Daily She-DT: SHIMMER Debuts New Streaming Service

Daily She-DT is an awesome new feature on the site where we give you the latest news in the world of women’s wrestling, which deserves infinitely more coverage from the wrestling media.

Let’s start with SHIMMER Wrestling, which has announced a new streaming platform. We’ve seen RISE debut its “ASCENT” shows in 2018 (a subscription to RISE can be purchased here for $4.99), so it’s awesome to see that SHIMMER is giving wrestling fans another streaming option.

SHIMMER posted a press release on their website Friday morning with more information about their service.

StreamSHIMMER.com is available for $9.99 a month, and subscribers will get access to all of the promotion’s past events. Since some of the biggest names in pro wrestling have appeared at SHIMMER’s shows in the past, there’s plenty of wrestling to dig into. Personally, there’s nothing cooler than watching some vintage Sarah Del Ray matches against Serena Deeb or Madison Eagles.

Of course, SHIMMER will release future shows on this platform, so if you have an interest in women’s wrestling and want to reminisce on past women’s watches while keeping an eye for the current crop, I’d consider giving the subscription a try.

The bottom line is that it’s awesome to see women’s wrestling outside of WWE becoming more accessible online, because it’s another sign of the increased demand for women’s wrestling. If SHIMMER didn’t feel like there’d be an audience for a paid streaming service, they wouldn’t offer it.

Furthermore, many fans want to watch more Samantha Heights or Nicole Savoy matches, but they have a hard time actually finding those matches online. Now, there’s a way for them to keep up with what’s happening.

Iron Woman Match Next Month

In “Daily She-DT” updates, I’d like to highlight upcoming women’s matches outside of WWE that may be occurring weeks in advance, but need to be briefly mentioned as “friendly reminders”.

On Oct. 19, RISE 10 – INSANITY has a huge headliner, as Tessa Blanchard will defend the Phoenix of RISE Championship against Mercedes Martinez, who most recently defeated Madison Rayne in the Mae Young Classic 2. Martinez and Blanchard are two of the best around, and Blanchard will have a tough test when it comes to successfully defending one of her many titles.

Oh, did I happen to mention that this is a 60-minute Iron Woman match? 60 minutes of wrestling goodness between two of the best, hard-hitting athletes on the scene? Sign. Me. Up. This is going to tear the house down.

Another Stellar Becky Lynch Promo

Becky Lynch has long been one of WWE’s most talented performers, but she just became one of their hottest stars as a result of this Charlotte Flair feud. Few could have predicted months ago that Becky would be here after the fans refused to accept her heel turn, but we’re at a point where Becky is the biggest bad-ass in WWE.

She has always been exceptional at turning a couple of minutes of WWE.com exclusive promo time into must-see media, and she did exactly what with the best “Network Pick of the Week” segment I’ve seen in ages.

You can watch the video above, and then go ahead and try to convince me that there’s no #conspiracy to keep her down (wink, wink).

Also, her SmackDown Women’s Championship victory over Charlotte is obviously the pick of the week. I mean, who would snub that?

Britt Baker Injury

One of the most talented wrestlers on the independent scene, Britt Baker, announced that she is dealing with a shoulder injury for a couple of weeks. It’s great to hear that she won’t miss much time, but shoulder injuries are tricky, so hopefully the pain doesn’t linger. Baker suffered the injury at an NXT taping in Full Sail on Thursday night.

Paige Talks About The Night She Was Injured

This is the most important thing I’ve read in wrestling this week. In an interview with GiveMeSports’s Alex McCarthy, SmackDown Live GM and wrestling legend Paige spoke openly about what happened on December 27, 2017, in Uniondale, New York.

That night, Paige suffered a neck injury that would prove to be career-ending, and she suffered it on a seemingly innocuous kick to the back of the neck from Sasha Banks, who is one of the safest wrestlers in WWE. However, fans lashed out at Banks immediately after the incident.

In that interview with McCarthy, Paige set the record straight. She explained what happened and firmly stated that it wasn’t Banks’s fault. It’s just one of those things that happens in a contact sport, and it was extremely unfortunate. Paige added that Banks refused to leave Paige’s side after what happened, and that was honestly heart-warming to hear.

It was still heart-breaking to read Paige relive what happened and to learn about just how devastated the other women in the locker room were when they realized what happened.

On the bright side, Paige is on her way to being an all-time great GM, and she’s a huge reason for the FOX-bound SmackDown Live’s success in 2018.

An Important Message

Lost in the unfair hate Charlotte Flair receives on social media is the fact that she is one of the most inspiring athletes on the planet. Her message of encouragement, empowerment, and body positivity always shine through, and I loved this quote:

"“First and foremost, education is the most important thing, to get a degree. Be independent, strong and confident. It’s not about your looks; it’s about being successful in a male-dominated world.”"

I also loved Britt Baker’s simple, but wonderful, response to the tweet.

Closing Thought: Big Opportunity For Ember Moon

Alexa Bliss suffered a left arm injury at Hell in a Cell, which has bounced her out of the Mixed Match Challenge Season 2. Ember Moon (hey a former SHIMMER star!) replaced Bliss as Braun Strowman’s tag team partner, and the duo picked up a win over Kevin Owens and Natalya in the first match of the tournament.

This is a big opportunity for Moon to shine, even if it seems like the Mixed Match Challenge is completely separate from WWE Television. Every rep counts, and every opportunity to add a layer of character or develop another connection with the audience is key.

By teaming up with Strowman, Moon can interact with him on television later, and that could be a nice boost for her. Since she’s lost just once since calling up (and it was by TOTAL fluke), WWE clearly sees something in Moon. Future interactions with a potential Universal Champion? Now that’s a plus.

Everyone knows how good Moon is in the ring, and she truly stepped up her game during her feud with Shayna Baszler as NXT Champion. Each week on Raw, she shows up when she has a match, but some fans still aren’t sure about her character. Mixed Match Challenge segments are less scripted and allow superstars to bounce off each other more. Bliss and Strowman showed great chemistry earlier this year, so it will be interesting to see what Moon can do.

Two more things to note about Moon. Firstly, her “Eclipse” was the finish in the Mixed Match Challenge, and secondly, she was Nia Jax’s tag partner upon Nia’s return to the ring. If we do eventually get a Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament, that would be an interesting tandem. Recall that Nia and Ember were partners on Moon’s Raw debut this year.

Moon has been a huge positive on Raw for months now, but she has yet to feature in a major storyline. With some buzz growing, though, that could change.