WWE Mae Young Classic [Discussion Thread]

[Prince Bálor]

So, this is going to be the official thread to discuss the Mae Young Classic.
The show premieres tonight.
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Here's the Mae Young Classic bracket:

Looking forward to the show.

 

[RedDwarfTechy]

Gonna be keeping my eye on this one.

 

[Death Walker]

@Prince Bálor @RedDwarfTechy they have the first 4 episodes of The Mae Young Classic on the WWE Network right now, if you have it.

 

[Prince Bálor]

@Prince Bálor @RedDwarfTechy they have the first 4 episodes of The Mae Young Classic on the WWE Network right now, if you have it.

I don't have it, but thanks for the info, dude.

 

[Snowman1]

Can't wait to get home and binge this!!!

 

[Death Walker]

Ok I'm going to give my opinions and TRY to keep them short for each match as I watch them:

Episode 1:

Kay Lee Ray vs Princesa Sugehit

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I didn't really feel excited or impressed with this match, it was a nice way to kick off this tournament. Both girls did a decent job in the ring and before the match started, I believed that the luchadora Princesa Sugehit would win and she did. Princesa won by making Kay Lee tap out to the Fujiwara armbar.

Serena Deeb vs Vanessa Borne

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This match was much more exciting than the previous match especially with how aggressive Vanessa Borne was attacking. The match pretty much seemed to be in Vanessa's favor as she dominated the whole time but she was taken out by a rough spear with the bounce from the ropes to add more impact. I had chose Vanessa Borne to win but in the end, Serena got the victory.

Shayna Baszler vs Zeda

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Yes, Shayna Baszler (the MMA fighter known as The Queen of Spades, one of the four horsewomen in MMA and friend of Ronda Rousey who was sitting front row) came to make lightwork of her competitor and she did just that. Shayna finished the match in a little over 2 minutes by breaking out of the hold that Zeda had her in and set her up into a quick vertical suplex before dropping her down in a rear naked chokehold which made Zeda immediately tap out. I mean I figured that she was going to win and I think WWE want a wrestler of her magnitude.

Abbey Laith vs Jazzy Gabert

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Jazzy Gabert reminded me kind of like a female Ivan Drago (from the movie, Rocky IV), from the way she wore her hair and the fierce style/look. This match was basically a David vs Goliath type match for these two women and Abbey Laith took everything that Jazzy dished out at her. What looked to be an easy match for the former MMA fighter changed once Abbey put her in the Alligator Clutch (a quick pin maneuver that keep the opponent's shoulders on the mat as she sit down on the back of the opponent's legs). And sadly, I thought Jazzy was going to end her match quick like Baszler did hers.

Episode 2:

Mercedes Martinez vs Xia Li

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Xia Li tried to use her kicks and martial arts style to takedown Mercedes Martinez but Mercedes fought back strong. The match wasn't long as Mercedes just needed to locked in a modified Dragon Sleeper (in a Seated Surfboard position locked in the Dragon Sleeper) and the match was over. I figured Mercedes would win this one with no problem.

Marti Belle vs Rachel Evers

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These women told a classic heel versus babyface story with Marti Belle playing the heel and Rachel Evers playing the babyface. I wanted Marti Belle to win based off her interview on the bracktology which showed that she really has a desire to win or at least be a part of WWE. They fought back and forth, gaining heat from the crowd as they pandered very little between maneuvers. Another short match as Rachel rolled Marti up into an inside cradle for the win, this was disappointing as I wished it was longer with a better ending.

Rhea Ripley vs Miranda Salinas

Okay here's another heel vs face, Miranda Salinas (trained by Booker T and from Houston, Texas) as the heel and Rhea Ripley (the Aussie native) as the face. Nothing special here, another short match as Rhea eventually got the win by using a Full Nelson Slam. I'm guessing this episode is one of the weaker ones. I chose the wrong person to win as I thought Miranda was going to make it further in the competition.

Sarah Logan vs Mia Yim

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Now this match picked up the pace a little better, both women fought hard for the win. There were plenty of holds, couple of cartwheels and a variety of suplexes from both women. I had a feeling that Mia Yim would pull off a victory and she got it done, ending things with her special move, Eat Defeat (an inverted stomp facebuster).

