WWE Mae Young Classic II: First Round Review
Winter Park, FL
Full Sail University
Taped: 8/8/18
WWE Network Air Dates: Wednesdays 9/5/18 - 9/26/18
Announcers: Michael Cole, Renee Young, & Beth Phoenix
Welcome to my review for the first round of the 2nd Annual Mae Young Classic. I have to say that out of all the reviews that I have done this year this has to be the one I have been looking forward to the most as I absolutely enjoyed last year's tournament and judging by the views I got, it looks like a lot of people enjoyed the tournament last year as it is one of my most viewed posts since I have been doing this blog. As great as the talent pool was last year I feel this year's talent is even better and I can't wait to dive in and see what this year has in store. I have a lot of matches to review for this first round so enough with the small talk lets get down to business. For more on the women in this year's tournament check out my MYC II preview blog post that I did a few weeks ago (http://mythoughtsonprowrestling.blogspot.com/2018/08/a-new-summer-tradition-previewing-2nd.html)
Episode #1 - Match #1
"The Girl With The Shiniest Wizard" Tegan Nox def Zatara via Pinfall
It's so disappointing (knowing what happens in the next round) to see Tegan's intro video and hear her talking about how she missed last year's MYC because of a torn ACL and that she did everything she could to make it back for this year's tournament. If I didn't know otherwise I would actually think the whole injury that happens in the next round was a work given how much they talked about it on commentary as that was what they talked about for the majority of the match. I have to wonder if with her ACL just being torn last year and her having a minor tear of her MCL earlier this year if she came back too soon (just so she could make this tournament) and maybe she should've stayed out for a little while longer and made sure there would be no further problems. If she keeps getting injured the WWE is not going to want to risk putting her in any important roles for fear of having to change plans in an instant because of her likelihood of getting injured.
The match was pretty back and forth with Tegan getting the early advantage and sending Zatara to the outside where we see Tegan fake a dive 619 style. Zatara gets control and works on the knee of Tegan and attempts to get a submission, but Tegan is able to get to the ropes. Tegan tries to make a comeback as the leg is slowing her down, but she is able to hit a nice crossbody off the top. Zatara hits a top rope dropkick which was supposed to knock Tegan into the corner, but she only made it halfway across so she had to throw herself back into the corner. The finish sees Zatara going for a knee to the back of Tegan, but she ducks and this misstep would allow Tegan to hit the Shining Wizard for the win. While it made sense to start the tournament off with a big name to get the crowd pumped, but I didn't feel the quality of the match was anything too special to get the crowd super excited for what was yet to come in the first round.
Rating: **1/4
It's so disappointing (knowing what happens in the next round) to see Tegan's intro video and hear her talking about how she missed last year's MYC because of a torn ACL and that she did everything she could to make it back for this year's tournament. If I didn't know otherwise I would actually think the whole injury that happens in the next round was a work given how much they talked about it on commentary as that was what they talked about for the majority of the match. I have to wonder if with her ACL just being torn last year and her having a minor tear of her MCL earlier this year if she came back too soon (just so she could make this tournament) and maybe she should've stayed out for a little while longer and made sure there would be no further problems. If she keeps getting injured the WWE is not going to want to risk putting her in any important roles for fear of having to change plans in an instant because of her likelihood of getting injured.
The match was pretty back and forth with Tegan getting the early advantage and sending Zatara to the outside where we see Tegan fake a dive 619 style. Zatara gets control and works on the knee of Tegan and attempts to get a submission, but Tegan is able to get to the ropes. Tegan tries to make a comeback as the leg is slowing her down, but she is able to hit a nice crossbody off the top. Zatara hits a top rope dropkick which was supposed to knock Tegan into the corner, but she only made it halfway across so she had to throw herself back into the corner. The finish sees Zatara going for a knee to the back of Tegan, but she ducks and this misstep would allow Tegan to hit the Shining Wizard for the win. While it made sense to start the tournament off with a big name to get the crowd pumped, but I didn't feel the quality of the match was anything too special to get the crowd super excited for what was yet to come in the first round.
Rating: **1/4
Episode #1 - Match #2
Rhea Ripley def MJ Jenkins via Pinfall
Rhea Ripley def MJ Jenkins via Pinfall
I don't know what the women down in Australia are drinking but they need to keep on drinking it because everywhere you look the women (and some of the men) from Australia are killing it in pro wrestling. I wonder if Australia has always had this much talent if so then we have missed out on a lot of talented Aussies coming to WWE until recently. As I mentioned in my preview I was a big fan of Rhea last year, but now that she has had an attitude change (and some badass looking ring gear) I have gone from just being a fan to loving me some Rhea Ripley and super excited to watch her shine like the true star of the future she is.
Early on in the match Michael Cole kept talking about how people are comparing Rhea to Charlotte and I have to believe that is a narrative that WWE made up and want us to believe as I have never thought once about Rhea having any similarities to Charlotte and I don't think anyone else has either, I feel like this was just a way to get Charlotte's name mentioned on the show.
Rhea used a nice mix of technique and power moves in this match including an impressive delayed vertical suplex. MJ channels her inner fighting spirit as she lets out a big scream when she makes her comeback and hits some nice strikes including a spinning back fist and later a springboard dropkick. The finish comes when MJ goes for a spin kick, but Rhea ducks and has a smooth transition into a pump handle powerbomb for the win. I love Rhea being the dominant ass-kicking heel as that works better for her since she will most likely be both taller and more powerful than her opponents so it makes sense that she is in control for most of the match and not working as an underdog babyface like she was last year. I was more impressed by MJ in this match than I expected to be and made me want to see more from her in the future, she is very spunky and brings a sense of fun and lightheartedness to her matches. MJ is someone to look out for in the future as she definitely has the potential to be something really special. I enjoyed this match and think it actually would've served as a better opener, but I get wanting to open the show with a babyface win. Rating: **1/2
Episode #1 - Match #3
Lacey Lane def "The Mountain" Vanessa Kraven via Pinfall
Lacey Lane def "The Mountain" Vanessa Kraven via Pinfall
So last year there was this girl that I had no clue who she was but after watching her in the tournament I became a huge fan and was excited to her in the next round, the girl I'm talking about was Bianca Belair and now in the 2nd annual Mae Young Classic that girl is Lacey Lane. Lacey has a really cool and unique look with long dreads and emerald green eyes that definitely make her pop off the screen and even if she had the most generic looks, what she does in the ring alone would make her stand out. Vanessa has a unique look as well but unfortunately compared to Lacey she didn't stand out as much in the ring as she was pretty much your standard giant.
