Before we get into the review I want to thank all of the people who checked out my review of round 1 as it is the most viewed review that I have done since I started this blog back in January and that is a great feeling and I hope the number of views keeps increasing. If you like or don't like something I post please don't hesitate to comment either on here or over on my twitter @MTW3589 and let me know as I want to get better at this so constructive criticism is necessary, also if you like give me a +1 as those are nice also.
I'm here once again to review all of the matches in the continuation of the prestigious Mae Young Classic. After a decent first round of action I can't wait to get into round 2 which is sure to be even better than the first round as most of the more inexperienced girls have been eliminated. As always I will have my ratings for each match as well as my match ranking at the end of the post, at first I was going to do a separate match ranking round by round but I have now decided to make the match ranking one giant ranking for the entire tournament. With all of that being said let's get into the action.
We go into the arena where there is a spotlight and close up on the MYC trophy and I have to say I like this trophy much more than the CWC trophy. The lights come on in the Full Sail arena and we see the sweet sixteen that are in the tournament standing on the stage as we are welcomed to the show by JR and Lita.
As Rachel makes her way to the ring JR talks about her being the strongest woman in the tournament which I have to question, but it could be true as she does have power lifting records to prove it. We get a cool little graphic as her nameplate which I don't believe was used in the first round where it shows her height, finisher, and wrestling style. We see Kassius Ohno at ringside as Lita lets us know that he is Rachel's number one supporter. JR lets us know that Abbey has been going to dance school all of her life.
The crowd is on fire at the beginning of the match as we have chants for both women going on. We get the pre-match handshake and we are ready to go. The match starts out with what looks to be our usual lockup, but Abbey floats behind is able to pull out an arm drag. We get another attempt at a lockup, but this time Rachel goes behind and tosses Abbey away with a waist lock take down. Abbey goes for a big roundhouse kick to the head, but Rachel ducks so Abbey sweeps the leg and gets a 1 count. Abbey follows that up by hitting a running forearm to the back of a seated Rachel. Abbey then hits a springboard arm drag that sends Rachel rolling to the outside and Abbey launches herself out of the ring with a tope suicida that doesn't fully connect due to Abbey's foot catching the middle rope. Abbey rolls Rachel back in and gets a 2 count.
Abbey hits a couple of forearm shots to the chest of Rachel, but Rachel turns things around as she pushes Abbey into the ropes and catches her with a cutter and then immediately follows up with a senton back splash and this was only good enough for a count of 2. Rachel delivers some chops and forearms in the corner before delivering an STO and a springboard spinning leg drop for 2. Abbey reverses a whip to the ropes and does a misdirection so she can get behind Rachel to attempt an O'Connor roll, but Rachel hangs on to the ropes and hits a big boot to the face of Abbey (Rachel must have had someone talk to her between rounds and they told her to show more fire as she definitely improved on that since round 1). Abbey gets right back up and gives a primal scream of her own and then both women hit simultaneous big boots knocking them both down. This was a really great spot that had the crowd in Full Sail losing their shit and started a "Women's Wrestling" chant.
As they try to make their way back to their feet they are exchanging forearm shots the entire time. Abbey gets the best of Rachel with the forearm shots and then delivers a series of kicks. Abbey goes up top, but is cut off by Rachel who ends up hitting Abbey with a powerslam off the ropes, that surprisingly only gets a 2 count. Rachel is perplexed that Abbey kicked out and doesn't know what else to do as she is stalling instead of capitalizing on her opponent. Rachel runs to the ropes looking for another boot, but is caught by Abbey and hit with a power bomb right into the Alligator Clutch for the win. Winner: Abbey Laith via Pinfall
I really enjoyed this match and thought it was a great way to kick off the 2nd round and if this match is any indication it definitely looks like they have stepped it up for this round. After the first round Rachel was one of the few I was questioning as to why she advanced, but she showed why she deserved to advance in this match as it was a much better performance from her. Abbey was really great and I'm glad she wasn't hurt by the tope as that could have ended much worse. There isn't much else I can say about this match as it was really good. Rating: ***
Lita lets us know before we go to the video package that she is pulling for Serena as she has known her since she was a young girl, so does this mean Serena is to Lita like Brian Kendrick was to Daniel Bryan in the CWC?
Serena says she is the most dangerous in the tournament due to her experience. Piper says that she has the strength and agility that people even half her size don't have. There isn't much information coming out of these pre match video packages for this round like there was for the first round. Before getting into this next match I have a question, wasn't Alundra Blayze suppose to be apart of this show in some form or fashion like as an announcer, we haven't seen the first sight of her yet. As Serena makes her way to the ring she bows and puts her head up against the MYC which is standing on the stage, if I were her I wouldn't be touching that thing because knowing my luck I would move a certain way and cause it to fall over and break.
We get our handshake and once again the crowd is split cheering for both women. They lockup and despite her best effort Serena is no match for Piper as she is backed into the corner where we almost get a clean break, but just like in her first round match Piper gives Serena an arrogant little knock to the jaw which Serena doesn't like one bit as she pushes her away. They lockup again and Piper forces her back into the corner again. Serena dodges out of the way as Piper charges at her in the corner and then applies a side headlock that she uses to really crank on the neck, Serena tries for a headlock takeover, but she isn't strong enough to take the much larger Piper over. Serena goes back to cranking on the headlock and then tries to slam Piper, but that isn't going to happen as Piper shifts her weight and lands on top of Serena for 2.
Piper takes control as she locks on a standing chin lock and tries to hit a ripcord clothesline, but Serena ducks and takes Piper down with a school boy roll up that gets 2. Serena goes back to the side headlock once again and again Piper is able to escape this time with a belly to back suplex. Piper runs off the ropes and hits her crossbody splash for a 2 count. Piper runs off the ropes again and is looking to hit a senton back splash, but Serena is able to get her knees up. For the third time in this match Serena goes back to the side headlock, except this time she uses the ropes to her advantage as she walks up them and is able to finally take Piper over and keeps the headlock locked in on the mat. Piper fights back to her feet and tries to hit another belly to back, but Serena lands on her feet and hits a series of jabs and a big right hand.
Serena runs at Piper in the corner looking for a monkey flip, but Piper catches her and sits her on the top rope. Serena blocks a punch and hits one of her own and then slams Piper's head into the turnbuckle repeatedly before coming off the middle rope with a diving monkey flip, Serena uses this momentum and is actually able to slam Piper although she didn't get her too high in the air, but a slam is a slam. Serena hits a hangman's neckbreaker for another near fall. Serena gets too confident after that slam and now tries to lift Piper into a fireman's carry, but all she does is strain her own back in the attempt. Piper throws Serena into the corner where she falls to the mat and Piper hits a nice cannonball for 2. Piper sets Serena up for the Michinoku Driver, but Serena slides out the back and sends Piper into the mat face first with a snapmare driver for a count of 2.
Serena stalks Piper as she waits for her to get up and turn around and when she does Serena goes for the spear, but Piper side steps her sending her into the corner, Piper whips Serena into the opposite corner and she hits hard sternum first. Piper goes up and hits a slingshot splash from the middle rope which shockingly only gets 2. Piper looks to take to the air again as she slowly makes her way up to the top and comes off with a splash, but Serena moves out of the way as Piper comes crashing down to the mat. Serena charges at Piper looking for the spear again, but Piper side steps and grabs the arm of Serena which she uses to pull her in and hit the Piper Driver for the win.
Winner: Piper Niven via Pinfall
We're two for two in really good second round matches as both girls did a tremendous job. The beginning portion with all of the headlocks was starting to become repetitive, but it paid off later in the match when Serena was finally able to take Piper down. Piper is starting to remind me of a female version of a Bam Bam Bigelow or a Vader as she is very agile for her size, I don't think there has ever been a woman like her in WWE before. Serena was good at being persistent and trying everything she could to get her more powerful opponent down, but her giving everything wasn't enough as Piper still got the best of her.
Rating: **1/2
Mae Young Classic Round 2: Match #3
Princesa Sugehit (Mexico) vs Mercedes Martinez (USA)
Prediction: Mercedes Martinez
Before we go to the next match we are shown that Kalisto sitting at ringside cheering on his fellow luchador Princesa Sugehit.
We get our handshake and I notice that either Princesa has really small hands or Mercedes has really large hands as Mercedes almost completely covers Sugehit's hand during the handshake. They lockup and Princesa goes behind with a waist lock which Mercedes gets out of with a drop toe hold and applies a headlock, but Princesa quickly escapes and wrenches on the arm before rolling Mercedes up with a school boy for 1. Princesa applies a headlock and then goes behind and takes Mercedes down with a leg trip and then tries to get a pin on Mercedes, but she quickly rolls Princesa into a pin of her own for a 1 count and then we get a stand off after some really great chain wrestling to start out the match.
