PVA
Main Eventer
Too hot to handle and too cold to hold
Joined on: Apr 12, 2004 15:33:20 GMT -5
Posts: 3,120
|
Post by PVA on Aug 29, 2017 9:07:17 GMT -5
Just watched the first episode...Lita is painfully awful. I like JR but Wish they had the same team from the CWC.
|
|
weaseltv
Main Eventer
Joined on: Mar 22, 2013 18:57:55 GMT -5
Posts: 3,672
|
Post by weaseltv on Aug 29, 2017 12:11:44 GMT -5
the 3 women who stood out to me are Jazzy Gabert, Piper Niven and Kairi Sane. Sane looks like a video game fighter character
|
|
|
Post by marino13 on Aug 29, 2017 15:55:35 GMT -5
Toni Storm has gotten my attention. A restraining order might be in my future.
|
|
mrassbillygunn
Main Eventer
WF 10+ Year Member
Joined on: Jul 23, 2011 19:35:48 GMT -5
Posts: 4,262
|
Post by mrassbillygunn on Aug 29, 2017 16:04:24 GMT -5
Jazzy Gabert was a bit green for my liking.
Think people are being a bit harsh with Lita, Isnt this the first time shes been on commentary? I mean give her a chance, guys! We all have to start somewhere.
|
|
|
Post by Mr. PerpetuaLynch Motion on Aug 29, 2017 17:18:40 GMT -5
I am pretty sure Mia Yim Vs Sarah Logan is my pick for Match of the First Round. I enjoyed Sane Vs Blanchard but it was hindered by a couple things. Chief of those being that there was no way in my mind Kairi was losing first round. And compounded by that I really wanted to see Tessa Blanchard through to the second round. Especially over a couple of the "meh" choices that did make it through. I instantly became a fan of Dakota Kai, Toni Storm and Kay Lee Ray. Shayna Baszler is a total badass too but I hope for a bit more from her in later rounds too. The crowd seemed super lifeless for a lot of the matches which kinda sucked. Typically I hate the Full Sail Crowd for how bad they want to get themselves over but they were dead for probably 70% of the matches.
|
|
|
Post by marino13 on Aug 29, 2017 17:32:01 GMT -5
IMO Tessa Blanchard should be a full time NXT talent. She seemed to have it all.
|
|
|
Post by The King Of Crisps on Aug 29, 2017 19:11:33 GMT -5
I would love to see all these women on a 205 live type show
|
|
voicesinmyhead
Main Eventer
Joined on: Mar 4, 2009 19:21:00 GMT -5
Posts: 1,512
|
Post by voicesinmyhead on Aug 29, 2017 23:25:22 GMT -5
So far so good. There was one really awful match, a few that were just there, and some great ones. The two best matches were Santana vs Piper and Sane vs Blanchard. Martin was the worst. I am glad that she was eliminated. I am disappointed that Deonna was not given her spot. I think the next round will be significantly better with most of the lower level talent weeded out. I would like for most of these women to get contracts, but at the same time I'm nervous of overpopulation in the division and not enough creative to go around...
|
|
|
Post by Mr. PerpetuaLynch Motion on Aug 29, 2017 23:27:24 GMT -5
IMO Tessa Blanchard should be a full time NXT talent. She seemed to have it all. I definitely agree with this! She was the best person to showcase Kairi to anyone there that had never seen Kairi wrestle before. I think Tessa Blanchard in the NXT Women's division is almost mandatory.
|
|
|
Post by The Kevstaaa on Aug 30, 2017 10:21:21 GMT -5
WWE Mae Young Classic Episode #2 August 30th, 2017 | Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida
After a solid debut episode, I dive back into the Mae Young Classic. I’m familiar with six of the eight women on this episode.
The opening video package showed highlights from episode one.
