IMG Credit: WWE

Mae Young Classic
Date: October 24, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Renee Young, Beth Phoenix, Michael Cole

It’s the final show as we’re up to the semifinals with four competitors left. This week we’ll have two big matches with Toni Storm facing Meiko Satomura and Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai. I’m not sure which of these two will be better, but either match could wind up being a heck of a showcase.  The winners move on to Evolution for the finals. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Both matches are semifinal matches.

We open with a recap of how the final four got here. Nox’s injury is still hard to watch.

Opening sequence.

Toni Storm knows Meiko Satomura is the best in the tournament and that she’ll need to wrestle her best match to win.

Satomura says they’ve fought before in Japan but it ended in a draw. She’s here to make the finals and nothing else is acceptable.

Meiko Satomura vs. Toni Storm

The fans are split, as you probably guessed. Toni’s wristlock doesn’t work to start so Satomura takes her down with a headlock. That’s reversed into another headlock but Satomura gets on top to put Storm in trouble again. The first few kicks wake Storm up a bit and a shoulder block has no effect either way. Storm is tired of this even stuff and kicks her hard in the chest for two. A few more shots keep Meiko in trouble and Storm goes back to the arm, only to get the tar kicked out of her.

Kicks to the chest and legs have Storm down and Meiko cranks on the leg in something like a seated reverse figure four. A rope is finally grabbed and Toni elbows her way out of a suplex. Meiko spinwheel kicks her down and the fans are right behind Satomura again. Toni grabs an STF and it takes a good while for Meiko to make it to the ropes. A good fisherman’s suplex gets two on Satomura and Toni knocks her to the floor for a big suicide dive.

Back in Toni kicks her in the face, only to be screamed at for her efforts. They trade kicks until Satomura plants her with a DDT. The Death Valley Driver gets two on Storm but Toni hits a hard German suplex. Storm Zero only gets two but Meiko blocks another and hits a Pele kick to the head. The step up Scorpion kick knocks Toni silly….for two. The fans were buying that as the finish and you can hear them being surprised by the kickout. Storm has had it though and hits a last gasp Storm Zero for the pin and the spot in the finals at 13:06.

Rating: B+. It took some time to get there but they were rocking at the end. I’m not sure what to think of the pick, as Satomura was clearly the top star in the tournament (at least in the fans’ eyes) but Storm is the kind of prospect that you have to push to the moon. You could have gone either way here and been right, but egads the kickout on that Scorpion kick was hard to ignore.

They both cry on the announcement as Meiko gets a LOUD thank you chant. Of course they hug, as they should. Kairi Sane comes in to present Storm with roses as HHH is on the stage to bow to Meiko. Storm can barely speak and can barely believe that she just won that match. She’s living her dream and thanks everyone for working so hard to get here.

Io Shirai is a high flier and wants to prove that she’s the best in the world.

Rhea Ripley is out to win and nothing more. She’s destroyed everyone and she’ll go it to Shirai as well.

Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai

Rhea doesn’t care for the respect part and shoves Shirai down to start. Shirai cartwheels into a backflip into a dropkick but Rhea faceplants her (looked like a backdrop that didn’t rotate enough) for two. We hit the seated abdominal stretch (Or is it an armbar?) to hold Shirai in place until she kicks her way out. That earns her a hard kick in the back as Ripley has been in control for most of the start.

Now it’s a seated abdominal stretch but Shirai fights up again, only to get pummeled with right hands. We hit a bodyscissors to keep Shirai down and a dropkick (again, impressive looking given the size discrepancy) gives Ripley two. A delayed vertical suplex gets two more and it’s back to the bodyscissors. Shirai turns over this time and forearms away, finally getting free.

Ripley is on her back but still rolls over and kicks Shirai in the ribs in a smart move. A pop up powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana and Ripley bails outside for a breather. That means the big suicide dive and they’re both down on the ramp. Ripley gets back in and Shirai dives back in at nine, only to be pummeled by Ripley all over again. Rhea shouts that Shirai thinks she deserves it but can’t hit a suplex.

Instead Shirai scores with some palm strikes, followed by a 619. A missile dropkick gets two but Shirai gets caught on top, meaning a top rope superplex for a heck of a crash. Riptide is broken up though and Ripley is sent shoulder first into the ropes. That means a Meteora and the moonsault finally hits properly (with Cole calling it an Asai moonsault because he has to get something wrong) for the pin on Ripley at 12:53.

Rating: B. I can’t say I’m surprised here as Shirai has been treated as the mega star of the whole thing for the entire tournament. That being said though, she hasn’t been the most thrilling person in the world. The moonsault finally hit but the rest of her offense hasn’t been anything special. Ripley has grown up a lot in the last year but needs a lot of experience. To be fair though, she turned twenty two years old earlier this month. How much experience can she have?

HHH posts with Rhea on the stage while Kairi presents Shirai with the roses. Shirai shouts about being #1.

The announcers make their picks with Storm winning the vote 2-1.

Sane, HHH, Sara Amato, Storm and Shirai pose on stage to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was one of those shows where you knew it would be good and then it was. The wrestling in both matches was very good and I’m looking forward to seeing the finals. It might have been nice to have a heel in the match, but it’s not like you can have Shirai lose before the finals, if at all. Very good show here, and a great tournament throughout.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Mae Young Classic
Date: October 17, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Beth Phoenix

We’re in the final two episodes of the series and that means it’s time for the big names to start fighting each other. This week we have the quarterfinals and therefore should be looking at four matches, though there’s a chance that they’ll have two quarterfinal matches with the winners facing off later tonight. Actually that would make more sense so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at the first two rounds and previews the quarterfinals.

All matches are quarterfinal matches.

Opening sequence.

Lacey Lane is an underdog but the Cinderella story can continue.

Meiko Satomura wants to show the world what Japanese women’s wrestling is all about.

Meiko Satomura vs. Lacey Lane

The entrances now include graphics with names, finishers and styles for a more mainstream sports feel. Lane blocks a kick to start as the announcers try to find new ways to praise Satomura. Meiko blocks a kick of her own and shoves Lacey away. That’s not cool with Lane, so Meiko spin kicks her in the head (freaking ow man) to really get things going. Lane comes back with a legsweep and kick to the face of her own, followed by a low superkick for two.

Meiko BLASTS her in the head with another kick but she can’t get a cross armbreaker. A suplex drops Lane but she comes back with forearms in the corner. Lane scores with a running knee and a high crossbody gets two. That’s enough for Meiko, who kicks her in the head again and finishes with a Death Valley Driver at 4:34.

