Cindy Rogers vs Allison Danger: Wrestling's First Women’s Dog Collar Match

One of my favorite matches this year was the dog collar match between Dani Luna and Hyan at DPW Forever. It was the first time I’d seen a women’s dog collar match. It was exciting and brutal to watch. With this being one of the year’s best matches and the rumors circulating about AEW doing another dog collar match, I thought I’d revisit what’s considered the first women’s dog collar match.

What is a Dog Collar Match?

In a dog collar match, both competitors are connected by a chain tied to dog collars around their necks. How a wrestler wins depends on that particular match. Some dog collar matches may require either pinfall or submission, while others, like the one discussed in this post, require competitors to touch all four corners of the ring without interruption.

Recap of the Allison Danger vs Cindy Rogers Feud

At SHIMMER Volume 10, the “Definition of Technician” Cindy Rogers defeated Allison Danger by cheating. Their rematch was a street fight at SHIMMER Volume 12, which Danger won; however, Rogers would then attack her with a chain in retaliation. After the attack, Danger, bruised and struggling to breathe, cut a fiery promo where she spoke about not needing a chain to beat Cindy Rogers. She then said, "You know what? You got to resort to a chain? Then a chain it is Cindy. You. Me. Dog collar!" This led to a third encounter between the two rivals, a dog collar match at SHIMMER Volume 13.

A Heated Rivalry Makes Continues

Cindy Rogers made her entrance to Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' "The Only Good Thing (You Ever Said Was Goodbye)" boomed through the venue speakers, accompanied by loud boos from the crowd. Allison Danger then entered, wearing her trademark entrance mask, which caused Rogers to remark, "Keep that one on, it looks much better."

The match began with the two women fighting over the steel chain that bound them together. One woman would choke the other with the chain as she attempted to touch all four corners before eventually being interrupted. This kept happening until they went outside the ring. There, Rogers choked Danger with the chain as she leaned against the barricade. Rogers then slammed her face into it and then into the steel steps. Rogers drove and ground Danger’s face into them despite referee Bryce Remsburg pleading with her to return to the ring. 

Danger’s forehead began to bleed as a result of Roger’s brutality. Like a shark, Rogers smelled blood in the water and took advantage, raking the steel chain across Danger’s forehead as she lay in the ring. In typical Dog Collar match fashion, Rogers then began to hang Danger with the steel chain as she dangled helplessly on the outside of the ring, gasping for air. With her opponent out of commission, Rogers then began to touch all four corners of the ring. Before she could touch the third corner, Danger rose to her feet and charged at her, knocking both women down. The two then began to exchange strikes with one another as the ring announcer revealed that 10 minutes had gone by. 

Rogers gained the advantage once again by hitting a snapmare on Danger and then choking her with the chain on the ring canvas. Still, Danger didn’t quit and chose to succumb to the chokehold rather than submit. This led Rogers to mockingly check if she was still conscious. Once again, she began to touch all four corners, but again Danger interrupted and pulled her back using the chain. Rogers then got a taste of her own medicine when Danger choked her with the steel chain. Danger then quickly scrambled to touch all four corners, but at the very last second, Rogers stopped her. 

The two then got to their feet and began trading strikes before separating. After another failed victory attempt, Danger found herself being choked while being put in a modified submission by Rogers. Rogers then placed Danger on her back via the top rope and proceeded to begin touching all four corners. The idea was to avoid dragging Danger, but unbeknownst to Rogers, Danger was conscious and touching each corner that Rogers would touch. Upon reaching the fourth corner, Danger frees herself from Rogers' back and hits her with an STO. The bell then rang, which confused Danger until it was revealed that Rogers had touched the fourth corner while being hit with the STO, making her the winner. 

This was a fun watch, even if it felt a bit derivative of other dog collar matches.

For the first time, women in wrestling were given a chance to showcase some true brutality. At a time when women's wrestling was strongly associated with bra and panties matches, I'm sure many fans saw it as a welcome change of pace. It showed that a rivalry like this didn't need pools of blood to feel personal, while also setting the stage for the many women's dog collar matches to come.