Your 10 Current Favourites

[Woo]

A simple topic really, but one we rarely discuss these days! On the current roster (let's say they have to have been on one of the last three sets of tapings tapings to be classed as current) who are your overall top 10 wrestlers?

Here are mine!


1. Evie.
I think Evie is such a star and is so exciting to watch in the ring. Evie vs Athena has to happen at some point, what a match that would be!

2. Nikki Storm.
How can you not love her? She's turned the pre-match promo into an artform. She reminds me of a cross between Britany Knight and Jetta.

3. Mia Yim.
One of three women (the others being Evie and Athena) that I'm rooting for to take the belt from Matthews. I was there at the Autumn tapings in 2013 and could feel Mia smashing the glass ceiling that weekend. I think she may have been the first woman to go from wrestling Sparkle matches to a Shimmer main event too and what a story it would be if she went on to win the title?

4. Athena.
Athena would be higher, but I don't like her current gimmick really. I loved her old music and when she first turned face she would walk to the ring with such a badass 'I don't give a crap if you cheer me' vibe. Maybe it's because I don't watch Game of Thrones, but I just don't get this. I do hope that eventually her flag carrier person attacks Athena and reveals themselves as a rival of hers who had disguised herself as the flag carrier.

5. Madison Eagles.
Imo she's the best in the world. She would be higher on my list, but she's already won the big one so I'm not as invested in her as the women who I want to win the belt for the first time.

6. Hikuru Shida.
My favourite Joshi at the moment. I love Shida and think she also has star quality. I think she'll be in line for a shot at Matthews soon too given her recent run of good form and how thay are tied at 1-1.

7. Nicole Matthews.
The champion is just great. Her yearlong storyline with Eagles which evolved into including the Perez/Havok feud is possibly the best story telling that Shimmer has ever done. She's a pure joy to watch and even though I love her I really want to see the likes of Evie, Athena, Yim, Shida and even Portia kick her arse! The perfect heel!

8. Portia Perez.
A long time favourite of mine, which is odd because I can't remember that many matches of hers that I have loved. It's just everything else she does is sooo good. Her promos are superb, her commentary is just wonderful and like Matthews I've never cheered her on in a feud even though she's been my favourite for so long. I guess it also helps that she (and Nicole now that I think about it) almost always had a storyline going on from like volumes 20-71 and has never just been in the upper midcard trading wins back and forth like so many.

9. Veda Scott.
Oh this new Veda Scott is so much better! No don't get me wrong I really liked Veda & Shazza as the spunky babyfaces there were, but Veda is underused as a face and can't show off her marvelous mic skills as well as she can now. Also her reactions of her previous two matches prior to the heel turn after she lost and her "Okay you can cheer for me too!" as she walked out with Leva in their last tag match together were so foreshadowing her turn to the dark side and really good storytelling by Veda there. I do like her commentary too and think she ranks just below Perez as the best colour commentator we've had. I really hope she gets pushed towards the upper midcard as we do need more

10. Candice LeRae
For years she was always the one big indie name that Shimmer "would never have." Even after Hamada, Hatred, Kana & Havok joined it was still felt that Candice would never wrestle in the promotion. Thank God she did though as her debut match with Athena might be one of the best debuts we've ever seen in the company. I hope she gets her first Shimmer win soon though and races up the card as matches with her vs the likes of Mia Yim, Evie, Shida, Eagles, Kana and eventually Matthews could be show stealers!


Okay now your turn!

[JessAndreia]

1. Portia Perez
2. Nicole Matthews
... Those are by far my favourites. Have been for a long time. Them being Canadian may or may not have something to do with it.
3. Kay Lee Ray
4. Kimber Lee
5. Candice Lerae
6. Madison Eagles
7. Shida
8. Nikki Storm
9. Cherry Bomb
10. Kana

I don't have a little speech for each one of them as to why they are in that position. They are my favourites because they either entertain me with their character/mic work or their wrestling skills, or both.

[capricornscott]

Madison Eagles - She is such a versital, solid talent. Anyone she is in the ring with can be assured they will be in a memorable match.
Nikki Storm - From a character perspective, there is none better than the Best in the Galaxy, the Sexiest in Cleveland.
Kana
Lufisto
Yumi Okha
Evie
Jessicka Havok
Nicole Matthews
Tomoka Nakagawa
Mia Yim

I was going to try to put them in order.....so I got #1 and #2, but then I couldn't make up my mind. So, from Kana down is just jumbled spots #3 - #10.