Rating: C-. Lane was trying here but there was no answer to those kicks to the head and there wasn’t much of a reason to believe that the upset was in the cards. Meiko is one of the top stars in the whole thing and whoever beats her is going to look like a giant killer. Lane will be fine and get a nice push in NXT, though she has a lot of work to do.

Io Shirai is an awesome high flier and one of the best wrestlers in the world.

Deonna Purrazzo is a young star who loves to hurt people’s arms.

Io Shirai vs. Deonna Purrazzo

They start slowly with Purrazzo shouldering her down. A headscissors doesn’t work as Shirai lands on her feet, followed by a dropkick into a nipup to put Deonna on the floor. There’s the suicide dive for two back inside, followed by a handspring double knee drop to the ribs for the same. A slingshot dropkick misses and it’s time for an exchange of rollups until Shirai hits a jumping double stomp.

Back up and Purrazzo trips her down for the basement dropkick and floats over into the Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up and Shirai gets a quickly broken Crossface. A 619 into a missile dropkick gives Io two more but Purrazzo is right back up with some rolling German suplexes. The Fujiwara goes on again and Io’s hand goes up for the tap until she turns it over into the Crossface. That’s rolled through as well so Io knees her in the face and hits the running knees in the corner. The moonsault barely connects (Io’s arms slapped the chest and that’s it) to finish Purrazzo at 8:45.

Rating: B. They’ve booked Io very well in the tournament so far as she keeps having a harder and harder match to pull off. If she can ever hit the moonsault properly, everything will be fine. As it is now, she’s just having one very good match after another and this was no exception. Purrazzo is clearly a star in the making as she’s only 24 and looks more polished than most veterans with far more experience.

We get the show of respect, which is well deserved.

Tegan Nox tore her ACL just before last year’s tournament and is back to show how good she really can be.

Rhea Ripley is serious this year and ready to beat people.

Tegan Nox vs Rhea Ripley

The doctor comes in but Nox says she wants to go so Ripley chops away. Nox gets in some of her own but a dropkick cuts her off and the referee stops the match at 3:16. No rating due to the injury, which is apparently to her good knee. Nox, in tears: “I can’t do it again.” The place goes DEAD silent and it’s almost creepy.

The fans cheer for Tegan as she leaves and the announcers give what sounds like a heartfelt talk about what happened. Beth mentions that coming back with a brace on the knee might have affected her balance. That’s just terrible and I actually feel really sorry for her. No one deserves that. Even worse: word on the street is that she was supposed to be in the finals, if not win the whole thing outright.

Mia Yim is back to prove that she belongs here.

Toni Storm knows she’s the best in the world and is ready to prove it as well.

Mia Yim vs. Toni Storm

Mia has a bad hand coming in. Yim kicks her down to start and kicks her in the chest for good measure. Back up and Storm hits a big boot and a running knee in the corner. Storm snaps a suplex for two before stomping on the hand. The fans aren’t sure who to cheer for here and Yim fires off a kick to the arm to cut her down. We hit the chinlock for a bit, followed by a surfboard hold to make Storm scream.

That’s switched to a guillotine choke as this has been almost all Mia so far. Storm powers up into a spinebuster for the break but Mia is right back with more kicks to the chest. A series of strikes into a Pele kick gets two so Storm gets smart and kicks her in the bad hand. With Mia staggered, it’s a headbutt for the double knockdown.

They slap it out with Mia’s hand giving out, allowing Storm to hit a running hip attack in the corner. Storm Zero is countered into a hard Saito suplex for two and a powerbomb gets the same. Sole Food is blocked and Toni cranks on the hand. A German suplex into Storm Zero gives Storm the pin at 8:26.

Rating: B-. Another good outing here with Storm getting smart to pick up the win. The match was mainly Storm on defense but she went with the thinking to end it. Yim is already a star but Storm is the kind of person that could be the centerpiece of the division for a long, long time. She’s got the look, the talent, the attitude and above all else, the it factor. It’s easy to see why she’s getting pushed this hard this fast.

The semifinals:

Toni Storm

Meiko Satomura

Rhea Ripley

Io Shirai

A recap ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. It’s a good show but I can’t shake that Nox injury. It really is the kind of thing that shakes you up and her screaming that she can’t do it again is almost haunting. I really hope she can get back in the ring at some point, but with knees like that there’s only so much you can expect. The rest of the show was quite good and that’s a heck of a final four.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

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.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Mae Young Classic
Date: October 3, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Beth Phoenix

We’re on to the second round now and that means things are going to start getting interesting. In this case we have the first instance of previous winners facing off, which should make for some good matchups. That’s the point of a tournament as you start getting to the better matches after you get to the halfway point. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

All matches are second round matches.

We open with a quick recap of the first round to set things up for tonight.

Opening sequence.

Toni Storm is a rock star with a ton of attitude.

Hiroyo Matsumoto is still Lady Godzilla, but does she still love to have fun?

Toni Storm vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto

A lockup goes nowhere to start so Toni does a rather complicated spin to escape a wristlock. Toni’s wristlock keeps Matsumoto in trouble so they hit the mat with Matsumoto headscissoring her way out of trouble. Toni handwalks out so Matsumoto kicks her in the ribs to keep her in trouble. A Stunner over the middle rope puts Storm down again and a missile dropkick gets two.

The dueling chants begin but the LET’S GO TONI chants are pretty clearly winning out. Matsumoto chokes with a boot in the corner but Toni catches her with a German suplex. A fisherman’s suplex gets two and Toni slugs away but she has to backdrop her way out of a powerbomb attempt.

Matsumoto holds on though and puts on a half crab, which looks great on someone as tiny as Storm. Vader Bomb style double knees get two on Toni, who is right back with another German suplex. That’s fine with Matsumoto who scores with the Rock Drop for two of her own as Toni has to get a foot on the rope.

One heck of a clothesline puts Storm down again and Matsumoto loads up another, only to have Storm duck underneath and grab a bridging rollup to advance at 9:17. Nice move on the ending there with Matsumoto listening to the crowd’s chants of ONE MORE TIME instead of just going for the pin when she had it.

Rating: B. I had a good time with this and it’s an encouraging sign that Storm is getting this good in a hurry. Matsumoto is a hard hitter in her own right and has a great future, but Storm has superstar written all over her and there is no reason to believe she isn’t going to be a big time player for years to come.

Kacy Catanzaro is from American Ninja Warrior and can overcome her smaller size.

