auph10imitated
Dennis Stamp
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Post by auph10imitated on Sept 1, 2017 10:11:39 GMT -5
I dont think they will announce any further signings until the finals are done, they didn't announce any Diva Search rejects until after the winner was announced.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Sept 1, 2017 10:28:10 GMT -5
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6c/WWE_Mae_Young_Classic_official_logo.png) WWE Mae Young Classic Episode #4 September 1st, 2017 | Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida
It’s time for the final first round episode of the Mae Young Classic. The opening video package gave a rundown of the eight women competing on this episode.
Candice LeRae vs. Renee Michelle I don’t know much about Michelle. LeRae is one of the biggest female names on the indies. She’s 31, is married to Johnny Gargano and has been working for over a decade. Speaking of Gargano, he was shown in the front row. “Candice Wrestling” chants. Candice brought fire, picking up several near falls and looking like an underdog, despite being the veteran. Michelle fired off some nice looking kicks, but ate a Code Breaker. I like how some of these girls just use other people’s finishers as regular offense. Michelle missed a moonsault, opening the door for a Candice dropkick. They went up top, where Candice hit a second rope neckbreaker to win in 5:36. Solid at best. Candice looked fine, but Michelle needs a ton of work. She looked slow in a lot of her stuff, especially when it came to running the ropes. Also, the fans loved LeRae, but were surprisingly quiet for the match. [**¼]
Alexa Bliss was shown in the audience.
Lacey Evans vs. Taynara Conti Evans is signed to the WWE and is a former Marine. I saw her live at an NXT show in March. Conti is a 22 year old Brazilian with a judo background, also signed to WWE and has only had a handful of matches. She looks like a cross between Natalya and Renee Young. Conti bowed instead of giving the handshake. She showed heel tactics early, with Lacey retaliating by using her size. Conti busted out kicks and some impressive judo throws. She also delivered a swinging slam that showed some power of her own. Evans returned with a flurry, capped with Jig and Tonic to win in 4:42. That was better than I expected. I believe they’ve combined to wrestle less than 100 matches, but they worked well together and both showed potential. Conti looks to have a good heel in her, while Evans is quite the natural babyface. I’m intrigued by both. In the next round, Evans faces Toni Storm. [**¾]
Nicole Savoy vs. Reina Gonzalez Gonzalez is signed to the WWE and has only worked a tiny amount of matches. Savoy is billed as the “Queen of Suplexes” and is a SHIMMER veteran. Reina took the heel route, not giving the handshake. There’s been too much of that. I was disappointed to see this follow a too familiar trope of this tournament. Since Gonzalez had a size advantage, she had to have control and she beat on Savoy. That’s not Savoy’s game. Underdog babyface doesn’t work for her. Reina hit a sidewalk slam and applied Billy Goat’s Curse to continue her dominance. Savoy eventually applied an armbar to win in 4:25. Whoever laid this out had no clue what they were doing. Savoy talked about suplexes in her vignette and then just got her ass kicked. This needed to be similar to the Shayna match to work. Savoy faces LeRae in the next round, which should be better. This was the 2nd worst first round match. [*¼]
Kairi Sane vs. Tessa Blanchard Tessa is 22 and the daughter of Tully. She’s made a name for herself around the world. Shane was formerly known as Kairi Hojo and is signed to the WWE. She’s 28 and was one of the best performers in STARDOM for a long time. Their early exchanges saw nobody get an advantage until Sane nailed a running blockbuster. Blanchard picked up the intensity and hit a sick looking lung blower in the corner. Sane cut off her momentum with a spear (she’s like, the third person to do that in the tournament). The crowd ate up everything Kairi did, including her taunts. She showed off a flying forearm that rivals AJ Styles’. Tessa slowed the pace and got two on a top rope senton. She got a gear near fall by catching a Sane forearm and pulling her into a pin. Sane came back with the Alabama Slam and pointed to her elbow pad. The fans went NUTS, knowing what was coming. Sane delivered her gorgeous elbow drop to advance at 8:38. Arguably the best match of the first round. They had great chemistry and wasted almost none of the time given. Great back and forth, evenly contested match. The fans were into this and treated Sane like a major star. Sane takes on Bianca Belair in the next round. [***½]
Sane and Blanchard hugged after the match.
