May 22, 2006: Long-time G.L.O.R.Y. fan Razorback Rick turns into a G.L.O.R.Y. reporter Razorback Rick to file this report on the Sunday, May 21st SHIMMER wrestling show in Berwyn, IL. Rick not only reports on the matches...he also provides us with pictures of the action that he took from the floor! (Note: Click on the thumbnails to see the full-sized pictures of the action.)

SHIMMER'S THIRD SHOW: THE BEST OF THE BEST SO FAR!

The success of SHIMMER Women Athletes is starting to become a habit as the all-women promotion again presented a day of stellar matches featuring some of the best female wrestling talent from around the world.

A crowd of about 250 at the Berwyn Eagles Club witnessed explosive action from start to finish. New stars shone brightly alongside more established performers. Old feuds were renewed and new ones were born during a four-hour-plus wrestling extravaganza that will result in Volumes 5 and 6 in the SHIMMER saga.

There was much more of an international flavor this time around. Amazing Kong, one of the most impressive and fearsome wrestlers working in Japan, made her SHIMMER debut. So, too, did Nikita from England...a lithe and lethal brunette. Meanwhile, the 19-year-old Irish sensation Rebecca Knox returned with both her snotty attitude and her impeccable skills intact.

Here's a brief rundown of the matches...

DAIZEE HAZE vs. PORTIA PEREZ: A clean, fast-paced match between these young beauties ended with Haze taking a pin. But as she raised her arms in triumph, she was attacked from behind by Rebecca Knox who drop-kicked her to the arena floor. Knox then grabbed the microphone and began a lengthy diatribe, mocking both Haze and the fans as "smelly".

LORELEI LEE vs. RAIN: Both women showed a lot of technical expertise. But the country girl had a tough time with Rain, who augmented her wrestling knowledge with down and dirty tactics. Rain grabbed the victory after she blocked a power move from the top of the ropes and back-dropped Lee to the mat.

CINDY ROGERS vs. MS. CHIF: The match began as a showcase for the technical skills of both women, but Ms. Chif soon reached deeply into her bag of illegal tricks and began pounding away on Rogers. Ms. Chif took all the starch out of Rogers when she hit her patented Desecrator, driving Rogers' head into the canvas for the pin.

AMBER O'NEAL vs. SERENA: A new feud was born as the glamorous blonde O'Neal hooked up with the pretty brunette Serena. O'Neal was furious that Serena was also wearing a hot pink wrestling outfit and took great delight in working over her foe with eye rakes, rope chokes and corner work. Serena mounted an impressive comeback. O'Neal was clearly rattled when the crowd began taunting her with chants of "Wal-Mart Barbie"...but it was the blonde who left with the W.

MALIA HOSAKA & LEXIE FYFE vs. ARIEL & JOSIE: Two masters of mayhem, Hosaka and Fyfe, displayed their years of experience in this brutal tag contest. Ariel started the bout like a house afire, flinging both Hosaka and Fyfe around the ring. But when Josie tagged in, the villainesses quickly used dirty tricks to turn things around. When Josie tagged in Ariel, she suffered a ferocious beating as the heels worked with well-oiled precision...frequently tagging in and out to keep Ariel from getting back to her partner. The match almost got out of hand as all four women were in the ring at the same time, pounding on each other, but Fyfe and Hosaka emerged as winners when they planted Ariel face first into the canvas for the pin.

CHEERLEADER MELISSA vs. ALLISON DANGER: Anyone facing Cheerleader Melissa is in for a rough and physical match, but Allison Danger more than stood her ground against the well-traveled international star. Both ladies laid into each other with a series of punches and forearms smashes, though it was Danger who sagged to her knees after a particularly savage series of blows from the Cheerleader. Melissa was well on her way to dismantling the popular brunette when she was distracted by the arrival at ringside of Ms. Chif, with whom Melissa has carried on a long and bloody feud. Danger took advantage with a roll-up pin, but Melissa was far more concerned with Ms. Chif and the two began brawling. Eventually, it took all the officials and six other wrestlers to pry the two apart!

