second gear, exchange, comeback & storyteller.

wrestling 019 & tv review 060

WWE

Mae Young Classic 2018

s02e06

[ WWE ]

[10th of October, 2018]

[49min, Pop culture, Sports Entertainment, Wrestling]

Well, I'm in the deep end now. Let's see if I can make it just before the PPV!

It's only a little hesitation at the beginning that shows Io Shirai and Zeuxis are being careful of each other that quickly makes way for the latter to take advantage of the former's showboating and focuses the attacks on the arm with a dropkick, a rope twist and a submission in the middle of the ring. The Chilean shows a lot of venom with the kick and the double knee but that just trigger the Japanese to counteract with her own dose of tenacity in agility and hard knocks in devastating double knees and even a suicide dive. This is a treat for the wrestling fans as the pace is blistering with the fight between technicality against 'strong style', with Io's submission attempt is countered into a Michinoku Driver and off the top rope Moonsault misses while a succession of drop kick to the face, off the top rope Hurracanrana, double knee to the back of the head and her signature Asiai Moonsault finally put the feisty masked one down for the count. A quick encounter that is full to the brim starts the day on a high.

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Deonna Purrazzo against Xia Li will be the clash of styles of the day as the martial artist takes the initiative first with her deft kicks and blows but the specialist will not take it lying down with her own hand-with-leg submission that is definitely on brand and trying to end the match quickly with her branded armbar but it isn't just the time yet. Another instance of focusing on the opponent's limb that would benefit Purrazzo can't be keep going as Li kick off mid-air out of a kung fu scene. The parity is restored as both sides exchange blows after blows and with the Chinese keeps the momentum going in her favour, the American counters her high risk maneuver right into her Fujiwara armbar and even twisting both hands back for good measure to ensure she will be able to snuff the opponent's fire out. It ended quickly as well but you definitely get your money's worth.

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With a defined heel and babyface roles, you can see it right away as we see Nicole Matthews uses her mean streak to keep the plucky Tegan Nox down with unending stream of hard kicks and punches. Effectively keeping the opponent down without letting up on the offensive that is followed with a number of submissions, the Irish will not be silenced for too long as she mounts her own comeback effort that is started with a headbutt, a cannonball and the Shining Wizard to complete her turnaround. Fast pace is the theme of the day so it seems but they all use the restriction to their advantage, providing us with high quality bouts one after another.

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Rounding up the night just like how it is started with experience, we see Mia Yim looks to end the Cinderella journey of the returning Kaitlyn while nursing a hand injury of her own. It is the latter that takes the advantage early on by turning on the intensity early on to fit her veteran status in the field. The former soon returns the favour by injuring the adversary's leg and straight away focus her attention on it with a leg submission but when she is goaded to keep punching, she takes the bait and again injures her hand by missing Kaitlyn's head and hit the mat instead. The former Divas Champion apply her own painful arm submission, showcasing both athletes' experiences when it matters. They are having the best stories to tell in this particular match, treating us on how much can be told in a single sitting with the Korean American's 'plea for help' being one of the best examples. Full of technicalities and rollercoaster of storylines, it is only just for Mia to kick out of the dreaded Spear and clinch in the Kneebar to sneak out a win. Oh, this is how a wrestling match should be told! I am just looking forward to see where Kaitlyn will go after this since I don't think she will be turning away again after seeing her being bitten by the wrestling bug again. Could she be in the Evolution Battle Royal? It's not out of the possibility right now.

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Now we are down to the last four! Suffice to say it will be intense!

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. Nicole Matthews' wardrobe isn't enough to keep her body contained this time around as well ... you can see it distracts her in the middle of the match and in turns will distract the viewers as well. You begin to appreciate the more established wrestlers that have their wardrobe perfectly designed to their personalities and their physiques. Nicoles' attire have the right quality and material already but maybe need to have a little more fabric or a little tighter in her upper body department.