Overall: 7/10. This was about on par with episode one for my favorite of the tournament so far. It was cool to see Candice LeRae, even if her match wasn’t great. Conti/Evans was much better than expected and a nice surprise. Savoy’s good, but the match she had gave her no chance to showcase herself and was the only real blemish on the episode. Sane/Blanchard was great and in contention for best match so far. This tournament is a lot like the CWC. The first round mostly separated the potential stars from the lesser known participants and things should improve in the following rounds.
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Steveweiser
Dalek
Mickie Mickie You're So Fine... Hey Mickie!
THE GRAPS
Posts: 50,249
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Post by Steveweiser on Sept 1, 2017 10:47:00 GMT -5
To answer a conversation earlier in the thread, Nicole Matthews was the Canadian Alternate. Taya Valkyrie is still signed with Lucha Underground and is appearing with GFW now.
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Post by Lazy peon on Sept 1, 2017 11:50:21 GMT -5
Watched all of the first round, I liked many of the competitors to some degree. Jazzy and Kairi Sane were by far my favorites. Marti Belle was the only one I thought flat out sucked.
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Reflecto
Hank Scorpio
The Sorceress' Knight
Posts: 6,847
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Post by Reflecto on Sept 1, 2017 11:51:29 GMT -5
Abbey Laith, Bianca Belair, Dakota Kai, Kairi Sane, and Lacey Evans all advanced into roun two and have contracts from before the tournament. The other eleven are all freelance, and so far WWE has not signed anyone from the tournament. If Toni Storm and Viper were signed, they probably won't be in the PC for a bit as they're doing dates in Japan right now and probably have other dates/commitments with other feds. Not sure about anyone else, I know a bunch of people are doing dates going into October so we'll probably not know officially whose signed from the unsigned group for a while. It might be even further than that due to all the international talent in the MYC, similar to the CWC where people like Raul Mendoza and Fabian Aichner didn't get signed for a year after due to visa issues.
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Post by Germansuplex on Sept 1, 2017 12:09:44 GMT -5
Finished the episodes, some random thoughts:
- JR and Lita are atrocious on commentary. "Nice!" (Lita) - The audience was half-asleep on some of these matches - I liked Kay Lee Ray, and we continued to see her getting her ass whupped in all of those video packages. Was surprised she lost. Sugehit is okay, though. - Serena is in great shape, but her match did nothing for me. - Baszler is a monster in every way. Be prepared to see her bork the division. - Although I'm german, I haven't followed Jazzy's work until now. Very impressive, and I liked how she was given a character that wasn't "ME EVIL FOREIGNER, CRUSH!" - Mercedes Martinez is the real deal. At her age, she should skip NXT and go straight to the main roster. God knows they need her. - That Evers/Belle match was by far the worst of round one. But that goes to show how good the women in general are. - I'm mightily impressed by Rhea Ripley. She has a presence some veterans would kill for. - Kim/Logan was one of the best matches in round one. - I am not impressed by Toni Storm. To me, she came off as trying very hard to be cool. And please lose the f***ing hat. - Dakota Kai is extremely cute and extremely good at bumping around like Dolph Ziggler on crack. Kavita Devi looked good, too. - Bianca Belair also failed to impress me. Maybe next time. - Niven/Garrett was the second-best match of round one. Awesome work by both women. - Renee Michelle needs a lot of work, but she has a good look. - Evans/Conti was cool. Evans has a good gimmick going. - Nicole Savoy has tons of charisma and was one of the few contestants to really interact with the crowd. - Yeah, Kairi/Tessa stole the show so far. Kairi's theme/gimmick are crazy fun.
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Rican
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
July 17, 2011 - HHHe called it
Posts: 16,587
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Post by Rican on Sept 1, 2017 12:26:40 GMT -5
I think I love Toni Storm.