Mercedes Martinez vs. Xia Li Li is signed to the WWE and has only worked a tiny amount of matches. Martinez is a 36-year old vet who has been in SHIMMER, Shine, ROH and many other promotions. I’ve been watching her for about ten years at this point. Martinez had fun with the opening handshake, intimidating Li and mocking her. Lie responded with a series of kicks that overwhelmed Martinez. Li made the mistake of running into a spinebuster and Martinez took her to school. Martinez turned a surfboard into a dragon sleeper for the submission victory in 3:06. I liked the potential that Li showed. In her first televised match, she was given a chance to show off and did well. Martinez made her look good. Martinez faces Princesa Sugehit next. [**½]
Marti Belle vs. Rachel Evers Belle, 29, has been seen in TNA and Shine. Evers, 24, is the daughters of Paul Ellering, was trained by Lance Storm and has impressed me in some appearances for Shine. Early on, Belle went to stall tactics and called for timeout when Evers had control. Marti took over a bit, but the stronger Evers did the old school spot where she no sold turnbuckle smashes. Evers showed off a fisherman slam, which I don’t think I’ve seen before. Marti responded with a bad looking Stroke for a near fall. Rachel then rolled her up to win from out of nowhere at 6:10. That wasn’t any good. Marti looked horrible. She was sloppy as hell and, though I like Evers, she didn’t stand out either. Easily the worst match so far. Evers meets Laith in the next round. [¼*]
New signees Shadia Bsesio and Kacy Catanzaro were shown in the audience.
A video package was shown of Triple H giving the 32 participants a talk at the Performance Center.
Miranda Salinas vs. Rhea Ripley Salinas, 23, was trained by Booker T, while Ripley is just 20 years old and signed to WWE. Ripley is way taller. After some basic grappling exchanges, Ripley busted out a sweet dropkick. Like, some of the top dropkick guys in the business would be a bit jealous. Salinas didn’t back down, regrouping and finding a way to take her larger opponent down. Ripley brought more dropkicks, including a hesitation one in the corner. A full nelson slam later and Ripley won at 3:51. In the short time, they told a fine David vs. Goliath story. The important thing here was Ripley looked like a star. Of the girls I’ve never seen before, she seems to have the most potential. [**]
Beth Phoenix and Natalya were shown in the crowd.
Mia Yim vs. Sarah Logan Logan is the former Crazy Mary Dobson, is 23 and signed to WWE. Yim is 28 and has worked for TNA, SHIMMER and Shine in the past. They started with a quick pace and had the crowd giving split chants. Yim showed off an impressive array of kicks, with Logan conjuring up FIGHTING SPIRIT, only to keep getting kicked. As a side note, this was the most knowledgeable Lita sounded in the tournament, noting their past and Yim using the tarantula as a tribute to her old trainer, Tajiri. The women continued to hit each other hard with strikes, kicks and knees. They moved to suplexes, with Yim hitting some great looking ones. Logan was fired up and resilient, constantly fighting back and racking up near falls. Logan missed a weak looking strike and fell to Eat Defeat in 7:17. The best thing on this episode. There was some great looking moves throughout and Logan showed some great babyface fire. Yim was very impressive in her own right. I enjoyed the back and forth aspect, as it hasn’t been something we’ve seen a lot of in the tournament so far. Yim faces Baszler next round. [***¼]
Overall: 5.5/10. Not the best episode if you’re looking for great matches. Only Yim/Logan stuck out to me. However, what did work was how some girls got to showcase potential. Ripley has future star written all over her and a great presence, while Li and Logan looked to be good pieces for the Performance Center. Martinez being on WWE TV was quite cool, too. Avoid Evers/Belle, though. That didn’t work at all.
|
|
|
Post by Calcifer Boheme on Aug 30, 2017 20:26:11 GMT -5
Jazzy Gabert was a bit green for my liking. Think people are being a bit harsh with Lita, Isnt this the first time shes been on commentary? I mean give her a chance, guys! We all have to start somewhere. She was a commentator on Heat in 2002-2003. The issue is Lita's never been a good talker, so her not being a god commentator is no surprise. I get them wanting a female commentator, and she's not the worst I've ever heard, but I think they could have gotten someone better.
|
|
Deleted
Joined on: May 11, 2024 1:34:31 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2017 20:34:38 GMT -5
when does the next set of episodes come out?
