Room to Grow: SHINE 1 Preview

Jazz is ready to SHINE
Photo Credit: Texas Anarchy

SHIMMER Women Athletes is regarded by most as the premiere women's wrestling promotion in America today. Whether or not that's a good thing for those who are for gender integration like myself is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that whether it's a bit wrongheaded or not, SHIMMER gives women the biggest platform to show that yes, they're wrestlers too, just ones with different genitalia. The biggest asset they have is their roster, which features some of the best talent in the world. The biggest drawback though is the number of dates they run. Eight "tapings" a year might seem like par for the course for a show without the monetary resources of WWE, but the way they're clustered and released leaves some fans, myself included, wanting more.

Enter Daffney, Lexi Fyfe and the folks at WWN Live, who have created SHINE Wrestling as a sister promotion. While it won't be numbered in the DVD volumes, it will keep continuity with their stories and characters. For an audience hungry for more wrestling of this kind, this can only be a good thing. Friday night at 8 PM at the Orpheum in Ybor City, FL, their first show will take place and it's anchored by nothing short of a dream match. Tickets are presumably still available at the door, but if you're not in the Tampa Bay area, you can still order via the iPPV provider.

In that aforementioned main event, Sara del Rey may be leaving for WWE, but she has a tough task ahead of her in Jazz. The former WWE anti-Diva has made a resurgence outside of where she first made her splash in the industry, competing for Women's Superstars Uncensored and most notably at the Anarchy Championship Wrestling Queen of Queens Tournament, where she wrestled Rachel Summerlyn in what many people who were in attendance are calling the match of the year so far, period. The Queen is not a stranger to hard-hitting opponents. She's faced off against bruisers such as Kana, Claudio Castagnoli, Aja Kong and Tursas within the last year or so in various settings. It might be surprising to say that Jazz is the one with her work cut out for her, but yeah, I think Jazz has her work cut out for her here. Regardless, with del Rey on her farewell tour and Jazz revving up her comeback (did she ever really leave, actually?), one thing is for certain; this ought to be one hell of a match.

The other match that will surely turn some heads will pit Rain against Nikki Roxx. Both women are hardened veterans of the circuit, with Rain forming two of the most iconic tag teams of all-time (with Lacey and later with Jetta) and Roxx gaining prominence in both SHIMMER and Impact Wrestling. This one should be a treat for old school fans. Other matches on the card include Veda Scott, continuing her quest for houndstooth world domination, taking on Kimberly, Allysin Kay and Taylor Made meeting up against Su Yung and Tracy Taylor, Santana Garrett battling Tina San Antonio, Reby Sky wrestling Jayme Jameson, Mercedes Martinez doing battle with Leva Bates (in what might be the dark horse match of the night candidate) and last but not least Cherry Bomb going up against Christina von Eerie. All in all, it is a solid card with a nice mix of established wrestlers and up-and-coming names.

The mix of names also bodes well for what SHIMMER's game plan could be going forward. Kay, Garrett, Cherry Bomb and a few others aren't regulars in Berwyn, even if they aren't strangers to it. If SHINE can become a proving ground for some of the lesser-established SHIMMER wrestlers or even talent who are doing great work outside the scope of the company, then that's where its success will lie. It's great that SHINE is introducing that universe to the world of iPPV, and it's great that the promotion will give more effective dates. However, it can feel almost notoriously hard for some wrestlers to break through on the main tapings. If SHINE can give SHIMMER fans a chance to check out cards featuring the lesser established talent dotted with great matches like Bates/Martinez, Rain/Roxx and especially del Rey/Jazz, then that's where it will earn its place in the wrestling pantheon.

Whatever the endgame is though, Friday night is shaping up to be a great night for wrestling fans. For those who think that women's wrestling is all awkward movements and 90 second matches, SHINE 1, especially the main event, will go a long way to proving otherwise.