Lacey has some really nice kicks early on that has Vanessa reeling and then Lacey tries for a lucha style springboard arm drag and while I give her props for trying something new I think she tried too hard to show off and it caused her to botch the landing. There really wasn't much after this that was all the great as it was pretty much the smaller person using their speed to overcome the power of the much larger opponent and it wasn't even close to being the best Mae Youg Classic match worked that way as that award goes to Abbey vs Jazzy from last year. Vanessa hits a spinning side slam and it looked sloppy. The finish comes when Vanessa misses a cannonball in the corner and is out on her feet throwing wild punches in the air and then Lacey hits a crucifix bomb for the win. This was by far the worst match we have seen yet as it was sloppy and disjointed in spots and what happened live must have been worse as it was obvious they had to make an edit at the end of the match, right before Lacey hits the crucifix bomb. This was overall just not quite as good as it should have been.
Rating: *3/4
Episode #1 - Match #4
Meiko Satomura def Killer Kelly via Pinfall
Meiko Satomura def Killer Kelly via Pinfall
The main event for episode one saw the Joshi legend Meiko Satomura take on the Portuguese badass Killer Kelly and this match to say the least was hard-hitting. Before I get to the match itself I have to mention that with the slick-backed hairstyle and the red, black, and gold color scheme for her gear Meiko reminds me of a female Hirooki Goto, yes I'm aware that is a very strange thing to say but I couldn't stop thinking about it as she made her way to the ring. I never thought I would hear that Kane of all people inspired someone to get into the business, but according to Michael Cole that is exactly who inspired Killer Kelly. If they ever come through with the rumored women's tag team championship I have a team that I would like to see and that would be the team of Killer Kelly and Sadistic Sonya (Deville).
It was pretty obvious that Meiko was going to win this match, but they did a great job making Kelly look like a credible threat as she gave Meiko all that she had in her. Meiko has a nice escape out of a head scissors and then she just decks her with a forearm shot. Meiko needs to stay around for a while so she can teach John Cena how to properly apply an STF. The cartwheel into the double knees got a nice reaction out of the audience. Kelly actually gets her finisher on Meiko, but unfortunately, she has it locked in while she has Meiko hanging from the top rope and has to break it. The finish comes when Meiko blocks an attempted German Suplex and hits a Pele kick instead and then finishes her off with a Death Valley Driver.
This was a good choice to main event the first show as it showcased one of the biggest names in the tournament and the match worked to both women's strengths and allowed them to showcase the best of themselves. I look forward to seeing who's head Meiko kicks off in the next round and as for Kelly, I definitely believe she has a very bright future.
Rating: ***1/4
Episode #2 - Match #1
"The Virtuosa" Deonna Purrazzo def Priscilla Kelly via Submission
"The Virtuosa" Deonna Purrazzo def Priscilla Kelly via Submission
Outside of the matches she had in NXT I hadn't seen any of Deonna's stuff, but I had definitely heard great things about her and in this match she definitely showed why she was highly regarded as one of the best women on the US indy scene. I still can't figure out how and why she was chosen to be an alternate in last year's tournament instead of actually being in it as I'm sure there was more than one girl who could've switched places with her and been an alternate instead. They should really do an angle where Paige goes to find a protege since she can't wrestle anymore and she chooses Priscilla as they both pretty much have the exact same pale skinned goth look, by the way, I get why Paige is pale as she lived in England and it's not the sunniest of places over there, but I know for sure it gets hot as hell in Georgia so I don't know what Priscilla's excuse is.
The highlights of this match for me was the chain wrestling at the beginning and then later on when Deonna pulled out some European style catch wrestling moves as I enjoy that style of wrestling. Priscilla is able to get some offense in including a dragon sleeper but for the majority of the match all the focus is on Deonna and making her shine. Deonna hits some nice chops and a hip toss that she transitions into a backflip and a dropkick. The finish comes when Deonna hits a Russian leg sweep and locks in the Fujiwara Arm Bar for the submission. This was a fine match to start the show off with and was building up to be really good, but with the time they got they weren't able to do too much, however they worked a good match for the time they were given. Rating: **1/4
Episode #2 - Match #2
Zeuxis def "Big Swole" Aerial Monroe via Pinfall
Zeuxis def "Big Swole" Aerial Monroe via Pinfall
As Aerial makes her way to the ring we see that Aerial's daughter and husband Cedric Alexander cheering their mommy and wife on for this match. One thing we learn off the bat is don't mess with Aerial's hair, but Zeuxis doesn't listen and proceeds to swat at it and later she would grab it and that ended up with her getting smacked in the face with a backhand. There were a lot of strikes in this match and many of them I didn't like as they either completely missed or looked very soft.
I'm not sure if this a general luchadora thing or if it's just the women that WWE choose for this tournament but none of them have impressed me and their matches aren't that great in my opinion. The announcers didn't even mention that Zeuxis was the one who took the mask from last year's Mexican representative in the Mae Young Classic, Princesa Sugehit. The finish comes when Zeuxis launches Aerial to the top and hits a Spanish Fly for the win. I feel that the wrong person went over as Aerial felt like the star of the match and the crowd were fully behind her. It kinda sucks that they had her daughter in the crowd knowing that she would lose as it broke the poor little girl's heart. This was one of the worst matches of the tournament for me so far. Rating: *1/2
Episode #2 - Match #3
"The Mighty" Kacy Catanzaro def Reina Gonzalez via Pinfall
"The Mighty" Kacy Catanzaro def Reina Gonzalez via Pinfall
This was one of the matches I was most looking forward to in the tournament as I have been waiting to see Kacy Catanzaro in the ring since the moment she signed as I was a big fan of hers on American Ninja Warrior. There is also the fact that I find her cute and I have to stick by my fellow short people like Kacy and Alexa Bliss. I had heard good things about Kacy going into this match and even Triple H mentioned her by name as someone who is learning very quickly down in the PC. Kacy has a very unique entrance where she climbs up the ring post, so that was a great way to set herself apart and show off her Ninja Warrior skills.
