more than the main event of 23. Vol 23 did have Melissa vs Wesna (one of my favourite combinations ever), but then Vol 24 had a Wesna vs LuFisto rematch. I guess this volume had Deeb/Power (better than either of their matches on Vol 23, IMO), an IHWC tag with a slightly less annoying ending, a more substantial Kellie Skater match and the Mercedes/Eagles match, so yeah, Vol 24 gets the edge.
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Post by freaky on Sept 3, 2009 9:52:35 GMT -6
Got my copy yesterday, watched it in one sitting.
I think I enjoyed Jessie McKay v Kellie Skater more than stew did, and for an opening match, it certainly did it's job. I think Skater has something about her, and I hope this explosion of enthusiasm for her is evident in volumes 25 and 26. I can see inklings of it, but I just need to be sold on her. Jessie, as always, was cute as a button.
Malia Hosaka's mouth was on form during The Experience v Tenille & Rayna Von Tosh (FYI, typo on the back cover, as she's called "Von Tash" instead). She was spitting and hissing to anyone and everyone like she was some kind of rampaging devil on day-leave from hell. I loved it. Tenille needs some gear to make her stand out - doubly so because she was next to the bite-the-back-of-your-hand glamourous Rayna, who might be the cause of my biggest crush in the history of wrestling. She effortlessly exudes character and sexiness. And as we found out in this match, she's a pretty good student too.
I thought the match was pretty decent. Rayna played a great babyface in peril - exactly what she should be considering her lack of ring time compared to Lexie and Malia. It fell apart slightly at the end, but overall, I thought Tenille and Rayna kept up with their opponents pretty well.
Oh, Jennifer Blake. In the past, I've been pretty critical of Girl Dynamite, and I don't think unjustly either - I thought that she had talent, but she gets ahead of herself and makes mistakes because of it. Those mistakes have reduced as time's gone on during her time in SHIMMER, and I wanted to see what another 6 months of working elsewhere would have done to her as she made her return to Berwyn. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to assess it, as this match was a 4 finger stinker - and that was down to Amber O'Neal.
What a day she must have had - in her first match of the day against Tenille, she gave her nothing, and then in this match, she was so woeful that Blake couldn't do anything of note. She looked lethargic, disinterested and the fact that she was shedding her ring gear wasn't great either. One match to forget, I think.
Thank God Mercedes Martinez and Madison Eagles followed, as this match was straight-up great. Lovely crisp ring work, and Eagles lost nothing by losing, as Mercedes put her over so strong on the mic afterwards in one of the classiest recommendations I've seen in wrestling in many a moon. A welcome break from the norm there.
I didn't like the International Home Wrecking Crew v Nikki Roxx and Ariel. It felt like a bit of a nothing match, and the pre-match antics of Rain, Jetta and Lacey were better than the match itself. Stevie pointed out to me the other day that Roxx has done absolutely nothing of note since returning, and I'd tend to agree - it's a massive shame, as she was such an integral part of SHIMMER getting to another level between volumes 5 and 10, but since she's been in TNA, something's missing. It's like that spark that connected her with the fans has waned somewhat.
Serena Deeb v Cat Power was sweet. As much as I loved Cat going nuts chasing the yarn on earlier volumes, I like the all-business Cat more, and hopefully she'll start getting some wins under her belt, as she's got ability and character now. Serena's the dictionary definition of a babyface, and she's great. I know I mentioned this last year, but I'm totally sold on Ms Deeb.
Was Daizee Haze v Nicole Matthews II better than the first? I'd say so. I know the draw was a great coming-of-age match for Nicole, but this one felt like they were on more of an even keel, which made for a great match with extra heat. I think Matthews would have benefited more from getting the win though, even if it was by cheating with her feet on the ropes or something.
At this point I want to point out Portia Perez on commentary. Her contstant repetition of everything Nicole did as "all part of the game plan" was fantastic. She really got Nicole over on commentary, and made herself look great too. in fact, pretty much everytime she justified a heel's cheating or tried to point out the injustice of a babyface breaking the rules was spot on, and reminded me a lot of Jesse Ventura. Kudos.
I wish Allison Danger v Portia Perez would have happened a bit longer after Danger giving birth. Not to knock our favourite Diet Canadian [I'm going to die now, aren't I?] but it might have been a little too soon to get back into the ring. Having said that, what they did was fine - I just hope they wrestle again in November with Danger back in ring shape and f*cking Portia's sh*t up.
Even though I loved their previous match at volume 22 [as noticed by me marking out to the nth degree at ringside], I prefer Wesna v LuFisto from volume 24. It just felt like it meant more. Wesna was establishing her heel persona with Annie Social by her side helping to gain some extra heat for her protege, and LuFisto wants to drop the Croatian Panther on her head again for fun. I've been trying to work out if the content of the match was better than the original, and because I can't decide, I've concluded that it's at least as good. Having said that, Wesna booting LuFi in the face right at the start was awesome. And I can't see why Andy Long got so much crap for the tope spot. Sure he was out of position, but LuFi hit the move and the angles didn't hurt it, so I don't really see the problem.
