Opinions on heel Melissa

[ratetankmark]

I'm sure there was another Melissa thread around her ages ago but it seems to be lost in the sands of time, so if it doesn't show up again, I thought I should make a thread about Melissa's heel turn.

Personally I'm really liking how out of control Melissa has gotten since her heel turn, her assaults on Bates, Danger, Hiroyo and her cheap-shot to LuFisto in LuFi's match with Mercedes Martinez are all great, Although I can't help but wonder where her heel character will go from here, when she drops the Shimmer belt it should be really interesting to see what happens to Melissa's character, will she snap and go on a Scott Steiner circa WCW 2000 rampage? Will something else happen to her? It'll be intriguing regardless.

I'm curious to hear what you guys think of Melissa since she turned to the dark side?

[stevea21]

I like it because it unleashes Melissa to go at her matches with a new level of intensity, and because Melissa does that great heel thing of explaining her choices so they make logical sense - her interview with Kevin Harvey was really well done, for example. Where will things go from here? I don't know, but I really liked Mercedes stepping up as Melissa's partner. Those two could be one incredible wrecking machine of a tag-team if Melissa lost the championship.

[Deleted]

I've recently come to the realization that I'm just kinda bored of Melissa now. No doubt that from 1-26, she was THE star of SHIMMER. If you could count on anything, it's that odds are high Melissa had the best match on the show. But ever since Hamada and the joshis came in, along with Madison's push to the main event, they've taken most of my interest. The past few tapings, whenever it's come time for Melissa's title defense, it's just felt like an anticlimax. For the most part, I've already seen amazing talents like Eagles, Kana, Athena, Hamada, Havok, Mercedes, Matsumoto, Matthews, LuFisto, Shida and 3G or really engaging characters like Saraya, Portia, MsChif, Serena, Leva, Rush, Von Eerie, Kimber Lee, Made In Sin, Thunderkitty and Nikki Storm. And then Melissa comes out doing pretty much the same thing she's done since 2005 and it just doesn't really interest me anymore. So while her being clearly defined as a vicious bully (instead of just walking right on the line like she did for years) is something fresh, it's still not making her matches stand out in comparison. She has to follow all this world-class talent and incredible matches and for my money, her matches haven't equaled the standard being set by Hamada, Kana, Eagles, Mercedes, LuFisto and others over the past couple years.

[capricornscott]

I am really on the fence about Melissa. She will always be one of best and she was a favorite of mine for a LONG time. When she won the belt, it was a huge sigh of relief because the SHIMMER golden child finally reach the pinnacle of the company. She is a natural heel, so it completely works for her.

But, as of late, her matches are just there. She is incredibly solid and can be counted on for a top notch match. But, at the end of a SHIMMER weekend, when I reflect on the best matches that weekend, it is rare that her matches come up in my list. It would be really weird if she were never not in SHIMMER, but I am just starting to feel indifferent.

[Woo]

Her heel turn is working out great I think. Lufisto/Melissa is the most invested I've been in a match in years. I guess some of that is due to me wanting Lufisto to finally win the big one. Goodness knows she deserves it, but I also hate Melissa for what she did to Danger so it's working for me. The Mercedes/Melissa team is very random though and needs to be explained.

I can understand what you are all saying about how Melissa's reign pales in comparison to the great matches on the undercard as that's what I feel happened to MsChif. MsChif had one of the best matches on every card she was in, but towards the end of her reign with the arrivals of the Joshi talent and how all the newcomers always have their first match against Mercedes or Del Rey it did leave MsChif seemingly "just there" for a bit. Though her reign did end before it got stale. However I think Melissa still IS in some of the best matches. In my opinion Melissa/Lufisto was the best match of the last weekend and Melissa/Matsumoto would be fairly high too. (Let's see; 1. Melissa/Lufisto, 2. Eagles/Matthews. 3. Eagles/Kana/Shida, 4. Matthews/Shida, 5. Kimber Lee/Kana, 6. Matthews/Shida, 7. Melissa/Matusmoto)