|
|
|
Post by Calcifer Boheme on Aug 30, 2017 21:39:17 GMT -5
Just getting around to watching the first set of episodes. I'm disappointed they didn't get a new set and things like the CWC, but I'm guessing that's part of WWE's cost cutting they've been doing the last few months. As for the matches: episode 1: Opening match was lacking. Some cool spots, but a lot of empty space between them. Nice to see Serena back. The match did a good job of telling her story, which is nice. Baszler vs. Zeda was fun for as brief as it was. Nice to see the MMA influence, which also made it make sense to be so short. Gabert and Laith could both be stars in the division moving forward. Hopefully they'll debut full time in NXT after this. Given the match they're following, I don't think working submissions so hard was the right choice, but it was still good, and the crowd was the best they'd been the whole hour. I also loved JR calling "Lariato". episode 2: Martinez vs Li was surprisingly good to be Li's first match ever. I think putting her in there with a 16 year vet was a good idea, and if she keeps training, she could be very good in the future. Martinez is great, of course. Her winning made the most sense. Belle vs Evers was solid. Belle is such a good heel and Evers is getting better all the time. She still has a way to go, especially making her strikes a little more snug, but that should improve with experience. It was nice to see an upset in the opening round, though sad to see Belle not make it farther. Ripley vs. Salinas had some good hard hitting action. I'm not sure about Ripley using the full nelson slam as her finish. Personally, with them playing up the soccer background, I'd give her the PK. Yim vs Logan was my favorite match so far. That's what I was saying about working snug. They were down right stiff kicking the heck out of each other. Everything else they did was crisp too. NXT's women's division is going to be really strong once this thing is over and they can use some of these women. I'm looking forward to episodes 3 and 4, but I think I need to take a break from them, maybe watch them tomorrow.
|
|
|
Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Aug 30, 2017 23:23:29 GMT -5
So I am in love with Toni Storm.
I have had her as a friend on Facebook for years, and thought she was hot already, but after seeing her work in the ring, it made me like fall in love with her. Not in the creepy fan boy way, but more so in that if there was a house fire, and I had to save only one person, I would pick Toni Storm to save.
Also, Mia Yim vs. Sarah Logan was the match of the entire first round!
And Santana Garrett losing in the first round was kind of shocking.
|
|
PVA
Main Eventer
Too hot to handle and too cold to hold
Joined on: Apr 12, 2004 15:33:20 GMT -5
Posts: 3,120
|
Post by PVA on Aug 31, 2017 10:05:10 GMT -5
I feel like the 2nd round will be improved matches.
The repetitive match booking (wrestler A dominates match misses high spot then wrestler B hits finished move to win) & talented girls being paired up with someone who can't keep up with them or just a clash of styles really slowed down a lot of 1st rd matches.
|
|
|
Post by The Kevstaaa on Aug 31, 2017 10:35:21 GMT -5
WWE Mae Young Classic Episode #3 August 31st, 2017 | Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida
Looking at the cards, episode #3 was my most anticipated one of the first round. It features three of my favorite girls on the independent scene.
The opening video package gave short introductions for the eight women competing tonight, voiced over by Mauro Ranallo.
Ayesha Raymond vs. Toni Storm I’ve never seen Raymond before. She’s 27 and can apparently deadlift over 450 pounds. Storm has been KILLING it lately and is very popular. She’s just 21 and is the first PROGRESS Women’s Champion. Storm stood out and looked more like a star before even locking up than everyone else so far. Raymond didn’t shake hands, but Storm paid her back with some cockiness of her own. Storm got to bust out the ass attacks, which got a pop. Raymond took over a bit with her power, while Storm rallied behind the “Aussie” chants. The finish was VERY awkward, as Raymond faked out her finish, then missed a splash and got pulled into a lame looking cradle to lose in 4:27. It worked as a decent showcase for Storm. She didn’t show a ton of offense but she oozed charisma. [**½]
Charlotte and Sara Amato were shown in the crowd.