Episode 3:

Ayesha Raymond vs Toni Storm

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Another heel vs face, Ayesha Raymond had this cat-like gladiator appearance which worked for her as the heel and Toni Storm had more of a rockstar look and style of wrestling which worked for her as the face. Ayesha dominated most of the match while Toni had to keep fighting to not lose momentum. All it took was the wrong move at the wrong time and Toni rolled Ayesha up for the finish. She's exactly who I believed to win the match even though I would not have minded if Ayesha won either.

Dakota Kai vs Kavita Devi

Somewhat of a female version of David vs Goliath but not really by appearance, it was the fact that Kavita Devi had more strength (representing India and trained by The Great Khali) as she is a powerlifter. Dakota Kai resembled a "Bayley" type appearance with her hair tied up in pigtails and ring gear sported brightly colored flowers. In this match, Kavita basically overpowered and tossed Dakota around the ring then missed a move and Dakota came back with her running big boot (the Yazuka Kick as it's called) then followed up with a top rope double stomp to the abdomen. I picked Kavita Devi to win but no luck in this one.

Sage Beckett vs Bianca Belair

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I didn't care for this unusual extra long braided ponytail that extends pass Bianca Belair's knees. This was a change of pace in the order of matches, it seemed like heel vs heel. Sage Beckett brought on this dark witch persona, trained by The Dudley Boyz and was a bit thicker than the other women in the tournament so far (yet smaller than Nia Jax). Bianca had this sassy but tough attitude from beginning to end, she battled a hard fight against Sage and even got the win using a whip of her ponytail and then a unique upper-body spear. I thought the witch, Sage was going to walk away the winner but Bianca strangely enough, surprised me.

Piper Niven vs Santana Garrett

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What was interesting to me about this match, was the difference between the women. On one side you had a full-bodied woman and on the other side you had an athletic, agile woman. I enjoyed that this match went the distance, Piper Niven tried many times to take control of the match. But Santana Garrett wouldn't allow things to be that easy as she had a move to follow up to Piper's. The match worked out like Owens vs Styles, Piper would use her size and weight to her advantage, and Santana would use her agility and speed to counter. But in the end, the match was over with a Michinoku Driver from Piper Niven. I assumed that a woman like this, would be someone the WWE has their eye on and I think I'm right.

Episode 4:

Candice LeRae vs Renee Michelle

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Candice LeRae was the easy pick for me, with her being the wife of NXT's Johnny Gargano. The match itself was too interesting, it did go on for a little while until Candice caught Renee Michelle off guard and set her up for the Mrs. LeRae's Wild Ride (a swinging neckbreaker off the second rope).

Taynara Conti vs Lacey Evans

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I had mixed feelings with this following match: I didn't like the 1920's sailor outfit that Lacey Evans wears (apparently like quite of few of this women, she's a part of WWE and already in NXT), I wasn't invested with Taynara Conti's character and certain moments felt stiff but both women continued to push each other to their limits in the match. I picked my fellow US Marine, Lacey Evans for the win and she.......made it using her Back-To-Belly Piledriver (looks a little dangerous but different).

Nicole Savoy vs Reina Gonzalez

Nicole Savoy really impressed me in her look (already had a MMA background, built perfectly and known as The Queen of Suplexes) and her athletic abilities in the ring so of course I wanted her to win her match. There wasn't a whole lot done in this match as Reina Gonzalez tried to use her strength and height to stop anything that Nicole could bring. However it was only a matter of time, before Nicole took Reina down to the mat, got her into position for an armbar, broke Reina's block and made her tap out.

Kairi Sane vs Tessa Blanchard

Right from the start, I chose Kairi Sane to win this match because I liked how she or whomever came up with her pirate captain gimmick. I like the creativity behind that idea because I haven't seen the pirate gimmick since Paul Burchill. Tessa Blanchard & Kairi Sane wanted to put on a show as they got the crowd behind them during the match by only performing. Another thing I liked most about this match than the other, there were no slow pace. Both women challenged one another in speed, hard moves, focus, determination and great accuracy. With as good as execution Kairi provides in her moves, I would like to see more from this wrestler. I mean Kairi's diving elbow drop alone made me feel like a fan all over again, and yes that is what won her this match.