Rhea Ripley is ready to be a dominant force and is more serious than ever.

Kacy Catanzaro vs. Rhea Ripley

David vs. Goliath, as tends to be the case for Catanzaro. A shoulder puts Catanzaro down in short order so she tries a change of pace with the kicks to Ripley’s legs. Kacy gets sent to the apron where she dropkicks Ripley in the ribs, followed by a hurricanrana. That’s fine with Ripley, who drops her hard onto the ropes for two and starts slowing things down. Just to show off a bit, Ripley dropkicks her down for two, which looks rather odd/impressive given the size differential.

A basement dropkick gets one and the fans are split on this one too. Rhea hits a very delayed suplex and cranks on something like a Texas Cloverleaf, though she’s standing behind Kacy like an ankle lock. Back up and Kacy spins around her multiple times into a DDT, which is straight out of a Rey Mysterio match. If you can do something that only Mysterio can usually pull off, I think you have a future around here.

Rhea bails to the floor so Kacy hits a corkscrew plancha to keep things moving. Back in and Kacy completely botches a springboard missile dropkick so she tries again, this time jumping over the top to land on the middle and dropkick Rhea down. Rhea has had it with all the flips though and kicks her in the ribs, setting up Riptide for the pin at 7:04.

Rating: C+. Kacy is a crazy good athlete and some of the stuff she was doing out there was almost hard to believe. That being said, she’s also very new at this and clearly needs a lot of fine tuning. The look, charisma and athleticism are going to be more than enough to carry her though and that’s what matters. Ripley on the other hand is ready to be a star right now and that’s more than enough reason to send her forward here.

Lacey Lane is an underdog who scored an upset in the first round so she wants to continue her Cinderella story.

Taynara Conti is a black belt in judo who is ready to destroy Lacey.

Taynara Conti vs. Lacey Lane

Conti wastes no time in flipping her down and does it again, just to show Lane that she’s in over her head. Lacey is right back with a 619 for two and an elbow to the face. A missed charge in the corner allows Conti to pull her down by the long hair though and a few kicks to the chest have Lane in even more trouble. Conti is frustrated at the kickout so it’s off to a crazy eyed armbar for a few seconds.

Back up and Lane hits a clothesline and something like Sister Abigail for two of her own. That’s about it for Conti, who tries another flip but gets reversed into the crucifix bomb to give Lane another upset pin at 2:38. I don’t think I get the appeal of Lane but the Full Sail fans seemed to like her so it makes sense to push her again, though I’m not sure about having her go over someone like Conti.

Meiko Satomura wants to show the world strength.

Mercedes Martinez wants to make up for her loss last year with another big win here.

Meiko Satomura vs. Mercedes Martinez

Feeling out process to start with Meiko going into a wristlock for the very early control. That’s reversed into a slightly harder arm crank but Meiko takes her right down again and drops a knee to the chest for two. A double underhook neck crank keeps Martinez down until a suplex gives her two of her own. Meiko slaps on a headscissors on the mat and the announcers laugh a bit too much while talking about how to escape.

Mercedes smacks her in the face for the break and it’s time to slug it out. That goes to Martinez as she slams Meiko down and cranks on the leg for a bit. Some forearms in the corner have Meiko in trouble so she kicks Mercedes upside the head. A top rope crotching puts Meiko down again though and it’s a hanging swinging neckbreaker for two. Mercedes’ fisherman’s buster is reversed into a Fujiwara armbar until a few rolls get Mercedes to the ropes.

With the submissions not working, Meiko tries a frog splash for two instead. Mercedes snaps off a Saito suplex for two and they’re both down. Back up and Meiko spikes her with a DDT, followed by a second to set up a backflip knee to the ribs for a close two. Martinez is right back up with a big boot and the fisherman’s buster….for two. That earns a standing ovation and I can’t argue with that at all. A surfboard goes on but Mercedes can’t add a dragon sleeper, allowing Meiko to elbow her way out. Meiko kicks her in the face and a running kick to the back of the head is enough for the pin at 11:32.

Rating: A-. Well that was awesome and blows away almost anything else in the tournament so far. They beat the heck out of each other until Martinez couldn’t stand up any longer, which is often the best formula you can have. Satomura looked like a legend and Martinez was right there with her until the end. Great match and worth checking out for the reaction to that near fall alone.

Overall Rating: A. That’s easily the best episode of either tournament with an instant classic and another very good match to go with it. Throw in a very entertaining Catanzaro vs. Ripley match and there’s nothing bad here whatsoever. This is the kind of show that I’ve been waiting for from this thing and it was an incredible hour of wrestling. Now hopefully the rest can come close to this, though that’s hard to do.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Mae Young Classic
Date: September 26, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Renee Young, Beth Phoenix, Michael Cole

We’re wrapping up the first round tonight with the last four matches, meaning things are already going to be halfway done. The interesting thing here is going to be seeing which surprises WWE has left for us, along with Japanese superstar Io Shirai as this year’s breaking name. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening video talks about the eight names who will be competing tonight.

Opening sequence.

All matches are first round matches.

Rachel Evers is the daughter of Paul Ellering and wants to make her own path. She lost her focus last year but that’s not happening this time around.

Hiroyo Matsumoto calls herself Lady Godzilla. I think that sums her up quite well.

Kassius Ohno, who is dating Evers, is here.

Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Rachel Evers

Cole’s description of a woman who called herself LADY GODZILLA and wants to fight the Undertaker: “She’s colorful and loves to have fun.” Cole on Evers: “She wants to have fun!” They shove each other around (while still having fun) to start and some shoulders go nowhere. Clotheslines go nowhere so Matsumoto shoulders her down as Renee talks about joshi.

Evers gets two off a gutwrench suplex and kicks Matsumoto in the face. A missed charge lets Matsumoto Stun her over the ropes, which is called flamboyance for some reason. Matsumoto gets two off a missile dropkick and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Evers gets laid over the middle rope for some kicks to the ribs, followed by a Vader Bomb knee drop for two more.

Evers comes back with a pop up spinebuster (not a powerbomb Cole) for a double knockdown. A slugout goes to Evers and she grabs a cutter into a backsplash for two. Evers drops a spinning double springboard legdrop for two more and the fans are entirely behind her here. Another strike off goes to Matsumoto and she grabs a German suplex, which Evers no sells to a BIG reaction. Matsumoto has had it with Evers and powerbombs the heck out of her, followed by a Saito suplex (the Rock Drop) for the pin at 7:46.

