Post by cyclonekid on Apr 13, 2006 20:58:33 GMT -6
Six months ago, the reaction from most of the internet to women's pro wrestling was a pretty dismal one. With WWE's "divas" the only real outlet for most American wrestling fans to watch women wrestle, it's understandable that most fans would rather watch just about anything else.
But with the advent of SHIMMER: Women Athletes and the support of ROH, women's wrestling has seen a surge of popularity on the indy level. Daizee Haze & Lacey and Mercedes Martinez & Sara Del Ray tore the house down on SHIMMER: Volume 1, but it could be argued that with standards so low, anything would have impressed. Now, with the public's attention grabbed and the bar raised, can SHIMMER: Volume 2 live up to the hype?
I'll start off by pointing out two things. One, that women's wrestling isn't for everyone, and some people won't be able to get into it no matter how good it is. That's understandable, but don't go into it thinking that you're going to get 2 hours of WWE Divas.
Secondly, despite the growing reputation of the SHIMMER roster, some of the girls are still green, and their matches aren't 5 star classics. Team Blondage in particular are hard to watch sometimes, but most of the undercard wrestlers know this and work within their limitations, not trying to steal the show. (Nikki Roxx & Lexie Fyfe have a solid face/heel match, for example, and Tiana Ringer/Cheerleader Melissa Vs. Shantelle Taylor/Ariel is a perfectly acceptable tag.) If you're looking to be impressed right off the bat, skip the undercard and go to the final 3 matches, because that's where the DVD shines.
Allison Danger Vs. Rain is a really good match. I mentioned this when reviewing Volume 1, but Allison has improved a thousand times since her early matches in ROH, and Rain is a really solid heel. The thing that most impressed me here was the attention to little details. Allison uses the Shimmering Warlock as a finisher, and instead of just waiting for Rain to awkwardly and coincidentally fall to one knee, like 98% of male wrestlers who use the move, Danger works the knee all match to get Rain into position. A lot of male workers could learn from these girls.
For those looking for a glimmer of hope in the WWE women's division, SHIMMER gives you recent WWE signee Beth Phoenix. She's got the looks and charisma to make it in the WWE Machine, and the talent to back it up in the ring. Her match with MsChif is one of the most entertaining on the disc. Beth comes to the ring all bubbly, but as soon as she realizes who she's wrestling she freaks out. After trying to run, she attempts to win by throwing MsChif out of the ring and getting her counted out. And as entertaining as the match is, it also lives up to the hype in the ring.
The hype for Volume 1 was based mostly on 2 matches. Sara Del Ray Vs. Mercedes Martinez, and Daizee Haze Vs. Lacey. On Volume 2, the matches are combined into a 4 Way Elimination match. The match has a LOT to live up to, but manages to combine the two storylines and 4 personalites into a really great main event.
The big story is the rivalry between Del Ray & Martinez. On Volume 1 they went to a 20 minute draw, and both want to prove that THEY are the better wrestler. The first time they get in the ring together, this becomes obvious as they both go for flash pins in an effort to steal the pin and claim the victory.
Lacey is the one heel in the match, and she plays it great. She wants revenge on Daizee, but knows she's in danger of being pinned whenever she's in the ring. So several times she waits for Daizee to be weakened and tags herself in. If Daizee swings the momentum back, she immediately bolts and tags herself out. The others, especially Haze & Del Ray, work together in the early part, often targeting Lacey. In the end, she's the first eliminated, as Haze hits the heart punch and Yakuza kick (which helped finish her in Volume 1), but Martinez blind tags in and steals the pin, frustrating Haze.
This leads to Mercedes and Sara going at it again, and this time there's no playing games with quick pins, it's all about stiff strikes. They trade hard shots back and forth for a bit, until Daizee gets her revenge, blind tagging herself in and hitting a Yakuza kick on Mercedes for a pin.
Del Ray and Haze are the final two, and Daizee immediately goes for the Yakuza kick again, but Sara counters the first attempt. A second one hits, but Del Ray is too close to the ropes. Daizee hits a bulldog out of the monkeyflip position (which she failed to hit on Mercedes earlier), but when she tries it again, Del Ray counters into a Butterfly lock and slams her for the win. A great main event, and a great WRESTLING match regardless of gender.
A few more thoughts:
* A few new touches in production for this volume. Video highlights explain the story behind the Cindy Rogers/Krissi Vaine match and show clips of Del Ray/Martinez and Haze/Lacey, hyping the main event, and all 4 participants in that match get promo time. They're obviously not all comfortable with it, but they get their point across.
* Allison Danger & Dave Prazak have developed into a pretty solid announce team. Allison is quiet sometimes, and Prazak going into the goofy Iron Sheik impersonation during Roxx/Fyfe was a weird departure from the serious tone, but they're a good team. DP calling the Danger/Rain match alone was odd though, as he could really use a fill-in partner when Allison wrestles.
* Another "attention to detail" that most male wrestlers miss- not one of the women in the main event attempted to break up a pin. I'll never understand why the guys break up pins in elimination matches, but I was thrilled that it didn't happen here.
Overall, SHIMMER: Volume 2 is not as blow-away great as Volume 1. It might be due to the lack of a marquee singles match like Del Ray/Martinez, and it might be because we KNOW that the women can deliver. So if you're looking into trying SHIMMER for the first time, pick up Volume 1 first. But if you loved Volume 1 and want more high quality women's wrestling, Danger/Rain, Phoenix/MsChif and Del Ray/Martinez/Haze/Lacey deliver. It's only $15, and with ROHwrestling.com's constant sales you can certainly get it for less. Again, women's wrestling isn't for everyone, but if you give it a shot, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised.
