Mae Young Classic Round 1 Review

Mae Young Classic: Round 1
Orlando, FL
Full Sail University
Taped: 7/13/17 & 7/14/17
WWE Network On Demand Release Date: 8/28/17
Announcers: Jim Ross & Lita

The day all fans of women's wrestling have been waiting for is finally here as WWE have released the entire first round of the Mae Young Classic. The Mae Young Classic (MYC) is the WWE's first ever all female tournament to celebrate the greatness that is women's wrestling. The MYC is a continuation of WWE's (when I say WWE I mostly mean Paul Levesque) mission to finally give women's wrestling the proper respect and spotlight that it rightfully deserves and has been long overdue. They want to show that although the women are beautiful they can also kick ass and put on great matches just like the guys can and it's time they be allowed to do just that (for more on WWE's history of how they have treated women in the past check out my first ever blog post http://mythoughtsonprowrestling.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-history-of-womens-wrestling-in.html)

The tournament features 32 of the top women wrestlers in the world in a single elimination style tournament. The tournament was taped back in early July and instead of featuring one episode of the show per week like WWE did with the Cruiserweight Classic they instead decided to release the episodes on demand. In this review I will be reviewing the entire first round and then in 2 weeks once the finale is aired on September 12 I will be back and review the rest of the tournament. I did fill out a bracket and before each match I will have who my prediction to win each match was in the bracket I filled out. I want to say that I really like the theme song for the tournament which is Missile by Dorothy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlCLVX59vdE)

Mae Young Classic - Round 1: Episode 1
The show opens with a great video package and then we hear the voice of Good Ol' JR who will be calling the action for the MYC alongside Lita, they welcomes us to the show and then quickly we throw to a video package featuring the participants in our first match.

Mae Young Classic Round 1: Match #1
Kay Lee Ray (Scotland) vs Princesa Sugehit (Mexico)
Prediction: Kay Lee Ray
Right away I noticed they didn't change the look of Full Sail around like they did for the CWC where the guys entrance stage was more diagonal to the ring, this time they kept it the same as you would see it on NXT each week. They did bring back the pre match handshake which is always a nice touch. 

Kay Lee played the heel as she started the match by slapping Sugehit, but Sugehit responded to that with some kicks. Sugehit tries to go for a Code Red, but Kay Lee reverses it into a Gory Special for a few seconds until Sugehit gets out of it and is successful in hitting the Code Red for a 2 count. I liked that Lita referenced how and why Sugehit wearing a mask may be a hindrance to her due to it blocking her peripheral vision. Kay Lee gets in control for a while and hits a flatliner like move as Sugehit was on her knees. Kay Lee locks Sugehit in a Koji clutch, but Sugehit easily is able to roll through it into a pin attempt, but Kay Lee gets her shoulder up at 2. Sugehit hits a spinning head scissors and seated atomic drop which she transitions into a rolling pin. Sugehit then hits two really nice roundhouse kicks to a seated Kay Lee. Kay Lee makes a comeback and hits a leg and arm trapped Gory Bomb for 2. Kay Lee goes up top, but misses a Swanton Bomb and this allows Sugehit to lock in her signature Fujiwara Armbar and as much as Kay Lee tries to fight it she eventually succumbs to the pain and is forced to tap out. Winner: Princesa Sugehit via Submission

This was an ok match to start the tournament off with, but I was a bit shocked when Sugehit picked up the win as I felt Kay Lee Ray was the one more hyped up coming into the show, but I guess they give us these surprise wins to keep us interested. Kay Lee's offense felt more original and creative where as Sugehit felt like she was more old school which makes sense as Lita said Sugehit has the most experience out of everyone else in the tournament. I'm not that knowledgeable about lucha, but for Sugehit being a luchadora she didn't use many moves off the ropes like the lucha style is known for as most of her offense were strikes, maybe she is saving that stuff for the future rounds of the tournament. Hopefully we get to see more of Kay Lee Ray in the future as she was fun to watch. Rating: *3/4

May Young Classic Round 1: Match #2

Serena Deeb (USA) vs Vanessa Borne (USA)
Prediction: Serena Deeb

We are shown that Naomi is in the audience and I have to imagine this is the first of many WWE girls we will see in the crowd as this tournament progresses. 

Vanessa Borne was on an episode of NXT a couple of months ago where she won a qualifying match to enter the tournament. Serena Deeb is the WWE veteran girl in the tournament as she had a one year stint in WWE back in 2010 where she was a member of CM Punk's Straight Edge Society, but was fired due to being caught drinking and not sticking with her gimmick of being straight edge.

This is the first match to feature the first ever WWE female referee her name is Jessika Carr. Jessika started in wrestling in 2009, but after college she decided to take it more seriously and moved down to Florida to train with the Dudley Boyz at the Team 3D academy. Carr was able to afford to do this because she was the winner of an NWA scholarship. She actually started out as a competitor, but was later asked by William Regal if she wanted to be a referee and she agreed.

We have an extended lock up sequence as both girls try to get the advantage as they take the other down while still locked up, Borne finally hits an arm drag on Serena to break the lock up. They go to lock up again, but Serena ducks and hits a waist lock take down and a couple of arm drags of her own. Serene reverses a whip into the corner and is looking for a monkey flip, but Borne counters and sends her out to the apron where she lands a massive headbutt on Serena. Borne stomps away at Serena as the crowd is not liking what they are seeing as Serena is the clear crowd favorite in this match. Borne hits a series of forearms in the corner and then snapmares Serena in the middle of the ring where she hits a sliding headbutt on a seated Serena for a 2 count. Borne locks in a chin lock and as Serena tries to get out of it Borne puts her back down. Serena finally gets to her feet and gets out of the chin lock by hitting Borne with a belly to back suplex. 

Serena comes back with some jabs and then a slam where it looks like she has trouble lifting the heavier Borne. Serena hits a hangman's neckbreaker for 2 and then follows that up with a gutbuster. Serena is down in the corner waiting for Borne to get up and when she does Serena charges at her, but Borne moves and Serena his the turnbuckle shoulder first. Borne hits a nice swinging neckbreaker that only gets a 2 and then out of frustration she mounts Serena and starts punching her. Borne hits a Samoan drop which she is confident should put Serena away, but Serena kicks out and now Borne is really furious and looks unsure of what to do next. Borne tries for a splash on a grounded Serena, but misses and this allows Serena to hit the spear she was looking for earlier and pick up the victory. Winner: Serena Deeb via Pinfall

I really like Vanessa Borne's look and think she could be something big one day, but she still needs some work in the ring as there are little things she does in the ring that come off a bit awkward and sloppy. There was a spot in the match after Serena slammed Borne that she started selling the arm for some reason and I can't figure out why as it hadn't been worked over prior. The referee did a good job although at first I did pay too much attention to her, but that's my fault and not hers as I just have to get used to a female referee. I will say I kinda hope the matches start becoming longer because these first two felt really short. Rating: *1/2

Mae Young Classic Round 1: Match #3
Shayna Baszler (USA) vs Zeda (China)
Prediction: Shayna Baszler

As Shayna makes her way to the ring we see that two of the other three UFC Horsewomen are at ringside Marina Shafir aka Mrs Roderick Strong and "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey.

