20 Shimmer Alumnae Who Made WWE's Women's Evolution Possible
13 years prior to WWE Evolution, an all women promotion in Chicago held their first show...
On 28 October 2018, WWE held their first all women pay-per-view, Evolution. Being hyped as a step forward, the reality is that this development was a long-time coming. WWE was starting to catch up with what was happening in the outside world.
Back on 23 February 2015, the hashtag #GiveDivasAChance began trending in response to a 30 second match involving Paige and Emma versus the Bellas on Raw. While this was going on, American all-women promotions such as Shine, WSU and Shimmer were providing platforms for talented women to showcase their considerable skills in the square circle.
Shimmer Women Athletes held their first event on 6 November 2005. Since then, they have featured many of the best women wrestlers in the world, and the impact the company has had on the evolution of women's wrestling is undeniable.
The 2018 Mae Young Classic featured 12 women who have wrestled for Shimmer. Five of the eight women to have held the NXT Women Championship have wrestled for the company. Among Shimmer alumnae is one WWE Hall of Famer, six former WWE Women/Divas champions and three trainers. It's not bad going.
20. Mia Yim
Yim competed in both Mae Young Classics. In 2018 she advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to eventual winner Toni Storm, in an impressive showing. This led to her signing a WWE developmental deal and she is currently working with NXT.
She made several appearances in Shimmer between 2013-18, where she challenged for both the Shimmer Championship and Tag titles. Wrestling as Jade, she also had success in TNA/Impact, where she is a former Knockout champion.