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pegasuswarrior
El Dandy
Three Time FAN Idol Champion
@PulpPictionary
Posts: 8,748
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Post by pegasuswarrior on Sept 1, 2017 14:43:04 GMT -5
Kairi Sane sold me a DVD once. It's like the selling ice cream to an Eskimo cliche. She was absolutely incredible. I never buy DVDs at shows because I can get them later with some vendors and such so I could get whatever she had on sale whenever, but she had a little table set up, and not even speaking the language, she was selling this DVD and not in English. So yeah, the ice cream cliche except it goes something like she's so good in the ring, I couldn't *not* buy her DVD even though I don't buy DVDs. It was kinda like that Family Guy episode with Clinton, and Peter ends up in bed with him at the end: "Boy, she's good, she's really good."
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Rican
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
July 17, 2011 - HHHe called it
Posts: 16,587
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Post by Rican on Sept 1, 2017 17:46:29 GMT -5
Dakota Kai is awesome! She didn't have much to work with in her first round match but I'm excited to see her wrestle again.
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Allie Kitsune
Crow T. Robot
Always Feelin' Foxy.
HaHa U FaLL 4 LaVa TriK
Posts: 46,382
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Post by Allie Kitsune on Sept 1, 2017 20:13:41 GMT -5
I keep feeling like Toni Storm should have Lacey Evans' theme. Especially if she keeps the tiny hat.
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Rican
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
July 17, 2011 - HHHe called it
Posts: 16,587
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Post by Rican on Sept 1, 2017 20:32:32 GMT -5
Ok first time ever seeing Kairi wrestle and HOLY SHIT. That elbow drop is a f***ing masterpiece. What a match.
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Post by Big DSR Energy on Sept 1, 2017 20:53:53 GMT -5
I just realized this tournament reminds me a bit of Street Fighter. Sage Beckett's gimmick reminded me of Rose from SF Alpha 3. Lacey Evans is a blonde American military hero, like Guile. Xia Li with her thick thighs and kick-based offense reminds me of Chun Li. Renee Michelle is of Native American heritage and dresses the part, like T. Hawk. I admittedly don't have analogues for every competitor. This is just a thing that hit me a few minutes ago. Jazzy is Numbah 1!! Also Kari is Captain Kidd from World Heroes. Ayesha Raymond is Felicia from Darkstalkers.
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Allie Kitsune
Crow T. Robot
Always Feelin' Foxy.
HaHa U FaLL 4 LaVa TriK
Posts: 46,382
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Post by Allie Kitsune on Sept 1, 2017 22:02:54 GMT -5
Jazzy is Numbah 1!! Also Kari is Captain Kidd from World Heroes. Ayesha Raymond is Felicia from Darkstalkers. Ayesha's not nearly that upbeat/naive.
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Derk!
Hank Scorpio
Yeah, "looks like."
Posts: 5,081
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Post by Derk! on Sept 1, 2017 22:59:01 GMT -5
Just watched that first episode. Abbey Lathe and Jazzy Gabert were my two favorites easily. I love Jazzy simply because she looks so damn different, like a toned down modern day Luna Vachon...
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Post by Instant Classic on Sept 2, 2017 0:03:43 GMT -5
Toni Storm is a babe!
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pegasuswarrior
El Dandy
Three Time FAN Idol Champion
@PulpPictionary
Posts: 8,748
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Post by pegasuswarrior on Sept 2, 2017 7:20:23 GMT -5
It's debatable, so don't let me take the air out of all these Jazzy fans' sails when I say this. But I honestly have to say that Abbey did a ton to make Jazzy look awesome. Abbey did everything right to help a very limited and very green performer stand out. Jazzy is one of the competitors I haven't seen anything out of, so she might be amazing. But, Abbey did something that I really appreciate in that she helped put someone over even in victory. I got the impression that Jazzy is a bit of a dice roll in terms of what you'll get if pushed too far. Abbey, I never cringed for or worried she would mess up the flow. Jazzy followed her lead and it paid dividends for both. Again, not hating Jazzy or anything, but from my perspective, Abbey made her look 10 times better than she may actually be..