I also read somewhere that Reina has improved a lot since last year, so I wanted to see for myself. Right away I will say that Reina improved her looks by getting rid of the cowboy hat and ridiculous eye patch (there are only two people allowed to wear an eye patch in wrestling and that's Pierre & Scotty Riggs) and has traded in the leather chaps for ones made out of blue jeans, so she does look way more badass this year and not someone in a ridiculous Halloween costume.
The size difference is laughable when the two women face off as Kacy looks like a child standing next to an adult. The power of Reina is displayed immediately as she catches a charging Kacy and swings her around effortlessly. Kacy is able to escape the grasp of Reina and make it to the apron where she gets a boost by the bottom rope and then like a gymnast on the uneven bars she twists her body and comes down with head scissors sending Reina into the corner. Kacy tries to lock in an octopus hold (shades of another former smaller wrestler AJ Lee) but Reina's power is too much and she ends up hitting a backbreaker. Reina uses her power to stay in control and every time Kacy would try to gain some momentum she was knocked back down with a clubbing blow.
Kacy finally gets back in control after she moves out of the way of a charging Reina and then she goes to work on the knees before hitting a springboard dropkick which saw her leapfrog over the top rope and bounce off the middle rope on the inside of the ring to hit the dropkick, or at least I'm pretty sure that's what she did as the damn cameraman was so close up he almost missed the entire spot. Kacy then surprises Reina with a roll up out of nowhere to get the win.
After the match it looks like Reina is going to attack Kacy but instead she extends her hand and when Kacy goes to shake it Reina pulls her in and then in a weird moment she lifts her up on her shoulder like she Macho Man and Kacy was Miss Elizabeth, I don't think this was really needed as it took away from the whole heel character that Reina had been portraying the entire match and could continue to play on NXT live events and hopefully one day NXT tv. I will admit that this moment did feel like Triple H going over the top to make sure the celebrity is put over more than she needs to be, but at the same time there are plenty of other celebrities they could do this with that are worse than Kacy Catanzaro so I don't have much of a problem with it.
I enjoyed this David vs Goliath match more than the Lacey Lane vs Vanessa Kraven match as it was worked where the smaller babyface got beat down the entire time only to make a comeback at the end, whereas in the other match it felt like the smaller competitor was in equal control of the match and wasn't working from underneath as much. I thought Reina looked really good as she carried herself very well as the dominant giant trying to destroy her much smaller opponent and unlike last year I actually want to see more of Reina as she has indeed improved quite a bit since last year. I thought Kacy looked good in the match as well and while there are things she could probably work on, for the most part, I would say this was an impressive debut. I wish that we could see Kacy against someone closer to her size (I still think Ashley Rayne would've been a better first round match for her) to see what she could do as I feel that could be a lot of fun, but unfortunately we won't get that in the next round as she is set to face Rhea Ripley and oh how my heart will be torn watching that match as I am a big fan of both of those women. Rating: **
Episode #2 - Match #4
Mercedes Martinez def Ashley Rayne via Pinfall
Mercedes Martinez def Ashley Rayne via Pinfall
I found it interesting that Mercedes came to the ring in gear that was the same color as Shayna Baszler usually wears. Early in the match, the announcers hype this up as a dream match, but for me, there really isn't anyone they could put Ashley against that I would consider it a dream match. Even though Ashley has been in the business for a long time and is considered a veteran she is not one I think about having matches on a regular basis that are good enough to say that if she was in the ring with a certain person it would be a dream match (I hope that made sense lol).
Mercedes controls most of the early part of the match while Ashley tries several times to catch Mercedes off guard with a quick roll up, but that doesn't fare too well for Ashley in fact Mercedes counters one roll up attempt by spiking Ashley right on her head. Rhea Ripley's reign of having the best delayed vertical suplex of the tournament was taken by Mercedes in this match as she hit a nice one and looked like she wanted to do a three amigos style trifecta of delayed verticals, but Ashley put a stop to that quickly. Rayne makes a short comeback before Mercedes takes her down again. Ashley would block the Fisherman's Buster on two occasions and even able hits the Rayne Drop but in the end Mercedes levels Ashley with a running knee and finishes her off with the Fisherman's Buster to advance to the next round.
I thought these two put on a solid match that was a good choice for the main event, but not quite the level of the episode one main event. I spoke about dream matches at the beginning of this match, well in the next round we are getting just that as Mercedes Martinez will be facing off with Meiko Satomura in what is sure to be a classic. Rating: **3/4
Before I get to the first match I have to say that you're in for one hell of a ride because episode 3 absolutely delivered and this will be one of the best hours of wrestling you're ever going to watch. On this episode, three out of the four matches had me on the edge of my seat and a made a huge smile come across my face as I really enjoyed this show and I hope every episode of the MYC after this either matches the quality of this show or surpasses it and if it does this could go down as one of the greatest tournaments of all time. It also didn't hurt that this show had three of my favorite wrestlers on it in Kaitlyn, Toni Storm, & Mia Yim.
Episode #3 - Match #1
Kaitlyn def Kavita Devi via Pinfall
I'm so happy to see Kaitlyn back in a WWE ring as I was a huge fan of hers during her first run. As attractive as Kaitlyn was when she was in WWE before, she is even more so now as the all black hair works for her and even though I still can't get used to seeing it the tattoo is pretty badass looking as well. In a perfect world when they show the wrestlers in the crowd cheering for a particular participant in the tournament they would show AJ Lee cheering for the other half of the ChickBusters, but alas this isn't a perfect world and CM Punk does exist and we will probably never see AJ Lee on a WWE (or any other wrestling promotion for that matter) show ever again.
Kavita comes out and she has two Indian guys from the PC cheering her on, could they not had at least Jinder or the Singh Brothers there instead of two guys that nobody knows yet.
