‘Mae Young Classic 2018’ – Episode 4 Review

Welcome to this week’s Mae Young Classic review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and I just heard some stupid song called Baby Shark and I wonder if Bill Cosby will get to sing that in prison… while in the shower? Gotta pick up the soa… Buggggaaaaahhhhhhh!

Match #1: Hiroyo Matsumoto def. Rachel Evers in a First-Round Match

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

“Lady Godzilla” Hiroyo Matsumoto got off to a monstrous start in the Mae Young Classic, downing returning tournament competitor Rachel Evers in an intensely physical First-Round Match. Evers put up a valiant fight, withstanding Matsumoto’s high-octane offense and a persistent attack on Evers’ ribs. The Queen of Strong Style strung together her own powerful series of moves, including a senton splash that no doubt put a smile on the face of Evers’ boyfriend, Kassius Ohno, watching at ringside. The battle soon turned into a slugfest. After a nasty exchange of strikes, Matsumoto dumped Evers with a German suplex. Evers was ever-defiant, however, immediately standing up after the impact and getting right in Matsumoto’s face, which caused the WWE Universe to erupt in excitement. Matsumoto seemed to admire her opponent’s spunk, but that didn’t stop her from destroying Evers with a powerbomb and her patented Rock Drop suplex. After that, the pinfall was academic. Matsumoto now moves on to the Second Round to face Toni Storm, who might want to channel her inner King Kong if she hopes to topple Lady Godzilla.

My Take: 3 out of 5 – I liked this match, even if it didn’t quite get to that next level of action. These two had a nice exchange of holds and locks that make this review sound like a commercial for door knobs. The match worked out fine and was a good opener.

Match #2: Taynara Conti def. Jessie Elaban in a First-Round Match

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

After being eliminated in the First Round of last year’s Mae Young Classic, Brazilian Superstar Taynara Conti refused to let the same fate befall her this year in her showdown with fellow NXT standout Jessie Elaban. The future is no doubt very bright for Elaban who, in her WWE Network debut, used her size advantage and raw athleticism to keep Conti guessing. What she couldn’t match was Conti’s mean streak. The self-proclaimed “Real Black Belt of NXT” used extreme tactics to inflict pain on Elaban, and at one point even ran the webbing of Jessie’s fingers across the top rope. Elaban rebounded and connected with an axe kick to Conti’s back, but Conti, a decorated judo player, blocked a subsequent suplex attempt. She then spun Jessie into a judo throw/side slam to claim the win and earn passage to a Second-Round Match against Lacey Lane.

My Take: 2 out of 5 – This was a standard sort of WWE woman’s match that had the basics, but didn’t go beyond what the assignment was, if you catch my drift.

Match #3: Nicole Matthews def. Isla Dawn in a First-Round Match

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

It took Nicole Matthews a long time to be a featured competitor in a WWE ring. Therefore, it’s not surprising that once she got the opportunity against Scotland’s Isla Dawn in the First Round of the 2018 Mae Young Classic, she demonstrated tremendous patience in ensuring it ended in victory. The Canadian ring veteran controlled the pace with her methodical power game, though Dawn’s suplexes and brutally hard kicks gave Matthews plenty to worry about along the way. When it looked like Dawn could be on the cusp of victory Matthews stopped her dead in her tracks with a clothesline. Realizing that Dawn was critically damaged by the blow, Matthews sprang into action and bent Dawn into a modified Boston crab. Pinning her knee into the back of Dawn’s cranium for added pressure, Matthews made sure the Scottish sorceress had no place to go. Indeed, the tapout was not far behind.

My Take: 2.5 out of 5 – Matthews looked good here working with Dawn, who looked good as well. I sound like a simpleton pervert on the loose. I liked the submission work here that followed a gradual build of strikes and blows that led to the finale. I could go for another bout between these two.

Match #4: Main Event – Io Shirai def. Xia Brookside in a First-Round Match

The following is courtesy of WWE.com:

Pegged by many as the top female wrestler on the planet, “The Genius of the Sky” Io Shirai soared past even the highest expectations in her First-Round Match against 19-year-old Xia Brookside. That’s not to suggest that Brookside didn’t put up a fight. The plucky Brit — who was not only facing one of the tournament favorites, but also competing in front of her father, U.K. legend Robbie Brookside, for the first time in her career — raced out of the gate with an attack on Shirai. Shirai was momentarily stunned, but she soon gained her composure. Kipping out of a flying headscissors attempt seconds later, Shirai drove her knees into Brookside and spun the tournament’s youngest wrestler into a crossface submission hold, eliciting a huge response from the WWE Universe. Shirai’s clinical onslaught continued from there, as she battered Brookside with kicks and smothered her with a Meteora in the corner, before finishing her off with a top-rope moonsault that, in one glorious arc, revealed why Shirai is called The Genius of the Sky. Now that her WWE Network debut ended in triumph, can Shirai keep up the momentum in round two, where she faces Zeuxis?

My Take: 3 out of 5 – This was a good debut for Io and a good night for Xia, who wanted to impress her father, Robbie Brookside. I think they both delivered a fine performance here and made their mark on the tournament. Io is a real get and she will bring an aura of legitimacy to this whole thing, no matter how far she goes in the thing.
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Final Verdict: 2.5 out of 5 – This was a solid card that didn’t feel quite as big as it should have, but the right match was the main event.