BERWYN, ILL. – Mercedes Martinez made a shocking return and won the SHIMMER championship at the conclusion of a marathon three-day DVD taping in Berwyn, Illinois, this weekend.
Martinez’ return after a two-year retirement was the culmination of a whirlwind series of events. Champion Madison Eagles had been scheduled to defend her title against Kellie Skater in the main event of Volume 85, the fifth and final taping of the weekend. Skater had scored a count-out victory over Eagles at the end of Volume 84 when an injured knee prevented Skater from returning to the ring.
Backstage, Heart of SHIMMER champion Nicole Savoy, Shayna Baszler and new SHIMMER champion Mercedes Martinez at the SHIMMER tapings for Volumes 84 & 85, Sunday, June 26. 2016, at the Berwyn Eagles Club in Berwyn, IL. Photo by Ricky Havlik, RickyHavlik.com
However, Skater was laid out by Vanessa Kraven and Tessa Blanchard in a backstage attack, and Blanchard attempted to take Skater’s place in the championship match. An irate Eagles made quick work of the third-generation star, beating Blanchard in less than a minute. Eagles then issued an open challenge to the locker room, saying the fans deserved a better main event.
Heart of SHIMMER champion Nicole Savoy and UFC standout Shayna Baszler hit the ring and attacked Eagles’ injured knee. With Eagles incapacitated, Martinez emerged and accepted the open challenge, quickly securing a submission victory. After the match, Martinez celebrated with Savoy and Baszler, indicating the formation of a new power faction in SHIMMER.
Prior to her retirement, Martinez had been a cornerstone of SHIMMER and had been a part of the promotion since its debut event in November 2005. This is her first SHIMMER championship.
In other events from the tapings of SHIMMER Volumes 81-85:
– The team of Evie and Heidi Lovelace (Team Slap Happy) won the SHIMMER tag team title, winning a four-team elimination match against champions Kimber Lee and Cherry Bomb (Kimber-Bomb), Xandra Bale and K.C. Spinelli (BaleSpin), and Mia Yim and Kay Lee Ray. Kimber-Bomb had held the belts since April 2015.
– Shayna Bayszler was superb in her SHIMMER debut, going 3-1 for the weekend. The MMA fighter scored wins over Rhia O’Reilly, Solo Darling, and Mia Yim in singles bouts and had one controversial loss to Savoy where she was pinned as she had Savoy trapped in a rear-naked choke.
– A unique four-way match featured three TNA Knockouts champions as Jessicka Havok defeated current TNA champion Allysin Kay (Sienna), Mia Yim (Jade), and Yumi Ohka from Japan’s WAVE promotion.
– Portia Perez, who retired from wrestling due to injury in October 2015, debuted her new Piper’s Pit-style interview segment, the unfortunately acronymed Portia’s Interview Segment Spectacular.
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