This was fun. Unfortunately though, found it a bit weaker than the first four episodes, when the opposite should’ve been true. I liked the first episodes for how they introduced people well, but when it was time for those folks to have 50/50 matches, not everything delivered.
Not sure I would’ve kept Mercedes Martinez and Toni Storm for the semis but here we are. Would’ve loved to see Piper vs. Sane somehow, and maybe LeRae or Dakota with a miracle run to the semis vs. Shayna. Oh well.
Liked the attempt to build stories with the video packages. Not 100% sure they didn’t pre-tape round 2 interviews before the results though – everything was super vague. “She’s a tough one, but I’m tougher, and I will defeat her!”
My favorite part of the MYC might have been Jim Ross saying “lucha libra” and pausing for a second to think, “Is that a thing people say?”
Mae Young Classic – Season 1 Episode 5 (9/4/17)
1. Mae Young Classic – Round 2: Abbey Laith vs. Rachel Evers
They did a couple cool tricks but there wasn’t much here – high-flying armdrags and a tope by Laith, Evers having the poise of a pro at freakin’ 24. I continue to be impressed at how over Evers is at Full Sail – every move had a little extra to it thanks to the crowd. RKO outta nowhere by Evers sure was interesting. The Laith scream spot is top shelf wrestling. A fine, solid wrestling match. **
2. Mae Young Classic – Round 2: Serena Deeb vs. Piper Niven
I’m a total mark for extended headlock spots, especially when it’s a little fella on a big fella. So as far as I’m concerned this match ruled. Serena worked a tight headlock for all it’s worth and kept hanging on, and Piper would pop in her spots – crossbody, cannonball, Vader Bomb. It got a little goofy in spots (awkward front-face DDT by tiny Deeb on big Piper, Piper getting the W seconds after missing a top rope splash) but otherwise it totally worked. **3/4
3. Mae Young Classic – Round 2: Mercedes Martinez vs. Princesa Sugehit
Pretty dead match and not much chemistry between them. They worked the mat, they struggled for a superplex. OK. *
4. Mae Young Classic – Round 2: Kairi Sane vs. Bianca BelAir
This was my favorite match of this new batch. Bianca BelAir has impressed me as someone with potential but here she looked like a real player – her spin-around pose for her entrance is incredible and she provided a great heel beatdown on Sane. Loved her using the long ponytail spot as a heel move, what a whooping she threw down on Sane, and the camel clutch where she just repeatedly slammed Sane down on her face was great stuff. Plus she did a freaking GORGEOUS 450 splash and had an amazing reaction to the kickout. Sane for her part has such a charisma – loved her refusing and stomping BelAir’s air kiss, loved her selling on the beating. Winner of a match. ***
Mae Young Classic – Season 1 Episode 6 (9/4/17)
1. Mae Young Classic – Round 2: Toni Storm vs. Lacey Evans
A short match, not much to it. Lacey showed off a few spots she knows, Toni hit the finish. OK. *1/4
2. Mae Young Classic – Round 2: Mia Yim vs. Shayna Baszler
This was fun, just too short to really get anywhere. Shayna brings such a unique style to her matches and it makes everything that much better. Most of the match was Mia Yim trying to keep up with Baszler’s shoot-style and eventually falling. Crowd was into the whole thing too, felt like a legit collision between two competitors who could go far. Mia sold the hell out of the heel hook, and the 450 to sleeper hold finish was incredible. **3/4
3. Mae Young Classic – Round 2: Dakota Kai vs. Rhea Ripley
This is a match worth watching due to Ripley’s age and Kai’s performance, though it’s not that good of a complete match. Dug Ripley’s reactions to certain things, dug Dakota’s nasty kicks. Dakota’s face-first bump onto the apron was wild too. Good, solid, but another one that was too quick to go anywhere. **1/2
4. Mae Young Classic – Round 2: Candice LeRae vs. Nicole Savoy