Also over the last few years the Shimmer fans have gotten really quiet and you can hear a pin drop during some of the matches (go back to the teen volumes of Shimmer and marvel at the difference). I don't know why this is, perhaps while the 4 tapings over the weekend is good for the bank balance it is too exhausting for the fans. Perhaps the heels aren't hated enough, or that some of the babyfaces are a bit too generic (character wise what's the difference between Jessie McKay, Sanatana Garrett or Evie?), but oddly the silence is quite distracting at times. Melissa's matches over the weekend (well the ones against beloved babyfaces Hiroyo and Lufisto anyway) were some of the few over the weekend that had a lively crowd fully invested in the matches outcome and I put that partly down to Melissa. She's not a cool heel, she's not a funny heel, she's not a loveable heel, and she doesn't joke with the fans or smile and as a result most fans by the weekend's closure were fully rooting for her opponents and engrossed into the matches and required the least "see the fans don't care for you?" heel heat-seeking spots.

[brassy]

Melissa smiling and slapping hands never seemed natural to me, so I welcome this change. Having said that, it would take a VERY likeable opponent to make me root against her; case in point, Shantelle Taylor from vol. 3. Underdog Taylor totally won me over in that match and I was begging for her to pull the upset. Jessie McKay, an absolute sweetheart, is someone I'd gladly cheer for if she faced Melissa.

[Woo]

Hiroyo and Lufisto aren't likeable enough for you? I noticed that a lot for fans were cheering for Melissa over Leva Bates, but almost all of them were backing Lufisto to win the belt.

[brassy]

Dec 29, 2013 6:42:55 GMT -6 Woo said:

Hiroyo and Lufisto aren't likeable enough for you?

I didn't say that. And if Lufisto is "likeable" then that's great. The more the merrier.

[Woo]

Well Lufisto has the great story of starting out as a hardcore wrestler with barbedwire and lightube matches to ditching all that completely and become an all-round performer and the moving story of how she came back from a stroke. It's really hard not be on her side, plus like Hiroyo you can tell she completely loves what she does. Also Hiroyo wrestling shortly after her Dad passed away and still managing to be her usual smiley self was very moving.

[Goddess of Cats]

Aggressive/Angry/No BS Melissa = Best Melissa. I agree that the smiling and slapping hands was just unnatural.

[summerstars2029]

Love Her, Just wish their was a way for us to convince WWE or TNA to sign her ):

[smiffy126]

In my view Melissa has become a bit stale and a stronger more pro-active persona would help. I feel a name change to JEERLEADER MELISSA with her character living up to the changed name would be far more enjoyable. Possibly working along the lines of fans and other wrestlers not appreciating her skills leading to her rebelling against them.

[ratetankmark]

I think it would be a riot for Melissa as a heel to go a Chris Jericho root, when LuFisto (or whoever) takes the Shimmer title from her it would be a riot for her to have a sign outside the Eagles Club saying that she's a 'Conspiracy Victim' I know it would be super-cheesy but I don't think many have seen Melissa be a goofball as a character, it would be a breath of fresh air for her and I personally would find it amusing to have Melissa pronouncing everyone's name wrong, like she holds them to so little regard she doesn't even care what their names are, she's also got a great Ralphus in Mercedes.

[Woo]

I'm a Melissa fan, but she isn't good enough on the mic to pull that character off. Aside from the awesome delivery of her line to Sara Del Rey "I'm sorry, but my hands are tied" she has been pretty much horrible in all her Shimmer interviews in my opinion. I wish she would just remain a silent character personally or even better if you want her to get more heat bring in a manager.

[ratetankmark]

Dec 30, 2013 13:36:37 GMT -6 Woo said:

I'm a Melissa fan, but she isn't good enough on the mic to pull that character off. Aside from the awesome delivery of her line to Sara Del Rey "I'm sorry, but my hands are tied" she has been pretty much horrible in all her Shimmer interviews in my opinion. I wish she would just remain a silent character personally or even better if you want her to get more heat bring in a manager.

I wouldn't say horrible but I will agree they are by far her weakest area, maybe for an ultra-swerve, maybe they could have Saraya as her manager when she isn't wrestling, no-one would expect it.