Speaking of boots, Cheerleader Melissa cracking a cocky Sara *DEL* Rey in the face at the start of the main event tag team match had me laughing straight away - even more so with DP and Perez laughing manically at it and getting replays of it's sheer brilliance.
My natural reaction while watching this match was to compare it to MelissChif v Dangerous Angels from volume 17. So was it better? Ooh, I can't decide that yet. I'll probably have to watch both back to back to decide that...
However, this was a cracking main event, and I'm glad to see Amazing Kong in a match that matters again. Sure, it's fine watching her squash lower card girls or taking on the hard hitters of the promotion, but none of it has *mattered*. This did, and it made me care a lot more about the result. Overall, I'd say it was a pretty damn good match, and the fact that *DEL* Rey pinned MsChif poses a lot more questions which may get answered over time.
The post-match antics were also great. Leaving Ashely Lane, Neveah and MsChif laying while Kong and *DEL* rey held up the tag belts while Wesna held up the SHIMMER title made me ache to watch volume 25 - that's future buys right there.
***
As for the other thoughts, I'm chuffed there were more promos on this volume. The Experience sold their upcoming match well. The Canadian Ninjas were great with them pointing out Portia was holding a plastic baseball bat then bringing out a hockey stick, and with them wearing each other's t-shirts too. Plus, Ashley Lane and Neveah did a great promo in the ring to hype up the main event and their upcoming match on volume 25. On a small point, I loved that they wore the belts around their waists in their street clothes, rather than over their shoulders or just carrying them. I want to imagine them walking around all the time with them on - even round the house in their slob-out clothes.
Nice little interview with Rebecca Knox too. I'm glad she's happy doing what she's doing, though I wish there could have been a K-Nox send off in the ring. I guess we're going to be left wanting on that though.
Overall, I'd rank this volume above volume 23. I watched it through in one sitting, which is a massive selling point, and a lot of what happened on this volume had implications, which made things matter more. I acknowledge that 23 was about laying the ground work, but it felt like a transitional DVD more than an intergral one. This one got me pumped to watch volume 25.
Oh, and more Rayna Von Tosh please. I heart her.
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Post by nykk on Sept 3, 2009 10:21:17 GMT -6
It wasn't a typo. That's how it's spelled.
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Post by freaky on Sept 3, 2009 10:35:57 GMT -6
Ah, then colour me corrected.
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Post by SHIMMER office on Sept 3, 2009 19:12:36 GMT -6
On the topic of Nikki Roxx... I actually feel her role in SHIMMER since returning has been much more vital and more productive than her initial run. Nikki's role right now is crucial to our company's long term health. As we've tried to stress during commentary on her matches during the past year or so, since coming back, Nikki's role has been to work with/teach the newer SHIMMER girls in an effort to help them become established. They all learn from having matches with an indie veteran who also has the added knowledge of television experience. Roxx vs. Matthews, Roxx vs. Jetta, Roxx vs. Danyah, Roxx vs. Cat Power, Roxx vs. Cruise, etc. are all examples of this. Having Nikki on every show is essential to the development of our undercard talent.
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Post by freaky on Sept 3, 2009 22:51:54 GMT -6
I feel my review coming apart at the seams... I appreciate the clarification on Nikki's position though.
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Post by Woo on Sept 6, 2009 9:23:19 GMT -6
Okay just watched it:
The Experience Promo
Alright promo I guess. By the way I have always hated the way after each promo the word 'SHIMMER' flashes on the screen and covers the wrestlers' face. What's wrong with a simple fade out?
Kellie Skater vs Jessie McKay
"You think you might have a chance- I don't think so! You're telling me to be nice- I don't think so!" I love Jessie's theme tune and her little puffer jacket too. I can not understand a single word she says when walking to the ring though lol. Anyway the match was alright the highlight being Jessie's 'School Girl Crush' which looked awesome. As for Skater minus her bland attire I don't mind her. Her first match with Lufisto was just her getting squashed and this one was rather short so I am not sure what to make of her, but she comes from the most awesomest place on Earth so she's cool with me.
Serena Deeb Promo
Pretty good promo, though it did remind me that Serena's lost three of her last four matches. Not the best record for a main eventer.
The Experience vs Tenille & Rayna
I've never been a fan of the Experience and usually skip their matches 2nd time around and this is sadly no exception to me. Malia was actually very entertaining with her yelling "THE REF HAS TO CHECK YOU BEFORE THE MATCH STARTS!" The end was very awkward but Malia and good editing just managed to save it. Like Rayna's Rita Hayworth type gimmick, but like Skater and Tenielle she hasn't totally won me other yet.
However that being said Ms Perez made me laugh once more "Not once during my 37 years of living- 42 of them being involved in the wrestling business- have I ever seen something like that!"
The Canadian Ninja's Promo
These two on the other hand won me other ages ago. The best promo thus far on the show. Perez trying to look scary is great as is Nicole's face when Portia gets the hockey stick.