Princesa grabs an arm, but Mercedes rolls through and hits a clothesline. Mercedes hits a couple of strikes that send Princesa into the corner, Mercedes pulls her out of the corner and sends her into the opposite one, but Princesa stops herself and then ducks a clothesline before hitting a school boy on Mercedes that sends the back of her head into the bottom turnbuckle. Princesa takes a running start and hits our second cannonball of the night, Princesa drags Mercedes into the middle of the ring and covers her for a 2 count. Princesa hits a kick to the butt and then one to the chest. Princesa looks to hit a tilt a whirl headscissors, but Mercedes counters and sends her face first into the mat and then goes for a pin and only gets 2. Mercedes goes for what looks to be the Three Amigos, but instead on the third one she drapes Princesa's legs on the middle rope and hits her with a corkscrew neckbreaker for 2.
Mercedes hits some nice forearms in the corner and then runs at Princesa with a big boot, but Princesa gets out of the way and then runs at Mercedes and hits her with a lungblower. Princesa takes too long to follow up on the lungblower so when she runs at Mercedes she is caught and set up on the top rope where Mercedes is looking for a superplex, but Princesa fights her off and comes off the rope with a tornado DDT and slowly rolls into a cover that only gets her a 2 count. Princesa then hits a title a whirl headscissors into her Fujiwara armbar which Mercedes tries to roll out of, but Princesa rolls with her and keeps the hold locked in and pulls back on the arm. Mercedes finally rolls out of it and goes for a running kick, but Princesa dodges it and tries to go back to the arm, but is hit with a knee to the gut. Princesa again tries to go for the arm, but Mercedes breaks the grip and hits a feint kick to the head and this gives her the opportunity to hit the Fisherman's Buster for the win.
Winner: Mercedes Martinez via Pinfall
I liked this match a lot more on my second viewing as on the first viewing I wasn't that impressed, but once I watched it again I enjoyed it a lot more even though I still feel it's a bit weaker than the first two matches. I loved the chain wrestling to start the match as that's something we really haven't seen yet in this tournament. I have to wonder why they let two girls do the cannonball in this round as it is somewhat of a special move and shouldn't be used in back to back matches (although this match may have not actually happened right after the Piper Niven vs Serena Deeb match on the night the matches were being taped). Princesa Sugehit needs to go teach Sexy Star how to put on an armbar that looks good and looks like your tearing someone's arm off, but aren't actually injuring them. After the match Mercedes was selling the shoulder so look for that to be a story for the rest of her time in the tournament. While this didn't quite live up to the two previous matches on this show it was still a lot of fun to watch.
Rating: **1/4
Mae Young Classic Round 2: Match #4
Kairi Sane (Japan) vs Bianca Belair (USA)
Prediction: Kairi Sane
As I'm watching Kairi come to the ring I get the thought that this girl could never be a heel as she looks like the nicest person you would ever want to meet. This is only the second time seeing Bianca, but each time I am more and more impressed. For someone who has only been training since last year she is really good and shows that the performance center is making stars and that all of the new talent doesn't have to come from the indys.
Bianca stalks Kairi and backs her into a corner, but Kairi moves out of the way when Bianca goes to attack. They lockup and Bianca uses her power to throw Kairi into the corner, but again Kairi gets out of the way. We get another lockup and Kairi goes behind with a waist lock, but Bianca reverses into one of her own and then takes Kairi down momentarily until Kairi gets to her feet and then Bianca locks in a side headlock. Kairi pushes Bianca off into the ropes, but she comes back with a shoulder block and then runs to the ropes, but Kairi drops down so Bianca cartwheel flips over her and takes Kairi down with another shoulder block. Bianca blows Kairi a kiss, but Kairi isn't having any of it as she catches the kiss and throws it to the mat and then steps on it like a bug.
Kairi ducks a couple of clotheslines and then hits a running dropkick which gets her a 1 count and then she blows Bianca a kiss before hitting her with some forearm shots from both arms. Kairi gets in a waistlock and pushes Bianca up against the ropes, but Bianca holds on so Kairi rolls back to the middle of the ring where she is hit right in the gut with the ponytail of Bianca. Bianca then chases Kairi into the corner beating the shit out of her with her hair the entire time. Bianca throws Kairi out of the corner with a hip toss and then hits a clothesline for 2. Kairi tries to make a comeback with some forearm shots and then she runs at Bianca with a crossbody, but is caught as Bianca puts her in position for perhaps a powerslam, however Kairi slides out the back. Bianca hits Kairi with a knee to the mid section and then hits a beautiful delayed vertical suplex for 2.
Bianca locks Kairi in a full nelson camel clutch (a move I've never seen anyone but Stevie Richards do way back when he was on Stevie Night Heat and he called it the Rat Trap) and repeatedly smashes Kairi's face into the mat, Kairi tries to shift her weight so she can get a pin, but Bianca powers up out of that and hits an elevated double arm chicken wing facebuster for 2. Bianca runs off the ropes and is looking for a splash, but Kairi gets the knees up. Kairi ducks a clothesline and fires away with a series of double axe handle shots and then some Satoshi Kojima like rapid fire chops in the corner. Bianca reverses a whip into the corner, but Kairi runs up to second turnbuckle where she comes off with a flying forearm shot leveling Bianca and this only gets 2.
Kairi puts Bianca in a straight jacket hold, but Bianca uses her power once again to throw Kairi over her shoulder and then catches a running Kairi and hits her with the powerslam she was looking for earlier for a 2 count. Kairi hits a few forearm shots that daze Bianca, but she comes back with one of her own that levels Kairi. At this point both women are dazed as Kairi comes back with some more forearm shots, but again Kairi's three or four shots can't compare to one shot from Bianca as again she takes Kairi down. Kairi tries for another forearm, but it is blocked and Bianca picks Kairi up and slams her back down. Bianca goes up to the top and hits a beautiful 450 splash that I thought was going to give her the upset win, but no Kairi somehow is able to kick out at 2. At this point Bianca is almost in tears as she can't put Kairi away. Bianca runs at Kairi looking for the spear, but Kairi side steps and sends Bianca shoulder first into the ring post. Kairi hits an axe kick to the back followed up by the Sliding D and then a spinning back fist that knocks Bianca out. Kairi finishes things off by going up to the top and hitting the diving elbow for the win and advances on to the quarterfinals. Winner: Kairi Sane via Pinfall
This was another great performance by Kairi, but Bianca wasn't slouching either as she put up a great effort. To have this kind of match against a veteran like Kairi does a lot for the career of Bianca as it shows she is ready to be featured on NXT and can deliver when put in a big time match. If you look at Bianca in this match you see she is an all around wrestler as we seen power, submission skills, high flying, and showmanship all in this one match from Bianca. I can't wait to see what this girl does next as she is such a joy to watch. Kairi was also incredible in this match as she always is and her facial expressions during her comebacks are really great. This was a great way to close out the first show of the second round. Rating: ***1/2
I would call this show a success as we had two matches that were three stars or more and the main event showed that we have at least one future female star coming from the performance center and Piper continued to really impress as well in her match.
Round 2 - Episode 5 Rating: A
Mae Young Classic - Round 2: Episode 6
We get our usual video package recapping the last episode and previewing the matches for this show. We then go inside where we are welcomed to the show and Lita says she has her money on Shayna Baszler tonight as she looked dominate in the first round. We then see footage of the MMA four horsewomen arriving at the arena.
Mae Young Classic Round 2: Match #5
Toni Storm (Australia) vs Lacey Evans (USA)
If I didn't say it enough in her first round match I absolutely love Toni as she makes everything look cool and modern. I also like Toni's gear with the red, black, and zebra color scheme.On the flip side of Toni is Lacey who's match I currently have ranked last as she was horrible hopefully she has a better showing in this match.
We get a lockup and then Lacey applies an arm wrench, but Toni back bridges and flips out of it and then takes Lacey down with a headlock take over. Lacey headscissors out of the headlock and then quickly Toni is able to slide out of the headscissors and offers a handshake to Lacey, but Lacey pulls her in for a side headlock of her own. Toni pushes Lacey off into the ropes and Lacey comes back with a shoulder block. Lacey runs the ropes and Toni runs behind her to cause a misdirection and goes to hit a big boot on Lacey, but she catches her foot and pushes it down and as soon as the foot touches the mat Toni has it right back up and kicks Lacey in the chest.
Toni hits a couple of her hip attacks and as she is doing her hip swivel she takes a bit too long and is rolled up in a school boy for 2. Lacey hits a straight punch to the jaw of Toni and makes a cover for a count of 2. After this I see more of what I didn't like from Lacey in the first round as she seems confused about what to do next as at first it looks like she is gonna pin her again then she picks Toni up in the front facelock position and looks like she may go for a suplex, but in the end she just decides to send her into the corner. Lacey runs at Toni who backdrops her over to the apron. Lacey stuns Toni by sending her face first into the turnbuckle and then she swings around the ring post kind of like a 619 and kicks Toni in the back and then she does another little move where she swings her legs under the bottom rope and sweeps the leg of Toni and I will give her credit those were two unique and creative moves. Lacey follows those two moves up by hitting a slingshot elbow from the outside to the inside for 2. Lacey drops some knees on Toni's arm and then pins her for a 2 count.