I mentioned above that three out of the four matches on this show were great, unfortunately, this was not one of the three as it wasn't up to par with the rest of the show and although I was shocked this was the first match on the episode it made sense later as they just wanted to get this match out of the way. This was a match between two powerhouses. Kavita does seem to have improved since last year but still needs some work as some of her selling looked a bit too cartoony for my liking. Kaitlyn looked good in her first WWE match back as she was hitting moves that we hadn't seen from her in her first run including a cannonball and a nice running clothesline to a seated Kavita. Kaitlyn also had some nice forearm strikes in this match but unfortunately, the one thing that didn't look nice was her Spear as this was far from the great Kaitlyn's spears that I have seen in the past as she is capable of hitting a much better looking one.
This was an ok match but compared to what we were fixing to watch on the rest of the show it was very underwhelming, but for a first match back Kaitlyn did a good job and Kavita wasn't a total disaster like I had imagined she would be. Rating: **
Mercedes controls most of the early part of the match while Ashley tries several times to catch Mercedes off guard with a quick roll up, but that doesn't fare too well for Ashley in fact Mercedes counters one roll up attempt by spiking Ashley right on her head. Rhea Ripley's reign of having the best delayed vertical suplex of the tournament was taken by Mercedes in this match as she hit a nice one and looked like she wanted to do a three amigos style trifecta of delayed verticals, but Ashley put a stop to that quickly. Rayne makes a short comeback before Mercedes takes her down again. Ashley would block the Fisherman's Buster on two occasions and even able hits the Rayne Drop but in the end Mercedes levels Ashley with a running knee and finishes her off with the Fisherman's Buster to advance to the next round.
I thought these two put on a solid match that was a good choice for the main event, but not quite the level of the episode one main event. I spoke about dream matches at the beginning of this match, well in the next round we are getting just that as Mercedes Martinez will be facing off with Meiko Satomura in what is sure to be a classic. Rating: **3/4
Before I get to the first match I have to say that you're in for one hell of a ride because episode 3 absolutely delivered and this will be one of the best hours of wrestling you're ever going to watch. On this episode, three out of the four matches had me on the edge of my seat and a made a huge smile come across my face as I really enjoyed this show and I hope every episode of the MYC after this either matches the quality of this show or surpasses it and if it does this could go down as one of the greatest tournaments of all time. It also didn't hurt that this show had three of my favorite wrestlers on it in Kaitlyn, Toni Storm, & Mia Yim.
Episode #3 - Match #1
Kaitlyn def Kavita Devi via Pinfall
I'm so happy to see Kaitlyn back in a WWE ring as I was a huge fan of hers during her first run. As attractive as Kaitlyn was when she was in WWE before, she is even more so now as the all black hair works for her and even though I still can't get used to seeing it the tattoo is pretty badass looking as well. In a perfect world when they show the wrestlers in the crowd cheering for a particular participant in the tournament they would show AJ Lee cheering for the other half of the ChickBusters, but alas this isn't a perfect world and CM Punk does exist and we will probably never see AJ Lee on a WWE (or any other wrestling promotion for that matter) show ever again.
Kavita comes out and she has two Indian guys from the PC cheering her on, could they not had at least Jinder or the Singh Brothers there instead of two guys that nobody knows yet.
I mentioned above that three out of the four matches on this show were great, unfortunately, this was not one of the three as it wasn't up to par with the rest of the show and although I was shocked this was the first match on the episode it made sense later as they just wanted to get this match out of the way. This was a match between two powerhouses. Kavita does seem to have improved since last year but still needs some work as some of her selling looked a bit too cartoony for my liking. Kaitlyn looked good in her first WWE match back as she was hitting moves that we hadn't seen from her in her first run including a cannonball and a nice running clothesline to a seated Kavita. Kaitlyn also had some nice forearm strikes in this match but unfortunately, the one thing that didn't look nice was her Spear as this was far from the great Kaitlyn's spears that I have seen in the past as she is capable of hitting a much better looking one.
This was an ok match but compared to what we were fixing to watch on the rest of the show it was very underwhelming, but for a first match back Kaitlyn did a good job and Kavita wasn't a total disaster like I had imagined she would be. Rating: **
Episode #3 - Match #2
Toni Storm def Jinny via Pinfall
This is our first of two matches on the episode where the women in the match have a history with each other as Toni and Jinny have battled many times over in the UK for the Progress promotion. I have heard good things about Jinny, but this was my first time actually watching one of her matches so I wanted to see if she lived up to the hype. We see that Tyler Breeze is in the crowd and I was hoping that one of the announcers would mention something about if Tyler Breeze approves of Jinny's fashion choices or vice versa as Jinny is known as the "Fashionista" and Breeze is one half of the fashion police. Jinny does a good job of portraying the I'm above everyone else gimmick as the way she looks at everyone else is exactly what I would expect of someone like that.
I love me some Toni Storm, she is the true definition of a superstar and when I say, superstar, I don't mean the generic name for everyone on the WWE roster, I'm talking a true once in a lifetime talent that stands above the others. Toni has charisma out the butt and is truly one of the best women's wrestlers in the world today. When Toni comes on my screen I can't help but get pumped up as I know this is going to be something worth watching. Just like I said for the Rhea Ripley match what is up with these Australian women as they are killing it and they are some of my favorite women to watch right now. On top of everything else I've said about Toni, I have to mention that she is very hache mache (the official Place to Be Nation word for attractive or hot) and her fun and a bit quirky rocker persona just amplifies that to the max. Toni has fellow Australians The IIconics cheering her on and she even does the IIconics finger point back at them in a funny little moment.
The key words to describe this match was aggressive and hard-hitting, even when they locked up neither one was giving the other any chance to get the opening advantage and ended up having to break it as neither of them was getting anywhere with it. Toni isn't having any of Jinny's shit and shoves her on her butt. Jinny hits a hard forearm to get out of an arm wrench and once again Toni isn't taking her shit as she slaps her a couple of times and then sends her head into the third row with a big boot.