Rating: B. Well that was awesome. These two beat the heck out of each other in a style that you just don’t get around here. Matsumoto wasn’t quite the monster I was expecting but Evers got to slug it out with her and it turned into a very entertaining match as a result. The crowd alone made it that much better, which is a major benefit that not every match can enjoy.

Taynara Conti is a Brazilian jujitsu fighter who has appeared on NXT before.

Jesse Eleban is a nerdy geek who is from Earth and describes herself as “amazeballs”. I think you get the idea here.

Dana Brooke is here. Uh…..ok then.

Jessie Eleban vs. Taynara Conti

Conti wastes no time in throwing her down twice in a row. Jessie is right back up with a kick to the face (those long legs help with that) and a backsplash (egads enough with that move) gets two. Back up and Conti starts in on the arm, followed by an STO for two. A stomp to the arm sets up an armbar, followed by another version with some cranking on the wrist to keep Jessie in trouble.

Now it’s off to bending the fingers apart, followed by some stomping to the ribs in the corner. Since that’s enough to let Jessie fight back, Conti kicks her square in the arm to cut her off again. A catapult of all things drops Conti and some dropkicks keep Conti in trouble. Conti blocks a rollup though and spins her into a Boss Man Slam for the pin at 4:44.

Rating: D+. Conti winning here wasn’t exactly a surprise here and there’s nothing wrong with that. When you have someone who has wrestled on Wrestlemania and a newcomer, it’s not exactly the biggest shock in the world. Jessie is charismatic and could get somewhere with some more experience and development, but there was no way she was winning here.

Isla Dawn says she takes a lot of inspiration from goddess worship and wants to fight.

Nicole Matthews is a veteran from Canada who wasn’t happy with being an alternate last year. How can you have the best of the best if she’s not included?

Isla Dawn vs. Nicole Matthews

They fight over a few lockups to start as we hear about Dawn being into witchcraft. Dawn takes her down and hits a double stomp, followed by a running Meteora for two. Nicole is right back with a neckbreaker out of the corner (with an edit that made me think that was a second attempt) for two. A kick to the back and a backbreaker has Dawn in more trouble until she avoids a forearm in the corner.

Matthews ties her in the ropes though and kicks away at the chest to keep Dawn in trouble. Some elbows and forearms set up a double arm crank but Dawn is right back up with some knees to the face. A snap belly to back suplex drops Matthews and a fisherman’s suplex gets two. Dawn almost drops her on an Angle Slam for another near fall as Beth thinks a spell might be in need of a spell. Matthews has finally had enough of her and clotheslines Dawn into a Liontamer for the tap at 7:19.

Rating: D. This one didn’t work for me and I don’t think that’s the biggest surprise. I was really disappointed in Dawn here who had an interesting backstory and then just went out and wrestled a normal match. The match itself felt disjointed and sloppy at times, which you shouldn’t have from someone with Matthews’ experience.

Io Shirai is a strong style high flier who was inspired by Rey Mysterio. Make sure the rocket attached to her back doesn’t burn you as it launches.

Xia Brookside is nineteen years old and the daughter of NXT trainer Robbie Brookside. It was nice knowing her.

Of course Robbie is here.

Io Shirai vs. Xia Brookside

Renee on Xia: “She looks like she’s made of Skittles.” That sounds cool, but Io’s moniker is Genius of the Sky. I don’t like Skittles so I’m taking Shirai there. Xia forearms her to start but Io lands on her feet to counter a headscissors. The look of shock on Xia’s face pretty much seals her fate so as Io forearms her in the corner.

Rating: D+. This still wasn’t the most thrilling match in the world as Xia was nothing more than cannon fodder for the big star. At the same time, Io isn’t about to show off everything she can do in a match that is little more than a squash. She’s going to get a heck of a push in the tournament and beyond, which is exactly the point of a match like this.

Shirai helps what used to be Brookside up.

Here are the updated brackets:

Meiko Satomura

Mercedes Martinez

Lacey Lane

Taynara Conti

Toni Storm

Hiroyo Matsumoto

Mia Yim

Kaitlyn

Tegan Nox

Nicole Matthews

Rhea Ripley

Kacy Catanzaro

Io Shirai

Zeuxis

Deonna Purrazzo

Xia Li

We get a recap of the show, which doesn’t happen every week. Feels like filler.

Overall Rating: C. The opening match more than makes up for some of the weaker stuff down the card but the first round being over is the most important thing. The whole appeal of a tournament like this is seeing the people who stole the show in the first round fighting each other again later and that’s going to make the next few weeks a lot of fun.

IMG Credit: WWE

Mae Young Classic
Date: September 19, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Michael Cole, Renee Young

We’re halfway through the first round with eight names having already advanced to the second round. That means we still need eight more people to move on and we’ll be getting four of those names tonight. This week’s show features one of the bigger names that was announced for the tournament over the summer. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

All matches are first round matches.

Opening recap of the first eight winners and preview of tonight’s matches.

Opening sequence.

Kavita Devi was in the tournament last year and uh…..well she wasn’t very good.

Kaitlyn is back to prove that she can still do this.

Kavita Devi vs. Kaitlyn

Cole is a full on Kaitlyn fan here and Renee sounds like she has a crush on her. An early shot to the face puts Kaitlyn down as Cole talks about the original NXT’s women’s season and how that plays into the Women’s Evolution. Fair enough, though that’s more about the company as a whole than the women.

Kaitlyn chops away and gets two off a legdrop, only to get chokeslammed with no elevation. A running kick to the back sets up an armbar so Kaitlyn taps, which doesn’t count for whatever reason. Kaitlyn has to elbow her way out of a fireman’s carry and some forearms rock Devi. The Cannonball in the corner draws the YOU STILL GOT IT chants, followed by a spear to end Devi at 4:09.

Rating: D+. Devi was horrible last year and was upgraded to pretty bad this year, whichTy isn’t much of a step forward. She isn’t big enough to be a giant but is too big to be able to move around with most people. Kaitlyn on the other hand is being treated like a legend despite not really being a huge star in the first place. It’s nice to have her back and she has some credibility, but this wasn’t exactly a star making performance.

Jinny is a fashionista who has been signed to NXT UK.

Toni Storm was an absolute star in last year’s tournament and she has to be a big favorite this time around.

Tyler Breeze and the Iconics are watching.