Lacey gets Toni in the corner and does some sort of move where she puts her leg over the head of Toni and the move doesn't look like it would hurt at all. Lacey hits another kick to the mid section and then catches a kick from Toni and pushes her down and delivers a forearm to the gut for 2. Lacey bends Toni over he knee in a backbreaker position, but Toni fights out of it and kicks Lacey in the head. Toni hits a series of forearm shots and then sends Lacey into the corner where she charges at her and Lacey tries to block her by getting her feet up, but Toni catches them swings them around to the outside and hits a backcracker on Lacey. Toni hits a running hip attack in the corner followed by a nothern lights suplex where Lacey looks like she landed hard right on her head. Toni picks Lacey up and wants to hit the Strong Zero (the actual Strong Zero that Toni does is a piledriver, but since piledrivers are banned in WWE they gave her a neckbreacker type move), but Lacey fights out and picks Toni up looking for her belly to back piledriver, but Toni counters into a roll up for 2. Lacey hits a swinging neckbreaker and goes for her backwards roll in to an elbow drop, but Toni gets her knees up. Toni picks Lacey up and hits the Strong Zero for the win to advance to the quarterfinals. Winner: Toni Storm via Pinfall
This match was better than Lacey's first round match most likely due to her being in there with someone who has experience rather than a complete rookie like Taynara was. Lacey still needs seasoning as there are a few things she could work on. I'm not exactly sure who's fault the northern lights suplex head bump spot was, but that was not good at all. I highly look forward to the match between Toni and Piper in the next round as both have impressed me so far. Rating: **1/2
Mae Young Classic Round 2: Match #6
Mia Yim (South Korea) vs Shayna Baszler (USA)
Prediction: Shayna Baszler
I know I said it before, but I really do love Mia's all blue look and for this round (I can't remember if she was wearing it for the first round) she had a pretty cool looking jacket on during her entrance. As Shayna makes her way to the ring we see that the MMA horsewomen aren't the only horsewomen in attendance as Charlotte, Becky, & Bayley are at ringside sitting directly across from the MMA horsewomen, as Shayna makes her way up the steps Charlotte & Becky hold up the 4 fingers.
Mia extends her hand for the handshake, but Shayna is having none of it as she is all business. We finally get a match that doesn't start with a lock up, instead we get some kicks being traded as both girls are trading kicks to the back of the leg. Mia catches the arm of Shayna and tries for Eat Defeat, but Shayna pushes her away and kicks her again in the back of the upper part of the leg. Shayna tries for a roundhouse kick, but Mia ducks and delivers a spin kick of her own which Shayna blocks and gives her another kick in the back which takes Mia down. Shayna delivers some vicious kicks to the back and chest of Mia as she is in a sitting position and then Mia ducks a kick and rolls Shayna up in a school boy for 1. Mia hits a dropkick and then a hurricanrana that sends Shayna out of the ring and onto the floor. Mia then hits a tope suicida taking out Shayna on the ramp, Mia rolls Shayna back into the ring where she pins her for a 2 count.
Mia gets some payback delivering some kicks of her own to the chest and back, but these kicks were nowhere as near as hard as the ones Shayna gave. Mia tries for Eat Defeat again, but this time Shayna catches her leg and takes her down to the mat. Shayna starts to go to work on the leg and ankle twisting it back and forth. Shayna picks Mia up for a gutwrench suplex, but she isn't happy with Mia being on the side she is on so she picks her up and switches her to the other side of her body and hits the gutwrench suplex and then hangs on and rolls through so she can hit another one for a 2 count. Mia counters a charge at her in the corner by locking Shayna in the Tarantula. Mia then runs and hits our third cannonball of the second round (why are we getting repeated moves like this, this is suppose to be the agents job to make sure stuff like this don't happen). Mia drags her out of the corner and stacks Shayna up for a pin that only gets 2 and as she is kicking out Shayna grabs Mia's leg and takes her down where she grapevines the leg, but Mia quickly get to the ropes for the break.
Shayna lands some punches and kicks until Maya catches her leg and takes her down with a back heel trip. Mia hits a running clothesline and a kick to the chest. Mia hits a nice combination of palm strikes, a kick to the leg, a knee to the head, a spin kick, and finally an overhead Pele kick and all of that only gets her a 2 count. Shayna is down in the corner and Mia is looking for perhaps another cannonball, but Shayna stops her in her tracks as she comes out of the corner with a knee to the face for 2. Mia blocks an attempted suplex and hits a bridging german suplex for 2. Mia wants to hit another german, but Shayna rolls through and gets her in an ankle lock and just when it looks like it might be over for Mia she rolls over and starts kicking Shayna in the face and Shayna breaks the hold. Shayna hits some more kicks to the chest as Mia gets to her feet and catches a kick and hits a sit out powerbomb for 2.
The crowd is all into this as we get another "Women's Wrestling" chant. Mia goes up top and is looking to hit a 450, but from her back Shayna catches her and locks in the rear naked choke and Mia has no choice, but to tap out. Winner: Shayna Baszler via Submission
I'm gonna say it right now that WWE made a huge mistake taking the NXT title off Asuka, because if you want someone to continue to dominate the women's division like Asuka did after she is gone from NXT then they needed to have Shayna beat her. You aren't going to get anyone more credible to beat Asuka than Shayna this girl is bad ass and so much fun to watch. Whether Shayna ends up winning the tournament or not (I haven't watched ahead to the quarterfinals or semi-finals) she needs to be the new NXT Women's Champion. Shayna and Mia put on an awesome match and it felt completely different than all of these other MYC matches. I feel like after watching these two matches of Mia Yim I need to go back and watch her stuff from TNA/Impact/GFW, I bet she had some kick ass matches. I could watch these two have more matches against each other and I hope WWE makes that happen and signs both of these women. After the match we see Shayna going over to celebrate with the other MMA horsewomen and then we get a stare down between the two sets of horsewomen with the MMA set saying they are the real horsewomen and the WWE set (minus Sasha) are telling them to bring it. I can't wait until that match happens and I feel it's only a matter of time and I could see it happening at either Survivor Series or WrestleMania. What would be really cool is if at WrestleMania we have this match plus two other women's matches that are for the Raw and Smackdown women's championships it would be great to have three women's matches on a WrestleMania card. Rating: ****
Mae Young Classic Round 2: Match #7
Rhea Ripley (Australia) vs Dakota Kai (New Zealand)
Prediction: Rhea Ripley
After that last match and post match stare down it feels crazy that this show isn't over as that felt like a main event quality match in this tournament.
We are back to using the lockup to start the match and Rhea grabs an arm and wrenches on it until Dakota is able to flip out of it and apply an arm wrench of her own, but Rhea escapes with a move that you would usually see from someone like Jack Gallagher as she spins and goes under her own arm to break the hold and then applies a side headlock. Dakota backs Rhea up to the ropes and shoots her off where we see a drop down and then a leap frog from Dakota and then Rhea flips over Dakota only to turn around into a couple of arm drags and a dropkick. Dakota takes Rhea down with a snapmare and then hits a stiff kick to the back before delivering a sliding knee right to Rhea's face for 2. Rhea reverses a whip into the ropes, but instead of coming back Dakota holds on to the top rope and as Rhea runs at her she backdrops her over the top rope where Rhea lands on her feet. Rhea catches the foot of Dakota who was attempting a running kick from the apron, Rhea sets Dakota up on her shoulders in an electric chair position and from there she drops Dakota face first right into the apron of the ring and this gets a big Ooh from the crowd.
Rhea rolls Dakota back into the ring where she covers her for a 2 count. Rhea then applies a cravate, but Dakota tries to fight out of it so Rhea knees her in the face and then gets revenge for earlier in the match as she takes Dakota down with a snapmare, kicks her in the back, and then hits her with a dropkick to the chest and this gets another 2 count. Rhea whips Dakota hard into the corner and then looks to whip her into the opposite corner, but changes direction and sends her back into the first corner where Dakota is able to slingshot over and behind Rhea and then rolls her up with a bridging O'Connor roll for a near fall. Dakota runs at Rhea, but Rhea tosses her up in the air and lets her fall face first to the mat with a flapjack and this only gets a 2 count as Rhea doesn't know what else she has to do to put Dakota away. Rhea picks Dakota up and looks to lock in a full nelson, but Dakota elbows her in the side and hits her with an overhead kick and both girls are now down.
