WWE's Becky Lynch Acknowledges 20th Anniversary Of Influential Indie Promotion

Before becoming one of the most popular WWE stars of the last decade, Becky Lynch competed for Shimmer Women Athletes during the early days of her career, which is a Chicago-based independent women's professional wrestling promotion that ran from 2005-2021. On Wednesday, Shimmer celebrated its 20th anniversary, leading the Women's Intercontinental Champion to thank the company on social media for helping her gain experience in the wrestling business when she was a teenager.

"Happy 20th anniversary Shimmer. A very special company and a special time in my life. They gave this punk teenage gal a chance and a platform and I'll always be grateful."

Lynch made her Shimmer debut in 2006 where she competed under her persona on the indies, Rebecca Knox. She only wrestled four matches in the promotion, having defeated Shimmer founder Allison Danger twice and had a record of 1-1 against former ROH star Daizee Haze. After continuing to wrestle on the indie scene throughout the mid-2000s, Lynch would step away from the ring for three years before getting back on the road in 2012 and signing her first WWE contract in 2013.

Along with Lynch, many female performers also competed for Shimmer before landing on WWE's roster, as stars like Bayley, Alba Fyre and Chelsea Green all wrestled for the promotion during the 2010s. Additionally, several other successful women's stars such as Paige, Athena and Britt Baker worked for the company before making it to WWE or AEW.