Shayna starts out by refusing to participate in the pre match hand shake. 

Zeda tries a single leg takedown to start out with, but it doesn't work so she grabs the other leg to take Shayna down and then locks in a leg grapevine which Shayna easily stands up from. Shayna smacks Zeda in the face to get her to release the hold on her leg and then Shayna tries for an armbar, but Zeda quickly prevents that from happening and transitions into a rear naked choke. Shayna quickly gets out of the choke and lands some nice shots to the face before trying to lock in the armbar, but again Zeda counters this time even getting Shayna's shoulders down for a 1 count. Zeda tries for another single leg takedown, but Shayna blocks it so Zeda jumps up and wraps her legs around Shayna's body to which Shayna just responds by throwing her off to the mat butt first. Shayna hits some nice kicks in the corner and goes for a running knee, but Zeda moves and lands some mounted punches in he corner followed by a monkey flip for a 2 count. Zeda tries for a suplex on Shayna and that's not going to happen so instead she locks on a guillotine choke for a second until Shayna powers out and picks her up in a suplex position and sends her down with a falcon arrow like move and then in a blink of an eye transitions into a rear naked choke which Zeda quickly taps out to. We cut to the Four Horsewomen again and it turns out the fourth one is there, but I guess WWE didn't want her in the camera shot from earlier.

Winner: Shayna Baszler via Submission

This was the shortest match yet, but I enjoyed it so much just watching Shayna use her power and MMA skills to easily counter everything Zeda did to her. This was a lot of fun and I look forward to her future matches in the tournament. Rating: **

Mae Young Classic Round 1: Match #4

Abbey Laith (USA) vs Jazzy Gabert (Germany)
Prediction: Jazzy Gabert
Abbey Laith for those who don't know is the former Kimber Lee that has wrestled all over the American indy scene and is the only woman to win the Chikara Grand Championship. Jazzy is the former Alpha Female that wrestled all over Europe and in Japan for the STARDOM promotion.

As they shake hands Jazzy pulls Abbey into her and glares at her trying to intimidate the much smaller opponent. Abbey starts things off on fire with some forearm strikes, but Jazzy keeps shoving her across the ring and lets out a couple of guttural screams and then slams her down face first to the mat and then throws Abbey across the ring by her hair. Jazzy blocks a kick and sends Abbey down into a split position and then tries to kick her in the head, but Abbey ducks and is then able to hit a jawbreaker on Jazzy. Abbey tries for an arm drag, but Jazzy blocks and hits Abbey with a clothesline. Jazzy keeps trying to pin Abbey, but she keeps kicking out so Jazzy lands some forearm shots on her and then locks her in a grounded cobra clutch. After a couple of attempts Abbey is able to head scissor out of the move, but Jazzy looks to pick Abbey up while still having Abbey's legs around her neck however I think she loses balance and falls down, so Jazzy locks Abbey in a grounded sleeper. Abbey rolls Jazzy over trying to get a pin, but Jazzy kicks out. 

Jazzy puts Abbey in the corner and hits some shoulder thrusts followed by rapid fire succession of punches. Jazzy takes Abbey back down and puts her in a variation of a chin lock. Abbey fights to her feet and lands some elbow to the gut of Jazzy and tries to get away from her, but Jazzy still has hold of her wrist and is able to hit a vicious sounding ripcord elbow that looks to have knocked Abbey loopy. Jazzy runs at Abbey in the corner and is met with a boot to the face, Abbey goes up top and hits a crossbody, but is caught by Jazzy who slams her down to the mat and tries to get the pin using only one foot to cover her and Abbey kicks out. Jazzy then sets Abbey up for The Omega Slam (an inverted front powerslam), but Abbey slides out the back and goes to the corner and when Jazzy charges at her she locks her in Alligator Mutliation (a hanging arm trapped neck lock) which she has to break before 5 since she is in the ropes. 

Abbey hits a couple of roundhouse kicks to the chest followed by an enziguri which takes Jazzy down to her knees where she continues to hit some kicks to the chest followed by a big roundhouse kick to the head that both Tajiri and Daniel Bryan would be proud of and this only gets her a 2 count. Abbey looks to hit another move off the top, but is cut off by Jazzy who again tries to set her up for the Omega Slam and this time Abbey arm drags out of the move. Abbey hits a couple of bicycle kicks and a dropkick that sends Jazzy down. She goes up top again and hits a swanton bomb for a 2 count. Jazzy runs at Abbey and hits a beautiful lariat and then proceeds to mount Abbey and hit some rapid fire punches as Abbey does her best to cover up. For a third time Jazzy sets her up for the Omega Slam and this time Abbey is able to get out of it and transitions a Yoshitonic into the Alligator Roll to get the huge upset victory over the mighty Jazzy Gabert. After the match Jazzy shakes Abbey's hand and they hug as Jazzy raises Abbey's arm in victory. Winner: Abbey Laith via Pinfall

I'm really surprised they put these two together in the first round as it really didn't make sense for either of them to go out this early, especially Jazzy who you could've had some really interesting match ups with later on in the tournament. When they showed Abbey's video at the beginning and she talked about how much Mae Young meant to her because Mae invented the Alligator Roll which Abbey was taught and now uses I had to wonder why they were going to have her lose in the first round because I was for sure Jazzy was winning this match, but I guess Mr Levesque fooled me again. The match itself was really good as I always enjoy a good David vs Goliath match up. I liked Abbey's baby face fire in the match especially how she started out the match by going right at Jazzy with everything she had. Abbey's persistent not giving up attitude got the fans on her side as at first they were more behind Jazzy. Jazzy looked great being the dominant monster who's own arrogance became her downfall as she was outsmarted by Abbey. I really hope WWE does something with Jazzy because they need a big monster girl like her who is a bit more athletic and is actually seasoned where won't have to worry about her hurting other people in the ring like Nia has come close to doing. Really great way to close out the first show. Rating: **1/2

Overall episode 1 was a really good way to start out the tournament with one minor upset and one major upset and lots of good action from all the girls.  MYC Episode 1 Rating: B

Mae Young Classic - Round 1: Episode 2

We start the show with a video package recapping what happened in episode one and then we get the MYC intro video which I like a whole lot more than the CWC intro video that just showed a bunch of animated ninjas instead of the actual participants that are in the tournament. We go straight into our first match of this episode.

Mae Young Classic Round 1: Match #5
Mercedes Martinez (USA) vs Xia Li (China)
Prediction: Mercedes Martinez

We are told that this will be the first match ever for Xia Li and I have to question if that's true, and if it is I don't see why you would want to put someone who is having their first match in a prestigious tournament like this, especially since there is already someone else representing China. Xia performs a short little kung fu routine during her entrance.