Dakota tries for a roundhouse kick that is blocked by Rhea and then Rhea tries one of her own and it's blocked by Dakota. Dakota and Rhea try to hit their kicks again, but this time they both duck and then Rhea tries a clothesline which is blocked and while blocking the clothesline she hits a kick to Rhea's face. Dakota ducks another clothesline from Rhea and connects with a couple of dropkicks that send Rhea down in the corner. Dakota runs off the ropes and hits a sliding boot right into the face of Rhea who is down in the corner and this only gets 2. Rhea wrenches the arm of Dakota and hits a back kick followed by a northern lights suplex for 2. Both girls are down and exhausted as Rhea is the first up and delivers some stomps on Dakota. Rhea picks Dakota up and sits her on the top rope and is looking for a superplex, but Dakota is fighting her off and hits a series of forearms that cause Rhea to fall down into the tree of woe position and as Rhea is trying to pull herself up Dakota comes off the top with the double stomp for the win. Winner: Dakota Kai via Pinfall
This was another match that I enjoyed more watching it the second time. I feel when this tournament is over this could be one of the better matches that gets overlooked. There were just about as many kicks in this match as there was the Baszler vs Yim match, but they also mixed in some nice pro wrestling moves as well. I will say that Rhea's elimination is the first one in the tournament I'm a bit sad about as I really like her and wanted to see her go through to at least one more round and she is another one that has one hell of a future in this business. I would love to see a tag team of Toni Storm & Rhea Ripley where Rhea adopts the rocks star gimmick that Toni has and they could be baby faces to feud with their fellow Aussies Team Iconic. I didn't like the finish where Rhea had to hold herself up in the corner so Dakota could hit the foot stomp, I never liked it when ADR had it as a finisher and I still don't like it. Rating: ***1/2
Mae Young Classic Round 2: Match #8
Nicole Savoy (USA) vs Candice LeRae (USA)
Prediction: Nicole Savoy
Here we go with our final match in the 2nd round who will take the last spot in the quarterfinals? Maybe I never noticed any really short girls in wrestling before, but ever since the rise of Alexa Bliss it seems like I see a good many girls around her height on WWE tv, from Candice LeRae, Miranda Salinas, & Kacy Catanzaro. I'm glad we can call someone in WWE Mighty Mouse (Candice) because they are fearless and not because they have big ears.
Candice extends her hand, but just like her stable mate on the indy circuit Shayna Baszler did earlier in the night Nicole refuses to shake her hand, but instead of just standing there she actually kicks her hand away and talks some trash. They lockup and Nicole wrenches the arm and takes her Candice down with an arm drag while still holding onto the arm. Candice works her way back to her feet, but is hit with a punch and then sent into the corner where Nicole charges at her, but Candice moves and Nicole goes chest first into the corner. Candice goes up to the middle rope and hits a diving flatliner for 2. Candice hits a jawbreaker and looks to run to the ropes, but before she can get started Nicole grabs her by the back of her head and then hits a nasty looking belly to back suplex that looked like it broke Candice's neck. This suplex looked like something you would see over in Japan and somehow Candice manages to kick out. Nicole decides to hit another one that is just as nasty looking.
Nicole locks Candice in a rocking horse submission move with her arms trapped behind her back, Nicole then rolls over to try and get a pin, but Candice sits up and locks in her own rocking horse which Nicole is able to power out of. Candice then rolls Nicole over to try and get a pin, but Nicole sits up and is looking for a rear naked choke which Candice blocks and elbows her way out of. Candice then hits a modified lung blower where her knees connected with Nicole's head instead of her chest. Candice runs at Nicole in the corner and this time it's Nicole who moves out of the way and sends Candice crashing into the corner. Nicole runs at Candice in the corner, but she gets a boot up and hits Nicole in the jaw. Candice goes up looking for another dive off the middle rope, but Nicole grabs her leg and yanks it causing Candice to fall off the rope which made the back of her head hit hard on the top turnbuckle and this gets Nicole another 2 count.
Nicole hits a couple of rolling half hatch suplexes and then floats right into an attempted cross armbar (thank goodness Candice isn't in the ring with Sexy Star as she would then be out of the tournament due to injury, but thankfully Nicole isn't a cocky conceited talentless hack like her) which Candice blocks and breaks the grip of Nicole by kicking her in the face. Candice is fired up now as she hits a series of forearm shots and then runs to the ropes where she springboards back off the bottom rope where she is caught by Nicole and hit with a bridging german suplex that she kicks out of at 2. Nicole picks Candice up and is looking for her tiger suplex, but Candice blocks it and then drops down and kicks Nicole in the head. Candice puts Nicole in a octopus stretch, but doesn't have it fully locked in so this allows Nicole to power out of it and put Candice in a fireman's carry position and from that position she rams her into the corner back first. Nicole whips Candice into the corner hard and then hits her with a running forearm to the chest. Nicole sets Candice up on the top turnbuckle and goes up with her looking for a suplex, but Candice fights her off and then we have punches exchanged while both are sitting on the top rope. Candice hits a big headbutt and then hits Ms LeRae's Wild Ride to get the win. Winner: Candice LeRae via Pinfall
This was a fun match that told the story of Candice the underdog withstanding all the pain and punishment that was dealt out to her by Nicole and coming out on top at the end and never giving up no matter how much pain she was in. Those belly to back suplexes were nasty looking in the best way possible. I was a little surprised that Candice got the win here as I was sure they were gonna have Shayna and Nicole face each other in the next round since both of them are MMA trained and they could run the story of battling partners. After the match it was nice to see Candice go over and hug her hubby Johnny Gargano. It was funny at the end of the show because Candice has this feel good theme music that sounds like something you could hear at the end of a movie and at the same time the fans are chanting "Women's Wrestling" it felt like a feel good moment scene out of the movies. I can already picture that same scene except with Candice holding the MYC trophy and confetti coming down as Triple H and the other MYC competitors are in the ring congratulating her and then right as the show is about to end Shayna kicks her right in the head to set up a feud between the two as Candice would've had to eliminate her in the quarterfinals in order to get to the end. Rating: ***1/4
This was a really great episode as it had the first four star match and two other matches that were over three stars. I hope the quarterfinals are even better than this round was. As of writing this Shayna Baszler vs Mia Yim is my best match of the tournament with four stars it will be interesting to see if any of the matches that are left can steal the number one spot.
Round 2 - Episode 6 Rating: A+ / Round 2 Overall Rating: B+
Mae Young Classic - Quarterfinals: Episode 7
We open the show with a video recapping the path that the eight remaining women had to take in order to make it to the quarterfinals.
Mae Young Classic Quarterfinals: Match # 1
Abbey Laith (USA) vs Mercedes Martinez (USA)
Prediction: Mercedes Martinez
I don't think we're getting video packages before these matches or at least we didn't for this match, but we do get a tale of the tape which is pretty awesome. I had an idea for what they could've done for a video package now that we are in the quarterfinals, why not have one or both of their opponents from the first two rounds talk about what it was like to be in the ring with that girl and what her opponent needs to look out for. That would be a cool way to profile these girls now that we've heard everything about them from themselves why not hear about them from someone who has been in a match with them and then save the tale of the tape for the semi-final and final round.
That match starts with each girl feeling the other out and locking hands for a test of strength which Mercedes gets the better of as she back heel trips Abbey causing her to bridge back, but Abbey works her way back up and does the same to Mercedes before Mercedes kicks her off. Abbey goes behind and hits a waistlock takedown, but Mercedes is able to roll over and gain control with a front facelock. Abbey rolls out of the front facelock and applies a Fujiwara, but is quickly rolled up for a 1 count and then Mercedes goes back to the front facelock. Mercedes applies a side headlock which Abbey fights out of an applies a top wristlock and then takes her down for an attempted cross armbar, but Mercedes knows to not let her get the arm so instead Abbey scissors her head. Mercedes gets out of the headscissors and slaps Abbey in the face.
Mercedes hits some forearm shots in the corner before hitting Abbey with a snapmare and a hard kick to the back and to the chest, but then Abbey ducks a kick and rolls Mercedes up for 2. Mercedes catches a spinning kick from Abbey and sends her down into a split where Abbey is able to connect with a jawbreaker. Abbey hits a couple of arm drags and a spin kick for 2. Abbey hits some forearm shots in the ropes and a chop in the corner before hitting a rolling snapmare and before Abbey can do anything to capitalize on the snapmare Mercedes rolls over and kicks her in the chest for 2. Mercedes hits some more uppercuts and forearms in the corner before delivering a loud chop that makes Abbey cry out in agony. Abbey starts to make a comeback by blocking some strikes and hitting a series of rapid fire Satoshi Kojima chops and following up with a scissors kick for 2. Abbey hits a running clothesline in the corner followed by some nice kicks and then attempts a monkey flip, but is shoved down to the mat.