Jinny vs. Toni Storm

Beth: “How does being a fashionista translate to a wrestling ring?” Well we’ve been trying to figure out the weird careers/interests in wrestling for years so she’s not alone. They take turns shoving each other around until a wristlock has Jinny in some low level trouble. A forearm to the face just fires Storm up though and it’s a running knee into the corner. Jinny is fine enough to hit a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle though and Storm’s nose may be messed up.

Some forearms to the face set up a Japanese armdrag into the corner and we hit the armbar. Toni is right back up with a rolling crucifix (and what looked like a wink to the camera) for two but Jinny reverses into something like a sitdown surfboard. That’s broken up as well before Storm’s shoulders are ripped apart and Jinny misses a charge in the corner. A hard German suplex puts Jinny down and Storm Zero (tiger driver) finishes her off at 7:09.

Rating: C. I know Jinny is a much bigger star (and different character) in Europe but I didn’t get much out of her here. All WWE told me was that she was a fashionista, which is hardly the most interesting thing in the world. Toni on the other hand continues to have more star potential than almost anyone else in the tournament and is clearly going to be a big deal in WWE as soon as she’s there full time. Not a bad match, even though Storm winning was never in doubt.

Xia Li (the woman from China with the fans) is back and ready to prove herself again.

Karen Q is ready to show what she can do, which includes speaking three languages. That’s more than I’ve learned about her in a year or so of watching her in Ring of Honor.

Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano are here, seemingly with no problems at the moment.

Karen Q vs. Xia Li

Cole is annoyed that Li didn’t bring them the promised dumplings. They bow to each other to start and take martial arts poses, which gets the loudest reaction of the night so far. Xia trips her down so Karen nips up and that’s another double bow. Back up and Li fires away in the corner but Karen pounds away and bows as well. A handspring elbow in the corner hits Li and a running kick to the face makes things even worse. Karen hits a pretty low full nelson slam and the cravate goes on. More kicks put Karen down for two and Xia hits a spinning kick to the back for the pin at 4:28.

Rating: D. They had me interested here with the martial arts stuff to start and then it was really just a match with some kicking included. Li moving on to the next round is fine, if nothing else so we can see the fan thing again. Karen continues to be one of the least interesting people I’ve seen in a long time. She’s not bad, but I still know nothing about her because she’s just someone who goes out and wrestles. That’s not exactly thrilling.

Allysin Kay (Sienna from Impact) is violent but classy, because she has her pinkies up. She was influenced by Bad News Brown, who isn’t a name you hear as inspiration all that often.

Mia Yim is aggressive and has a history with Kay, including a match where she severely broke her nose. That’s the kind of little story that can do a lot of good for these matches.

Sonya Deville is here and I didn’t recognize her with her hair down.

Shelton Benjamin is here.

Mia Yim vs. Allysin Kay

They go straight to the brawling with Kay having to bail to the ropes to get out of a cross armbreaker attempt. Mia does the Andrade Cien Almas pose and avoids a charge to send Kay outside. A kick to the chest has Kay in more trouble but she’s fine enough to Pounce Yim to the floor. Yim shrugs off some chops and heads back inside for a suicide dive without much impact.

A chop hits the post with a lot more impact though and Yim gets dropped face first onto the apron. The fans are split between LET’S GO MIA/PINKIES UP as Kay kicks her in the ribs. Kay blocks another armbreaker attempt and has to do the same to get out of a kneebar. They’ve finally had it with the wrestling and just start hitting each other until Kay bicycle kicks her down.

Yim is right back with some running dropkicks and a missile version gets two. A Code Red is good for the same but Kay is back up with a discus lariat for two more. We get a double knockdown until Yim goes up top (Cole, as she climbs the buckles: “IS SHE GONNA GO UP TOP???”), only to get caught by Kay. That earns Kay a super Soul Food (Eat Defeat) for the pin at 9:37.

Rating: B-. Match of the night here by a pretty wide margin and a lot of that is due to the two of them having a story coming in. I get that you can’t do that in a tournament with a bunch of fresh names (not a criticism, just a reality) but it helps so much to have even something like this. There’s a reason for them to be fighting each other like this and that made the match a lot easier to get into. Good match, and one of the best of the tournament so far.

Overall Rating: C. Totally watchable show this week with nothing terribly bad (Kaitlyn vs. Devi was short enough to get by) and a good main event. We’ve only got a week left of the opening round and the shows being about an hour each make them easy to sit through. After next week we can move on to the better matches, which is where a lot of the fun is in a tournament. This year’s edition has been perfectly fine so far and that’s a good result for something like this, which can go in either direction.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Mae Young Classic
Date: September 12, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Beth Phoenix, Renee Young

This isn’t really a show that needs much of an introduction. There are four matches on each episode and you might have heard of some of the women before. We’re still a good way off from the finals or even the later rounds but that doesn’t mean what we’re getting isn’t any good. I had a fine time with the first week so hopefully this lives up to that standard. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of last week’s show.

Preview of tonight’s matches.

Opening sequence.

The announcers take some time to explain a little bit about Mae Young. Not the worst idea actually.

All matches are first round matches.

Priscilla Kelly likes to play mind games and then strike.

Deonna Purrazzo was an alternate last year and is ready to prove herself for real this time. She’s a new NXT regular so you can imagine where things are going here.

Samoa Joe is here.

Priscilla Kelly vs. Deonna Purrazzo

You can tell Vince isn’t paying attention as Cole calls Purrazzo a wrestler. Kelly looks a bit Elvira-ish, which works to a certain degree. Apparently she was also on three episodes of “My Big Fat Roman Gypsy Wedding.” I have no idea what to do with this information so we’ll move on to Kelly snapmaring her down but getting caught in a wristlock. Purrazzo bounces out of a headscissors on the mat and it’s already a standoff.

A rollup gives Purrazzo two and Kelly is getting annoyed at the speed. It’s too early for the Fujiwara armbar so Kelly chops away in the corner. A running knee gives Kelly two and it’s off to a dragon sleeper. Purrazzo gets a boot up in the corner and chops away, followed by a backflip into a basement dropkick. Kelly is rocked and the Fujiwara armbar (with Purrazzo bouncing up and down on the mat to crank on it more) makes her tap at 4:27.

Rating: C. The match was fine, albeit never in doubt, but it mainly served as a showcase for Purrazzo. She might not be the best in the world (though she’s quite good) but she has an obvious likability to her and that makes her fun to watch. There’s a real chance of her making a pretty deep run in this thing. Kelly was reminiscent of Paige and that’s not a bad place to be. She’ll get better with time.

Purrazzo is in tears over the win. That makes things even better.

