SHINE 5 results – the return of Amazing Kong (now updated with thoughts)

SHINE Wrestling headlines its SHINE 5 show with the worldwide return of the former Kharma in her first match since January, with Amazing Kong teaming up with Jazz as Rhythm and Bruise to take on the tandem of Rain and Mercedes Martinez.

It’s the main event of a pretty stacked card in Ybor City, FL, with another of the mouth-watering outings being Jessicka Havok facing Nikki Roxx in a rematch of the Women Superstars Uncensored contest which helped to put Havok on the path to the top, while Kimberly looks to end her run of losses by teaming with Leva Bates against Made In Sin – Allysin Kay and Taylor Made – video of which you can see in this month’s SHINE Scouting Report.

We’ll be bringing you results as they happen, but why not buy the show for yourself, watch live and leave a comment with what you think about the show…?

1. Sassy Stephie defeated Heidi Lovelace with the Kiss My Sass.
2. Niya pinned Marti Belle with the Tequila Sunrise (TKO).
3. Su Yung beat Sojo Bolt with a backbreaker variation of Eat Defeat.
4. Santana Garrett defeated Nikki St John with a handspring moonsault.
5. Made In Sin (Allysin Kay & Taylor Made) beat Kimberly & Leva Bates when Kimberly was pinned with the Seven Deadlies. Kimberly attacked Leva after the bell and refused to release the Texas Cloverleaf.
6. Athena pinned Ivelisse Velez with the O-Face.
7. Jessicka Havok v Nikki Roxx went to a double count-out after brawling to the back.
8. Rhythm and Bruise (Amazing Kong & Jazz) defeated Mercedes Martinez & Rain when Kong pinned Rain with the Implant Buster.

Thoughts
• Heidi Lovelace has the look, and a likeable personality, but we’re still waiting for that blowaway match. Her outing with safe hand Sassy Stephie was her best that we’ve seen this year, but there still seems to be a little disconnection. Fair play though, she’s going in the right direction, but probably not at the pace at we’d hoped.
• Cards on the table, I wasn’t expecting much from Niya v Marti Belle, but because they kept it simple and Niya kept her heel work very straightforward – focussing mostly on hair pulls and having a lone highspot before the finish with a nice powerslam – it was OK. Having it as the second match on the show made sure they didn’t overreach, which was to their benefit. The Tequila Sunrise finish looked pretty ugly though.
• It’s impossible to dislike Su Yung, so she was popular with the fans, but unfortunately, Sojo Bolt didn’t register that well as a heel. The match was below par, too. Yung’s finisher didn’t snap like it normally does either, which meant a somewhat flat ending.
• Santana Garrett and Nikki St John picked things up, and had a tidy outing. Like Yung, Garrett is very easy to like, and St John really benefited from stepping out of her comfort zone in Illinois to face some new names. Good job to both.
• We were looking forward to Made In Sin v Kimberly and Leva Bates, but were confused at what Bates’ choice of costume was. A quick Google revealed it to be Thing 1 and Thing 2 from The Cat In The Hat, but it’s been a long time since we’ve read anything by Doctor Seuss…
• A few wobbles aside, the match was decent enough, with Kay taking the bull by the horns and keeping things on track when it seemed to fall apart on a couple of occasions. Kimberly’s early reluctance to get on board with the comedy was tempered as the team started to gel, but after being defeated, she snapped, locking the Texas Cloverleaf on Bates and refusing to release the hold. A feud between the pair should be beneficial to both – Kimberly can heel it up to the nines, while Bates can display some aggression too. It’s a nice prospect for next year.
• Whether she would admit it or not, the pressure was on Ivelisse Velez to deliver in her first televised match after her release from WWE. Having said that, she did well enough against Athena, who despite also making her SHINE debut, had less to lose after having a successful month at SHIMMER and Femmes Fatales. There were some slick sequences involving kicks and kip-ups which were nice, as well as the spot where Velez blocked the O-Face, before falling at the second attempt. Hopefully both will be back in the future.
• Jessicka Havok’s match with Nikki Roxx was a hot prospect, considering their WSU match last year. It was a little slow in getting going, but when they hit their groove, this was good to watch. Once the feeling out process passed and the hard-hitting brawling began both inside and outside of the ring, this was enjoyable, and Havok looked extra motivated. The double count out seems disappointing at first glance, but this means that it’s likely to happen again, and this is more than fine by me. Between this possible rematch and the ongoing programme with Reby Sky, it looks like Havok will be busy on upcoming SHINEs.
• It was nice to see Amazing Kong back in the ring – though her contributions were limited, but that was exactly the right decision. The big draw was Kong returning – you can save the in-ring work for another show.
• As a result, Jazz did much of the wrestling for her team in a match which was alright, but it seemed to have been cut short because of Rain breaking her wrist in multiple places on a double powerbomb by Kong on both she and Mercedes Martinez which led to the hot tag. As Kong came in, Rain spent a lot of time on the ground, and it looked like the finish was quickly improvised to end the match quickly. Rain looked out of it after the bell, so she may have had her bell rung.
• Seeing as we’re five shows in, it may be time to evolve the iPPV presentation, and that was done in part with having Daffney on commentary to provide some laughs. I can accept that her style may not be the best for the more serious main event, but she did add something to the undercard matches. She’s really found her niche in SHINE, though her delivery of the location of Athena’s hometowns was a little different.
• I’d like to see some promos inbetween matches from time to time – for example, a brief recap of Kimberly losing her matches and recruiting Leva as her tag partner would have been nice before their match to remind us of the story, or the conclusion of SHINE 4 last month to explain why the main event was taking place would have been welcome too.
• Overall, I’d say SHINE 3 is the best one so far, with this latest instalment being worth the money, but not a blowaway affair. It will be interesting to see the developments with Kimberly v Leva, Havok v Roxx/Sky, and the main event picture involving Martinez, Kong and Jazz. SHINE takes a month off in December, but returns on January 11 with Christina Von Eerie promising to get a tag team partner to take on Made In Sin. We wouldn’t recommend Kimberly – she’s the Jonah of SHINE at the moment…

– Lee Burton