So there you have it, I'm not sure if I'm going to write up more of these seeing that it doesn't have a lot of excitement and the matches are scripted, some of these women already have developed wrestling personas with established moves known by the fans (just like The Cruiserweight Classic was). But I enjoyed watching these women come out and impress the fans, for some of us it was our first time seeing them or even knowing about them. It was good to see the WWE superstars both male and female come out and show support in each episode as well as Lita and good ol' JR do the commentary for this tournament. So I will try to make the effort to add more as the tournament continues and already I have writing my rating for each match as a whole but that will be posted in the proper thread.

 

[Prince Bálor]

So, I binge-watched the first four episodes earlier today and I liked them. They were decent for the most part. On a side note, the video packages were great and the commentators were okay at best.

Episode #1 was decent.

- Princesa Sugehit vs Kay Lee Ray was a solid show opener. ★★½
Can't say I was impressed by Princesa Sugehit here, Ray looked much better and should've advanced instead.

- Serena Deeb vs Vanessa Borne was decent. ★★
Borne has ways to go, but she wasn't bad at all here and Serena led her to a decent match.

- Shayna Baszler vs Zeda was okay for what it was. ★½
I liked how this match was worked, Shayna winning in like 2 minutes puts her over as a big threat in this tournament. Also, loved the finish.

- Abbey Laith vs Jazzy Gabert was a good ME. ★★★¼
David vs Goliath type of matches rarely disappoint and I've got no complaints here.

Episode #2 was not so good. I mean, it was okay, but it was my least favorite of the four.

- Mercedes Martinez vs Xia Li was decent. ★★

- Rachel Evers vs Marti Belle was the worst match of the first round. It really sucked.

- Rhea Ripley vs Miranda Salinas was decent. ★★
This match was short, but to the point and Rhea Ripley came off like a star here, that's all I can say.

- Mia Yim vs Sarah Logan was a good ME. ★★★
This was the highlight of the show. Mia Yim delivered, that's all. Logan held her own and did a good job here, but Yim looked better.

Episode #3 was decent and definitely better than the previous episode.

- Toni Storm vs Ayesha Raymond was solid. ★★½
It was a solid opener, but it confirmed one thing and that is that Toni Storm is a star. That's all. She just oozes charisma.

- Dakota Kai vs Kavita Devi was okay for what it was. ★½
It was okay, but skippable. Kai moves pretty fast, though. That's all I can say.

- Bianca Belair vs Sage Beckett was solid. ★★½
It was an average match, but Bianca showed a lot of potential and charisma here, man. Also, absolutely loved the finish.

- Piper Niven vs Santana Garrett was pretty good. ★★★½
Why Santana Garrett hasn't been signed already? She's damn good and you know it, WWE. Niven impressed as well. This was the best match of the tourney so far, by the way.

Episode #4 was solid and the best show so far.

- Candice LeRae vs Renee Michelle was decent. ★★¼
Michelle was okay, but Candice looked good here and was the right person to advance. Even if she doesn't win the tourney, she should get signed because she is awesome.

- Lacey Evans vs Taynara Conti was solid considering both women don't have much experience. ★★½

- Nicole Savoy vs Reina Gonzales was decent. ★★
Savoy is the queen of suplexes, huh? Where were all the suplexes here? The match was fine, but oddly laid out.

- Kairi Sane vs Tessa Blanchard was a good ME. ★★★¼
This was a good pairing and I knew it wouldn't disappoint. Kairi Sane is a star and that Elbow Drop is a thing of beauty.

Looking forward to Round 2. It should be better.

 

[Mustafar Reginald]

So I watched episode one the day it came out and waited until yesterday morning to watch the other three episodes (it was suppose to just be one a day, but I really wanted to see Kairi's match). And because my friend wanted to know my thoughts and I wanted to annoy him, I actually messaged him my thoughts while I was watching the shows. I left about 37 he said, and I'm not going to share all of them but I am going to be copying and pasting them down below in spoiler tags. There's a lot of stupid comments and dumb BS in there, not that there isn't in my regular posts (see my review of the House of Horrors), and I'm proud of everything I wrote but still it should communicate my feelings fairly well. Oh, and also swears, I don't remember how this site feels about swears. Swear warning for the spoiler tags.

