Mae Young Classic – October 10, 2018: Genius Of The Full Sail
IMG Credit: WWE
Mae Young Classic
Date: October 10, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Beth Phoenix
It’s time to get down to the final eight as this tournament is starting to wrap up in a hurry. There are only two weeks to go after this show and that means the second round needs to be set. It also means that we’re going to be in for some big names facing off with each other and then some even bigger showdowns in the next round. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
All matches are second round matches.
Opening recap and preview.
Io Shirai wants to make the most of this opportunity.
Zeuxis uses her strength and power to beat opponents.
The Four Horsewomen, minus Ronda Rousey, are here.
Zeuxis vs. Io Shirai
The fans are behind Shirai here, as you might have expected. Io speeds things up and hits a running dropkick to put Zeuxis on the floor but doesn’t bother with the dive just yet. Back in and a springboard is broken up with a hard forearm and a baseball slide puts Shirai outside just as hard. Some shots to the arm have Shirai in trouble and it’s off to a YES Lock minus the crossface.
Running knees in the corner get two but Shirai dropkicks her into the corner for running knees of her own. The suicide dive (with Io almost getting caught in the ropes) takes Zeuxis down again and it’s a quickly broken Crossface back inside. Zeuxis misses a moonsault but is fine enough to break up Shirai’s attempt as well. Shirai hurricanranas her back down though and knees Zeuxis in the back of the head. Now the moonsault gives Shirai the pin at 6:07.
Rating: C+. Shirai had to work here and that made for a better match. Zeuxis was built up well in the first round so having Shirai go over her here meant a little more. The key here though was Shirai getting to show off the more aggressive side, which is more of a hint of how good she can be. Good match, but the potential is still building.
Deonna Purrazzo is ready to show the world how good she is.
Xia Li knows she has all the skills she needs.
Ricochet is here.
Deonna Purrazzo vs. Xia Li
They hit the mat to start with Deonna going for an early armbar attempt. That goes nowhere so Li kicks her in the chest and drops an elbow to the ribs for two. A jumping kick to the chest gets two but Purrazzo is right back with a standing backflip into a basement dropkick. It’s time for the serious arm work now with some cranking and a short clothesline (how Jake Roberts of her) gives Deonna two.
A running kneelift into a Russian legsweep sets up the Fujiwara armbar but Li rolls out. Purrazzo grabs a regular armbar and the fans are actually behind Li for a bit. They chop it out with Li going shot for shot with her. An enziguri gets two on Purrazzo but Li goes up, only to dive into the Fujiwara armbar for the tap at 5:47.
Rating: C. Li looked WAY better than you would expect here and while Purrazzo likes to focus on the arm, she’s far from one dimensional and that should give her a future around here. She’s young, has a good look, and can go in the ring. What else can you possibly ask for from her?
Nicole Matthews doesn’t care if she hurts her opponents, as long as she wins.
Tegan Nox likes to hit people hard and dive off of things because it makes people gasp in awe.
Tegan Nox vs. Nicole Matthews
Matthews gets aggressive to start and kicks Nox into the corner. A few right hands put Matthews on the floor but her suicide dive is cut off with a forearm. Some kicks and chops have Nox in more trouble, followed by a running dropkick in the corner for two. Matthews kicks her in the back, which just seems to wake Nox up for a kick to the back of her own.
That’s fine with Matthews, who takes her down into a crossarm choke. Matthews gets two off a northern lights suplex, making sure to pull her top back up during the count. The Liontamer is reversed into a small package for two and Nox is fired up. A modified Cannonball sets up the Shining Wizard to finish Matthews (who has to pull he top up again) at 3:46.
Rating: C-. Nox knows how to do a comeback and she’s very easy to cheer, which is why she’s moving forward in the tournament. You could see the division being built around her in the future and that’s not something you can say about everyone. Matthews was acceptable here but spent more time fighting her gear than anything else.
Kaitlyn is back to prove that she can still do it.
Mia Yim respects Kaitlyn but is different than anyone Kaitlyn has ever faced.
Kaitlyn vs. Mia Yim
Yim has a bad hand after her first round match. Kaitlyn starts fast with a sliding clothesline and three straight legdrops for two. The bodyscissors keeps Mia in trouble but she blocks a baseball slide and slams the back of Kaitlyn’s knee into the apron. A kick to the leg sets up a standing Figure Four but the lack of a submission just annoys Mia. She makes the mistake of trying to punch with her bad hand and hits the mat by mistake, allowing Kaitlyn to start cranking on said hand.
Kaitlyn can’t slam her due to the bad leg but can hit a running shoulder for a double knockdown. Some slams keep Yim in trouble and a swinging sitout Rock Bottom gets two. A missed charge into the corner lets Mia “hit” Soul Food for two but a shot to the hand sets up the spear to give Kaitlyn two of her own. Mia is right back with a kneebar though and Kaitlyn taps at 7:08.
Rating: C. Some of the botches didn’t help here but I can always give points to dueling injuries, which helped move the match along here. Kaitlyn was fine in this role and having Mia defeat a former Divas Champion is the kind of thing that can help move her up the rankings. Not a great match or anything but it did its job perfectly well.
They hug post match.
Here are the updated brackets:
Meiko Satomura
Lacey Lane
Toni Storm
Mia Yim
Tegan Nox
Rhea Ripley
Io Shirai
Deonna Purrazzo
The recap ends the show.
Overall Rating: C+. They did a good job here with making me want to see the bigger matches and that’s a positive sign for the next two weeks. There are some showdowns that could go either way, which is the entire point of a tournament like this. If they can deliver in the ring, this whole thing is a success. Just don’t screw things up from here.
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