[DJWeedPizza]

This is going to be tough because everyone since I started going at 62 really excels at their skillset. For the sake of argument, I'm going to treat this like "10 active SHIMMERers that I'd start a promotion with."

1. Kellie Skater: The centerpiece. Poised to be a main event singles wrestler in SHIMMER, Skater has a flexible style that gels with workers of a wide range of backgrounds. Kickboxing has drastically improved the perceived impact of her striking. She's strong enough to deliver power moves, catch or post for most of the ladies but still retains an impressive agility. In this aspect, she reminds me a lot of Melissa. Sells well and really adds to the drama of a main event length match (i.e. 3G v Ray/Leon). She can be the face you desperately want to succeed or the jerk you want to see get decimated. Extremely well rounded and easy to write into a variety of roles.

2. Evie: Wrestling's Tasmanian Devil. An infectious bubbly nature that makes her an instant hit seemingly everywhere, Evie's athleticism brings a high tempo that is hard to replicate without getting sloppy. Even though she goes 100mph at all times, Evie is always crisp and a sound executioner. Her running Yakuza kick makes everyone else's look like garbage. One of two best sellers on my list (See also: Solo Darling), it's extremely easy to get a crowd behind her. Evie has a sincerity that other upbeat babyfaces lack, and that makes her talent shine even brighter. All the more delicious is the venom that can come from a well-placed turn.

3. Madison Eagles: The goddamn technician. She's above the backhanded "Top woman _____" sentiment, I'm not sure I can think of 10 more skilled wrestlers male or female on the planet. Madison is a taller, funnier, possibly stronger version of Daniel Bryan --please give me a 30 minute match between them any day--. Her knack for physical comedy adds a layer to her craft that technical wrestling can lack (See also: Nicole Matthews). Her alignment is uniquely Madison Eagles, she's a gifted freak of nature that you can never fully trust nor truly revile.

4. Jessicka Havok: The charismatic monster. As far down the rabbit hole as Havok takes her character, she always retains a human element that a viewer can link into. Even when committing atrocities she clearly has fun, but she doesn't savor it with exactly the same sadism that Saraya Knight may indulge. Havok clearly enjoys hurting people, but appears more sporting or recreational about it, as though she was merely just preparing for a zombie apocalypse. Her size and raw strength can lead to unique moments like carrying Crazy Mary in a Stretch Muffler and swinging her into the guardrail, or catching LuFisto or Su Yung in mid Rolling Senton and powerbombing them. Havok is also one of the best talkers in the business (See also: Portia Perez) and would be a natural in the horror film community.

5. Portia Perez: The social arsonist. Forever prone to inciting trouble for her own amusement/sociopathy, the undersized Perez provides no shortage of conflict for anyone in attendance at an arena. Styling her mannerisms to that of a spoiled child, one wonders if Portia ever truly grasps the ultimate consequences of her misdeeds as she barrels along and does them anyway. Her slow, stalling tactics in matches are a refreshing throwback and good way to pace others that don't always take time to space things out. Her commentary is excellent, putting over each worker while still hating most of them, while referencing 90's wrestling as much as possible. Her character is reminiscent of the antagonist in Durarara!

6. Solo Darling: The perennial underdog/cat/wolf. A livewire for sure, Solo's caffeinated antics not only energize the audience but disorient her opponents who initially write her off. Extremely good at selling and drawing sympathy, Solo can connect with the crowd early and make them want her to succeed against all odds. Her offense can be unorthodox, such as the Trust Fall in tag action or her running Hugbuster, which helps emphasize that her "serious" opponent can't make heads of tails of her (get it?). Darling's uniquely detailed look and persona has a child-like uninhibitiveness to it that strangely parallels another eccentric SHIMMER regular (See also: KANA).

7. KANA: The enigma. Cue the Pixies song "Is She Weird?" An eccentric performer to say the very least, Kana's multitude of quirks displayed visually for the viewer present a person who is truly on her own trip... man. Her friends are few, her motivations are unclear but her talent is unmistakable. Kana typically only seeks to win by submission, one would assume because pinfalls bore her. Very skilled at mat based work and striking, she's also been mixing in a little more power in the last year. Potential endboss if one were inclined to build a Horsemen-like heel stable.