But for my thoughts not in a dumb format, really enjoyed the first four episodes. Well, I enjoyed episodes two and three mostly on the whole and thought one and four were decent with four having a stand out match. I loved the presentation, the pre-match packages and the dimmed lights for the matches. The commentary was mostly terrible, the banter between JR and Lita was cringey a lot of the times "You an adrenaline Junkie", "Yes I am. . . . You knew that when you asked that didn't you hehehe" "It was rhetorcial" *Dead Silence* *Resumes commentating match*. JR was better but he really annoyed me with how he called the moves. He kept calling the Bicycle Kick a Scissors Kick, and he even called an enzuigiri a Scissor Kick (to a seated opponent, which admittedly I don't know if it still qualifies as an enzuigiri but it's not a Scissor Kick). He also referred to Kairi''s diving forearm as a Superman Punch and it's not. Speaking of the moves, a lot of people did a Spear (well three) and a lot of people did Eat Defeat (well two), which seems wrong. Anyway, what matters is the talent and I was impressed by a lot of them. Rhea Ripley and Toni Storm are two I'm really excited about seeing progress. Kairi Sane blew me away in a way that no wrestler has ever done, the best first impression I was ever left with in wrestling. I'm upset that we lost Santana Garrett and Sarah Logan, I actually wanted/predicted their opponents to win but it still hurts to lose top level talent like that so quickly. And there's plenty of other great woman that advanced but those are the ones I wanted to shout out. A few disappointing things like Nicole not doing a single suplex after claiming to be the Queen of Suplexes, I don't understand why they put her in a match where she couldn't showcase that but whatever. And in terms of predictions, I went 15/16, only losing the Dakota Kai match because of Jinder Mahal though once the match got going, I immediately knew Dakota was winning but whatever.

Looking forward to more, Kairi Sane vs. Asuka is a match I need to see happen, I like a lot of the talent that advanced. Now, in various spoiler tags, my messages . . .

Spoiler: Episode Two Messages

Rhea has my favorite entrance song thus far. Though Miranda's is sounding good so far.

Also, Miranda says her looks is unique but she's just like Bliss. Same butt, same height, same long hair with color highlights (blonde with pink for Bliss and Black with red for Miranda). Her claim immediately triggered me.

Mia Yim reminds me of Josh Ramsay

Xia's match was fine, Especially for her first match, some dumb moments like pumping up a crowd to do a stupid forearm shot after several spin kicks. Liked her spin kicks. She lost the match but the other girl didn't make an impression on me.

Evers match was boring, though she had some good moves. JR's commentary annoyed me, she was doing a bicycle kick and he once called it a scissors kick when she did an enzuigiri I believe (to a seated opponent [don't remember her name, all she really did was cheap heel tactics anyway).

Rhea's my favorite of the first eight (probably, more on that later), though her finish is a little lacking. I was a fan when miss lady tall shoes did a dropkick at the very beginning of the match. She did that a bit much and some looked weak but she's like what, 20?

Mia Yim vs. Sarah Logan was easily match so far. My prediction pre-bell ring was Logan losing because, Mia survived domestic abuse and Logan's gimmick is trailer trash, so I never once took her as a threat (all the matches had easy results though, why would someone topple a sixteen year vet in their first match? Why would a second generation star not pass? And why would you not go for the tall young soccer star instead of emo goth Alexa Bliss?) but I'll be honest, I liked Logan better than Yim. Logan is definitely my favorite loser, and may be my favorite. The running double knee move, beautiful. Her finish is apparently a cartwheel knee drop curb stomp thing (that's what she was setting up for before Mia dodge and won), amazing. Yim was great too of course. Asian woman just make the best wrestlers.

Spoiler: Episode 3 Memories

Toni Storm wears a tini top hat. She is my favorite. "I think people just don't know what's inside of me", well I want to know what's inside your little hat miss, is it a rabbit? Is it a dove?