As they face off for the pre match handshake Martinez mocks Xia by doing the stereotypical crane karate pose. Mercedes grounds Xia in the opening moments of the match with a waist lock take down and a side headlock. Mercedes takes Xia down with a snapmare and then does the spinning around on Xia's body as she toys around with her and is not taking her seriously one bit. Xia makes a come back with a couple of kicks to the leg and then a spinning kick that sends Mercedes into the corner, she follows up with some uppercuts in he corner before she throws Mercedes into the middle of the ring with a snapmare like move. Xia rolls Mercedes up in a crucifix pin for 2 and then dodges a running kick by Mercedes and then blocks a couple of attempted strikes by Mercedes. Mercedes catches a leg of Xia and uses it to spin her around and Xia answers that with a spinning kick to the mid section and then a spinning kick to a kneeling Mercedes and this only gets a 2 count. Xia completely stops where she is and is trying to fire up the crowd while she waits on Mercedes and as Mercedes gets to her knees Xia hits a weak looking superman punch. Xia runs to the ropes, but is caught with a spinebuster from Mercedes which only gets a 2 count to the surprise of Mercedes. Mercedes pulls Xia into the middle of the ring and locks in a surfboard dragon sleeper which Xia quickly submits to. Winner: Mercedes Martinez via Submission

You could absolutely tell this was Xia's first match as she didn't really know how to do many actual wrestling moves and relied mostly on her kung fu background for her entire offense. Someone who had some seasoning behind her wouldn't just freeze in the middle of the match while waiting on Mercedes to get up they would be doing more than what she did to get the crowd fired up and ready to see the move she was fixing to perform. Mercedes looked great in the match although she didn't have to do too much as this was more of a showcase for Xia and Mercedes just came back and won in the end because she was the veteran who knew how to put away her opponent and doesn't waste time in doing so. Rating: *1/2

Mae Young Classic Round 1: Match #6

Marti Belle (Dominican Republic) vs Rachel Evers (USA)
Prediction: Marti Belle
Rachel Evers is the daughter of Paul Ellering and in her intro package she says that as a kid she wasn't allowed to watch wrestling as her dad didn't want her to be around it, but later on he was ok with her getting into the business as he sees how much it has changed since he was in it. Marti Belle is the former Marti that was in TNA.

Rachel is ready to lock up at the bell, but Marti backs up into the ropes and makes the referee back Rachel up. Rachel tries again to lock up, but gets the exact same treatment as Marti tells her to back up. They finally lock up and Marti backs Rachel into the corner and this time the referee has to back Marti up. Marti locks in a side headlock, but Rachel reverses into one of her own until Marti pushes her off into the ropes and connects with a knee right in the mid section of Rachel and then hits her with a suplex that only get a 1 count. Marti is talking some trash to Rachel and then goes for a hip toss, but Rachel blocks it and hits a waist lock take down and then follows up with a bicycle kick that gets a 2 count. Rachel ducks a clothesline and takes Marti down with a back heel trip and then hits a spinning leg drop off the bottom rope for a 2 count. Rachel tries to stay on Marti, but Marti slides under the rope onto the apron, Rachel tries to reach over the rope and grab Marti to bring her back in, but Marti is able to block it by hanging Rachel throat first on the top rope. Marti gets back in and hits an inverted running neck snap on a seated Rachel for a 2 count. Marti hits a series of strikes before taking Rachel down with a clothesline for 2. 

Marti takes Rachel around the ring slamming her head into the top turnbuckle for each corner, but as she gets ready to slam her into the fourth turnbuckle Rachel blocks it and stares at Marti and as Marti is trying to beg off Rachel grabs her and slams her head repeatedly into the top turnbuckle and hits a series of forearm shots before taking Marti down with a kick. Rachel goes to hit a dropkick on the seated Marti, but it comes off looking like she missed the move. Rachel makes up for the terrible looking dropkick by hitting a nice looking senton back splash. Rachel sends Marti into the ropes and hits a spinebuster which gets her another 2 count. Rachel hit what looked to be at first a fisherman's buster, but instead of going back with her she slams her forward and this gets her another 2 count. Marti is finally able to make a comeback as she lures Rachel in and sends her throat first into the top rope and then hits a leg trip sending Rachel face first into the mat. Marti picks up Rachel and out of nowhere Rachel rolls her up with a small package and gets the win. Winner: Rachel Evers via Pinfall

I get that Rachel's dad works for WWE, but I feel the wrong person went over in this match as Marti was way better than Rachel in this match. Marti did a good job as the heel at the beginning of the match with all the stalling and then was great using short cuts in order to take advantage in the match. While Rachel is ok, she still needs some work as there were a few things in the match that were a bit off and when she made her comeback there wasn't enough fire behind it for my liking. Rating: *3/4

Holy shit before the next match we pan over to the crowd and I see American Ninja Warrior star Kacy Catanzaro and we are told that her and the girl standing beside her have been signed to a WWE deal. I'm super happy about this as I'm a big Kacy fan. The other girl is Shadia Bseiso who is a tv personality from Jordan and has a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

We cut to a short video package that showed Paul Levesque giving a speech to all of the MYC girls at the Performance Center.

Mae Young Classic Round 1: Match #7

Rhea Ripley (Australia) vs Miranda Salinas (USA)
Prediction: Rhea Ripley
Miranda was trained by Booker T at his Reality of Wrestling school, she says she is 5 feet tall and to that I say she better not be stealing my girl Alexa's gimmick lol. I really liked Rhea's video as she seems super fun and cool and I see her as someone I would like to hang out with.

They lock up and Miranda gets Rhea in a side headlock, but Rhea easily picks her up and throws her off. The fans are behind Rhea as an Aussie chant starts up. Miranda ducks a clothesline and locks in another side headlock, but Rhea gets control of her arm and makes Miranda break the hold and then Rhea applies a side headlock of her own. Miranda tries to push her off, but Rhea holds on tight to the headlock, Miranda looks like she is gonna send her off again but instead grabs a handful of Rhea's hair and uses it to get back in control of the match with another side headlock. Rhea pushes Miranda off into he ropes and as she comes back Rhea hits a big dropkick that sends Miranda scurrying to the outside to regroup. Once Miranda gets back into the ring Rhea charges at her, but Miranda catches her with a drop toe hold that sends her throat first into the middle rope, Miranda tries to get a pin on Rhea a couple of times, but Rhea keeps kicking out. Miranda tries to send Rhea head first into the top turnbuckle, but Rhea blocks it and the two exchange some chops in the corner which ends up pissing Rhea off as she charges at Miranda only to get caught with a snapmare and that is followed up with a running knee to the gut by Miranda for a 2 count. 

