Team Slap Happy had successfully defended the Shimmer Tag Team Championship the night before at Shimmer Volume 86 against Kay Lee Ray and Mia Yim. Earlier in the day at Shimmer Volume 87, Evie and Heidi Lovelace had both competed in hard-fought matches. Heidi lost a four-way match while Evie prevailed over Veda Scott. That evening at Shimmer Volume 88, The Rejected (Christina Von Eerie & Hudson Envy) would challenge Team Slap Happy for the belts.

Prior to the match, Evie and Heidi would discuss their reign as tag team champions so far with Amber Gertner while munching away on snacks. Heidi revealed they had been training hard while Evie made note winning the titles was merely the first step. Some dread hit them when they were told their next challengers would be bruising team The Rejected. They gave their snacks to Amber to guard while going to prepare a bit more for the championship defense.

Evie and Christina laid it in hard against each other to start things off. Christina went for a roundhouse kick off a whip but Evie ducked and shot back with a roundhouse of her own. Evie followed up with a scissors kick and snap-of-a-kick to the back followed by a cover for two. Heidi tagged in and they delivered two sets of double kicks to Christina's chest and back, first from a standing then running position.

Christina raked Heidi's eyes to take control before a desperation tag to Hudson so she could recoup for a bit. Hudson charged at Heidi, ramming her to the canvas with a fierce shoulder tackle. Heidi shot back with a savate kick off a whip that Hudson caught. Hudson went for a kick of her own but Heidi blocked and nailed her to the canvas with a knee strike. Heidi ran the ropes and drove Envy to the canvas with a leaping legdrop but only got a two on the pin attempt.

Evie was tagged in and Team Slap Happy delivered double knee strikes to Hudson from a standing position. They went for running knee strikes but Hudson evaded, causing Evie and Heidi to come crashing down on the canvas. Hudson tossed Heidi to the floor as Christina came in behind the referees back and folded Evie in half with a back suplex. Evie received a familiar combo when Hudson took her to the canvas with a snapmare followed by a kick to the back.

Hudson continued the assault with a dropkick to the back of the head before tagging Christina in. Envy whipped Evie to Christina who caught her in wheel barrow position for her partner to deliver a cutter to. Christina covered Evie for the pin but Heidi made the save. Evie would pay for that with Christina smashing her with a fierce headbutt before raking her eyes across the top rope into her team's corner where Hudson tagged in.

Envy laid in a forearm shot and Von Eerie followed with a headbutt -- repeating the combo a couple times before Evie fought back with forearm shots of her own. Evie made a run for her corner but Hudson caught her with a spinebuster. Hudson stacked her for a pin but Evie kicked out at two. Envy smashed her knees into Evie's chest and stayed on top her for a pin attempt. Evie got her shoulder up to break it. Hudson arrogantly stepped over Evie, scraping her boot across her hair.

Hudson shoulder tackled Heidi off the apron before continuing to beat down Evie with a knee strike and boot choke in the corner. Heidi tried to enter the ring to aid her partner but it worked against her, giving Christina a chance to slip over and choke Evie with the referee distracted. Christina would tag in moments later and deliver a knee strike that snapped Evie backwards onto the canvas. Von Eerie kept Evie grounded applying a camel clutch with a pull of the hair as she rocked the Kiwi back and forth. Christina broke the submission and tagged in Hudson.

Von Eerie teased whipping Evie to her partner's corner to taunt Heidi only to send her into a nasty lariat delivered by Envy. Hudson sat on Evie for a pin but the Kiwi kicked out. Christina tagged in and dished out some blows until Evie caught her with a uranage backbreaker. This offense gave Evie the chance she needed to tag in Heidi. Hudson had been tagged back in and was rammed into Team Slap Happy's corner by Heidi. She nailed Envy with a trifecta of running superkicks followed by an STO. Heidi went for a cover but only got two.

Heidi tagged in Evie who climbed to the top rope while her partner sat on it. It was time to finish off Hudson with the Rocket Launcher. Hudson put a stop to that, pulling Heidi by her leg to the canvas. She didn't stop there, tossing Evie down from the top. Hudson continued the assault nailing Evie with a running knee strike only to get struck by an enzuigiri from Heidi. Christina caught Heidi with a missile dropkick from the top rope then was surprised with one from Evie.

Hudson and Heidi got to their feet first. Envy struck Heidi with a forearm shot and ran the ropes to connect with another only for Heidi to meet her with one instead. Heidi ran the ropes to strike another only to be met with one from Hudson. Envy ran the ropes to lure Heidi into a drop toe hold that brought her neck down on the middle rope. Christina followed delivering a running big boot to the back of Heidi's skull. Hudson grabbed Heidi in a waistlock and dropped her with a German suplex but couldn't keep the bridge to try for a pin.

Evie snuck into the fray hitting Christina who was recouping near the middle of the ropes with a charging Yakuza kick. Envy received a flurry of forearm shots and a kick from Evie who hit the ropes looking for another. But instead, Hudson laid her out with a spinning leg lariat. Hudson went for a cover only getting two. Envy lifted Evie into a sidewalk slam and brought her down hard on her knee, keeping her positioned there so Christina could nail a flying elbow drop from the top rope. Hudson covered Evie with Heidi making the last second save.

Hudson lifted Evie onto her shoulders for another double team. But Evie slipped off and pushed her into Christina. Heidi flew off the top rope crashing Hudson to the canvas with a meteora. She rolled to her feet and right into Christina's diamond suplex. Christina charged at Evie who countered, slamming her into the top turnbuckle. Evie hurried to the opposite corner and nailed Christina with the charging Yakuza kick as Heidi delivered a running rope assisted enzuigiri at the same time.

With Hudson down and out, Heidi and Evie could Rocket Launcher Christina with no trouble. Evie came off the top rope with Coup-de-Evie followed by Heidi hitting the frog splash from the second. Heidi went for the cover but Evie gently pushed her off because she was the legal competitor. Evie made the cover and hooked a leg scoring the pinfall victory for her team to retain the titles. Before they headed to the back, Team Slap Happy gave a young fan at ringside -- whom Evie unintentionally missed giving a high five to during the entrance -- a hug.

Additional Information | Shimmer Tag Team Champions Team Slap Happy (Evie & Heidi Lovelace) defeated The Rejected (Christina Von Eerie & Hudson Envy) to retain the titles (11:57) at Shimmer Volume 88 at Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago, Illinois on November 12th 2016.