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Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Sept 2, 2017 7:36:58 GMT -5
It's debatable, so don't let me take the air out of all these Jazzy fans' sails when I say this. But I honestly have to say that Abbey did a ton to make Jazzy look awesome. Abbey did everything right to help a very limited and very green performer stand out. Jazzy is one of the competitors I haven't seen anything out of, so she might be amazing. But, Abbey did something that I really appreciate in that she helped put someone over even in victory. I got the impression that Jazzy is a bit of a dice roll in terms of what you'll get if pushed too far. Abbey, I never cringed for or worried she would mess up the flow. Jazzy followed her lead and it paid dividends for both. Again, not hating Jazzy or anything, but from my perspective, Abbey made her look 10 times better than she may actually be.. It's a reasonable observation to make. I remember when Gabert had a brief run in TNA a few years back, and I believe the reviews on her ability at that time were not very flattering at all. Now, a lot of improvement can be made in three and a half years, but I think that as long as she doesn't completely stink out loud in the ring, her presence can make up the difference.
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Post by Super Duper Dragunov on Sept 2, 2017 8:08:37 GMT -5
Finally got caught up on this:
Favorite wins: Kairi Sane Mercedes Martinez.
If those aren't the final two I'll be surprised. I echo the sentiment that Martinez should've been fast tracked to NXT. She's a veteran who carries herself like a goddam star. And I like the M thing she does with her hands. She's money.
Best Matches: Kairi/Blanchard. I was never really impressed with Blanchard...until now. I LOVE the way she runs the ropes. That's a big thing for me and so many women do it so gently, like hopping back first off the ropes gently. Not Tessa. It's wonderful. This was one of a handful of matches I didn't want to see either woman lose.
Mia Yim/Sarah Logan. I'd never seen Logan before, but holy crap. So many women in this tournament bringing some real athleticism that translates well to wrestling. Glad Mia won, and with Gail Kim's move no less. Yet another match I didn't want to see either woman lose.
LOVE Shayna Baszler. That's all I have to say about that.
Worst Matches: Whatever that Marti Belle thing was. I like Belle as a character, she does heel very very well, but yikes. And I don't even like Rachel Evers. She has some skill, but needs so much polish. I find her very awkward and the pairing with Belle wasn't good.
Matches that the outcome pissed me off: Kay Lee Ray/Princesa Sugehit. I get it. Princesa is this tournaments Gran Metallik, and I get she's a veteran, but there's just something about Kay Lee I really like and it legit pissed me off she didn't win.
Jazzy Gabert/Laith. I really really really really really don't like Laith. I know I'm in the minority. I find everything about her grating. Jazzy may be green, but she has the presence, and look of a f***ing star. She's like Chyna and Beth Phoenix rolled up into a wonderful German package of badassery. If she can hone her skills she's destined to be a mega star. She has all of the other tools. But Laith won, and yeah. Boo to that. I have nothing nice to say about her, and her winning because she has Mae Young's finisher is meh. Maybe I'm missing something. I just don't see it. Never have.
Women that I knew vaguely about but their matches made me a fan of them: Piper Niven. Her match with Santana was another one I didn't want either woman to lose. But glad Piper won. I do feel bad for Santana tho. Toni Storm. I don't even care. I like her. She's awesome. Bianca Belair. Maybe I'm easy to please, but if you can carry yourself like a star, you're already halfway there. Future Sasha Banks right here.
Women I'm still not sold on, but they're okay: Dakota Kai. I still wanna see what New Zealand Bayley can do. Her finisher sequence is wonderful. Rhea Ripley. For her age, she has an awesome presence. Nice to see some taller/bigger women in the tournament.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Sept 2, 2017 9:22:15 GMT -5
Bianca Belair is quite the athlete
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Post by tigermaskxxxvii on Sept 2, 2017 11:31:33 GMT -5
Re-watching episode four on the network live stream. Watching the hype package for Lacey Evans vs Taynara Conti shows Evans working out at the Performance Center. NXT needs to give someone a gimmick of someone who went to the PC because they thought it was a Crossfit gym and things just snowballed from there.
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