Miranda starts to toy around with Rhea and looks to connect with a chop, but Rhea stops her and then ducks a clothesline attempt by Miranda, Rhea hits some forearm shots and tries to send Miranda into the ropes, but Miranda counters and hits a short arm elbow on Rhea. Rhea is really pissed now as she fires up delivering a clothesline and a dropkick that sends Miranda into the corner where Rhea hits a running boot to the face and follows that up with a running dropkick into Miranda who is seated in the corner and all of that only gets Rhea another 2 count. Rhea tries to pick Miranda up by her waist, but Miranda goes dead weight and then slips between Rhea's legs and clips the knee. Miranda hits a tilt a while small package that gets two and as she gets back to her feet she is caught with a big kick from Rhea and then Rhea hits her with a full nelson slam for the win. Winner: Rhea Ripley via Pinfall

I really liked both of these girls and they put on a really good match. I liked that both girls not only told the story of the match through the moves, but through facial expressions as well as you knew that Miranda was fixing to get it when Rhea gave that pissed off look. The fire that Rhea showed in her comeback is more of what I wanted out of Rachel Evers in the previous match. I hope to see both of these women become big stars in the future. Rating: **1/4

Mae Young Classic Round 1: Match #8
Sarah Logan (USA) vs Mia Yim (South Korea)
Prediction: Mia Yim

Mia Yim is the former Jade in TNA, in her intro video she talks about how she came out last year as a victim of domestic abuse and wants to use her story and success after the fact as inspiration to others who are going through the same thing that she went through. Sarah Logan is the backwoods country girl who grew up having to hunt and kill what she ended up eating for supper. She saved up money and four days after graduating high school she went to Japan to learn how to wrestle strong style. I say that if WWE ever does make Sister Abigail an actual character then they should get Sarah to play the part as her accent is as country and backwoods as your going to get. I also really like Sarah's theme music.

Before the entrances we cut the crowd and see Natalya and Beth Phoenix are sitting ringside watching the show. 

They lock up and Mia gets a side headlock on Sarah, but Sarah counters it into a front facelock and Mia counters that and proceeds to wrench on the arm before transitioning into a hammer lock and then a waist lock which Sarah gets out of by hitting Mia with a back elbow. Sarah hits a running shoulder block, but Mia quickly comes back with an arm drag and a running dropkick that gets her a 2 count. Mia connects with a few roundhouse kicks to the chest before Sarah comes back with a headbutt and then a running knee to the mid section of Mia for 2. Sarah mounts Mia and lands some punches and gets another 2 count. Sarah then applies a submission hold on the arm that I have never seen before which is always cool when you see something new after watching wrestling for as long as I have. Mia is able to roll toward Sarah which causes Sarah's shoulders to be down so she has no choice but to break the hold and as soon as she does Sarah levels her with a front dropkick. Mia makes a comeback as she delivers a series of strikes to Sarah that gets her a 2 count. 

Mia hits Sarah with a few more kicks that backs her into the corner where Mia is able to lock in the Tarantula and then follows that up with a missile dropkick of the middle rope for a 2 count. Mia goes for a standing guillotine choke which causes Sarah to stumble around so Mia rolls through and turns it into a seated guillotine choke. Sarah is able to power out of the hold and we then get an exchange of forearm shots as both girls are seated. Sarah hits Mia with a hard forearm which Mia just smiles at and then the forearm exchange turns into an exchange of slaps until Sarah gets enough and just starts kicking Mia away from her so that she can get back to her feet. We get a jab and chop combo from Sarah and then she hits a nice hip toss and beautifully floats over with a cartwheel into two knees to the face for a 2 count. Mia counters an irish whip into a bridging belly to back suplex, but I don't think Sarah knew Mia was going to bridge as she got a bit out of position, but quickly recovered and Mia was able to get a 2 count. Mia then hits a bridging german suplex which gets another 2 count to the disbelief of Mia. Mia hits some more kicks to the chest and back of Sarah and tries to go for a move, but Sarah counters into a school boy roll up for 2. Mia gives Sarah a big slap to the face and runs off the ropes only to be caught with a release northern lights suplex for 2. Sarah runs at Mia and hits her with two knees to the chest that knocks Mia back into the corner, Sarah sets up Mia on the middle rope and hits a bridging fisherman's suplex off the middle rope for 2. Sarah goes for the Hail Mary (headstand into a knee drop on a kneeling opponent), but Mia moves and hits a spin kick to the head of Sarah followed by Eat Defeat to pick up the win. Winner: Mia Yim via Pinfall

First off I have to say I like both of these girl's looks as both are very unique, you have Mia who is more futuristic looking with the blue look and Sarah who has the whole country thing going on mixed with a bit of an MMA look. It's really nice to see Sarah in a match that isn't a 3 minute match where she gets squashed on NXT tv. This match was everything I could have asked for as both girl's styles are a lot alike as they both have a great striking game. I enjoyed the seated strike exchange the two had and I liked that Sarah pulled out a submission move I've never seen before. I have known how good Mia is for a while after watching her in TNA, but now I see how good Sarah is and between her wrestling style, her look, her personality, and her accent she may have just become one of my new favorites to watch and I hope after this she gets an actual push in NXT instead of just getting squashed because WWE needs someone with a country gimmick as that's exactly what's missing from the women's division. Rating: ***

Episode 2 was a really good show and better than episode 1 as I loved the main event and the match between Rhea and Miranda was really good. The only weak match on this show was the opening match between Mercedes and Xia, but even that was fun to watch. MYC Episode 2 Rating: A -

Mae Young Classic - Round 1: Episode 3

We get a recap of episode 2 and get a quick introduction by our announce team and go straight into the first match.

Mae Young Classic Round 1: Match #9

Ayesha Raymond (UK) vs Toni Storm (Australia)
Prediction: Toni Storm
So didn't get too much from Ayesha's video other than she can dead lift over 400 lbs and she paints her face up to look like a cat. I have to be honest before this tournament I thought Toni was from the UK because all I knew was that she is a big name in the UK women's wrestling scene, so I figured she was from there. I really like the character Toni Storm portrays as the bad ass rock star. Toni absolutely oozes charisma and you can't help but like her from the moment she opens her mouth to talk. I love the little top hat that sits on the side of her head, for some people that would look dumb but on Toni she makes it look cool.

Ayesha refuses to shake Toni's hand as the crowd is fully behind the Aussie. Ayesha shoves Toni and then goes for a clothesline, but Toni ducks and goes behind with a rear waist lock that Ayesha easily breaks. Ayesha takes Toni down with a headlock takeover, but Toni slides her way out of the move and gets back to her feet. Toni extends her hand again and this time Ayesha looks to shake it, but Toni is having none of that as she pulls her hand back. Ayesha wrenches on Toni's arm, but Toni reverses into her own arm wrench. Ayesha hits Toni with a few punches and a shot to the throat and then goes off the ropes, but Toni outsmarts her and is able to hit her with a running boot. Toni then snapmares Ayesha and decides to take a page out of Ryusuke Taguchi's playbook and hits a series of hip attacks to the face of Ayesha and I have to say the girl has a nice booty and she knows how to use it to her advantage. 

