Cheerleader Melissa
Professional Debut: 1998
SHIMMER Debut Match: vs. MsChif (Volume 1)
Achievements: APW Future Legend Title (1), Cauliflower Alley Club Future Legend Award (1), ChickFight 5 Winner,
ChickFight 7 Winner, Transatlantic Champion (1), PWA Elite Women‘s Champion (1)
There are not many like Cheerleader Melissa. The SHIMMER favourite is a second-generation wrestler after her father Doug Anderson competed in the sport in the early 1980s. It seemed Melissa’s sights were always set on the wrestling ring. In High School she was part of the amateur wrestling team and to this day recites stories about watching her father wrestling.
In 1998 Melissa got her start in the world of professional wrestling where she was trained by Billy Anderson and Jesse Hernandez. By 1999 Melissa realised she wanted to be a serious wrestler and found herself being taught by Christopher Daniels. Melissa’s in-ring debut came in August 1999 where she met ring veteran Lexie Fyfe. Despite getting her start Melissa continued reporting to training schools in the hopes of improving her career.
The ‘Cheerleader’ came into effect when Melissa began managing The Ballard Brothers in 1999. Melissa soon chose to focus more on her wrestling and reported to All Pro Wrestling where she was taught by Bryan Danielson and Robert Thompson. Melissa says that it was this training that gave her “an opportunity to shine as a singles wrestler.”
By 2002 Cheerleader Melissa had an opportunity many dream of, and that was travelling to Japan. Melissa worked for the ARISON promotion and found herself building an impressive win-loss record - 12-0. However this was soon ended by Mariko Yoshida who forced Melissa to submit.
Whilst many discuss Cheerleader Melissa’s work from SHIMMER it has to be noted that she made a huge impact in the All Pro Wrestling promotions, and the all-female tournament which they hold entitled ChickFight. Cheerleader Melissa is a two-time ChickFight winner beating Jazz in the ChickFight 5 finals, and then Eden Black when ChickFight came to the United Kingdom.
Her work in All Pro Wrestling became popular in its own right, and as a result Cheerleader Melissa became one of the few females to be awarded the Future Legend Award. It was no wonder that Prazak called upon Melissa to work in the developing SHIMMER promotion. Cheerleader Melissa made her SHIMMER debut against on-and-off nemesis MsChif, and then on Volume 2 met Allison Danger.
The next night Cheerleader Melissa got a gig for WWE Sunday Night HeAT where she came out in a losing effort to former WWE Women’s Champion Victoria. In 2007 Cheerleader Melissa found herself touring the world, first Japan and then the United Kingdom. Whilst in the UK she feuded with Eden Black throughout the ChickFight tournament, and then at the Real Quality Wrestling event No Pain, No Gain.
Cheerleader Melissa was instrumental to SHIMMER’s growing success, renowned for her matches with MsChif. The two ladies met several times, often drawing blood and completely destroying each other. In the main event of Volume 6 Cheerleader Melissa and MsChif met in a Last Woman Standing match - the first of its kind in SHIMMER. The two ladies fought throughout the arena, and even took the battle outside on the cold streets of Berwyn.
What does 2008 have in store for Cheerleader Melissa? Future SHIMMER Champion?