Jinny is finally able to take advantage when she slams Toni face first into the second turnbuckle and then she mounts her and starts wailing away with punches. Jinny puts Toni in a rest hold and while in most matches this would be boring, Jinny finds a way to keep the fans interested (while possibly also trying to kill Toni so she can get her out of her way once and for all) as she tries to suffocate Toni by putting her hand over Toni's mouth. Jinny hits another hard forearm and then hits a Japanese arm drag into the corner (I can't recall the last time I've seen someone use a Japanese arm drag).
Toni finally makes a comeback and hits a nice over the back transition move into a roll up for a near fall. Toni's advantage doesn't last long as Jinny hits her with another forearm that was twice as hard as the first two. Jinny slides under the legs of Toni and then has a beautiful transition into a rocking horse style surfboard hold and when Toni attempts to get to the ropes she gets Jinny's boot kicking her right in the back of her head, but she finally makes the ropes. Jinny talks some shit and slaps Toni only to run into Toni's boot soon after and then Toni hits a nice snap German suplex. Toni finishes things off with a running hip attack in the corner followed by the Storm Zero which in WWE is a Tiger Driver.
I'm sorry I wrote so much about this match as coming into this year's MYC I didn't want to do like I did last year and just do play by play of the entire match, but when I review a match I really enjoy. it might happen as I have to give my thoughts on everything in the match that I enjoyed (this will also most likely happen for this episode's main event). I was a bit underwhelmed so far in this year's tournament as nothing has really had me on the edge of my seat, but this match did just that and I couldn't wait to see what these two were going to do next in this match. Obviously, I think Toni did a great job, but I was also very impressed by Jinny and I will say that she definitely lived up to the hype as she had some nice strikes and pulled out some moves I haven't seen in quite a while, she also impressed me by making a boring rest hold interesting by just adding the little thing of covering Toni's mouth. These two were great and I hope to see much more from them in the UK division and even one day on the main WWE roster as these two could put on some classic matches that need to be seen by everyone, even the more casual main roster WWE fans.
Rating: ****
Toni Storm def Jinny via Pinfall
This is our first of two matches on the episode where the women in the match have a history with each other as Toni and Jinny have battled many times over in the UK for the Progress promotion. I have heard good things about Jinny, but this was my first time actually watching one of her matches so I wanted to see if she lived up to the hype. We see that Tyler Breeze is in the crowd and I was hoping that one of the announcers would mention something about if Tyler Breeze approves of Jinny's fashion choices or vice versa as Jinny is known as the "Fashionista" and Breeze is one half of the fashion police. Jinny does a good job of portraying the I'm above everyone else gimmick as the way she looks at everyone else is exactly what I would expect of someone like that.
I love me some Toni Storm, she is the true definition of a superstar and when I say, superstar, I don't mean the generic name for everyone on the WWE roster, I'm talking a true once in a lifetime talent that stands above the others. Toni has charisma out the butt and is truly one of the best women's wrestlers in the world today. When Toni comes on my screen I can't help but get pumped up as I know this is going to be something worth watching. Just like I said for the Rhea Ripley match what is up with these Australian women as they are killing it and they are some of my favorite women to watch right now. On top of everything else I've said about Toni, I have to mention that she is very hache mache (the official Place to Be Nation word for attractive or hot) and her fun and a bit quirky rocker persona just amplifies that to the max. Toni has fellow Australians The IIconics cheering her on and she even does the IIconics finger point back at them in a funny little moment.
The key words to describe this match was aggressive and hard-hitting, even when they locked up neither one was giving the other any chance to get the opening advantage and ended up having to break it as neither of them was getting anywhere with it. Toni isn't having any of Jinny's shit and shoves her on her butt. Jinny hits a hard forearm to get out of an arm wrench and once again Toni isn't taking her shit as she slaps her a couple of times and then sends her head into the third row with a big boot.
Jinny is finally able to take advantage when she slams Toni face first into the second turnbuckle and then she mounts her and starts wailing away with punches. Jinny puts Toni in a rest hold and while in most matches this would be boring, Jinny finds a way to keep the fans interested (while possibly also trying to kill Toni so she can get her out of her way once and for all) as she tries to suffocate Toni by putting her hand over Toni's mouth. Jinny hits another hard forearm and then hits a Japanese arm drag into the corner (I can't recall the last time I've seen someone use a Japanese arm drag).
Toni finally makes a comeback and hits a nice over the back transition move into a roll up for a near fall. Toni's advantage doesn't last long as Jinny hits her with another forearm that was twice as hard as the first two. Jinny slides under the legs of Toni and then has a beautiful transition into a rocking horse style surfboard hold and when Toni attempts to get to the ropes she gets Jinny's boot kicking her right in the back of her head, but she finally makes the ropes. Jinny talks some shit and slaps Toni only to run into Toni's boot soon after and then Toni hits a nice snap German suplex. Toni finishes things off with a running hip attack in the corner followed by the Storm Zero which in WWE is a Tiger Driver.
I'm sorry I wrote so much about this match as coming into this year's MYC I didn't want to do like I did last year and just do play by play of the entire match, but when I review a match I really enjoy. it might happen as I have to give my thoughts on everything in the match that I enjoyed (this will also most likely happen for this episode's main event). I was a bit underwhelmed so far in this year's tournament as nothing has really had me on the edge of my seat, but this match did just that and I couldn't wait to see what these two were going to do next in this match. Obviously, I think Toni did a great job, but I was also very impressed by Jinny and I will say that she definitely lived up to the hype as she had some nice strikes and pulled out some moves I haven't seen in quite a while, she also impressed me by making a boring rest hold interesting by just adding the little thing of covering Toni's mouth. These two were great and I hope to see much more from them in the UK division and even one day on the main WWE roster as these two could put on some classic matches that need to be seen by everyone, even the more casual main roster WWE fans.
Rating: ****
Episode #3 - Match #3
Xia Li def Karen Q via Pinfall
I honestly wasn't expecting much going into this match as I didn't have much interest in either participant as I wasn't impressed by Xia Li's performance last year in the MYC and I had only seen one match of Karen Q and it was nothing special, but by the end of it they had definitely changed my mind. I have to say that Xia Li has come so far in a year as she looks so much more confident and comfortable out there which makes sense as last year was only her first match. Michael Cole says that in the year since we last saw her Xia has learned to speak English and to that I congratulate her as they say English is the hardest language to learn.