Toni runs at Ayesha who is in the corner, but gets caught with a boot and a sidewalk slam by Ayesha. Ayesha slams Toni and gets a 2 count. Ayesha hits a running splash in the corner and then chokes Toni on the middle rope. Ayesha picks Toni up with a two handed choke, but Toni gets out of it with a headbutt that looks to have hurt Toni just as much as it did Ayesha. Ayesha runs at Toni who's in the corner, but Toni moves and then spins Ayesha's around in the corner and hits a backstabber followed by a running knee in the corner. Toni hits a release northern lights suplex and nips up. Toni goes up top, but is cut off and thrown off the top rope by Ayesha. Ayesha goes up to the middle rope, but instead of jumping on Toni she decides to argue with the fans. Ayesha goes up top and looks to hit a splash, but there is no water in the pool as Toni is able to get out of the way, Toni executes an Oklahoma roll on Ayesha and gets the win. Winner: Toni Storm via Pinfall

This match was all about Toni as she was the star of this match and Ayesha was just a warm body in there for her to have a match with. I like that Toni has a unique style where you don't know what she is gonna do next as her move set is very diverse. For the short time that Ayesha was in control there was nothing she did that really impressed me. Rating: *1/2

We get a shot at ringside where we see NXT coach Sara Amato and Charlotte watching the action.

Mae Young Classic Round 1: Match #10
Dakota Kai (New Zealand) vs Kavita Devi (India)
Prediction: Dakota Kai

Hey WWE if your going to change Evie's name could you have at least changed it to something that isn't similar to another one of the MYC competitors or better yet keep that name and just don't have them face each other in the tournament because it's somewhat confusing. Kavita is the first female from India to ever compete in a WWE ring and was trained by Great Khali who apparently trains all the Indian wrestlers, which can't be a good thing as he hardly ever did an actual wrestling move his entire career. Poor Kavita is the only person so far from a foreign country that I've noticed who's music is stereotypical to where she is from.

Kavita and Dakota lockup and Kavita uses her power to push Dakota across the ring a couple of times, seeing as she can't match power with her opponent she uses her speed to get a quick school girl roll up for only a 1 count. Kavita hits a really bad looking arm drag that was more like a wrist drag. Kavita grabs a hold of the wrist of Dakota and hits a springboard arm drag. Kavita keeps control of the wrist and lifts Dakota in the air by one arm and then hits another springboard arm drag. It's after she hits the second one that JR makes a hilarious comment that her doing that move was right out of the Khali playbook. Dakota tries to make a comeback with some kicks to the mid section, but Kavita puts an end to that quickly with a couple of back elbows. Kavita sends Dakota into the ropes, but she ducks her head to early and Dakota kicks her in the face and then hits a sunset flip that only gets a 1 count. Dakota tries to hit a couple of dropkicks, but gets swatted away by Kavita. Kavita picks Dakota up in a fireman's carry position and then lifts her over her head and slams her down to the mat with a press slam. Then Kavita just walks around for a good 20 seconds doing nothing as she waits for Dakota to get to her feet. 

Kavita runs and charges into Dakota in the corner and then biels her from one corner of the ring to the other and then she does it again and after that she is just standing around again. Kavita charges at Dakota in the corner, but Dakota moves and Kavita crashes into the corner. Dakota gets a running start and hits Kavita with a bit boot in the corner and follows that up with a double stomp off the top rope to get the win. Winner: Dakota Kai via Pinfall

This match was confusing, how does someone who dominated the entire match and showed to be much stronger and much bigger than her opponent lose after one kick to the face and a double stomp? They should have just had Kavita win this one as she did a decent job in this match and definitely exceeded my expectations. If they weren't going to have Kavita win then they should have had Dakota get in more offense as this just made it look like she won the match by a fluke and doesn't make her look like a credible competitor in her future matches in the tournament. Rating: *1/4

We cut back to ringside and this time we see members of the Johnson/Maivia family which includes Dany Garcia, Simone Johnson, & Ata Johnson (The Rock's ex wife, daughter, and mother) and Nia Jax.

Mae Young Classic Round 1: Match #11
Sage Beckett (USA) vs Bianca Belair (USA)
Prediction: Bianca Belair

Bianca reminds me of a modern day Jacqueline (no it's not just because she's black) as she has a very confident attitude and relies a lot on her power. Bianca also has a very long braided pony tail just like Jacqueline used to have, but the only difference is Bianca makes it no secret that she will use her hair as a weapon during her matches. I think Sage is suppose to be the weird somewhat creepy girl as she calls herself a Shaman, but I'm not getting that vibe from her at all she just seems like a normal girl who is a bit larger than the others and uses her power to her advantage.

As Bianca is getting in the ring we get some vintage JR as he just has to talk about what colleges Bianca went to and has to point out they are all SEC schools.

The two powerful women lockup and jockey for position, but neither can get an advantage and we then get a stare down where Bianca talks some trash and shoves Sage. Bianca puts on a side headlock, but Sage pushes her off into the ropes and hits her with a shoulder block which Bianca immediately nips up from. Sage hits a big slam followed by a running elbow drop for a 1 count. Bianca reverses a whip into the ropes, but puts her head down too early and Sage knocks her down with a strike. Sage sends Bianca into the corner and is looking for a splash, but Bianca side steps her and hits a beautiful looking dropkick for a count of 1. Bianca connects with some mud hole stomps in the corner and then some forearm shots. Sage shoves Bianca back and runs at her, but is taken down with a clothesline that gets Bianca a 2 count. 

Sage punches Bianca right in the stomach and then slams her to the mat, she looks to run to the ropes but Bianca trips her and slams her face first into the mat repeatedly. Bianca gets some nice height on both a standing leg drop to the back of Sage as well as a splash that gets another 2 count. Bianca has Sage's arms in a double chicken wing position, but Sage over powers her and flips her over. Sage catches a running Bianca in a sit out full nelson slam for 2. Sage hits some big punches on Bianca and then sends her into the corner where she hits the splash she was looking for earlier and follows that up with a running dropkick for only a 1 count. Sage hits a running knee lift and then picks Bianca up and puts her in a tree of woe where she hits her with a running hip attack. Sage goes up to the middle rope and takes a long time posing for the crowd which causes her to miss a slingshot splash off the middle rope. Bianca gets to her feet and whips Sage in the chest with her hair and then quickly capitalizes with a spear to get the win. Winner: Bianca Belair via Pinfall

I really liked Bianca and think she has the potential to be a big star as she has the same kind of cocky swagger that Sasha Banks has. Bianca is very athletic and has a great mix of speed and power in her moves. Bianca also has some great intensity and fire when she is in the ring that you can't help but get behind. Sage didn't show me anything that special and out of the larger than normal sized girls we have seen so far she is the least impressive and is pretty much just average in the ring. Rating: *3/4