Aerial Monroe is proud of her muscles and she’s different from everyone else. I’d love to hear someone say they’re like everyone else for a change.

Zeuxis is a luchador and that’s about it.

Natalya is here. She’s standing in front of Izzy but that isn’t even acknowledged.

Zeuxis vs. Aerial Monroe

Monroe dances to the ring and her husband and daughter are here. That’s a little more noteworthy when you consider that her husband is Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander. Aerial isn’t happy with Zeuxis going after her hair, threatening to pop her in the mouth. A few clotheslines miss and Monroe knees her in the face(ish) for two. Zeuxis ges for the hair again so Aerial chops her down. Fans: “YOU GOT CHOPPED!” Well yeah, that’s kind of obvious.

Cole reads off more of his factoids as the match itself is ignored because we need to get these personalities over. An abdominal stretch has Aerial in trouble as Beth tries to actually talk about the match. A fish hook camel clutch, with more hair touching, keeps Aerial in trouble. Aerial is right back with a delayed kick to the face and a running Downward Spiral. Zeuxis doesn’t seem to mind and catches Aerial on top with a super Spanish Fly for the pin at 4:03.

Rating: D+. The wrestling wasn’t great to put it mildly here and Zeuxis seemed like a pretty standard villain. Aerial certainly has some charisma and a unique look but she’s going to need a bit more than that to make it work. I wasn’t particularly impressed by either of them here, though Io Shirai is going to kill Zeuxis in round two anyway.

Aerial’s daughter is crying over the loss. Well that works.

Reina Gonzalez is a rather big (as in tall) woman who lost in last year’s tournament. She won’t be as nice this year.

Kacy Catanzaro is a tiny little thing who was a success on American Ninja Warrior. She sounds like the face version of Alexa Bliss and that’s not the best thing in the world.

Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan are here.

Kacy Catanzaro vs. Reina Gonzalez

Kacy is very bubbly and climbs the post to get in the ring. Makes sense and a nice little touch. Cole instead talks about how USA Today broke the news that Kacy would be in the tournament, because EVERYONE CARES ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT. Kacy is 5’ and 100lbs, putting her only at Reina’s shoulder. For some reason Kacy decides to charge right at her and gets swung around by the neck.

Kacy scores with a headscissors and tries another, only to be reversed into a hard backbreaker. Apparently Reina has been VERY annoyed at all of the attention on Kacy. Like, the attention from USA Today! A hard forearm to the back drops Kacy again but an elbow misses. Some dropkicks to the knee have Reina reeling and a middle rope springboard dropkick gets two. A quick victory roll gives Kacy the pin at 4:47.

Rating: D+. I know Kacy is going to get the hype and I can understand why, but Reina is someone who has earned a contract of her own. Sometimes you just need a big woman who can make others look small and that’s what they had here. Kacy is as charismatic as you can get but being Rey Mysterio’s size isn’t going to do her any favors.

Post match Reina puts Kacy on her shoulder.

Mercedes Martinez made the semifinals last year and isn’t here to lose. Well I would hope that’s the case every year.

Ashley Rayne (Madison Rayne) is high energy but things can get under her skin. There are some clips from TNA but just the photographer is credited.

The Undisputed Era is here.

Ashley Rayne vs. Mercedes Martinez

In case you were wondering, Newsweek broke the news that Mercedes would be in the tournament. You know, like she was last year. Mercedes cranks on the arm to start and puts on an early chinlock. Back up and something almost like a One Winged Angel (just lifting her up instead of on the shoulder) rocks Rayne for two and it’s off to a double underhook stretch. The announcers talk about Martinez’s tattoos until Rayne makes it to the corner but can’t hit a tornado DDT.

A very delayed vertical suplex puts Rayne down for two but she’s fine enough to reverse the second into an RKO (called a neckbreaker). Martinez gets two more off a spinebuster so Rayne comes back with some forearms and a neckbreaker. An actual neckbreaker that is and not a cutter. Cross Rhodes gets two and Martinez’ fisherman’s buster is reversed into a small package for the same. Martinez is done with the TNA reject though and knees her in the face, setting up the fisherman’s buster for the pin at 7:34.

Rating: C. Easily the match of the night here but that’s probably due to Rayne being more used to the higher level of competition. The match still wasn’t great but Martinez is a great choice to push in the tournament as she looks like someone who could take out anyone at any given time. That being said, you would have expected a little more than a first round loss from Rayne, who was one of the higher level names in the whole thing.

Overall Rating: D. This was a hard one to get through and I was rather bored at different times. The wrestling wasn’t very good and the main event was the only match worth seeing. Other than that, the whole thing felt like a bunch of people who were just there because they were being included because they already worked for the company or because they needed to fill in spots. Pretty weak show, but you can never guess the quality when it comes to a tournament.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Mae Young Classic
Date: September 5, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Beth Phoenix, Renee Young

Well it worked the first time. This is the first episode of the second edition of the tournament and this year’s version is being shown a little differently. Instead of having big batches of four episodes at a time, it’s a weekly show every Wednesday after NXT, which is probably a better idea. I’ve done my best to avoid spoilers here so let’s get to it.

All matches are first round matches.

We open with a look at last week’s tournament, with Kairi Sane defeating Shayna Baszler in the finals. Various women talk about how important it is to win the second tournament.

Opening sequence.

The announcers welcome us to the show.

Zatara is a masked wrestler from Chile. She wants to show the world how great her country can be and says she’s smart.

Tegan Nox (better known as Nixon Newell) is from Wales and is influenced by Molly Holly, who did things no one else was doing. She was supposed to be involved last year but tore her ACL.

Tegan Nox vs. Zatara

They fight over a wristlock to start with Zatara’s kicks to the leg not keeping Nox down. A dropkick sends Zatara out to the floor and a slow motion 619 makes her duck. Back in and Zatara takes Nox down by the knee and puts on some cross between a Figure Four and an Indian deathlock. Nox dives over to the rope and limps/runs for an uppercut in the corner. A high crossbody gives Nox two but a missile dropkick sends her sprawling. Zatara misses a dropkick to the back though and a Shining Wizard gives Nox the pin at 6:11.

Rating: C. Not much of a match but Nox has all the star power she could ever need. This was a nice introduction to her and the story of being injured last year is really easy to get behind. Zatara was fine, though she felt a bit like a stock villain, especially with the mask. They didn’t do much here other than getting the tournament’s feet wet and that’s fine.

Ember Moon and Alexa Bliss are here.

Rhea Ripley is from Australia and is much more serious after losing last year.