AMAZING KONG vs. NIKKI ROXX: Known throughout Japan--her name honors joshi veteran Aja Kong--Amazing Kong made her SHIMMER debut Sunday and definitely made an impression. A large but solidly built wrestler whose ring outfit looks like something a gladiator might've worn in ancient Rome, Kong is surprisingly fast and agile...something which Roxx quickly learned to her dismay. Kong threw Roxx around the ring like a rag doll and delivered a series of chops that nearly decapitated her Boston-based rival. There's no question Kong could've won the match early, but after a facebuster, she arrogantly yanked Roxx up with a handful of hair as the referee began the count. Kong splattered Roxx with a big splash, then delivered three power bombs that left Roxx almost unconscious as she fell on her for the pin at the 12-minute mark.

NIKITA vs. LACEY: British bombshell Nikita, who reigns as the Queen of Chaos in Europe, made her SHIMMER debut against Lacey, one half of the Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew. Nikita demonstrated greater strength in the early going, but Lacey's penchant for dirty tricks make it a very competitive match as she worked the left arm throughout the bout. Nikita won the bout after a backbreaker stunned Lacey.

REBECCA KNOX vs. DAIZEE HAZE (2 of 3 falls): Haze had beaten the Irish star in a previous SHIMMER meeting, so Knox was keen on revenge and demanded a two-of-three falls bout. Both these women showed incredible agility and strength in a flashy display of technical moves, but it wasn't long before the ring could no longer contain their fury. Both wound up outside the ring, where they slammed each other into the steel barriers and the ring apron...but it was Haze who took the worst of it. Nonetheless, she took the first fall with a head kick that nearly sent Knox's skull back to Dublin. The second fall began with fisticuffs as Knox shook off her first fall loss and took it to the hippie chick with a devastating array of punches, kicks and forearm shots. Still, she needed the help of the ropes when she rolled up Haze to take the second fall. An enraged Haze went after Knox like a house afire in the third fall, hanging the Irish girl upside down in the turnbuckle and delivering a running kick...but Knox withstood the assault and managed to lock in a figure-four leg lock. Haze was forced to tap out when the referee failed to notice Knox was using the ropes for greater leverage. After the 30-minute match, Allison Danger came to the ring and called Knox out, labeling her a cheat who dishonored the SHIMMER tradition of fair play. Danger, who was beaten by Knox at an earlier show, challenged the Irish star to a "Pure Wrestling" match, which was slated for later in the evening.

SARA DEL RAY vs. MERCEDES MARTINEZ (No time limit): In a previous meeting for SHIMMER, these two impressive grapplers battled to a 20-minute draw. To ensure a winner this time, the match went forward with no time limit and fans got exactly what they expected from these warriors: a grueling, sweat-drenched marathon of power plays, submission holds and good, old-fashioned brawling. Both women viciously worked the arms and legs with a wide variety of punishing holds. The intensity level went up even further when Martinez hurled Del Ray to the floor, then Irish whipped her into the steel barricades. Del Ray got her revenge a few minutes later when she launched herself out of the ring and onto Martinez, nailing the Latina Sensation to the floor. Back in the ring, the women tied each other in knots with sensational leg locks until Del Ray eked out a pin at around the 25-minute mark. The fans stood and cheered as the exhausted battlers hugged each other with Del Ray promising Martinez a rematch "any time, any where".

MALIA HOSAKA, LEXIE FYFE & AMAZING KONG vs. ARIEL, JOSIE & CINDY ROGERS: The first six-woman tag match in SHIMMER history favored the villainesses, who could count on the massive strength and power of Kong. Ariel, Josie and Rogers were all reluctant to enter the ring against the powerhouse, who played with all three as if they were cat toys. When Hosaka tagged in, the heroines were able to get rolling for awhile, but it was short-lived. Josie took a tremendous pounding and got no help from her teammates, whose appeals to the referee made it easier for the heels to beat on Josie. The end came painfully when Fyfe and Hosaka laid Josie out on the canvas and Kong delivered a ring-shaking body splash from the turnbuckle.

INTERMISSION: Many of the ladies made themselves available for autographs and photos with the fans. Attracting the most attention was Nora "Molly Holly" Greenwald, who looked stunning in a black dress and shoulder-length blonde hair...but all the wrestlers were generous in the time they spent with the fans.

AMBER O'NEAL vs. SERENA (Rematch): Hungry to avenge her loss in the first portion of the show, Serena absorbed a lot of punishment from O'Neal...then unleashed a series of chops to the chest that resounded throughout the venue. Both wrestlers locked each other in intricate leg locks, but it was Serena who earned a victory when a trapped O'Neal found her shoulders on the mat at the six-minute mark.