Mercedes comes back with a running forearm to Abbey in the corner followed by a running boot and then a hesitation dropkick as Abbey had nowhere to go. Abbey rolls out to the apron and Mercedes follows her where she attempts a suplex on the apron, but Abbey grabs the ropes to block it and then delivers a kick to the chest that causes Mercedes to fall off the apron and hit the floor with a bad landing. Abbey goes up top and comes off with a crossbody to the outside and now both girls are laid out on the outside of the ring. Both women struggle to make it to their feet as the referee continues the count, finally Abbey is up and rolls Mercedes back in the ring where she covers her for a 2 count which causes Abbey to give out a loud scream out of frustration. Abbey looks to be limping as she grabs a leg of Mercedes who kicks her away from her. Abbey goes over to pick Mercedes up, but is tossed to the outside so Mercedes can get a breather. Mercedes looks to suplex Abbey from the apron to inside the ring, but Abbey counters and goes behind her to hit a bridging german suplex for 2. Abbey is really frustrated now as she is slapping the mat. Abbey grabs the legs of Mercedes and looks to get her in the Alligator Clutch, but Mercedes counters and goes under Abbey's legs and then connects with a big slap and a boot to the face followed by the Fisherman Buster for the win. Winner: Mercedes Martinez via Pinfall
I enjoyed the first half of this match that was all in ring as they were doing a good job trading strikes and countering moves, but from the moment they went out onto the apron until the end of the match it went a bit downhill for me as it started to feel sloppy especially the spot where Abbey counters the suplex from the apron into the german. The finish felt like it came out of nowhere. Not that great of a match to start out the quarterfinals and I'll be honest I haven't been that impressed by Mercedes this entire tournament and she is suppose to be this great worker that everyone talks highly about, but to me she just comes off as average at best and perhaps a bit overrated. Although I predicted Mercedes to win I would much rather watch Abbey continue on in the tournament. Rating: **
Mae Young Classic Quarterfinals: Match #2
Candice LeRae (USA) vs Shayna Baszler (USA)
Prediction: Shayna Baszler
Hopefully Shayna doesn't cripple cute little Candice in this match. Both girls have people cheering them on from ringside for this match.
Shayna completely turns her back on Candice during the handshake. As the match starts we get a "Candice Wrestling" chant. They circle the ring and out of nowhere Shayna hits a knee strike that takes Candice down. Shayna starts to toy around with Candice give her a few little soft kicks to the head. Shayna runs to the ropes looking for a boot to the head, but Candice moves and Shayna crotches herself between the second rope so Candice knocks her outside of the ring. Candice runs and looks hits what at first looks like a normal tope suicida, but at the last second she turns it into a tornado DDT and Candice lands hard on the back of her head. Candice gets Shayna up and rolls her back into the ring to get a 2 count.
Shayna pushes Candice into the ropes, but she comes back with a tilt a whirl and locks in an octopus stretch, however Shayna is too strong and is able to stand up straight and throw Candice off, but Candice counters with a tilt a whirl to the other side of Shayna's body and locks in the Gargano Escape and the crowd is going nuts at the thought of Candice making Shayna tap out. Shayna is looking to get to the ropes, but Candice uses her foot to push off the bottom rope and roll Shayna back to the middle of the ring and this is when Shayna uses her power once again to pick Candice up and slam her down with a sidewalk slam as Shayna holds her shoulder. We see a shot of the horsewomen at ringside who are breathing a sigh of relief. Candice goes up to the middle rope looking for a dive, but is cut off as Shayna attempts a super gutwrench suplex. Candice fights out of the gutwrench with some elbows and then sets up Shayna for Ms LeRae's Wild Ride and as she hits it Shayna counters the move in mid air and locks in the rear naked choke that Candice has no choice but to submit to. After the bell rings Shayna refuses to release the hold and keeps it on until Candice is completely out. Candice is still out (and being checked on by Johnny Gargano) as we get the official announcement of Shayna as the winner, Shayna walks over to her and gives her a little kick to the leg.
Winner: Shayna Baszler via Submission
This match was quick, but was freaking awesome and my love of watching Shayna continues through this match. We really got to see just how good Candice is as the underdog babyface as she was really great in this match and had the crowd on their feet the entire time. Shayna can add this match along with the Mia Yim match to her list of having the best finishes to matches in this entire tournament. I love that they are setting up Shayna as the no nonsense dickish heel that doesn't give a shit about her opponents. Shayna moves on to face Mercedes Martinez in the Semi-Finals. Rating: ***1/2
Mae Young Classic Quarterfinals: Match #3
Piper Niven (Scotland) vs Toni Storm (Australia)
Prediction: Toni Storm
Toni comes to the ring this time wearing a denim and leather jacket.
They lockup and it looks like Piper is going to back Toni in the corner, but Toni switches it around and backs Piper up and then gives her a dose of her own medicine as she gives her the arrogant knock to the jaw. Piper wants a test of strength and Toni foolishly agrees, they lock hands and Toni gives her best effort even trying to trip the back of the leg, but Piper isn't budging. Piper takes Toni down and has both of her shoulders down for a 2 count before Toni raises one of them and then Piper puts that shoulder down only for the other to pop up for another 2 count. Piper puts the second shoulder down and then Toni bridges up to get both shoulders on the mat. Piper jumps up and lands knees first onto the midsection to try and break the bridge, but Toni stays strong and is able to stay bridged even with all the weight of Piper pressing down on her. Both women get to their feet still locked hand in hand as Toni hits a monkey flip and both girls shoulders are down, they lift one shoulder to get out of a pinfall and then another. On the third near fall they both bridge up and finally let go of each others hands and then decide to shake hands while still bridged and they keep the handshake going until they are both back on their feet.
Toni blocks a clothesline and applies an arm wrench, but Piper quickly reverses and applies her own which Toni is able to back bridge and roll out of and then applies another arm wrench on Piper and she too is able to get out of the hold the same way Toni did. Piper takes Toni down with a back heel trip while keeping control of her arm, but Toni bridges up again and is playing to the crowd as Piper has had enough and hits a big splash for a 2 count. Toni tries to create space by going into the corner, but Piper hits her with an avalanche and this has Toni reeling as she uses the ropes to keep her on her feet. Piper looks to hit another avalanche, but Toni slingshots over her and goes behind looking for a german suplex, but Piper runs and grabs the top rope causing Toni to roll backwards and Piper uses the space between them to hit a running crossbody for 2.
Piper locks in a cravate and then delivers a headbutt before sending Toni to the mat with a snapmare, Piper then hits her crossbody splash for a 2 count and immediately hits the senton back splash for another 2 count. Toni sits up screaming in agony and holding her midsection. Piper picks Toni up and sets her up for the Piper Driver, but Toni slides out the back and hits a backstabber out of desperation. Both women are down and Piper slowly crawls over to the corner while Toni is signaling for a hip attack as she struggles to get to her feet. Toni runs and goes for the hip attack, but Piper moves sending Toni into the corner so hard she goes down to the bottom turnbuckle, Piper sees this and immediately goes for the cannonball and misses as Toni is able to move out of the way, before Piper even has a chance to regain her senses Toni runs at her and hits the hip attack. Toni crumbles to her knees and lets out a big scream as she tries to fight through all the pain.
Toni goes behind Piper and looks like she wants to go for a deadlift german, but Piper elbows out and hits the Piper Driver and Toni somehow kicks out at the last second. Piper looks around trying to figure out what to do that will put Toni away, Piper throws Toni into the bottom turnbuckle and connects with the cannonball. Piper pulls Toni out of the corner and looks down at her saying she is sorry for what she is about to do, Piper mounts the middle rope looking for the slingshot splash and before she can pull it off Toni gets to her feet and grabs her from behind and throws her off the rope with a big german suplex that sends Piper halfway across the ring. Toni goes up to the top rope and comes off with a diving leg drop to finally get the win. Winner: Toni Storm via Pinfall
Wow what a great match this was as both women put on one hell of a show, from the chain wrestling at the beginning to the countering of each woman's signature moves this match had everything. I want to first get into Toni's performance as she did a great job of selling both the pain and the desperation. Toni knew that if she didn't capitalize on Piper's mistakes she was done for as she wasn't going to be able to take much more as Piper did a lot of damage on her mid section and she knew if Piper hit that slingshot splash she was done for. Toni put on another great performance and I look forward to her semi-final match.
Piper was amazing in this tournament and cements the fact that women of all shapes and sizes belong in pro wrestling not just women who are perfect tens. I said before that Piper reminded me of a Bam Bam Bigelow or a Vader, but she is better as I don't recall either of those men doing chain wrestling as well as Piper did in this match. It's really sad that I have to have mixed feelings on whether I want to see Piper in WWE or not. I want her there because she deserves to be there and is one hell of a talent that deserves to be showcased on the biggest stage possible, but at the same time I'm scared because like I said during my thoughts for her first round match the people who are in power positions in WWE (Vince & Kevin Dunn) are immature and insecure bullies when it comes to the women or anyone who doesn't look and act like an alpha. They take someone with the look of Piper and make a complete joke out of her and would do nothing but make jokes about her weight when in reality not only is she a hell of a talent, but in my opinion she is beautiful just how she is. Rating: ***3/4
Before the next match we are shown video footage where WWE.com is interviewing 3/4 of the MMA four horsewomen about Shayna's win and as they are talking 3/4 of the WWE four horsewomen walk up and we get a face to face stare down and Ronda says they are ready anytime or anywhere.