Mae Young Classic Round 1: Match #12
Piper Niven (Scotland) vs Santana Garrett (USA)
Prediction: Santana Garrett

Santana has wrestled all over the US indys and in Japan for the Stardom promotion. The announcers are calling her the Wonder Woman of the tournament. I would like to apologize to Piper Niven as I have been saying the entire time that she was the one who was in TNA as Rosie Lottalove, but after further investigating on wikipedia I found out it wasn't her and that it was in fact Sage Beckett that was Rosie Lottalove. I'm so glad that we have a girl like Piper in the tournament as up until the last few years the only way a girl that looks like Piper would've gotten onto WWE television was is if she was in a skit where she was being made fun of the entire time (oh dear God I dread if this girl gets signed and goes up to the main roster as Vince and Kevin Dunn will have a field day with her and make her life miserable by embarrassing her on worldwide tv). I have to say that she is really attractive and has a really cute face. I'm a firm believer that just because a girl is heavier doesn't mean she can't be just as beautiful as the girls who are skinny.

The girls shake hand and as Santana tries to walk away Piper pulls her back in trying to intimidate her. They lockup and Piper uses her strength to easily push Santana back into the corner and gives a clean break, but not before giving a disrespectful tap to the jaw of Santana which pisses Santana off and she shoves Piper. Santana goes behind and locks in a side headlock, but it is quickly reversed into an arm wrench and then Piper reverses that into an arm wrench of her own and then she takes Santana down with a back heel trip and gets a 1 count. Both girls reverse a couple of arm wrenches until Santana takes control of Piper's arm, Piper keeps trying to punch Santana so she will let go of her arm, but Santana keeps ducking out of the way. Santana keeps working on the arm as she applies a modified abdominal stretch that only works on the arms of Piper. Piper uses her strength to pick Santana up in somewhat of a rack position, but Santana is able to transition into an attempted sunset flip, but Piper isn't going down and decides to try and sit on Santana, but Santana moves and Piper lands on nothing but canvas. Santana runs off the ropes and hits a boot to the chest of the seated Piper and covers her for a 2 count. Santana tries to whip Piper into the corner, but Piper isn't budging and sends Santana into the corner instead and charges at her, but Santana is able to get out of the way in time. Santana takes Piper down with a tilt a whirl head scissors. Santana ducks a clothesline from Piper, but isn't able to avoid the running cross body that gets Piper a 2 count. Piper locks Santana in a cravate and hits her with a headbutt that even stuns Piper for a second. Santana fights out of the cravate and runs off the ropes and is put down with a back elbow from Piper that gets 2. 

Piper locks in a cobra clutch and then hits a ripcord sit out clothesline for 2. Piper whips Santana into the corner and charges at her, but is met with a big boot to the face. Santana goes out to the apron and is able to move out of the way when Piper charges at her and hits her with a kick to the head. As Santana gets back in she uses the bottom rope as a bit of a spingboard and hits a tornado DDT for 2. Santana hits a series of forearm smashes and a running dropkick that has Piper dazed. Santana blocks an attempted clothesline and hits Piper with an Eat Defeat that sends Piper reeling back into the corner. Santana hits a handspring elbow and tries to follow that up with a bulldog out of the corner, but Piper pushes her off, Piper runs to the ropes and hits a splash/crossbody on a seated Santana for a 2 count. Piper goes up the middle rope looking to dive on Santana, but is cut off as Santana attempts to hit a headstand frankensteiner out of the corner but is pushed down by Piper. Santana comes back with a big punch to Piper who is still on the middle turnbuckle so Santana tries again for the headstand frankensteiner and this time is successful, but again only gets a near fall. Santana hits a superkick on Piper and then attempts to hit her Shining Star Press (handspring against the ropes into a moonsault), but Piper moves and uses this as an opportunity to hit a senton splash on the back of Santana. Piper picks Santana up and hits her with a Michinoku Driver for the win. Winner: Piper Niven via Pinfall

This was a pretty good match for the main event although I think I prefer the first two show's main events more than this match. I enjoyed watching Piper as it's fun to see a girl with a different body type like hers in the ring and see that she can move and keep up with the girls who are thinner than her without blowing up. One thing that bothered me in this match was Santana's face when she was selling as it looked like she was either smiling or laughing and that threw me off a bit. I thought that Santana was going to pick up the win here as she is the more well known of the two, but I'm glad I was wrong as I feel there are some uniquely interesting matches that could happen with Piper moving on. Rating: **1/4

That's a wrap for episode 3 of the Mae Young Classic, while this show was fun to watch I would consider it the weakest of the first three episodes as I only have one of the matches from this show in my top half on my MYC Round 1 rankings, hopefully round 1 will finish strong with the fourth episode. MYC Episode 3 Rating: C+

Mae Young Classic - Round 1: Episode 4

We open episode four with a video showing everyone that has made it through to the next round and the main focal point being who will move on to claim the last four spots in the next round. 

Mae Young Classic Round 1 - Match #13
Candice LeRae (USA) vs Renee Michelle (USA)
Prediction: Candice LeRae

This is a match that I'm very interested in because I am curious to see what Renee Michelle is like in the ring as I came across her earlier this year just by some random google search and I was in awe of just how absolutely gorgeous this girl is (I still think she looks a lot like Brandi Rhodes even though my podcast co-host disagrees), but I never chose to seek out any of her matches so now I finally get to see if her work in the ring is as beautiful as her appearance. The bitter sweet part of this match is that Renee most likely isn't going to advance as she is going against Mrs Gargano (who is sitting ringside during this match) herself Candice LeRae. We all know how cute Candice is after all she is one half of The World's Cutest Tag Team with Joey Ryan, but even though I have heard so much about her she is another that I've never actually seen a match of so I look forward to seeing if she lives up to her hype.

We actually get a nice respectful handshake to start this match out which is nice to see. We start out with both girls executing and reversing arm wrenches until Renee gets Candice in a side headlock, but Candice quickly pushes her off into the ropes and Renee comes back with a shoulder block and blows a kiss at Candice. We get a bit of mis-direction by Candice to confuse Renee so that she could come off the ropes and roll Renee up for 1 and then Renee counters into a pin of her own for 1. Candice sweeps the leg and makes a cover, but Renee matrixes her way out of the pin so Candice quickly catches her with a school boy for 2. This was a really nice exchange of chain wrestling by both girls. 

Candice extends her hand for another handshake and Renee obliges, but this time she pulls Candice in for a side headlock which Candice quickly fights out of and hits a jawbreaker. Candice hits a nice springboard arm drag and then runs at Renee in the corner, but Renee sends Candice over the top and out to the apron. Renee looks for a shoulder thrust, but Candice moves and kicks her in the head. Candice goes up top and hits a beautiful looking missile dropkick for 2. Candice applies an arm bar that Renee gets out of with some shots to the mid section. Candice runs off the ropes, but Renee counters and sends Candice face first into her knee. Renee runs off the ropes and hits a weak looking kick to the leg that sends Candice down to one knee so Renee kicks her in the head and this gets a 2 count. Candice tries to make a comeback to no use as Renee hits her with a hangman's facebuster (Curtis Axel's finisher) for 2. Renee hits two roundhouse kicks to the chest of Candice and looks for a third, but Candice ducks and hits her with a lung blower. 

