They opened with a very nice highlight package.
1. Cherry Bomb vs. Portia Perez
The FIRST match. The ROUND ONE FIRST MATCH was Portia Perez vs. Cherry Bomb. This could end any tournament anywhere in the country. 2CW has really brought it with this tourney. I’m going to be honest. I’m probably one of the biggest Cherry Bomb fans out there so it is hard for me to be unbiased. But she looked really hot out there. Portia is such a good heel. She’s really good with a live crowd. You can tell the experience she has. Cherry gave Portia some nice chops. I think I heard what is quite possibly the worst chant I have ever heard, “Portia farted.” There was an awesome spot where Portia was in that strange position that only happens when Rey Misterio Jr. hits the 619 and Cherry Bomb drop-kicked her in the head. Portia snuck away with a victory. BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! But I still got my Cherry Bomb Fix.
2. Veda Scott vs. Rachel Summerlyn
Veda Scott has been growing on me for a long time as a personality and a character. Now she’s growing on me as one of the top women’s wrestlers. And Rachel Summerlyn is very pretty in that “girl you grew up next door to and then turn around one day and you can’t take your eyes off her” way. She is a Texas girl so all love goes out to her. They wrestled some really nice chain wrestling on the ground. And they wrestled a really good match.
Third match: Sara del Rey vs. Allysin Kay
At the beginning of the match, we got to see Sara del Rey take a fans vuvuzela and play it. Note to self: add that to bucket list. When I say these are eight of the legitimately best female wrestlers, I do not lie. Del Rey and Kay have both wrestled so many times, they understand where the crowd is and how to listen to them and what to do. I think it’s safe to call Allysin one of the best heels in wrestling. She really held her own in there against a woman who has earned the nickname “Queen of Wrestling.” Kay may have tapped out, but she lost nothing.
4. Mia Yim vs. Mercedes Martinez
I have to say. Mia Yim has some of the toughest kicks in wrestling. I think I’d rather get my wisdom teeth pulled than get kicked by Mia Yim. And I’m not sure the two wouldn’t have the same effect. The two really delivered and the crowd was into it the whole time. Every move Mia Yim does, she looks like she just killed you. You know it’s a great testament when an entire crowd chants, “Please come back” AND YOU’RE A HEEL!!!!!!!!!!
5. Portia Perez vs. Rachel Summerlyn
Of course like a pro, Summerlyn was selling her injuries from the first match. Sometimes it’s the little things. This match had a little bit of everything. There was the slow stalling from the heel. There was the angry hulking up babyface. There was wild crowd brawling. You can tell Portia and Summerlyn have a good understandings of live crowds and what to do with them. These two had the crowd going and engaged most of the whole match, which is hard to do for men, much less women.
6. Jason Axe vs. Jay Freddie vs. Brodie Lee vs. Eddie Edwards
I still have never seen Brodie Lee before. This guy is a building with hair. How is it that WWE took so long to sign him? They added somebody named Isys Ephex to the match as a referee. I like Jay’s music. I have no idea of what was going on here with the storyline. It would have been nice to have commentary. Freddie held his own in there with Eddie. Eddie made him look like an equal which is pretty impressive for a former Ring of Honor champion. However, Eddie did not hold back on the chops. I will not be putting Eddie Edwards chops on my bucket list. I was thinking when Axe and Freddie were going to be in there, it was going to be proverbial bathroom break time. But they really brought it. And then they all started doing planchas. While bordering on near-riot and a ring psychology nightmare, it looked cool. Aside from breaking out into a Middle Ages masque, Axe and Freddie didn’t look like indy guys.
7. Mercedes Martinez vs. Sara del Rey
The main event of the first Shimmer event. These two understand each other so well, it’s like a thing of beauty. It wasn’t a flashy high-flying match. It was intense, ground-based, stiff, subtle. It’s like you’ve watched nothing but Michael Bay films your entire life and then one day discover Ingmar Bergman films. It felt like watching Da Vinci paint. You had two artists doing their thing.
8. The Electric Dream Machine & Kage vs. Punisher Van Slyke & Kevin “The Man” Graham & ZS3
This Kage guy is huge. He’s like Albert without the piercings. I’m not quite sure if this was a match or an angle. Again, commentary would have been nice to have. And then this turned into a 6-man tag for some reason. The work was impressive, especially from the masked guy, Loca Vida. I thought the work here was great. I just didn’t know anything about the wrestlers or why I should care about them.
9. Carlito vs. Sean Carr
My wife recognized Carlito which is probably the greatest testimony to his legacy. Carlito looks to still be in good shape. He used somebody’s prosthetic leg, which I can only assume he learned from watching Kevin Nash. His opponent was pretty good too. The match had some really good nearfalls. Carlito ended up with a pin holding the tights. If I had seen him, I wouldn’t have been upset.
10. Rachel Summerlyn vs. Sara del Rey
What can you say? You had two of the best in wrestling today. Rachel earned this victory. I’m not quite sure that anybody hits harder than Sara del Rey. Every move she does, she looks like she’s going to punish you. Bad. Summerlyn either sold like 1996 HBK or was severely hurting. This was so well-booked. Del Rey had already made Allysin Kay tap out with the arm bar. Summerlyn was different. She powered through it. Great drama. Because of the booking, this was easily the best match of the night.
All in all… If you love women’s wrestling, these are 8 of the best in their era. Not a one of them “phoned it in.” For the men, the matches themselves were good. I just had a hard time following the storylines. It’s like watching an episode of 24 halfway through the season. I think it was a good $17 well-spent.
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