Mae Young Classic Quarterfinals: Match #4
Kairi Sane (Japan) vs Dakota Kai (New Zealand)
Prediction: Kairi Sane
We get a lockup and Kairi applies an arm wrench, but Dakota is able to roll out of it and apply her own arm wrench and then Kairi reverses and goes back to her own arm wrench. Kairi goes behind with a hammerlock right into a headlock takeover, Dakota scissors the head and then Kairi nips up out of it and back to her feet as we have a stand off. They lockup for a second time and it's quickly broken and then Dakota goes for a spin kick, but Kairi ducks and then tries for a spinning back fist which Dakota ducks and we have another stand off. Dakota raises her hand looking for a test of strength, but as Kairi raises her she is kicked hard in the gut. Dakota runs to the ropes and Kairi follows her in and causes a misdirection so she can hit her with a running chop and then a running blockbuster.
Kairi sends Dakota into the corner and charges at her, but Dakota moves. Dakota delivers two hard chops to Kairi and goes for a third, but Kairi ducks and connects with some chops of her own. Kairi goes up top while Dakota is still in the corner and is looking for perhaps an inverted tornado DDT or a diamond dust, but Dakota stops her by kicking her in the head and then tossing her off the top back into the ring for a 2 count. Dakota hits some face washes in the corner and then runs to the ropes and hits a sliding boot to the face of Kairi for 2. Kairi fights back with some forearm shots and runs off the ropes looking for a clothesline, but Dakota catches the arm and connects with a knee to the head for another 2 count. Dakota hits a big kick to the back of Kairi and then runs the ropes, but Kairi runs to the ropes as well and just as they are about to meet in the middle Kairi delivers a devastating spear and both women are down.
Kairi is up to her feet first and delivers a couple of chops that send Dakota down onto the second rope and then Kairi runs to the ropes and connects with a dropkick to the back of Dakota as she is leaning against the middle rope. Kairi bounces on the bottom rope and comes down with a double stomp and then covers Dakota for another 2 count. Kairi gets a running start and charges at Dakota, but Dakota is able to hit a drop toe hold sending Kairi face first into the middle turnbuckle. Dakota then hits a running boot into the corner and Kairi looks out of it as Dakota makes a cover, but again only a 2 count. Kairi catches a kick from Dakota and hits her with a spinning back fist that dazes Dakota at first and then causes her to collapse down to her knees. Kairi picks Dakota up and sends her into the corner and then charges at her, but misses as Dakota swings between the ropes and out to the apron.
Kairi blocks a forearm and then hits one of her own as she climbs up the turnbuckles so she can reach out to the apron and bring Dakota back into the ring. Dakota climbs up and joins Kairi on the turnbuckle so Kairi attempts a superplex which is blocked by Dakota who pushes Kairi down into a tree of woe position and then as Kairi pulls herself up using the ropes Dakota goes for her double stomp, but Kairi lets go so that she can drop down and Dakota misses the stomp and sells that she hurt her knee when she lands. Kairi comes off the top with the diving forearm for a count of 2. Kairi runs off the ropes and connects with Sliding D on a seated Dakota for another 2 count. Kairi signals that it's over as she picks Dakota up for an Alabama Slam, but Dakota rolls through into a roll up for 2. Dakota gets to her feet and hits a beautiful roundhouse kick that dazes Kairi big time. Dakota picks Kairi up and puts her in the corner and then runs and tries for another boot in the corner, but Kairi moves and Dakota's leg hangs over the top rope. Kairi then hits the Alabama slam followed by the big diving elbow to pick up the win. Winner: Kairi Sane via Pinfall
This was a really good match, but to be honest I feel like the Toni Storm vs Piper Niven match should have been used to close the show as it was a more exciting match, that could just be because I care and invested in both of those girls whereas I'm only really invested in Kairi in this match. Nothing against Dakota, but she just hasn't done anything special for me in this tournament and still feel we would've got a better match had it been Rhea vs Kairi. I'm glad that Kairi was smart enough to duck down when Dakota went for the foot stomp instead of holding onto the ropes looking like an idiot waiting to be hit. I can't wait to see the match between Kairi and Toni Storm in the semi-finals. Rating: ***1/4
We are done with the quarterfinals which saw a really great match between Piper and Toni, a really fun sitting on the edge of your seat match between Shayna and Candice, a decent above average match with Kairi and Dakota and unfortunately a rather disappointing match with Mercedes and Abbey. We are down to the final four and then its off to Vegas for the live finals Tuesday night, but which two women will be in that final match? You will just have to keep reading to find out.
Quarterfinals - Episode 7 Rating: C+
Mae Young Classic Semi-Finals: Episode 8
We get a video recapping the quarterfinals and previewing the semi-finals
Mae Young Classic Semi-Finals: Match #1
Shayna Baszler (USA) vs Mercedes Martinez (USA)
Prediction: Shayna Baszler
I think the interviews for this round are brand new as the women are wearing different clothes than what they did for their earlier video packages. Shayna says that she held the choke on Candice because when she steps in the ring not only is it business, but she also wants to send a message and leave people shaking in their boots. Shayna looks up to Mercedes as a mentor and owes a lot of what she has done in wrestling to Mercedes. Mercedes says that Shayna's weakness is that she doesn't know everything in the ring whereas she has been around long enough to know and do anything and everything. Shayna says she is not like anything Mercedes has faced before. This is a battle between teacher and student.
It should be noted that Mercedes is the only one Shayna has shaken hands with in the entire tournament. They start by feeling each other out as they know each other so well, Mercedes goes in for a double leg takedown, but Shayna is able to get away before Mercedes gets a good hold of her. Shayna goes for a spinning low kick, but Mercedes moves and and uses this mistake to go right at Shayna with some forearm shots and couple of loud chops. Both women go back to the center of the ring and we get another feeling out process. Mercedes catches a kick and just lets it down. Shayna misses another kick and again Mercedes goes in with forearms and slaps that are taking their effect on Shayna. Mercedes hits a snapmare followed by a couple of kicks and then runs to the ropes, but instead of coming back with a strike she tricks Shayna and locks her in a chin lock.
Shayna uses her strength to break the grip of Mercedes, but Mercedes isn't going to let her get away as she reins down with a series of elbows right to the head. Mercedes looks like she is trying for a submission move, but Shayna blocks it and is able to get back to her feet. Shayna fights back with some palm strikes and kicks and then sends Mercedes into the corner where she follows her in with a running knee. Shayna hits the rolling gutwrench suplexes for a 2 count. Shayna stomps on Mercedes and then rolls her up for a 2 count and as Mercedes kicks out Shayna grabs a hold of the leg and grapevines it and turns that into a knee bar. Mercedes breaks the grip with some kicks to the face.
Shayna tries for a roundhouse kicks, but Mercedes ducks and takes her down with a double leg takedown. Mercedes locks in a Regal Stretch, Shayna uses her power to get her arm free so she can use it to elbow Mercedes in the head so she will release the hold. We get an exchange of forearms as both women are on their knees and then Mercedes comes back with a slap to the face and this pisses Shayna off. They go back to exchanging forearms and then Mercedes goes crazy hitting repeated forearms and then kicks her away to create distance. The horsewomen look worried at ringside. Shayna kicks Mercedes in the leg and then looks for a vertical suplex, but Mercedes counters and then hits her with the Fisherman Buster, but is unable to capitalize as he her leg is in too much pain. Mercedes finally crawls over the make the cover, but she took too long as Shayna kicks out at 2.
Mercedes gets to her feet and hits a couple of belly to back suplexes dropping Shayna on her head both times and then follows up with a release german suplex. Mercedes looks for another Fisherman Buster, but Shayna knees her in the gut so Mercedes hits her with a big kick to the face and tries again for it only to get another knee to the midsection. Shayna then hits a falcon arrow and transitions that into the rear naked choke and Mercedes has no choice, but to tap out and that sends Shayna Baszler into the finals. Winner: Shayna Baszler via Submission
After the match both women are exhausted laying on the mat and neither are able to get to their feet quickly. Once they are both back to their feet they hug. Paul Levesque, Stephanie McMahon, and NXT Trainer Sara Amato are in the ring to congratulate Shayna for making it to the finals. We also see Sara hug Mercedes as those two have a long history of wrestling each other around the world. In a classy move by Paul Levesque he holds the ropes as Mercedes goes to exit the ring. We then see Stephanie and Sara raising the arms of Shayna.
I really enjoyed this match as most of it felt more like an MMA fight rather than a pro wrestling match especially the part where they were feeling each other out and Shayna was trying to throw little kicks that Mercedes would dodge as you see that a good bit in the opening minutes of MMA fights. I like how Shayna relied on submission holds you would see in MMA like leg bars while Mercedes busted out a wrestling submission hold in the Regal Stretch. The suplexes that Mercedes delivered were vicious looking. In the end both girls came out of the match looking strong and Mercedes finally had a match that I enjoyed in this tournament. Rating: ***1/2
Mae Young Classic Semi-Finals: Match #2
Toni Storm (Australia) vs Kairi Sane (Japan)
Prediction: Toni Storm
Let's see who will be meeting Shayna Baszler in the finals of the Mae Young Classic.
