Wrestlemania 32 Week Part II: Wrestlecon + Shimmer #80 & more
Wrestlemania had finally come to Dallas. The 32nd installment of the annual spectacle, that has become a week-long celebration that includes community outreach events, a Fan Fest, a Hall of Fame induction ceremony & much more.
Orbiting that is the entire wrestling community – having the global wrestling audience literally all in one place, it’s the perfect destination for anyone currently or ever associated with wrestling to book appearances or their own events, creating a packed schedule that hemmorages the host city for fans to gorge on for almost an entire week.
So now on to Part II of our Wrestlemania 32 week adventure – If you haven’t had the chance to check out Part 1 for the unforgettable IHWE/NWA Parade of Champions event you can do so here –
Wrestlecon – April 3rd – Hyatt Regency Reunion Tower – Dallas, TX
So we started the day at the non-WWE fanfest called Wrestlecon – I saw non-WWE as while their were many former WWE alumni and current ambassadors & even a few Hall of Famers, the WWE endorsed fan convention Axxess was happening across the street at the Convention Center with the same production value and presentation of it’s television and PPV programs.
Here at Wrestlecon was a much more humble affair – Those that are no longer (or never have been) under contract with the WWE. It would be easy to be dismissive of the event and comparisons to that scene in the Wrestler where the main character finds himself at some old armory peddling his wares of yesteryear wouldn’t be too far off the mark. However, the vibe of the event couldn’t be more pleasant – The performers for the most part seemed to be happy to be there meeting with the fans and the fans couldn’t have been more thrilled to be there.
It was kind of surreal scene – it was like being backstage at an event just like 25 years later –
Just walking through you’d see legends from all sides (how many do you recognize in one shot in the picture above?)
This is a decidedly non-press event so we were not there as media but my nephew came down for the big show and his favorite wrestler is Rey Mysterio Jr so I brought him here in hopes to get him so face time with Rey.
We arrived at a strategic time as the Ring of Honor show was in full swing upstairs so we thought the lines would be minimal and we were correct, everyone that is except for Mysterio’s (sad face).
But their was still plenty to see:
Taeler Hendrix (left)
& Torrie Wilson (right)
Velvet Sky, Barbie Blank (Kelly Kelly in WWE)
Tracey Adams & Melina
Jasmine St. Claire (right)
Panel: Lance Storm. Missy Hyatt & more
Just as we were about to leave as Mysterio’s line showed zero sign of thinning we saw that a panel was about to begin featuring a couple of familiar faces.
For me namely, one Missy Hyatt, former female personality from my favorite territory, Mid-South wrestling.
My excitement level was albeit muted as following Missy on Twitter has been a sobering (for me) unpleasant experience to say the least.
At first it was fascinating as she would live tweet entire Mid-South episodes (presumably watching from the WWE Network) with invaluable insight.
It would always threaten to unravel to Batshit Crazy Land until it did & then when she started a series of unwarranted attacks on my friend Lynda Newton who performed as Dark Journey, that was the final straw.
My apologies for the bad film quality but if you look closely Hyatt is proudly (without irony) displaying her support for Donald Trump with pro-Trump campaign shirt.
No need to digress and she has sunk as low as she’s going to.
Rey Mysterio Jr.
That’s about as close as we got to Mysterio but I was able to introduce my nephew to Billy Gunn, who was super intense but ultimately very cool and welcoming.
Jake (nephew) & I (left)
Jake with Billy Gunn (right)
Shimmer Womens Athletes #80 Championship Tournament – April 2nd – Eddie Deen’s Ranch – Dallas, TX
This was a long time coming – I’m a huge fan of Women’s Wrestling, in fact, the female competitors are my favorites and I’ve wanted to attend a Shimmer event for a long time that features an all-female roster showcasing some of the best independent female talent in the world.
Today was that day, after leaving Wrestlecon we walked literally across the street to Eddie Deen’s Ranch – Only in Texas could you hold no less than three major wrestling events daily all weekend inside a BBQ restaurant, that just happens to be located in the heart of a downtown metropolis.
We were here, I was excited and as I’m checking in & getting my press credentials, the person I’m handing my I.D. to is none other than the extremely talented & unfathomably gorgeous Laura “Cherry Bomb” Dennis – The one wrestler I was hoping to see perform most at this event.
No idea why she was behind the ticket desk (& she wasn’t for long as soon she was in her gear and wrestling) but she got me all squared away as we headed to our seats. Taking advantage of this being a reputable BBQ joint, my nephew & I loaded up on the goods.
Sitting practically ringside, giant BBQ sandwich in one hand & a beer in the other about to finally get to see some of my favorites for the first time finally, all was right with the world.
This entire event was one big tournament to crown the first Heart of Shimmer champion, which was totally cool as that meant hopefully we’d get to see some of our favorites more than once.
1st Round: Cheerleader Melissa defeated Leva Bates
Excited that this was the opening contest as I’ve wanted to see both of these performers compete forever. Leva Bates has really been making the rounds lately with appearances on TNA as well as on WWE programming at NXT under the name Blue Pants.
Cheerleader Melissa is legend in the indie-ranks – both wrestlers kicked major ass.
Heart of Shimmer 1st Round: Candice LaRae defeated Cherry Bomb
So excited to finally see Cherry Bomb wrestle and sadly she got beat in the first round by another great performer Candice Larae.
Thankfully that wasn’t the last we’d see her however as she came out for an assist to her tag team partner in the next bout.
1st Round: Kimber Lee (SHIMMER Tag Team Champion) defeated Jessicka Havok
Your seeing two world class athletes in Kimber Lee & Jessica Havok, both have wrestled all over the world & on American television.
..but my girl Cherry Bomb returns to save the day to get Kimber the win to advance in the tournament.
1st Round: Heidi Lovelace defeated Veda Scott
Though I saw Veda Scott serve as special guest referee a few days before at the IHWE/NWA Parade of Champions event this would be my first time seeing her compete.
1st Round: Nicole Savoy won LuFisto
Nicole Savoy, whom I wasn’t familiar with prior to the event (though obviously I should have been) dominated throughout.
After beating Lufisto in the first round she ran through Kimber Lee and Heidi Lovelace in the Semi-Finals
Intermission –
During a brief intermission as I was getting another beer and using the facilities I noticed NXT star Bayley sitting in the back checking out the action in an obvious gesture of solidarity towards her fellow female competitors (& maybe even scouting out some of her future competition).
I spotted another NXT wrestler Sami Zayn in the back row on our side.
Semifinals: Candice LaRae defeated Cheerleader Melissa
Heart of Shimmer Finals: Nicole Savoy beat Heidi Lovelace and Candice LaRae new champion to be crowned.
In the end Savoy took them all down after a great final battle against LaRae to be crowned the Heart of Shimmer.
Great, awesome & super fun event that I was very pleased I finally got to see in person. Another great perk of living in a Wrestlemania host city.
The entire event can be viewed here at –
Photos –
Roy Turner