Kavita's Indian? Fuck, she's winning this whole thing isn't she?

Dakota/Kavita was actually really entertaining. Jinder skewed me but it became clear that Dakota would win during the match, but I'll count it as a loss.

That guy behind Nia Jax on the right is fantastic

Bianca calling herself the EST and apparently using her hair as a weapon makes her . . . what the fuck is Sage talking about a shaman? Okay, I like her too. Bianca's going win I think but this is the match-up I'm most interested in, both are in my top based on the promo. But Bianca more-so.

Really thought Sage was gonna kiss her there

Bianca does a Spear finisher too, more reason for Serena to stop doing it ya twig of a person. Christ I'm dick. Anyway, decent match, Sage isn't that interesting in the ring. Hope Bianca grabs a mic and starts a promo "Yo this is the story all about how . . ."

Really thought Piper was gonna kiss her there

God damn, it's a shame we had to lose either Santana champ cause she's so crisp. Though I wanted and predicted Piper to win. Best match of the tourney so far, best episode of the tournament too.

Spoiler: Episode Four But NOT the Main Event

Rene Michelle's attire (in the promo at least) makes her look like a native america girl santa claus

Oh, that's why you know Candice, she's boinking DIY, so Johnny's not doing it himself. Liar, no wonder Ciampa turned on him

Good, Renee Michelle is just in general a native american santa claus . . . woman.

Candice/Renee was pretty boring, and a little sloppy at times. And everyone had Candice in the office pool JR.

Lacey/Taynara (I'm just going call her Ta) was more boring until the end when it became great. Ta's weird spiny slam was great, Lacey's offense until the finish was all great, her finisher is fantastic. Liked Ta's bowing to everything. Hearing Queen of Suplexes' makes me excited.

I was wrong to be excited

SHE DIDN'T HIT ONE GOD DAMN SUPLEX. Also, unreasonably annoyed that Nicole wrestled with that half sash thing.

Kairi Sane will win, not a prediction, I knew she won. I got one wrong out of 16 matches, and that's on a Mahalicality.

Spoiler: I Gush Extensively About Kairi Sane Like a Man Who's Never Experienced Love Before Finally Meeting The Love of His Life Right As He's At His Lowest Point in Life

Man, those gifs and clips of Kairi Hojo I saw did not do her justice. I mean, outside of her Elbow Drop since that looks amazing all the time (probably but I do think it's best elbow drop of all time).

I'm not sure I'd call it the best match per se, probably give that to Piper vs. Santana champ cause she so crisp. It was a more even bout with a better story. But that said, this was easily my favorite match anyway because Kairi Sane nailed everything. Like outside of her Alabama Slamma Thank You Mamma, which was still good, like everything else she did was excellent. The rotation she did off the spear, absolutely beautiful, I marked for that. That running neckbreaker to the seated Tessa, was glorious, I marked for that. The diving forearm shot (not a Superman Punch JR, Vince fed you that line didn't he?), phenomenal, I marked for that. That running sliding forearm shot to the corner Tessa that happened before that, again phenomenal she's calling you out AJ, I marked for that. Her marching to the other side of the ring before that, unmatchable charm & personality she calling you out too Toni Storm. And of course, the full body Elbow Drop, I marked for that. Not to take away from Tessa, but outside of that senton, I can't really place her offense. Like, that match was Kairi Sane. Holy shit, I don't remember the last time a first impression went so well in wrestling for me.

This was a mistake.

 

[Ibejih]

As amature, they we're pretty cool. And they showed good sportmanship.

 

[SWL]

• Shayna Baszler
• Dakota Kai
• Piper Niven
• Candice LeRae
• Kairi Sane

those are the women that stood out to me and have a good chance at winning the whole thing. They got the better reactions and the better matches. Not sure about it tho. WWE likes to take "favorites" and then turn to someone completely different to give the rub to but let's see. I'm actually just looking forward to the finals so that's why I'm already talking about the winner of the whole tournament rather than the current rounds

 

[Neilslam]

I watch the matches on YouTube and I am impressed. I'm wondering, besides Kairi-san, who the WWE
has in mind for NXT or main roster.