We get a respectful handshake from both women and we are set to go in this second semi-final match. They lockup and Kairi goes behind with a waistlock, but Toni grabs a hold of the arm and wrenches on it until Kairi is able to nip up out of it and apply her own arm wrench. Toni does some great euro style moves to get out of the hold and takes Kairi down with a back leg trip only for Kairi to float over and ride Toni. Toni spins out and looks to gain control, but Kairi rolls out and gets to her feet as Toni still has her in a front facelock and then takes her down with a hip toss like move and floats into a pin for a 1 count. Kairi gets to her feet and applies a hammerlock into a side headlock as we see that Shayna Baszler is watching the match backstage. Kairi tries to get Toni to the mat with the headlock, but this only allows Toni to slide out of Kairi's grasp and then gives her a big smile.
We get another lockup and Toni goes back to the arm, Kairi breaks the grip of Toni and gets back to her feet and she has had enough of the chain wrestling as she starts delivering forearm shots and then sends Toni into the corner. Kairi runs at Toni, but is backdropped to the apron. Kairi hits Toni with a shoulder to the gut and then goes up to the top, Kairi comes off and there is nobody there as Kairi lands on her feet. Kairi runs off the ropes, ducks a clothesline and then hits a dropkick on Toni. Kairi picks Toni up, but Toni is able to block a forearm and slams Kairi down to the mat arm first for a 2 count. Toni lays on the ground and puts one of her feet behind the elbow of Kairi and uses the other one to kick the arm. At this point Toni is really trying to disable the arm so that Kairi can't hit her elbow drop. Toni hits three european uppercuts for a 2 count.
Kairi tries to make a comeback with a forearm strike and then sends Toni to the ropes, but Toni hangs on so Kairi charges at her only for Toni to move out of the way sending Kairi through the middle rope and out to the floor. Toni runs to the ropes and looks like she is going to dive on to Kairi, but she fakes her out and only goes out to the apron. Toni goes for a running kick from the apron, but Kairi catches her leg and yanks her off sending Toni back first into the apron. Kairi goes up top and hits a crossbody onto Toni, but she may have got the worst of it as she landed face first right on the steel ramp. Kairi rolls Toni back in the ring and covers her for a 2 count. Kairi then applies a boston crab on Toni and after much struggle Toni gets to the ropes.
Kairi runs to the ropes looking for the Sliding D, but Toni telegraphs it and lays back to kick her in the face. Toni then delivers a release german suplex followed by a running hip attack in the corner. Toni goes for a second hip attack, but Kairi explodes out of the corner with a spear and now both women are down as we see Kairi's face is bruised and scratched from hitting the ramp on the crossbody. Both women struggle to get to their feet as they exchange forearms the entire time. They trade a few more forearms until Toni kicks her in the chest. Toni runs off he ropes and is met with a chop that is heard throughout Full Sail. Kairi is signaling for the elbow, but Toni cuts her off and then brings her off of the corner with a bridging muscle buster for 2. Toni picks Kairi up looking for the Strong Zero, but Kairi fights out and goes for a spinning back fist that is blocked by Toni. Toni grabs Kairi's arm and applies a bridging fujiwara armbar and really cranks away on the arm as Kairi screams out in pain. It really looked like this may be the end of Kairi's journey in the MYC, but she is able to roll onto her back and then rolls Toni up for a 2 count.
Kairi runs to the ropes, but Toni meets her with a hard strike that has Kairi reeling before she finally collapses to the mat. Toni goes up top and hits a top rope leg drop to the back of Kairi, but is in way too much pain to follow up with a pin. Toni finally gets to her feet and picks Kaiiri up, but Kairi catches her with the spinning back fist and then locks in some kind of cross legged submission move for a few seconds before hitting her with a standing elbow drop to the back. Kairi goes up top and hits the big elbow drop on the back of Toni and gets the win. Winner: Kairi Sane via Pinfall
After the match it takes a while before both women are able to get to their feet once they do they have a long embrace. We then see the same scene that we seen after the last match with Paul Levesque, Stephanie McMahon, & Sara Amato raising the hand of Kairi. Once they are up on the stage we get a stare down between Kairi and Shayna with the trophy in between them as the show comes to a close.
This was a great way to finish out the semi-finals as this was a hard hitting match that also had probably the most psychology and limb work of any match in this tournament. While I do like Kairi I will admit that I'm a bit sad that Toni didn't make it to the finals as she was my pick to win the entire thing and I hope that we get to see more of her in NXT or WWE in the near future as she definitely earned herself a spot on the roster with work in this tournament. I can't wait to watch the finals as I can honestly see a case for either woman winning this tournament and both have had fantastic performances throughout. Kairi has 4/4 of her matches in my top 10 and Shayna has 3/4 in my top 10, but one of Shayna's matches is my number 1. Rating: ***3/4
One thing I have to mention before I wrap this up is that I'm a bit disappointed they are having the finals in Vegas right after Smackdown on Tuesday in the regular 205 Live spot, because with Vegas not being a hot wrestling town I have to imagine there are going to be a lot of casuals at this Smackdown show which means that most of the people probably haven't even watched the MYC and won't care to stick around after watching 2 hours of Smackdown. These two girls could be performing in front of a dead crowd who have no clue as to these two women are. Sure I guess they could advertise that one of the women is former MMA star Shayna Baszler, but even having her there isn't going to attract that many more people (although Vegas is a huge UFC market so they may get more people than I expect), it's not like Ronda Rousey is stepping into the ring. I feel they should have just had a live finale at Full Sail like they did with the CWC. With the finale being an hour I have to imagine there will be one or two unannounced matches featuring some of the other MYC women and hopefully an angle to further the tension between the two sets of horsewomen.
Mae Young Classic: Road to the Finals
This was a 30 minute show that was hosted by Charly Caruso and highlighted Kairi & Shayna's path to the finals and also had a bonus match.
Mae Young Classic Bonus Match: 6 Woman Tag Match
Santana Garrett (USA), Sarah Logan (USA), & Marti Belle (Dominican Republic)
vs
Tessa Blanchard (USA), Jazzy Gabert (Germany), & Kay Lee Ray (Scotland)
Prediction: Santana Garrett (USA), Sarah Logan (USA), & Marti Belle (Dominican Republic)
This match must have been taped during the second night of tapings back in July so that the crowd in attendance would get 16 matches on each night. Unlike all the other matches in this tournament JR & Lita weren't the ones calling the action, instead we had the team of Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness, & 2017 Hall of Famer "The Glamazon" Beth Phoenix.
Right from the start the crowd is all in on Jazzy and want her in the match. Tessa and Sarah begin the match and lockup with Tessa pushing Sarah back into the corner. Tessa backs up to give a clean break and then tries to charge back in, but Sarah is able to move out of the way and then takes Tessa down with a fireman's carry and follows up with a dropkick into the ropes. Sarah sends Tessa into the ropes and hits her hip toss cartwheel right into a sliding knee. Sarah tags in Santana who quickly rolls Tessa up for a 1 count and then hits a double leg takedown into a jacknife pin for another count of 1. Tessa hits a big forearm and then tags in Kay Lee Ray.
Tessa and Kay Lee send Santana into the ropes and hit her with a double shoulder block. They go to lift Santana, but she nips up and then uses the middle rope to springboard off of and hits arm drags on both women. Santana hits a russian leg sweep for 2 and then tags in Marti Belle. Marti hits a couple of forearms and tries for a third, but it's blocked as Kay Lee tries to get Marti into a variation of the gory special which Marti gets out of easily and then hits a tilt a whirl headscissors sending Kay Lee into the corner. Marti hits a running forearm in the corner and then stomps a mud hole in Kay Lee. Marti runs at Kay Lee again looking for something, but is met with a powerful forearm from Kay Lee that dazes her temporarily until she is able to hit a discus forearm for 2. Marti goes behind Kay Lee, but she reverses and hits a big forearm to the back of Marti before tagging in Jazzy.
Marti tries to block a spinning back fist, but is unsuccessful and is hit with one that sends her crumbling to the mat. Jazzy picks Marti up in a torture rack and then throws her into the corner where she tags in Tessa. Tessa chokes Marti on the middle rope and then hits a running dropkick and back elbow to the back of Marti as she is still up against the rope. Tessa hits a couple of short arm clotheslines before attempting a belly to back suplex which Marti is able to block and then Marti hits a jawbreaker. Both girls simultaneously make hot tags as both Santana and Jazzy come in, Santana rolls under a clothesline and then hits eat defeat that doesn't even take Jazzy down. Santana hits a handspring elbow in the corner and then tries to send her into the opposite corner, but Jazzy is too strong and sends her back into the original corner. Jazzy charges in and is met with a big boot to the face and then is hit with a hurricanrana out of the corner by Santana. Santana hits a superkick sending Jazzy down to one knee and then locks in bridging chin lock that Kay Lee Ray comes in to break up.