But with the advent of SHIMMER: Women Athletes and the support of ROH, women's wrestling has seen a surge of popularity on the indy level. Daizee Haze & Lacey and Mercedes Martinez & Sara Del Ray tore the house down on SHIMMER: Volume 1, but it could be argued that with standards so low, anything would have impressed. Now, with the public's attention grabbed and the bar raised, can SHIMMER: Volume 2 live up to the hype?
I'll start off by pointing out two things. One, that women's wrestling isn't for everyone, and some people won't be able to get into it no matter how good it is. That's understandable, but don't go into it thinking that you're going to get 2 hours of WWE Divas.
Secondly, despite the growing reputation of the SHIMMER roster, some of the girls are still green, and their matches aren't 5 star classics. Team Blondage in particular are hard to watch sometimes, but most of the undercard wrestlers know this and work within their limitations, not trying to steal the show. (Nikki Roxx & Lexie Fyfe have a solid face/heel match, for example, and Tiana Ringer/Cheerleader Melissa Vs. Shantelle Taylor/Ariel is a perfectly acceptable tag.) If you're looking to be impressed right off the bat, skip the undercard and go to the final 3 matches, because that's where the DVD shines.
Allison Danger Vs. Rain is a really good match. I mentioned this when reviewing Volume 1, but Allison has improved a thousand times since her early matches in ROH, and Rain is a really solid heel. The thing that most impressed me here was the attention to little details. Allison uses the Shimmering Warlock as a finisher, and instead of just waiting for Rain to awkwardly and coincidentally fall to one knee, like 98% of male wrestlers who use the move, Danger works the knee all match to get Rain into position. A lot of male workers could learn from these girls.
For those looking for a glimmer of hope in the WWE women's division, SHIMMER gives you recent WWE signee Beth Phoenix. She's got the looks and charisma to make it in the WWE Machine, and the talent to back it up in the ring. Her match with MsChif is one of the most entertaining on the disc. Beth comes to the ring all bubbly, but as soon as she realizes who she's wrestling she freaks out. After trying to run, she attempts to win by throwing MsChif out of the ring and getting her counted out. And as entertaining as the match is, it also lives up to the hype in the ring.
The hype for Volume 1 was based mostly on 2 matches. Sara Del Ray Vs. Mercedes Martinez, and Daizee Haze Vs. Lacey. On Volume 2, the matches are combined into a 4 Way Elimination match. The match has a LOT to live up to, but manages to combine the two storylines and 4 personalites into a really great main event.
The big story is the rivalry between Del Ray & Martinez. On Volume 1 they went to a 20 minute draw, and both want to prove that THEY are the better wrestler. The first time they get in the ring together, this becomes obvious as they both go for flash pins in an effort to steal the pin and claim the victory.
Lacey is the one heel in the match, and she plays it great. She wants revenge on Daizee, but knows she's in danger of being pinned whenever she's in the ring. So several times she waits for Daizee to be weakened and tags herself in. If Daizee swings the momentum back, she immediately bolts and tags herself out. The others, especially Haze & Del Ray, work together in the early part, often targeting Lacey. In the end, she's the first eliminated, as Haze hits the heart punch and Yakuza kick (which helped finish her in Volume 1), but Martinez blind tags in and steals the pin, frustrating Haze.
This leads to Mercedes and Sara going at it again, and this time there's no playing games with quick pins, it's all about stiff strikes. They trade hard shots back and forth for a bit, until Daizee gets her revenge, blind tagging herself in and hitting a Yakuza kick on Mercedes for a pin.
Del Ray and Haze are the final two, and Daizee immediately goes for the Yakuza kick again, but Sara counters the first attempt. A second one hits, but Del Ray is too close to the ropes. Daizee hits a bulldog out of the monkeyflip position (which she failed to hit on Mercedes earlier), but when she tries it again, Del Ray counters into a Butterfly lock and slams her for the win. A great main event, and a great WRESTLING match regardless of gender.
A few more thoughts:
* A few new touches in production for this volume. Video highlights explain the story behind the Cindy Rogers/Krissi Vaine match and show clips of Del Ray/Martinez and Haze/Lacey, hyping the main event, and all 4 participants in that match get promo time. They're obviously not all comfortable with it, but they get their point across.
* Allison Danger & Dave Prazak have developed into a pretty solid announce team. Allison is quiet sometimes, and Prazak going into the goofy Iron Sheik impersonation during Roxx/Fyfe was a weird departure from the serious tone, but they're a good team. DP calling the Danger/Rain match alone was odd though, as he could really use a fill-in partner when Allison wrestles.
* Another "attention to detail" that most male wrestlers miss- not one of the women in the main event attempted to break up a pin. I'll never understand why the guys break up pins in elimination matches, but I was thrilled that it didn't happen here.
Overall, SHIMMER: Volume 2 is not as blow-away great as Volume 1. It might be due to the lack of a marquee singles match like Del Ray/Martinez, and it might be because we KNOW that the women can deliver. So if you're looking into trying SHIMMER for the first time, pick up Volume 1 first. But if you loved Volume 1 and want more high quality women's wrestling, Danger/Rain, Phoenix/MsChif and Del Ray/Martinez/Haze/Lacey deliver. It's only $15, and with ROHwrestling.com's constant sales you can certainly get it for less. Again, women's wrestling isn't for everyone, but if you give it a shot, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised.
