rocking, flipping, and caught by surprise with a Scorpion Kick!

wrestling 018 & tv review 059

WWE

Mae Young Classic 2018

s02e05

[ WWE ]

[03th of October, 2018]

[59min, Pop culture, Sports Entertainment, Wrestling]

Slowly but surely. Here we go with the first day of the second round!

Starting the next stage of the competition with a star rising fast against an established talent, the opening is quite even in the interchange in the grappling but a shaking of hands as a sign of respect is taken advantage by the ever opportunistic Hiroyo Matsumoto. Keeping up the offense against Toni Storm after a Stunner on the ropes with Missile Dropkick and hard chops by emphasizing strengths over the Australian but the tenacious Australian hit back with a Snap German Suplex, a Butt Bum at the apron and a Fisherman Suplex to even it out. A quick fisticuffs ensues and the Lady Godzilla comes on top again at the end of it with a Boston Crab and then a double knee off the second rope to the gut. This is a fast paced match with a lot of hard knocks and technical moves in a Headbutt and the Rock Drop with the Japanese keep throwing move after move and the Australian keeps kicking out of pin attempts but after a lost of close calls (that pinky toe save though reminisce of Kevin Owens' ...), the rockstar was able to eek out a win with a surprise Jackknife cover with a bridge to move on to the quarter finals. Hiroyo makes her presence known in the eyes of the world and as much as I hope more other talents from the Land of the Rising Sun would be invited to next year's edition, I am looking forward to see how far Toni would go.

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Not many more instances of David and Goliath scenario could happen and here is probably the last instance to match that scenario with a gymnast having to overcome another statuesque of a force, with the match starting in a more predictable way with the former brandishing her athleticism in and around the ring on the more
formidable latter that is caught by surprise and has to resort to brute force by literally throwing her onto the top rope. Kacy Catanzaro knows that she has to withstand Rhea Ripley with her constant power moves and pinfall attempts and mocking. The quick Dropkick and prolonged suplex and then elevated leg submission lets us know Rhea is an emerging talent with fully rounded arsenal but Kacy shows us what she can do with her gymnast background with that 'around-the-world' DDT and the corkscrew off the top rope to turn the momentum around. Despite her best efforts though to keep the Goliath down and slay the monster, David just doesn't have enough in the end and couldn't kick out of that Rip Tide. The former American Ninja Warrior contestant has made a successful debut and let us know that she have a bright future in this industry considering the rate she is going. The Australian has found her voice now and will dominate the scene for years to come.

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Clashing of styles is another aspect that can be seen throughout the MYC and it can really be seen in this third encounter between another highflyer and a martial artist. A hometown favourite against a proud (and rather psychotic) judoka is perfect for the babyface against heel dynamic as we see Taynara Conti embracing her inner mean streaks while Lacey Lane shifting herself into the second gear to fight back. That kicks to the hands at the apron shows how vicious Conti could be but Lane do not let herself being dominated for long as she uses her pace and knowledge to have an edge over her. The end comes out of nowhere again as the bout ended just over a couple of minutes when the disciple of Buh Buh Ray counter with a Crucifix Bomb out of nowhere. I understand now this is to make room for the main event of the evening and they both could have come out of the fight as the winner since they appear quite even on the mat but I guess the Brazilian will turns to NXT to build up her experience while they see the American to be able to perform in front of home crowds one more time.

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You know that this is one of most anticipated encounters in this round especially when you see how much time is given to them compared to the others. I naively thought they were all given the same amount at first but since I need to look through them much more critically to write these reviews, I can see the differences now and they given it to those that deserve it the most. This pairing of Mercedes Martinez and Meiko Satomura certainly deserve the most possible time since they have the experience and most importantly chemistry to put out one heck of a match, and considering I was glued to the screen from start to finish without even noticing how much time have passed, I can safely say it was the correct decision at the end. The bout itself starts with an elongated grappling exchanges that are filled with a lot of exceptional techniques with the Meiko putting up a clinic on how to use the opponent's hands against them with kicks and knees to boot. That punch in retaliation by Mercedes wakes herself up as she begins to provide an example of her own and counter back with a Twisting Neckbreaker off the top rope yet the Japanese legend gains back the upperhand with an Armbar and then surprisingly a Frog Splash. This exhilarating see-saw of momentum keeps on going with Martinez being able to pull out a devastating knee and her patented Fisherman Buster after Satomura's patended Cartwheel Knee and blocking her Pele kick. A standing ovation that is very much deserved as the woman in blue goes down another route with a submission attempt (Mexican Surfboard?) but she just can't clinch in the finishing Headlock as the End Boss pulls out a spinning kick and then the beautiful Scorpion Kick! That was the first time I saw such a technical yet devastating move that I exclaimed in amazement every time I see it since! Such a legend! I wonder if she is signed part time into WWE, there will be so many candidates for her to have a dream match with ...

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Wow, what a match! This is the level of quality that every other woman wrestlers would strive to achieve and the second day of the second round would try to live up to it in any way they can!

Execution = over 90% with the level of quality rising up as the main event being the highlight of the tournament so far!

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P.S. Rhea Ripley's selling of the moves can be a little Dolph Ziggler-level at times and Taynara Conti is giving a thirsty psychopath vibe will all that jeering of tongue and licking of mouth ...