Kay Lee goes to hit Santana, but she blocks it and flings Kay Lee's arm back so it lands wrapped around the head of Jazzy and then Santana sweeps the leg of Kay Lee causing her to inadvertently hit a stunner on Jazzy. Kay Lee counters a whip into the ropes and hits Santana with a back kick and then runs to the ropes only to be caught with a modified back drop by Sarah. Sarah is caught with a hammerlock DDT by Tessa who is then hit with a heel trip by Marti sending her face first into the mat. Jazzy comes in and stalks Marti who tries to crawl away, but is caught by Jazzy momentarily until she is thrown down as Jazzy sees Santana climbing to the top out of the corner of her eye. Santana comes off the top with a cross body, but is caught by Jazzy who lifts Santana up to her shoulders and then flips Sanrana over to her back and then delivers the Omega Slam to give her team the win. Winners: Jazzy Gabret, Tessa Blanchard, & Kay Lee Ray
This was a pretty fun match to give the women who were eliminated during the first round more exposure. Marti was the weakest in the match as a lot of her stuff looked a bit sloppy. Rating: **
After the match there is a loud "Please sign Jazzy" chant by the crowd which I don't think Jazzy expected as she can't help but smile. Triple H comes out and jokes about the chant as he said the crowd did the same thing during the CWC and they are costing him too much money. Triple H ends the night by giving a speech about the MYC and how women now have that big stage to perform on that they have always wanted.
Mae Young Classic: The Finals
Las Vegas, NV
Thomas & Mack Center
9/12/17
We open the show with a video recapping the tournament and then it transitions into both girls talking about what they plan to do to make sure they are the winner of the Mae Young Classic.
We cut to the arena where Renee Young is our host for the evening and she says that this show has brought people from all over to witness the crowning of the inaugural Mae Young Classic winner. We cut to a video from earlier on the red carpet where the only notable guests that have nothing to do with either WWE or the MMA four horsewomen are the women from the Netflix hit series GLOW, which stars Kia Stevens better known to wrestling fans as Awesome Kong.
We go back into the arena where we see Beth Phoenix, Dana Warrior, Madusa, & Mauro Ranallo sitting at ringside, I have to ask once again what happened with Madusa as she was suppose to be apart of this tournament as an interviewer, but this is the first time we are seeing her. Renee then sends us down to ringside to JR & Lita as things are about to get serious. I have to complain a bit about Lita during this on camera, she is slouching and leaning all over the announce table and it looks very unprofessional as she should be sitting up straight while on camera like this.
We cut to the back to see Kairi making her way to the ring and then we see Shayna getting pumped up by Ronda Rousey and Jessamayn Duke as she makes her way to the ring.We go to another video package for both women.
We cut back to ringside and see the Rock's mother and daughter in the crowd as well as some of the competitors from the Mae Young Classic.
Mae Young Classic: Finals
Kairi Sane (Japan) vs Shayna Baszler (USA)
Shayna makes her way to the ring first as she circles around the ring like she would do inside the Octagon. Up next Kairi comes out and it took me this long to notice that her music is something you would here out of a pirate movie. We then see the tale of the tape for our two finalists. For this final match WWE brought in Lilian Garcia to do in ring introductions and she does a great job.
They circle the ring feeling each other out looking for the right opportunity to strike, they lockup and Shayna pushes her back into the ropes and then cleanly breaks the lockup. Kairi tries to go in, but Shayna gets a double leg take down and lands some shots to the ribs before attempting to lock in a cross arm bar which Kairi rolls into getting Shayna's shoulders down on the mat for a 2 count. Shayna quickly transitions into rear naked choke, but before she can fully lock it in Kairi rolls back and again has Shayna's shoulders to the mat for 2. Both women get back to their feet as Shayna tells Kairi that she came very close to locking her in the choke.
Shayna wants a test of strength which Kairi cautiously accepts, Shayna bends her back into a bridge and then kicks one of her legs out before delivering a hard kick to the back. Shayna sends Kairi into the ropes and follows her in, but Kairi uses the ropes to jump up and hit a headscissors. Kairi goes behind Shayna only for Shayna to reverse and then attempt a kick which Kairi catches and tries for a punch which Shayna dodges and then Shayna connects with a hard kick sending Kairi outside. Shayna runs down the apron and delivers a kick to the head of Kairi before rolling her back into the ring where she covers her for a 2 count.
Shayna locks in a double wristlock before bending back the arm and stomping on the elbow to try and weaken the arm so Kairi can't deliver her big elbow drop. Shayna attempts a gutwrench suplex, but Kairi counters into a roll up for 2. Kairi runs off the ropes and tries for her spear (which is now being called the Interceptor), but Shayna just swats her down to the mat. Shayna goes back to the arm of Kairi stretching it out. Shayna goes for a suplex, but Kairi counters and then runs to the ropes attempting the spear again and this time she is caught with the rolling gutwrench suplexses for 2. Shayna continues to work on the arm until Kairi gets to the ropes.
Kairi starts to make a comeback with a series of chops that are having their affect on Shayna. Kairi lets out a scream and then runs to the ropes, but Shayna follows her in and delivers a knee to the chest of Kairi. Shayna toys around with Kairi and then runs to the ropes where Kairi is finally able to hit the Interceptor and this major damage to the ribs of Shayna. We see members of the WWE female roster at ringside (Asuka, Summer Rae, Charlotte, Becky, & Bayley) cheering on Kairi. Kairi goes for the cover and is only able to get a 2 count.
Kairi runs off the ropes where she hits the Sliding D followed by a running dropkick right into the ribs of Shayna. Kairi bounces off the bottom rope and hits a double stomp on the mid section furthering the damage on the ribs, Kairi gets another 2 count on Shayna. Kairi locks in a body scissors which causes Shayna to scream out in pain. Kairi is squeezing with everything she has until Shayna is able to turn around and deliver some shots to the mid section followed by a big forearm to the head. Kairi rolls out of the way as Shayna was coming at her in the corner and then delivers a shoulder thrust to the ribs of Shayna.
Kairi marches to the corner and goes for another Sliding D in the opposite corner, but Shayna is able to move out of the way in time. Shayna is looking to set up for another suplex, but Kairi gets out of it with shots to the mid section followed by an axe kick to the back of Shayna. Kairi signals that it's over as she goes up top, but she sees Shayna getting to her feet so she decides to go for the flying forearm instead and this ends up being a mistake as she is caught by Shayna and locked in the rear naked choke. Kairi looks out of it for a second and then she starts elbowing Shayna in the injured ribs and is able to release Shayna's grip on her.
Both women slowly get to their feet and when they do Kairi hits a spinning back fist that sends Shayna crumbling to the mat. Kairi goes up top again and this time is cut off by Shayna who kicks her leg and joins Kairi up top where she looks to hit a superplex, but Kairi blocks it and both women trade strikes while standing on the ropes. Shayna catches a punch from Kairi and tries to turn it into Kimura, but Kairi still fights back landing some strikes to the ribs and then a headbutt that sends Shayna down into a tree of woe position where Kairi takes a page out of her quarterfinals opponent Dakota Kai's playbook and delivers a double stomp. Kairi makes a cover, but Shayna is too close to the ropes. Kairi runs at Shayna who is down in the corner and delivers another Sliding D, but this time the forearm connects with the ribs of Shayna. Kairi immediately goes up top and hits the elbow drop and finally after a hard fought battle is able to get the win. Inagural Mae Young Classic Champion: Kairi Sane via Pinfall
After the match Kairi goes over to the corner to help Shayna up to her feet and they hug as Shayna raises her hand. We then have Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and Sara Amato enter the ring and give Kairi a bouquet of flowers. Triple H and the referee hold the ropes as Shayna exits the ring. We go off the air with Kairi on the turnbuckle with her flowers saluting the crowd. This was a great way to end the tournament as the match was incredible and had some great story telling with Shayna working over the elbow arm of Kairi while Kairi worked on the ribs of Shayna to weaken her up for the elbow. Rating: ****1/4
I was worried about them having the finale in Vegas as I didn't think the crowd would be into it, but I was wrong. I still wish the finale was at least and hour long and had another bonus match or two. I know WWE doesn't do pyro anymore, but couldn't they have at least sprung for some confetti for this show. It was announced by Triple H in an interview after the show that Kairi will be one of the women competing for the vacant NXT Women's Championship at the next Takeover in November.
I want to thank everyone who took the time to check out the round 1 review as it is close to 100 views which is the most any of my posts have had, hopefully this review can reach that same number and even exceed it. Remember if you like or even if you don't like something I write you can feel free to leave a comment on here or tweet me @MTW3589 and also if you like give this post a +1.
Thanks again to everyone,
Trent
Mae Young Classic Match Ranking.