Candice starts to make her comeback as she hits a clothesline and then catches a kick from Renee and spins her around so she can hit a neckbreaker for 2. Candice hits a rapid fire combo of forearms and chops in the corner and then runs at Renee, but she rolls out of the way and crashes into the corner. Renee runs and hits a weak looking running forearm in the corner. Renee runs to the ropes and Candice follows right behind her and hits her with a running forearm and then a running dropkick to the leg that takes Renee down. Candice tries a roundhouse kick of her own, but Renee ducks and rolls her away school boy style and then tries to nip up and almost falls. Renee hits a nice spin kick and then stalls for a second before making the cover that gets a 2 count to the disbelief of Renee who kind of just stands there for a second before capitalizing on Candice who is still down. Renee hits a nice sprinboard moonsault from the middle rope, but unfortunately for her Candice is able to move out of the way and then Candice hits a running dropkick for 2. Candice runs at Renee in the corner and Renee is able to get her boot up to stop her, but Candice catches the boot and uses it to hoist her up to the top where she hits Mrs LeRae's Wild Ride (a middle rope swinging neckbreaker) for the victory. Winner: Candice LeRae via Pinfall

This was a really fun match to open the fourth episode of the MYC. Candice looked great and just from watching this one match deserves the praise that she gets. Renee overall looked good too, but there were a few things here and there that bothered me such as a few of her strikes looking a little bit weak and at time she seemed a bit unsure of what to do, but that could have easily been nerves of being on the big stage of WWE. I do hope this isn't the last we see of Renee as with a bit more work she could be a great addition to the WWE/NXT roster. Rating: **1/2

Before the entrances of the next match we cut to the crowd and see the only girl that could kick every single woman in this tournament's ass none other than "5 Feet of Fury" and Raw Women's Champion and Goddess to all Alexa F'N Bliss (and also Izzy was in the background which gets no mention from the announcers)

Mae Young Classic Round 1: Match #14
Taynara Conti (Brazil) vs Lacey Evans (USA)
Prediction: Lacey Evans

Taynara says she is the first Brazilian in WWE and has a 15 year background in Judo. Lacey Evans is a former Marine and I have to say I'm just not a fan of the whole 1940s look that Lacey has going on and wish that if they are going to go with the whole marine thing they would make it more of a current look, maybe even going with some camo gear. Taynara comes out with her country's flag which is a nice touch and kind of wish everyone would have done that, she also comes out wearing her Judo Gi and I think it would be cool if that was the gear she actually wore during the match. Lacey comes out with a mini version of the American flag which she gives to her daughter to hold. 

As Lacey is entering the ring Taynara could care less as she has a great resting bitch face and has her arms crossed. Taynara decides to bow instead of shake hands. They lock up and Taynara goes behind and pushes Lacey and then hits her with a judo hip toss for a 1 count. Taynara talks some trash and pushes Lacey's head in a mocking manner so Lacey shoves her down for 1. Lacey sends Taynara into the corner and floats over onto the apron where she hits Taynara with a forearm before hitting a single leg kick as she jumps over the rope to get back in the ring and this gets a 2 count. Lacey applies a standing armbar and then takes Taynara down for another 2 count and then goes back to the standing armbar, but Taynara pushes her off and delivers a few strikes before slamming her to the mat by her hair. Taynara goes to the ropes and then stops and turns around and is met with a kick to the gut. Lacey goes back to the armbar until Taynara fights her off and sends her into the ropes where she hits a release belly to belly throw that gets her a 2 count. 

Taynara hits a tomoenage throw for a 2 count (while all of this is happening JR is obsessed over the fact that Taynara started training in judo at the age of 7). Taynara looks like she wants to choke her on the middle rope with her foot, but Lacey just moves out of the way. Lacey catches a kick and shoves Taynara down and then hits her in the mid section. Taynara hits a nice swinging side slam for 2. Lacey hits a pair of clotheslines and then hits a swinging neckbreaker, Lacey rolls backwards into a headstand and hits an elbow drop. Lacey has Taynara down in the corner and does a headstand on the top and comes crashing down with a bronco buster like move. Lacey then hits a belly to back piledriver for the win. Winner: Lacey Evans via Pinfall

Wow this was not a good match at all and the only enjoyment I got out of it was watching Taynara use her judo moves. Lacey looked really bad in this match as everything she did was sloppy and her armbar looked really weak. I wish Taynara would have advanced as she was more interesting to watch in this match as she was actually doing a bit of trash talking and trying to be a heel. Rating: 1/2 *

Mae Young Classic Round 1 - Match #15
Nicole Savoy (USA) vs Reina Gonzalez (USA)
Prediction: Nicole Savoy
Reina is a 2nd generation wrestler as her father is Ricky Gonzalez. Nicole Savoy is known as "The Queen of Suplexes" and she likes to talk a lot of trash. Reina comes to the ring wearing a cowboy hat, chaps, and for some reason an eye patch. 

Reina refuses to shake hands and for some reason decides that the eye patch and chaps will be apart of her ring gear and I have to ask who gave her this idea it's bad enough just to wear it for your entrance, but to wear it while in the match is kind of ridiculous. They lockup and Reina uses her power to push Nicole back into the corner and then gives a clean break. We get another lockup and this time Reina locks in a hammerlock, Nicole tries to counter out of it with an arm drag but isn't strong enough to take over the larger opponent. Nicole tries for another arm drag and again is unsuccessful in her attempt and is slammed to the mat as Reina talks some trash. We get a third lockup and this time Nicole gets in a side headlock, but has to break it as Reina backs her into the ropes. Nicole locks in the headlock again, but is pushed off into the ropes and comes back to a couple of shoulder blocks which neither woman budges from. Nicole runs off the ropes and hits a hurricanrana taking down Reina and then hits a few strikes before getting yanked down to the mat by her hair. 