Before the entrances, we see Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae in the audience and Johnny starts hyping the crowd up when they start chanting "Johnny Wrestling" and Candice kinda tells him to knock it off as it isn't about him on this night, this was a little moment that gave me a chuckle. This match marks the debut of the newest female referee Aubrey Edwards.
I popped when they bowed to each other and then both of them got into a karate stance as I was like holy shit we are getting a karate battle to start this match off, that is pretty damn cool. It looks like Karen Q needs to go back to the dojo as Xia easily won that karate battle and after that Karen was through playing nice as she gives Xia a nice slap to the face, that would prove to be a grave mistake as Xia comes back with a flurry of palm strikes in the corner. Karen tries to lock in her Boston crab finisher that she calls the Spring Roll, but Xia prevents her from locking it in. Xia makes her comeback and hits a series of hard kicks to the leg and a nice spin kick that takes Karen down for a near fall. Karen is able to hit a Samoan Drop and goes up for a frog splash, but Xia moves out of the way and when Karen lands Xia follows up with an ax kick to the back for the win.
This was much better than I expected it to be (I was doubtful if I would even give it two stars) and was a lot of fun and by the end of it, I had a much more positive outlook on both women as they definitely impressed me. Karen was the perfect pairing for Xia as both of them have a kick-based offense so they meshed well together. Going into this I was pretty sure that Karen would be the one advancing so I was a bit surprised when it was Xia, but I was completely fine with it as it helps her stay more relevant to the fans for her eventual NXT debut. I'm sure Karen is someone that WWE would also be interested in signing as she has a lot of potential as well. Overall a fun match to put between the two main event caliber matches that ended up over delivering. Rating: **1/2
Xia Li def Karen Q via Pinfall
I honestly wasn't expecting much going into this match as I didn't have much interest in either participant as I wasn't impressed by Xia Li's performance last year in the MYC and I had only seen one match of Karen Q and it was nothing special, but by the end of it they had definitely changed my mind. I have to say that Xia Li has come so far in a year as she looks so much more confident and comfortable out there which makes sense as last year was only her first match. Michael Cole says that in the year since we last saw her Xia has learned to speak English and to that I congratulate her as they say English is the hardest language to learn.
Before the entrances, we see Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae in the audience and Johnny starts hyping the crowd up when they start chanting "Johnny Wrestling" and Candice kinda tells him to knock it off as it isn't about him on this night, this was a little moment that gave me a chuckle. This match marks the debut of the newest female referee Aubrey Edwards.
I popped when they bowed to each other and then both of them got into a karate stance as I was like holy shit we are getting a karate battle to start this match off, that is pretty damn cool. It looks like Karen Q needs to go back to the dojo as Xia easily won that karate battle and after that Karen was through playing nice as she gives Xia a nice slap to the face, that would prove to be a grave mistake as Xia comes back with a flurry of palm strikes in the corner. Karen tries to lock in her Boston crab finisher that she calls the Spring Roll, but Xia prevents her from locking it in. Xia makes her comeback and hits a series of hard kicks to the leg and a nice spin kick that takes Karen down for a near fall. Karen is able to hit a Samoan Drop and goes up for a frog splash, but Xia moves out of the way and when Karen lands Xia follows up with an ax kick to the back for the win.
This was much better than I expected it to be (I was doubtful if I would even give it two stars) and was a lot of fun and by the end of it, I had a much more positive outlook on both women as they definitely impressed me. Karen was the perfect pairing for Xia as both of them have a kick-based offense so they meshed well together. Going into this I was pretty sure that Karen would be the one advancing so I was a bit surprised when it was Xia, but I was completely fine with it as it helps her stay more relevant to the fans for her eventual NXT debut. I'm sure Karen is someone that WWE would also be interested in signing as she has a lot of potential as well. Overall a fun match to put between the two main event caliber matches that ended up over delivering. Rating: **1/2
Episode #3 - Match #4
Mia Yim def Allysin Kay via Pinfall
Mia Yim def Allysin Kay via Pinfall
Just like in the Storm vs Jinny match these two were doing anything they could to beat the shit out of the other one. We get another very aggressive lock up and since that wasn't getting them anywhere they said screw it and started throwing hands back and forth until Mia was able to catch Allysin's arm and tries to apply an armbar, but Allysin quickly gets to the ropes. Mia has Allysin in the ropes punching away at her stomach and then when she is sent into the ropes she goes Tranquillo before moving out of the way of a charging Allysin sending her to the outside where she delivers a penalty kick from the apron. One very minor critique I have is that when Mia went to roll Allysin back into the ring, it was way too obvious that Allysin jumped up and rolled in on her own instead of Mia throwing her in.
Mia tries to go for a deadlift German suplex, but Allysin blocks it and sends Mia into the ropes so that she can hit the pounce and this sends Mia rolling to the outside of the ring. Mia is able to come back and hits a suicide dive to the outside and then she tries to chop Allysin against the ring post, but Allysin moves and Mia whacks her hand hard on the ring and Allysin immediately capitalizes by bending back Mia's fingers and then flapjacks her onto the ring apron. Before I go any further into the match let me say that if I hear Michael Cole say "DID YOU HEAR THAT" one more time I'm gonna scream as that was his key phrase throughout this entire episode and it got annoying after the first time he said it. Allysin has Mia in the corner and stomps away before using her pinky finger (because pinkys always have to be up as it keeps everything classy, which Renee reminds us of numerous times during this match, but the difference is that Renee never gets annoying). Allysin hits a fallaway slam before cranking away on the neck of Mia.
Mia is able to fight her way out of the neck vice and catches a running Allysin with an attempted armbar but Allysin is doing everything she can to prevent it from being locked in and she finally uses her power to deadlift Mia and slam her to the mat. Allysin starts playing around with Mia while talking trash until Mia rolls Allysin into a kneebar which Allysin quickly gets out of by getting to the ropes. Mia goes for a Pele kick, but Allysin catches her leg and then Allysin goes for a head kick which Mia blocks. They are both fired up now as they get nose to nose as we get some shoving before both women exchange a forearm shot and then Allysin delivers a slap and Mia rightfully repays her with one of her own and adds in a knee strike as well, only for Allysin to rebound off the ropes with a bicycle kick. Mia hits a series of running dropkicks and then one from the middle rope for only a two count.