8. Nicole Savoy: The prodigy. Enormous heel presence, super crisp technical abilities. Her match with Evie was easily the highlight of my Volume 71 viewing. Normally I would be concerned about smart fans cheering for her, but her crowd work in October was so good that I don't have those concerns. Everything she said was framed in the way that compelled boos. I don't know how old she is, but she's beyond her years.

9. Heidi Lovelace: The brave one. Though it's getting harder to do now, Heidi performs well in the underdog role much in the way Solo and Leva. She's not the biggest, the strongest or the fastest, but she can take an ungodly beating in the hopes she can kick you in the head hard enough to score a 3 count. It'll be interesting to see her work right out of the gate when she gets back from Japan.

10. NIKKI STORM: THE GALACTIC PRESIDENT OF STORMEO DONUTS. THE WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE OF SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT. ONE SEXY MONKEY, THE SEXIEST IN CLEVELAND. THE MAYOR OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA. ADORED BY MILLIONS BUT ESPECIALLY BY ALL THE BACKSTREET BOYS BOTH EQUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY. FROM THE NICE PART OF GLASGOW, UNLIKE HER STALKER KAY LEE RAY. HAS NEVER SEEN STAR WARS BUT BELIEVES THAT IT SUCKS.

Clearly I was bored and just felt like writing something. God bless you if you read any of that.

[quoipourquoi]

1. Portia Perez
2. Madison Eagles
3. Cheerleader Melissa
4. Nicole Matthews
5. Saraya Knight
6. Courtney Rush
7. Kellie Skater
8. Jessicka Havok
9. LuFisto
10. Veda Scott

[mrblacksheep]

1-Athena
2-Mia Yim
3-Nikki Storm
4-Kana
5-Madison Eagles
6-Cheerleader Melissa
7-Portia Perez
8-Allysin Kay
9-Kimber Lee
10-Kay Lee Ray

[Duke of Bridgewater]

1. Madison Eagles,
- great worker, can have a good match with anyone... and always has one

2. Sassy Stephie
- one of the most underrated wrestlers today, should be in the main event

3. Miss Natural
- brings the best out of younger wrestlers

4. Nevaeh
- I'd love to see her win another tag title

5. Crazy Mary Dobson
- saw her debut match, and a lot more from the Mid-South area, so I hope makes it in Shimmer too

6. Nikki Storm,
- great on the mic, and able to back it up in the ring

7. Veda Scott,
- unique character, both as face and heel

8. Portia Perez,
- still awesome

9. Hiroyo Matsumoto,
- can anyone not like her?

10. Allysin Kay
- should be champion somewhere

[emperorcorndog]

Here's my list: (Only considering Current Active roster members, so sadly No Mercedes or MsChif at this point).


10. Athena
9. Saraya Knight
8. Kana
7. Madison Eagles
6. Mia Yim
5. Nikki Storm
4. Christina Von Eerie
3. Courtney Rush
2. Evie
1. Kellie Skater

[stevea21]

Only 10? OK, if I were given the horrible job of picking 10 active-roster wrestlers that would be the only wrestlers on the card, I would pick

Kay Lee Ray
Evie
Cherry Bomb
Kimber Lee
Nikki Storm
Athena
Mia Yim
Kana
Nicole Matthews
Madison Eagles

[tony]

Difficult. After careful consideration, (and with so many key players left off) here goes-

1.Madison Eagles
2.Saraya Knight
3.LuFisto
4.Nicole Matthews
5.Evie
6.Heidi Lovelace
7.Cheerleader Melissa
8.Kay Lee Ray
9.Kana
10.Nikki Storm

[stevea21]

Interesting to see who is on every list so far:

Madison Eagles - SO well deserved, she is probably the best in the biz - for a wrestler the size that she is to move as well as she does and to be as good at enabling empathy without looking weak is a real achievement. We've probably got a limited time to continue to enjoy Madison as a performer, just because she's a veteran with kids, etc, but I'll be thrilled to see her any chance I get.

[Deleted]

1. Madison Eagles
2. Kellie Skater
3. Kana
4. Evie
5. Nicole Matthews
6. Athena
7. LuFisto
8. Jessicka Havok
9. Vanessa Kraven
10. Kay Lee Ray