Amber vs Blake
I am a fan of Amber and she plays her gimmick so well. She made me laugh three times before the match began by ripping up that sign, the usual "hailing from heaven" intro and her "we do this my way honey!" to the ref. Liked the way the match started with Amber charging towards Jennifer and being drop toe holded. Perez: "Blake is a shady character! Blake & Lufisto beat myself and Nicole in the tag tournament amidst huge amounts of controversy!" Awesome
The already mentioned moment where Amber asks the ref to get a fan's phone number is gold as is Jeniffer's escape from the camel clutch with a chop to the nose was incredible! I am a huge fan of Girl Dynamite (unlike the fans it seems) and think she could become a main eventer and I enjoyed this. However I spent the whole time waiting to see the usual Blake spots like the dropkick into the chair or the knife edge chops and they didn't arrive and all we got was a superkick.
Del Ray & Kong prom
Not a fan of Sara's promos, but Kong's facial expressions are fantastic.
Madison vs Mercedes
"So you think you might have a chance- I don't think so!" Sweet. This was very good and convinced me that Madison could hang in there with the main eventers. I am wondering where Madison goes next- Melissa? Lufisto? After watching her do that cannonball into the guard rail it got me wanting to see Lufisto & Blake vs Madison & McKay in an all out brawl. That would be awesome. Of course we'll have to wait until Volume 27 to see who she faces next.
Match of the volume possibly?
Jetta & Rain vs Ariel & Roxx
With swine flu continuing it's spread and the death toll still rising I think the masks are still very topical in contrast to the above opinions. When I saw their entrance it wasn't the masks that I disliked but Rain's dancing! She simply can NOT do that sprinkler dance can she? I always mark out when either Lacey or Rain say "Jetta" the English way, makes me smile.
The prematch antics were great as per usual (minus Rain's dancing skills) "Let's go swine flu!" but I didn't enjoy the match as much as I thought I would. Perez was incredible again here explaining how Jetta was wiping the perspiration from Roxx's eyes and did not rake them ("there wasn't even a rake in the ring!") n volume 22 and saying "Ariel has been known to just trip randomly during the middle of matches here at Shimmer" after Lacey grabbed her legs.
Cat Power vs Serena Deeb
Awesome! Loved the bad ass serious Power here, kicking the cotton thread away rather than playing with it was farking fantastic. Serena Deeb proved here again just how good he is and what a star she's become. Cat Power however more than held up her end of the bargain and this was a good match with some great counters..... BUT it did seem to end rather abruptly. It was just getting very interesting with Power beginning to work on the arm it ended. It was good while it lasted but had this gone on five or ten minutes longer it would have been brilliant.
Another possible MOTN for me.
Nicole vs Haze
I loved their first match and tbh I think it was better than this one. It wasn't like this one was bad or anything but just lacked the epic feeling of Nicole's break out match on Volume 24. I too think that the Ninja should have gone over here. Oh well, losing here was all part of the game plan.
Danger vs Perez
I completely agree with Freaky's judgement on this match. Hopefully Danger will get a proper rematch at a later date as this reminded me of Mick Foley & The Rock vs Evolution from Wrestlemania where afterwards Foley said he wasn't fully prepared to face Orton and then they had their famous rematch at Backlash. The stipulation really helped this match though and it was still rather fun.
Nevaeh & Lane promo
Pretty fun. Lane does all the talking about the upcoming No.1 Contenders Tag Match. What do you think about that Nevaeh? "WOW!"
Wesna vs Lufisto
That Burning Hammer on Vol. 22 makes me wince every time I see it. How did she not break Wesna's neck? This match was great, but again I preferred their first meeting more. The start of it was incredible with Wesna booting Lufisto in the face right from the off. Brutal! Andy Long's big moment didn't look too bad here, maybe good editing? Lufisto saying "I HATE YOU!" is hilarious. The heat on Annie Social and now Wesna is remarkable.
MsChif & Melissa vs Kong & Del Ray
At lot of people will compare this to the Vol. 17 tag match and although I don't think it's as great, it's still good. That kick by Melissa on Del Ray was sooo funny! And you know what? I actually enjoyed a Del Ray match where she wrestled as a heel again. Maybe I'm slowly being won over again.
Rebecca Knox Promo
Bit of a sad promo. She said what we all knew really that after her injury she realized that her heart wasn't in wrestling anymore and she left. Fair play to her, good luck in acting or whatever she wants to do next. Also- DAMN she is gorgeous.
Overall I'm not sure what to make of this show. Nothing was bad, but there was nothing that really amazed me either unlike the last few volumes. I'll go against the tide here and say Volume 23 is in my opinion the better of the two.
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Post by freaky on Sept 6, 2009 10:57:05 GMT -6
However that being said Ms Perez made me laugh once more "Not once during my 37 years of living- 42 of them being involved in the wrestling business- have I ever seen something like that!" I totally forgot to mention that line. I fell apart when she said it.
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