LORILEI LEE vs. NIKKI ROXX: While Roxx towers over the shorter country girl, this was a very competitive bout in which Lee showed her deceptive strength by scoop slamming her taller and heavier opponent. Lee also showed a mean streak, grabbing Roxx by her hair and slamming the blonde face-first into the turnbuckle ten times as the crowd counted along. The end came when Roxx delivered a spine-shattering atomic drop that stunned Lee and allowed a pin. Showing uncommon good sportsmanship, Roxx extended a handshake to Lee.

NIKITA vs. DAIZEE HAZE: Things started cleanly between the Queen of Chaos and the hippie chick with some awesome chain wrestling, but Nikita detoured onto the low road and soon was assaulting the diminutive blonde...hanging Haze from the turnbuckle and kicking away at her torso. Haze came back strongly, however, taking the stiff upper lip out of the Brit with a series of head punches and clotheslines. After several near misses, Haze locked in a stunning bridge maneuver and took the victory as a stunned Nikita made no secret of her anger.

REBECCA KNOX vs. ALLISON DANGER: In a rematch from a previous SHIMMER show, Danger faced Knox in a "Pure Wrestling" rules match. Each wrestler was given three "rope breaks" during the course of the match, but using a closed fist would mean forfeiting one of those breaks. Thus, touching the ropes would NOT result in a breaking of the hold. Knox showed a great deal of technical expertise working the right wrist of Danger, but soon began taking shortcuts and delivering stiff punches to the head of her foe. When Danger retaliated, she was caught twice by the ref and forfeited two rope breaks, a turn of events that came back to haunt her a few minutes later. The brawl spilled out of the ring, where both women landed some shots and both were soon out of rope breaks. Knox relentlessly tortured the left knee of Danger, mocking her opponent as "peg leg" at one point, but Danger was game and kept at it. A power move backfired, however, when Knox used the momentum to overturn Danger and get the pin. Danger went wild with anger and frustration, fueling the feud for future shows.

LACEY & RAIN vs. MERCEDES MARTINEZ & SARA DEL RAY: An offhand insult by Lacey led to this match-up. When Martinez and Del Ray were interviewed backstage and promised each other a rematch, Lacey intruded and said she was "bored" with their feud. One thing quickly led to another and soon the rivals united as a tag team to face Lacey and her partner, Rain, who together make up the Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew. Martinez and Del Ray got off to a strong start, where their superior strength allowed them to fling the black-clad Lacey and Rain from corner to corner. When Del Ray delivered three head butts in a row to Lacey, it looked like the villainess might pass out on the spot...but some nefarious maneuvers and some vicious double-teaming bailed the Crew out. Del Ray took a tremendous amount of punishment as Martinez was unable to enter the ring. When Del Ray finally tagged the Latina Sensation, Lacey and Rain kept up the pressure and were soon double-teaming Martinez with impunity. When Martinez recovered, she grabbed Lacey in a full-nelson and signaled Del Ray to deliver a kick, but Lacey ducked just in time and Del Ray wound up hurting her partner. A face-buster on Martinez led to a pin by Lacey. An angry Martinez pushed Del Ray away when she offered her apologies.

CHEERLEADER MELISSA vs. MS. CHIF (Last woman standing match): These wrestlers have engaged in the most intense and brutal of feuds since the first SHIMMER show, when Ms. Chif eked out a win over the Cheerleader. In the second show, it was Melissa who won, leaving a bloody and battered Ms. Chif in the wake of a strength-sapping "falls count anywhere" bout that found the pair brawling in the ring, in the seats, in the lobby and on the cold concrete sidewalk outside. This time around, falls counted anywhere, but the match would not be finished until one of the wrestlers was unable to rise after a 10-count. The battle was joined immediately as Melissa attacked even before Ms. Chif got into the ring. They took turns hurling each other into the steel barricades and chairs were used by both women to torture limbs and backs. There was little in the way of technical prowess on display...both ladies were out to just beat the living hell out of each other! Ms. Chif earned the hard-fought win when she delivered her finisher, the Desecrator, which drove Melissa head-first into a steel chair and rendered her unable to continue. Fans rewarded both battlers with a standing ovation.

It was apparent that the crowd left the Eagles Hall happy and impressed with the quality and quantity of action they'd witnessed during this afternoon in Berwyn.