Given her status as the longest-reigning SHIMMER Champion of all time, it’s hard to imagine that there are still many dream matches left on the table for Nicole Savoy. The Sacramento Suplex Machine has run through a veritable who’s-who of the SHIMMER roster in her time with the promotion, and unfortunately, the pandemic hasn’t provided much opportunity (obviously) for new opponents.

However, given her many legendary opponents and her status as a bonafide star inside of the squared circle, Savoy has a veritable pick of the litter when it comes to matches to show first-time fans. Of course, I had to ask her about not only her favourite matches but which she would consider the first match she would show a first-time wrestling fan.

While her initial answer came quickly, it also came with a few stories courtesy of the Queen of Suplexes.

“My match with Madison Eagles!” Savoy replied enthusiastically when I asked about her personal match recommendations. “I was going to say, either her or my matches with LuFisto.”

“You’re hitting me right in the heart with just the Canadian icon,” I laughed to Savoy. “Come on. You’ve done your research on my favorites!”

Savoy smiled. “Funny story,” she began. “When I found out that I was wrestling LuFisto – her and Heidi Lovelace were my first two matches in the Shimmer. I was so excited to wrestle Heidi, but I was very scared and intimidated to wrestle LuFisto. I legit was throwing up before my match.

Like they were like ‘Savoy, are you okay,’ and I’m like, ‘yeah, I’m, I’m fine. Excuse me,’ and I would run straight to the bathroom and throw up!

“

“Oh, man. Not even a little bit nervous!” I commented. “That’s zero to sixty real quick.”

“Yes!” replied the former SHIMMER Champion. “And then, I remember before I went out there, Allison Danger looked at me and she’s like, ‘so, you get to wrestle LuFisto? Don’t fuck up!'”

“I’m like, ‘what? How do you say that to somebody before they go out there?!'”

It was far from the final story Savoy shared about Danger.

“I love Allison Danger. Mama Danger, fine like wine! That’s what I was gonna say.” Savoy chuckled before continuing. “She is an interesting time but in a good way. Like, I love her so much.”

“I feel obligated to ask for a story if that’s the way you’re gonna put it!” I pressed.

Savoy obliged. “So when I first wrestled for Shimmer – it’s another first time for Shimmer – and I stepped off the plane, the first two people that I met that I was riding to the hotel with was Allison Danger and Jessicka Havok. They didn’t know who I was. Allison Danger’s never seen me wrestle before.

“

“I remember us going to think I was like Denny’s, and [Danger] looks at me, and I look at her, and she goes, ‘you know? So you’re from California, huh?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah,’ she goes, ‘well, Sarah came from California, and she’s an amazing wrestler. Then there’s Cheerleader Melissa, and then there’s,’ then, she starts naming off with Candice LeRae, and Davina – she’s Bailey now – and she’s like, ‘I’ve never seen you wrestle before. Good luck!’ I was just kind of like, ‘Oh, God!’ Thank you for basically saying I’ve got a lot of big shoes to fill!”

Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any of the above quotes. Thank you!

In any discussion about rising stars in professional wrestling, the names Masha Slamovich and Sam Leterna are sure to be mentioned. The pair have been making major impacts both inside and outside of the ring, respectively, throughout the pandemic, with Leterna earning a reputation as one of the industry’s top personalities, while Slamovich has become one of pro wrestling’s most well-travelled and feared competitors.

Not only are Slamovich and Leterna two of wrestling’s hottest prospects, but the two are good friends after years of training and working together. In recently having the good fortune to chat with Leterna for Love Wrestling, I had to ask the Camp Leapfrog showrunner about her long-time compatriot. After chatting briefly about Clara Mortensen, the muse behind Leterna’s last name, I did so.

“One other person that I did specifically want to ask you about [that’s] a little bit more current is Masha Slamovich,” I began. “Just tell me a little bit about her, because I know you guys are good friends, obviously, from your guys’ social media’s. But, she’s been a huge influence on you from again, your own social media.”

“So again, put somebody over, let’s take some time to talk about good people!”

“I will put Masha Slamovich over any day,” Leterna smiled. “She’s like, my best girlfriend in the industry. We began training together, actually, at Johnny Rodz in Brooklyn, New York. She trained maybe six months before or nine months before me. But [when] I came in, she was like the first girl I locked up with. She was really young at that time. She’s grown up a lot since then. I’m a couple of years older than Masha. But yeah, we kind of lost touch for a couple of years. But then, through a work opportunity that popped up, we wound up working together. I got her a job at a restaurant I was working at, and we got really close through that and started working out.”

Fear Masha Slamovich

As Leterna continued, she described Slamovich’s impact on not only her in-ring career but her current work as one of wrestling’s premier broadcasters and hosts.

“Then, she really helped me through the period where I wasn’t wrestling and I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life at all, because I wasn’t involved with wrestling at that point at all. She kind of pushed me to continue on and see the value in what I do now and what I am good at and how I can apply that to wrestling. I’m really grateful to her for that. Since then, it’s been a crazy year. She’s returned from Japan, she’s doing amazing. She is the hardest working woman in wrestling, honestly. On the indies for sure. She trains every day, two times a day. She does Brazilian jujitsu, or MMA, whatever the case not entirely sure, and she killed my legs yesterday at the gym.”

Leterna laughed before concluding.

“That lady goes in and – fear Masha Slamovich because she’s a force to be reckoned with. But yeah, that’s my put-over of Masha, and we always have good times when we go to Texas together.”

Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any of the above quotes & transcriptions.