MJ Jenkins has big hair, talks about herself in the third person and is from New York.

Rhea Ripley vs. MJ Jenkins

Ripley impressed me last year and has every tool that you could want in a future WWE star. Jenkins likes to shake her hips a lot and Ripley won’t shake hands. An early armdrag takes Ripley down but she dropkicks Jenkins to the floor. The fans are WAY behind Ripley here and a hard clothesline gets two. A delayed suplex gets two and the abdominal stretch, with an elbow to the ribs, has Jenkins in trouble.

The announcers talk about Ripley being a huge Miz fan, which they agree that Miz can never know about. Jenkins fights up (with Renee being VERY happy) with an elbow and shoulder block, followed by a roundhouse kick from the apron. A missile dropkick gets two on Ripley but she ducks another kick to the head, setting up a sitout pumphandle slam for the pin on Jenkins at 6:40.

Rating: C. Jenkins wasn’t bad here but much like the opener, it was clear who was getting the star push here and that’s the right way to go with something like this. Ripley is clearly going to be someone WWE wants to push the heck out of and when you have her size and look, there’s not much of a reason to disagree. It’s quite a change of pace from last year and hopefully we get to see more of her in the future.

Vanessa Kraven says she looks like a monster but has a sweet playful side.

Lacey Lane wants to prove how awesome women can be compared to men and she’s inspired by the Dudleys.

Lio Rush is here.

Vanessa Kraven vs. Lacey Lane

Lane is the hometown girl and Cole thinks she’s the wildcard pick to win the whole thing. You’ve seen five out of thirty two dude. Calm down. Kraven is 6’2 and 200lbs so she’s got quite the size advantage over the pretty small Lane. Lane has to move around to start but her crucifix attempt is shrugged off. Some forearms in the corner have no effect so Lane kicks her in the head for some more success. A double springboard wristdrag sends Kraven to the floor and Lane cartwheels on the apron to kick her in the head again.

That kind of offense can’t last forever though as Kraven catches her and drops Lane face first onto the apron. Back in and a cannonball crushes Lane for two, followed by an over the shoulder backbreaker to make things even worse. Lane kicks her way out and hits a jawbreaker into a low superkick. A spinning side slam gives Kraven two as the fans are behind Lane. It seems to work quite well as a quick crucifix bomb gives Lane the surprise pin at 4:50.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one as Lane winning felt a little forced and I didn’t get behind her like the crowd did. It also didn’t help that the announcers kept pushing the David vs. Goliath story. Not terrible, but it wasn’t much to see and Lane feels like a rather manufactured feel good underdog story.

Natalya is thrilled to be here and picks Mia Yim or Io Shirai to win.

Meiko Satomura wrestled on Nitro when she was 16 and has never given up on her dream. Now she’s the grizzled veteran wanting one last shot.

Killer Kelly (who was on some of the UK specials) is from Portugal and has an MMA background which will carry her far.

Meiko Satomura vs. Killer Kelly

Satomura is a legend and Kelly was inspired by Kane. Meiko kicks at the leg to start as the announcers drool over her. Back up and a headlock keeps Kelly in trouble and works on the knee to keep an escaping Kelly down. The headlock goes on again but this time Kelly fights her way out for a bicycle kick. Satomura pulls her straight back down into a heck of an STF but Kelly is next to the ropes for the break, though she looks terrified.

Some hard kicks to the chest have Kelly in trouble and all she can do is take them. A suplex gives Kelly a breather so Meiko cartwheels into a double kick to the back. Meiko heads up top but Kelly catches her and pulls it down into a dragon sleeper in the Tree of Woe for a rather painful looking visual. A running basement dropkick sets up a fisherman’s suplex for two on Meiko as the fans think this is awesome. Fair enough actually. Back up and Meiko scores with a Pele kick and a hard Death Valley Driver for the pin at 7:40.

Rating: B-. Easily the match of the night here due to Satomura being treated as a legend (well deserved). That makes these things feel so much more important and it’s nice to see someone being presented as a top star. Kelly had some promise here but there was no way she was winning this one.

Overall Rating: C+. Perfectly watchable show, which is always the case for these shows. The tournament offers a look at some competition you haven’t seen before and that makes for some fun shows. It’s way too early to guess who is going to win the thing and that’s the point of a long form tournament like this. Good start though and this should be an easy watch every week.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Mae Young Classic Finals
Date: September 12, 2017
Commentators: Jim Ross, Lita

We’re already set to wrap up what feels like a very fast tournament. Things have been good so far and the finals have the potential to be a heck of a match. Tonight it’s Kairi Sane (the awesome pirate) vs. Shayna Baszler, the mixed martial artist who could knock anyone’s head off. Let’s get to it.

Before we get into the show, I’m going to throw in a bonus. This is a six woman tag that aired on the special preview and was originally announced as airing on this show. I took a look at it last night but it did NOT air on Tuesday’s show, just in case there’s any confusion. Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness and Beth Phoenix are on the call from the original tapings.

Santana Garrett/Sarah Logan/Marti Belle vs. Jazzy Gabert/Kay Lee Ray/Tessa Blanchard

Jazzy gets a great reaction and the fans chant for her as Tessa and Sarah start things off. Sarah hiptosses her down to start and gets in a knee to the face for no cover. Instead it’s off to Garrett to take a forearm, allowing the tag off to Ray. Santana wristdrags Ray and Tessa down at the same time as we’re waiting for Jazzy here.

Marti comes in and you can hear the fans lose some energy. A not great headscissors sends Ray into the corner but she stops a charging (not really as she had already pulled up) Belle with a forearm to the jaw. It’s off to Jazzy and the fans ROAR as she comes in. Oh yeah I think they’ve got something here. Three spinning backfists set up a torture rack before Gabert just tosses her into the corner with a good looking crash.

Tessa comes back in for a running elbow to the back but a jawbreaker puts her down. That means it’s off to Garrett vs. Gabert for the main event of the match. Garrett gets in a hurricanrana out of the corner followed by a superkick to put Jazzy down to one knee. Ray Stuns Gabert by mistake (erg) and Tessa plants Logan with a hammerlock DDT. Jazzy is back up though and it’s a heck of a Dominator to put Garrett away at 6:05.

Rating: B. Total and complete star making performance here for Gabert, who they’ll likely have to sign at this point based on the reaction alone. Tessa and Garrett looked great as well and if Garrett is interested in signing, she’ll be there in a heartbeat. Belle was her usual nothing self and Logan just didn’t get time to do anything. Ray was fine too but this was ALL about Gabert with Santana being an easy second.