Mia goes for an attempted package piledriver only for Allysin to counter with a backdrop and then Allysin tries to hit her AK47 finisher, but Mia counters that into a code red for two. At this point, it is noticeable that Mia's face is red from all the strikes that had been delivered in this match. Mia is on wobbly legs as she tries to hit Sole Food, but Allysin blocks it and ends up hitting the Big D but that too only gets a two count. Both women try for a different version of a kick but the other ducks and then they both hit simultaneous big boots that lay them both out. Mia goes up top but Allysin cuts her off before she can do anything and tries for something of her own, but Mia pushes her down. Allysin runs back toward Mia and goes to knock her off the top, but Mia catches Allysin's arm and hits Sole Food off the top to get the very hard-fought and well-earned victory.
Mia Yim once again puts on a hell of a match just like she did last year and although I wasn't that big of an Allysin Kay fan coming into this match, she definitely proved herself as well and may have changed how I feel about her. If for some reason you read this review and haven't seen this match definitely go check it out as you won't be disappointed. I believe that I read recently that Mia had signed a contract with WWE if that's true then good for her as she more than damn well deserves it as she is one hell of a talent and could be one of the top women stars on the main roster today and doesn't even really need to go through NXT. Great job by both ladies and I applaud them both for their performance and for keeping me thoroughly entertained for their entire match. If you're wondering why I rated this match a quarter star lower than the Toni vs Jinny match it's because other than the initial bending of the fingers they never went back to the hand for the rest of the match and most likely won't even mention it in Mia's next match. I feel the hand hitting the ring post should've been a bigger deal in the match later on especially after having Michael Cole screaming about it on commentary. Rating: ***3/4
Good lord what a show, this was one of the best hours of wrestling you will ever watch. If the Mia vs Allysin match and the Toni vs Jinny match are any indications of what all matches could look like between women that have a prior history then next year I want the entire tournament to be filled with those kinds of matches because these two matches on this show were fantastic. The women on the final episode of the first round have quite a feat ahead of them if they want to top this show.
Hiroyo Matsumoto def Rachel Evers via Pinfall
To say that they blew this episode's load prematurely by putting this match first would be an understatement as this match really should've been the main event, regardless if Io was in the actual main event or not. I think they would've been better off having this match main event episode one and put the Meiko Satomura vs Killer Kelly match on this episode. Kassius Ohno is in the crowd cheering on his girlfriend Rachel and it was actually mentioned on commentary that they are dating. Hiroyo was trained by Funaki.
This was a battle between two powerhouses as both women start the match trying to take the other down with a shoulder block which Hiroyo gets the best of. Rachel powers Hiroyo up and hits a gutwrench suplex. Hiroyo hits a nice missile dropkick that levels Rachel. Hiroyo traps Rachel horizontally in the middle rope and hits her with a splash. Hiroyo then slingshots herself off the middle rope and lands two knees into the gut of Rachel. Rachel finally finds her way back into the match by hitting a bicycle kick followed up by a cutter and a senton splash. Rachel hits an STO and a spinning leg drop for a near fall. Hiroyo gets the best of a strike exchange and takes Rachel down with a clothesline. Hiroyo hits a German suplex, but Rachel rolls through it and is back on her feet all fired up but is once again taken down with a clothesline. Hiroyo deadlifts a dazed Rachel and hits her with a powerbomb and follows that up immediately with a Saito suplex that she calls the Rock Drop to pick up the win.
This was a great match and I have no problem at all with the match itself, but what I do have a problem with is the fact that Rachel isn't the one advancing to the next round. I really wish they had given Rachel a bone here as much like Deonna she has worked her butt off performing everywhere and deserves to be signed to the WWE. I know they want to have as much diversity as they can in this tournament, but there are already two others from Japan and let's face it Hiroyo is not gonna get the same kind of reception and love that an Io or Meiko get, whereas Rachel really connects with the crowd and everybody wants to see her succeed and root for her, I really think this was one of the big mistakes WWE made when booking this tournament. Rating: ****
Two things I noticed before the match started was one, Jessie is deceptively tall as I wasn't expecting her to tower over Taynara Conti as much as she did and two, as Taynara was making her way to the ring I noticed she does this thing with her tongue where it looks like she licks her top lip and I was wondering if that is just something she does when she is nervous.
This match was pretty much all Taynara as Jessie didn't get in much offense at all as Taynara threw her around with some judo throws early on and then later switched over to some joint work as she bent and twisted Jessie's fingers, she even raked the webbing between her fingers across the top rope. I have to say that Taynara has this face she makes that makes her look like an absolute psycho and if I saw her make that face I would tuck tail and run the opposite direction because she is fixing to really mess me up, there was one point in the match where Jessie hits her and she makes that face and then screams at Jessie "Are You Crazy!" while looking like the true crazy person, that face will hopefully be a thing that catches on and that should be the cue for the crowd to start chanting "Taynara's going to kill you". Jessie tries to make a comeback in the end and even hits a catapult but just as she was really getting fired up she was stopped in an instant with a spinning side slam for the win.
I really don't have much else to say about this match as it was kinda just there and was nothing that special. Rating: **
This was one of the matches in the tournament where I wasn't sure what to expect as I'm not too familiar with either of them and to be honest this match felt like one of the least buzzworthy matches of the entire first round which is surprising since Nicole is a veteran that has been around for quite a while but compared to the other veteran girls she has been a complete afterthought. Isla was an actress before entering into pro wrestling last year and has shown a lot of promise despite being new to the ring, so much so that she was signed to the WWE's UK brand.