This was solid and a way better match for to showcase Candice LeRae than the first round. She had that classic babyface fire and took some crazy bumps – the big folded up backdrop, the topple on the back of her head on the turnbuckle. Savoy did her part with the MMA-style beating to build sympathy but ultimately didn’t impress. They did a nice build to Miss LeRae’s Wild Ride for the finish. **1/4
Mae Young Classic – Season 1 Episode 7 (9/4/17)
1. Mae Young Classic – Quarter Final: Abbey Laith vs. Mercedes Martinez
They threw some sweet strikes here but man did it drag. Mercedes was a weird one in this tourney – rocked it with a first match rookie, but didn’t click with a couple gals who had legitimate experience. *1/2
2. Mae Young Classic – Quarter Final: Candice LeRae vs. Shayna Baszler
This was another short one but accomplished every single thing it needed to: build for Shayna as this tourney’s Big Bad and LeRae playing the lovable underdog. Liked Baszler pacing in front of LeRae on her entrance, loved the “WO-MEN’S WREST-LING” chant cut off by Baszler with a straight knee to Candice’s gut. Candice got to hit the tornado DDT tope which was a bunch of fun. Dug Baszler’s selling on Candice’s submission and loved how sudden the finish was – she just TRAPPED Candice and ended it. LeRae not able to stand for the post-match hand-raising was a nice touch. **1/2
3. Mae Young Classic – Quarter Final: Toni Storm vs. Piper Niven
Toni holding up Piper on the bridge – cool. Handshake during the double bridge – cool cool. Piper splash to break the Toni bridge – cool cool cool. Liked the escalation here… charming matwork, then – INTENSITY! Piper Driver kickout! A German suplex off the top rope!! Toni at one point took a seated splash by Piper where she was clearly waiting for it to hit, and had a look on her face that was just like, “this is the life I’ve chosen.” Was kind of shocked that Toni won, to be honest. **1/2
The Four Horsewomen showdown was cool but MAN does Bayley look out of place.
4. Mae Young Classic – Quarter Final: Kairi Sane vs. Dakota Kai
Let’s talk about how great the Kairi Sane entrance is. She is a CHARACTER. A STAR. Truly, all that pro wrestling should be. How will main roster WWE destroy the charm!? Can’t wait to see it. Anyways, sorry Bayley, but here is the future of pre-teen women’s wrestling. You’ve got these two doing kung-fu stand-offs, moving fast, kicking hard. Sane avoiding the double foot stomp and hitting the top rope forearm looked great. THE ELBOW remains incredible. Didn’t really get cooking, so to speak, as it was face vs. face, but it was a fun batch of action between two of the tournament’s stand-outs. **3/4
Mae Young Classic – Season 1 Episode 8 (9/4/17)
1. Mae Young Classic – Semi Final: Mercedes Martinez vs. Shayna Baszler
This was just under 10 minutes and a lot of fun. The teacher vs. student thing was a nice hook, and most of the match was just two gals throwing Shots and Suplexes. LOVE the suplex into sleeper finish, so good. Match struck me as more credible than anything in the tourney to this point. ***
2. Mae Young Classic – Semi Final: Kairi Sane vs. Toni Storm
SWANK matwork by these two early, but then it kept going. Storm has a charisma to her and the work is solid but it hasn’t made for any great matches just yet. Some neat parts – Sane’s wild crossbody and selling on the crazy armbar. They got some love off the Strong Zero kickout too. Had a feel-good finish that would’ve connected with a better match preceding it. **1/2
No stand-out match that made me freak out like Jazzy/Laith or Piper/Santana here but still a lot of solid wrestling. Definitely a step down from the first round though.
Kairi Sane/Bianca BelAir, Piper Niven/Serena Deeb, and Mia Yim/Shayna Baszler delivered in Round 2, while Candice LeRae/Shayna Baszler, Kairi Sane/Dakota Kai, and Mercedes Martinez/Shayna Baszler delivered in the later rounds.
Clearly, Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane are stand-outs, while Piper Niven continued to be someone I want to see more of. Great introduction to Dakota Kai too, who I assume will be around for a while.
Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane is an incredible match on paper but I continue to wonder if the post-SmackDown slot will hurt it.
