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GATHERINGS
`Watch the hair!'
Women's wrestling league tries to balance skill and sex appeal
By Chris McNamara
Special to the Tribune
Published February 26, 2006
It's an odd scene, even for a female pro-wrestling event. Dusty chandeliers hang from the rafters a few feet above the ropes of the squared circle, wrinkled posters of teddy bears and bright, shiny apples adorn the walls, and the small crowd (in some sections the last row is the second row) is eerily quiet.
But then the sound system explodes with heavy-metal guitars, and an obnoxious emcee introduces the stars: women clad in short shorts and halter tops who immediately begin whaling on one another.
Welcome to the Berwyn Eagles Club, this is Shimmer.
According to founder/promoter Dave Prazak of Naperville, these quarterly Shimmer productions are "a forum for the most skilled female wrestlers in North America to demonstrate the athletic side of pro wrestling."
And while that name--Shimmer--might imply a level of decorum, the matches are orgies of choreographed mayhem. The chest slaps, eye gouges and body slams are not "real," mind you, but are really painful nonetheless.
Heel vs. babyface
The crowd is mostly male and surprisingly middle-aged, sipping $1 tap beers and gnawing on rubbery pizza. The referee is as competent at enforcing the rules as the wrestlers' shorts are at containing their buttocks. And these athletes are surprisingly deft and shockingly dangerous, their moves as thrilling as any by Hulk Hogan, accentuated by makeup and curves not normally seen in the ring.
Action in the ring is a blur of tresses--teased or streaked, curled or straight--but always yanked like a bridle, eliciting cries from the victim and hollow admonitions to "Watch the hair!" from the ref.
When wrestler Rain is announced, she taunts the crowd in true heel (villain) fashion. And the crowd responds in tune with lusty boos and insults. When babyface (hero) Nikki Roxx enters, she receives a warm reception.
These women follow the traditional, rarely enforced rules of men's professional wrestling, with one exception: crotch shots. Although male wrestlers will smack opponents below the belt, females (ever ladylike) refrain from punching the groin.
And as with the rules, Shimmer wrestlers also follow the routine found in most male matches: The heel abuses the babyface for much of the match until it appears the hero is exhausted, at which point the cheers of the crowd fuel her to overcome the attacker in spectacular fashion.
Brawn or bodies
The scene backstage is even less glamorous than the main event. Crammed into the Eagle Hall's bar are a half-dozen wrestlers, looking bizarrely out of context in their neon costumes but failing to draw the attention of patrons sucking cigarettes and eyeing a Western on the TV.
They practice moves with one another like dancers rehearsing a performance. Cheerleader Melissa lifts MsChif from her barstool and thrusts her over her head while peers chime in with suggestions.
The veteran of tonight's show is Malia Hosaka, who in 19 years has wrestled with nearly every pro league. She's followed by a reporter from a Japanese wrestling magazine, who snaps photos of her every move and seems thrilled to be backstage with these she-titans.
"Women have to work harder," Hosaka says, her involvement with this local production (after appearances with national companies like World Wrestling Entertainment) supporting her claim.
Success is even more challenging for women and groups like Shimmer, which keep titillation to a minimum.
"It is a balance," Prazak says. "We put a lot more emphasis on the athletics, but like male wrestling a lot of focus is put on how muscular they are."
"We don't need to oversexualize this sport," adds Allison Danger (a.k.a. Cathy Corino, 29, of Philadelphia), who is the den mother of the Shimmer squad, befriending new girls, settling locker-room squabbles. "[Fans] want to see pretty girls, but we're girls who can look good and kick rear end."
`Break the arm off!'
Is kicking a woman's rear end something that should be celebrated? Many critics of female wrestling say no. And when a fan at this event shouts, "Break the arm off!" as two young women grapple, it is a bit jarring.
But Prazak implores critics to view his spectacle with open minds. It's similar, he insists, to other contact sports like football and hockey that attract women.
As for the fans, sure, some are here to see jiggling bodies. But some are purists, enjoying the athleticism, no matter what lies under the costumes. "I follow all wrestling; it doesn't matter that they're women," says Jason Washington, 25, of Chicago.
Still others are on the fence. "This is not what I'd promote for my girl," said Morton Grove's Leanne Pokorski, as 6-year-old Laura, sitting on her lap, studies two females beating each other to a pulp. Whether the competitors' sex registers with the little girl is as questionable as the referee's rulings, but the athletes' devotion to this sport is rock solid.
A dislocated jaw has dealt a setback to Shantelle, who presses an icepack to her chin. Speaking hurts, though she does manage to mumble that she'll be ready for her second match of the night.
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