I've got to be honest, I have watched this match three or four times and while the match is solid as far as the moves that were executed for whatever reason I cannot find any interest, connection, or excitement while watching it. The match loses me early and I'm never able to get back into it and I honestly can't explain why maybe the reason was that I kept getting distracted at the fact that Nicole should have worn different pants as the poor girl had to keep pulling them up the entire match or maybe the reason was I kept noticing Isla Dawn turning Brock Lesnar shades of red through the match. The match ended when Nicole hits a big clothesline and locks Isla in the Liontamer for the only submission victory in round one. I probably should rate this match higher than I am, but if I can't get invested in a match I can't rate it too high. Rating: **1/4
Io Shirai def Xia Brookside via Pinfall
At last, we have reached the final match in the first round and I have to think when the ring announcer said this was the last match the fans cheered both because they knew it was time for Io and because they knew they would be getting to leave soon after sitting through sixteen matches as I could see a couple of people yawning in the crowd during this episode. We are shown that Xia has her father Robbie Brookside cheering her in the crowd and to make things even more special, this is his first time watching his daughter wrestle. Io had current NXT Women's Champion and winner of the first Mae Young Classic Kairi Sane in the crowd supporting her good friend, Io and Kairi are former partners and along with Mayu Iwatani, they comprised the team known as ThreeDom in the Stardom promotion. Xia's hair makes me hungry for cotton candy.If it were not for Io being in this match there is no way this would be the main event of the show as it didn't compare to the other three matches in terms of back and forth match quality as it was mainly a way to let Io Shirai shine and at the same time give Xia some exposure and to introduce her to a wider American audience as she has a very bright future ahead of her.
Xia was not scared or threatened by the reputation that Io has as she charged right at her landing some forearms before going for a flying headscissors, but Io lands on her feet. Xia tries charging again, but Io puts a stop to that with a firm kick to the gut. Io chokes Xia with both knees down in the corner and then comes down with all her weight onto the chest of Xia with her knees. Io has a beautiful quick as lightning counter of an attempted punch as she ducks under it and swings Xia around into a crossface. Xia is able to work her way to her feet and get out of the hold only to be knocked right back down with a kick to the head. Every time Xia looks to be on the comeback, Io pulls something out that takes Xia right back down. Io hits a running double knee attack in the corner and then finishes things off with a moonsault from the top to pick up the win.
As I said before this was mainly just to showcase Io as she controlled 98% of the match and had an answer for everything the far less experienced Xia hit her with. I look forward to the next round where hopefully we get a more competitive match. Rating: **1/4
That's it for the first round it's been a fun four weeks getting down to the best of the best and weeding away most of the dead weight, while along the way getting to watch some good to really great matches. Before I close out this round here are a couple of stats from the first round:
- # of returnees in the second round: 6 * Not counting alternates*.
- Taynara Conti & Xia Li have made it further than they did last year.
- Rachel Evers is the only one to advance last year to the second round that didn't advance this year.
- # of newbies in the second round: 10
- Country Representative Breakdown:
USA 5: Deonna Purrazzo, Kacy Catanzaro, Kaitlyn, Lacey Lane, & Mercedes Martinez
Japan 3 - Io Shirai, Meiko Satomura, & Hiroyo Matsumoto
Australia 2 - Toni Storm & Rhea Ripley
Mexico 1: Zeuxis
Canada 1: Nicole Matthews
South Korea 1: Mia Yim
Brazil 1: Taynara Conti
China 1: Xia Li
Wales 1: Tegan Nox
Here are the matches we have to look forward to in the second round:
Meiko Satomura vs Mercedes Martinez - Could be an instant classic.
Lacey Lane vs Taynara Conti - Two PC girls who don't have much experience, so this could be really bad or really fun.
Toni Storm vs Hiroyo Matsumoto - Another potential classic match.
Meiko Satomura vs Mercedes Martinez - Could be an instant classic.
Lacey Lane vs Taynara Conti - Two PC girls who don't have much experience, so this could be really bad or really fun.
Toni Storm vs Hiroyo Matsumoto - Another potential classic match.
Mia Yim vs Kaitlyn - I could see either one moving on, but think this is where Kaitlyn's MYC journey ends.
Tegan Nox vs Nicole Matthews - 😢
Rhea Ripley vs Kacy Catanzaro - Another David vs Goliath match for Kacy, but don't expect this one to be successful for her.
Rhea Ripley vs Kacy Catanzaro - Another David vs Goliath match for Kacy, but don't expect this one to be successful for her.
Io Shirai vs Zeuxis - I hope Zeuxis is better in this match than she was in her first as I want to see Io tear the house down in a back and forth match.
Deonna Purrazzo vs Xia Li - Not sure what to think about this match but I'm sure it will be decent as Deonna can carry the less experienced Xia to a good match, although judging by her first match Xia may be ok without needing to be carried.
Deonna Purrazzo vs Xia Li - Not sure what to think about this match but I'm sure it will be decent as Deonna can carry the less experienced Xia to a good match, although judging by her first match Xia may be ok without needing to be carried.
Round 2 will most likely be two weeks long and judging by the preview they may blow their load for this round in the first week as the two potential classics are both on the first week in addition to Rhea vs Kacy and another match not mentioned.
Mae Young Classic II - First Round Match Rankings
Mae Young Classic II - First Round Match Rankings
16. Zeuxis vs Aerial Monroe
15. Lacey Lane vs Vanessa Kraven
14. Taynara Conti vs Jessie Elaban
13. Kaitlyn vs Kativa Devi
12. Kacy Catanzaro vs Reina Gonzalez
11. Nicole Matthews vs Isla Dawn
10. Deonna Purrazzo vs Priscilla Kelly
9. Io Shirai vs Xia Brookside
8. Tegan Nox vs Zatara
7. Xia Li vs Karen Q
6. Rhea Ripley vs MJ Jenkins
5. Mercedes Martinez vs Ashley Rayne
4. Meiko Satomura vs Killer Kelly
3. Mia Yim vs Allysin Kay
2. Hiroyo Matsumoto vs Rachel Evers
1. Toni Storm vs Jinny
I hope you enjoy my review of the MYC 1st Round and if you do, don't worry as I will release a full review of the rest of the rounds the week leading up to the final match at Evolution.
I hope you enjoy my review of the MYC 1st Round and if you do, don't worry as I will release a full review of the rest of the rounds the week leading up to the final match at Evolution.