Reina is selling the mid section from a spin kick that Nicole hit, but is able to hit a nice clothesline. Nicole tries to pick the leg of Reina to get her down for a submission move, but Reina stops that from happening with a kick to Nicole's back. Reina hits Nicole with some clubbing shots and then hits Nicole with a sidewalk slam for a 2 count. Reina locks in an inverted boston crab and for a moment it looks like Nicole is going to tap, but she fights through and is finally able to get Reina down for a moment until Reina gets to the ropes. Nicole is selling the leg after the crab, but tries to make a comeback with some forearm shots. Nicole runs to the ropes and is again taken down by Reina with a shoulder block. Reina gets Nicole up in a fireman's carry position, but Nicole holds on to her arm so she isn't able to pull off the move she is looking for. Nicole is able to transition out of the fireman carry and attempts a cross arm bar and after a bit of struggle she gets it locked in and it isn't long before Reina taps out and Nicole moves on to the next round. Winner: Nicole Savoy via Submission

This was one of many matches where the competitor with the least experience takes control of most of the match and then the veteran pulls out a quick win at the very end, which makes more sense in this match than it did in some of the matches earlier in the tournament as Nicole at least had to deal with the power and size advantage that Reina had on her. Reina did a good job while in control of most the match and while she didn't do anything too special in the match other than the inverted crab everything she did do she did well. It's pretty funny that they make a big deal out of Nicole being the queen of suplexes yet she didn't use one in this match, but hopefully that will come in her next match. Rating: *

Mae Young Classic Round 1: Match #16
Kairi Sane (Japan) vs Tessa Blanchard (USA)
Prediction: Kairi Sane
Tessa Blanchard is a third generation wrestler as her father is Tully Blanchard and her grandfather is Joe Blanchard. For some reason while talking about her family in her video the camera man decides to get a closeup shot of her butt that has Blanchard written across it (not that I'm complaining). Tessa is also the current girlfriend of indy and NJPW star Ricochet. I have to wonder how long it will be before they have her on the main roster as partners with Charlotte. Kairi Sane is better known as Kairi Hojo from the Stardom promotion in Japan. Her gimmick is that she is a pirate.

The two competitors circle the ring and then lock up and that is quickly broken, they lock up again and are jockeying for position as Tessa backs Kairi into the ropes to break the lockup. Tessa goes for a shot at Kairi, but she ducks and backs away. They feel each other out and we get a test of strength which Tessa gets the best off as she breaks the grip of Kairi with a knee and quickly transitions into a hammerlock and then a side headlock. Tessa really cranks in on the headlock and when she is turned away from the referee she delivers a couple of closed fists punches to the head of Kairi. Kairi fights out and pushes Tessa off into the ropes where she catches her with a roll up for 2. Kairi runs off the ropes and hits a running blockbuster on a kneeling Tessa. 

Tessa reverses an irish whip and follows Kairi in and connects with a forearm shot, she then sends her into the ropes again and connects with a running neckbreaker for 2. Tessa sends Kairi into the corner and runs at her, but is met with a boot as Kairi uses this as a chance to attempt a move off the middle rope. Kairi is cut off before she can dive as Tessa kicks her in the leg which makes Kairi straddle the middle rope (think of Goldust's opponent position during Shattered Dreams) and then from that position Tessa delivers a lung blower for 2. Tessa locks in an abdominal stretch and is cranking on the neck until Kairi elbows out of it and hits Tessa with a hip toss. Kairi tries to take control as she picks Tessa up, but Tessa fires off with a series of really brutal forearm shots which sends Kairi back into the corner. Tessa looks to charge at Kairi in the corner, but out of nowhere Kairi explodes out of the corner with a spear out of desperation and now both girls are down. 

Kairi is the first to her feet as she hits a series of chops and shoulder thrusts to Tessa in the corner. Kairi marches to the opposite corner and runs back with a sliding forearm shot to Tessa who is seated in the corner. Kairi says that its over as she climbs to the top, but Tessa is already back on her feet so Kairi comes off the top with a flying forearm for a 2 count. Kairi locks in an octopus stretch and with Kairi on her back Tessa is able to walk to the ropes to break the hold. Kairi runs off the ropes and is looking for something, but Tessa side steps her sending her into the middle rope. Tessa runs off he ropes and hits a running dropkick to the back of Kairi as she is still up against the ropes and immediately follows up with a running back elbow to the back of Kairi. Tessa hits a couple of short arm clotheslines and then a belly to back suplex for 2. Tessa goes up top and is temporarily cut off by Kairi, but she gives her a couple of headbutts and sends her crashing back down to the mat. Tessa comes off the top and hits a diving senton (but she doesn't get all of it like she wanted) and to Tessa's surprise Kairi kicks out at 2. 

Tessa picks Kairi up and is looking for some kind of move, but Kairi blocks it and tries to set Tessa up for an Alabama slam, however Tessa rolls through into a pin for 2 and then Kairi reverses into her own pin that also only gets 2. Kairi looks for another sliding forearm, but Tessa catches her arm and rolls her into a crucifix pin for 2. Tessa goes for a kick to Kairi's head, but Kairi catches her and takes her down and then delivers an axe kick to the head of Tessa. Kairi hits the Alabama slam she was looking for earlier and then goes up top where she hits her amazing version of the diving elbow to get the win. Winner: Kairi Sane via Pinfall

First off damn you Paul Levesque for having these two face off in the first round as they both deserved to make it further in this tournament. This match was great and was the kind of quality match that I hoped for from this tournament, while it took the entire first round before we got a match this good it was worth it and I hope this is a sign of things to come for the rest of the tournament. I can't say anything negative about either girl as they put on a really great match. Rating: ***3/4

That's all for episode four and the entire first round. While this episode had two stinkers in the middle the matches that book ended the episode were really good to great so I feel the show was balanced out properly. As for the entire first round it was good but not great as there were a lot of fat that had to be trimmed of girls that to be completely honest probably weren't ready for this tournament, but now that most of those girls are gone we should be set for more matches that give us the same quality that the main event from episode four gave us.
MYC Episode 4 Rating: B -   MYC 1st Round Rating: C

Here are the matches we have to look forward to in Round 2:
Abbey Laith (USA) vs Rachel Evers (USA)
Princesa Sugehit (Mexico) vs Mercedes Martinez (USA)
Nicole Savoy (USA) vs Candice LeRae (USA)
Mia Yim (South Korea) vs Shayna Baszler (USA)
Kairi Sane (Japan) vs Bianca Belair (USA)
Dakota Kai (New Zealand) vs Rhea Ripley (Australia)
Serena Deeb (USA) vs Piper Niven (Scotland)
Lacey Evans (USA) vs Toni Storm (Australia)

Mae Young Classic First Round Match Ranking

16. Lacey Evans vs Taynara Conti
15. Nicole Savoy vs Reina Gonzalez
14. Dakota Kai vs Kavita Devi
13. Mercedes Martinez vs Xia Li
12. Toni Storm vs Ayesha Raymond
11. Serena Deeb vs Vanessa Borne
10. Rachel Evers vs Marti Belle
9. Bianca Belair vs Sage Beckett
8. Princesa Sugehit vs Kay Lee Ray
7. Shayna Baszler vs Zeda
6. Rhea Ripley vs Miranda Salinas
5. Piper Niven vs Santana Garrett

4. Candice LeRae vs Renee Michelle
3. Abbey Laith vs Jazzy Gabert
2. Mia Yim vs Sarah Logan
1. Kairi Sane vs Tessa Blanchard