The winners pose and it’s a PLEASE SIGN GABERT chant. HHH comes out and listens to the cheers but says they did this at the Cruiserweight Classic and he has a budget. He puts over the tournament and says it’s time for the women to have a pot of gold to chase after just like the men. The tournament was for the fans so thank you all very much.

Now we’re on to the main show.

As you might expect, we open with a long recap of the tournament with a focus on Sane and Baszler.

Renee Young is in the arena to hype up the finals and throw us to a package of people arriving earlier. Stephanie McMahon, Charlotte, Bayley and Becky Lynch among others were here to see the finals in person.

Video on Shayna Baszler.

Beth Phoenix, Dana Warrior, Alundra Blayze and Mauro Ranallo are all here.

Video on how Sane and Baszler both got here.

Mae Young Classic Finals: Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane

We get the Big Match Intros with Lillian Garcia doing a special introduction. Baszler grabs a quick rear naked choke to start but gets rolled up for two and a break. A walk up the corner into a headscissors drops Shayna again but one heck of a kick to the head sends Sane outside. Shayna gets in a running knee from the apron, followed by a kick to the arm for good measure.

The rolling gutwrench suplexes give Shayna two and it’s time to crank on the arm again. Shayna smacks her in the face so Sana chops away, only to get caught with a running knee to the chest. A spear has Shayna’s ribs in trouble though and it’s a basement dropkick to keep Baszler in trouble. Sane grabs a bodyscissors but misses the sliding forearm in the corner. Instead it’s Sane going up top and diving into the rear naked choke to put her in real trouble.

Elbows to the ribs break her out though and a spinning backfist drops Baszler again. It’s still too early for the elbow as Shayna catches her on top for a slugout. A Kimura on top is broken up with shoulders to the ribs, followed by a top rope double stomp to the chest for two. Now the running forearm to the ribs knocks Baszler down, setting up the elbow for the pin and the tournament at 11:50.

Rating: B. Good match, though this really felt like it was a match that they had to rush through due to time. It never hit that great level that they felt capable of hitting and it felt kind of disappointing as a result. Granted putting this in front of the general WWE crowd wasn’t the best idea but putting it down at Full Sail or in Brooklyn would have just been too logical. Still good though.

HHH, Stephanie (I guess her dad is fine already) and Sara Amato come out for the trophy presentation.

Overall Rating: B. We’ll go with that for the entire tournament too. I did like what I saw and I like the much faster release schedule than the Mae Young Classic. They never quite hit that level they were shooting for though and it made things feel a little bit disappointing. That being said, this was about restocking the shelves and there’s a ridiculous amount of talent ready to take over the women’s division. It’s worth checking out as you’re in and out with nine rather short shows and you’ll get some good action. Solid tournament, but it’s not as good as the cruiserweights.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Mae Young Classic Episode #8
Date: September 4, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Lita

It’s semifinals time and that means we should be in for some nice, long matches. It wouldn’t surprise me if we didn’t get a bonus match thrown in as well and that wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. Hopefully they can live up to the expectations as the matches have been good but nothing great. The extra time should help a lot so let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of last week.

JR and Lita offer a preview.

Video on Shayna Baszler, who held that choke longer last week to send a message.

Video on Mercedes Martinez, who says this is the culmination of her career. We also see clips of Martinez training Baszler, which offers a very nice bonus aspect to the match. Why wasn’t that mentioned before?

Semifinals: Shayna Baszler vs. Mercedes Martinez

Baszler shakes hands this time. Martinez isn’t as polite and slugs away at Baszler with right hands and chops in the corner. A kick to the ribs is blocked but Martinez just lets it go, seemingly in an attempt to get inside Baszler’s head. The threat of a running kick sets up a chinlock, which isn’t a rear naked choke no matter how much JR seems to think it is.

Baszler sends her into the corner and hammers away before getting two off a gutwrench suplex. A kneebar has Martinez in trouble until she finally kicks away. This time it’s Martinez grabbing a hold of her own with something like a Regal Stretch before they forearm it out from their knees. Baszler gets the better of it but Mercedes fights up into a fisherman’s suplex to put Baszler down. The fisherman’s buster is countered into the rear naked choke and Mercedes finally taps at 8:10.

Rating: B. Baszler winning is the absolute right call, especially with the Four Horsewomen battle coming up. Martinez doesn’t have a background in WWE but they’ve treated her as a major deal, which makes it more impressive to have Baszler beat her. Good match here, which is becoming the trend around here.

They hug post match with Stephanie McMahon (well duh), HHH and Sara Amoto out to congratulate Baszler.

Video on Toni Storm, who is here to win.

Video on Kairi Sane, who promises to win. I was hoping she was here for a flagon of rum and a treasure hunt.

Semifinals: Kairi Sane vs. Toni Storm

Sane takes Toni down and rides her for a bit until Storm slips out of a chinlock. That’s fine with Kairi who hits a running dropkick and starts smiling. Storm goes with a shot to the face for two, only to get pulled to the floor with her back landing on the apron. Kairi adds a big dive to put Storm down again and it’s off to a Boston crab.

The sliding forearm is blocked with some raised boots though (smart) and it’s the running hip attack rocking Kairi. Storm tries another one but takes a clothesline to the ribs (not quite a spear) to cut her off again. They slug it out with Kairi getting the better of it but she gets caught on top. Storm gets two off a fisherman’s suplex.

It’s off to a flip over armbar (ala Tommaso Ciampa) with Toni CRANKING on that thing. Kairi finally rolls over to the other side for two but can’t follow up. Toni’s top rope legdrop hits the back but she bangs herself up at the same time. Kairi kicks her down again and hits the top rope elbow for the pin at 12:24.

Rating: B+. This might have been the best match of the tournament so far, or at least the hardest hitting. Kairi winning was pretty obvious and there was no secret to the fact that it was going to be her vs. Baszler, almost from the beginning. Storm looked great again here and if they don’t sign her, they’re dumber than I thought.

Sane gets the victory celebration as well. Baszler comes out for the showdown with JR getting in the usually awesome summary line: the one with the biggest fight in the dog is fighting the biggest dog in the yard.

Overall Rating: A-. I’m ready for the finals and that’s a good thing. The two matches were both quite good and I want to see the winners beat the heck out of each other next week. They’ve built both of them up as unbeatable, which is what makes for an awesome showdown in the end. Really good good show here and the best thing they’ve done so far.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6