Dakota Kai vs. Kavita Devi Devi is the first Indian woman in the WWE. Kai is my absolute favorite in the tournament, formerly known as Evie. She’s been great in SHIMMER, Shine and STARDOM in recent years. She’s signed to the WWE. Like Raymond in the previous match, Devi held the clear strength advantage. Her doing a slow motion lucha arm drag was not a good look. It looked bad and she should probably stick to power stuff for now. Kai got in some dropkicks that had no effect and then looked to die on a press slam. Kai quickened the pace and delivered a huge running kick, before scoring with a diving double stomp to win in 3:56. The double stomp looked more impactful than Balor’s, to be honest. Kai did her best to sell and bump for Devi, but Devi didn’t know enough to even work a four minute match. She was very repetitive. Still, kudos to Kai for selling during and after the match. Kai meets Rhea Ripley in round two. [**]
The Rock’s family was shown in the crowd. His mother, his daughter and his ex-wife, sitting with Nia Jax.
Bianca Belair vs. Sage Beckett Both are signed to WWE. Beckett is 32 and was trained by the Dudley Boyz, while Belair is 28 and has been working for about a year. Again, we had someone with a clear size and strength advantage. Maybe they should’ve put these matches on separate episodes. Belair fired up but the crowd didn’t seem that into it. Beckett got a pop from me for busting out the old Bubba Bomb. She ended up missing the Vader Bomb and Belair whipped her with her braid. She followed with a spear to win in 5:33. Average outing, though the story of a bigger girl having control and making a mistake that costs her is redundant on this episode. With no familiar faces in this one, the crowd was less invested than the first two matches. [**]
Piper Nevin vs. Santana Garrett It blows my mind that Garrett hasn’t been signed yet. She’s 29, worked with TNA and STARDOM and has won tons of titles. She also has the kind of look that the WWE would typically market. Nevin is signed and formerly known as Viper. She’s 26 and has worked for STARDOM, WCPW and other promotions. The crowd was split for this one. From the start, it was clear that this would be the best “speed vs. size” matchup. Santana used her quickness and athleticism to find ways to negate Piper’s size. Piper powered out of a submission and pulled out a cross body of her own. That led to Piper slowing the pace and wearing down Santana. Santana fought back with a tornado DDT and Eat Defeat (I wouldn’t have her do that, since it’s another girl’s finish). She survived another splash and pulled out the Trish handstand rana for two. The fans came to their feet just before Santana missed her finish. Piper hit a senton and weird looking Michinoku Driver to win in 7:09. Another quality main event. They told a tried and true story very well, but I was kind of burnt out by that tale on this episode. Santana and Piper are both great and it’s a shame one had to go out so early. The dynamic worked and the crowd was way invested. Piper faces Serena Deeb in the next round. [***½]
Overall: 6/10. I wanted to like this episode more. With Toni Storm, Dakota Kai, Santana Garrett and Piper Nevin, it could’ve been great. However, Storm and Kai were paired with women who weren’t anywhere near their level and put in short matches. They both looked good, though. Belair/Beckett was alright. The main event was very good and showed why Nevin and Garrett are so good. I just would’ve put some of these matches on different episodes due to how redundant they were.
|
|
PVA
Main Eventer
Too hot to handle and too cold to hold
Joined on: Apr 12, 2004 15:33:20 GMT -5
Posts: 3,120
|
Post by PVA on Aug 31, 2017 10:40:43 GMT -5
Just finished the last episode... Y'all crazy no selling the Sane/Blanchard match as not being by far the best match of round 1.
|
|
|
Post by The Kevstaaa on Aug 31, 2017 12:33:00 GMT -5
So I am in love with Toni Storm. I have had her as a friend on Facebook for years, and thought she was hot already, but after seeing her work in the ring, it made me like fall in love with her. Not in the creepy fan boy way, but more so in that if there was a house fire, and I had to save only one person, I would pick Toni Storm to save. Also, Mia Yim vs. Sarah Logan was the match of the entire first round! And Santana Garrett losing in the first round was kind of shocking. I thought Toni was good, but she sold me with her recent work in PROGRESS. If you get a chance, find a way to check that out. She's been having high quality matches there, including two recent ones with Kay Lee Ray and Candice LeRae.
|
|
|
Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Aug 31, 2017 13:19:06 GMT -5
So I am in love with Toni Storm. I have had her as a friend on Facebook for years, and thought she was hot already, but after seeing her work in the ring, it made me like fall in love with her. Not in the creepy fan boy way, but more so in that if there was a house fire, and I had to save only one person, I would pick Toni Storm to save. Also, Mia Yim vs. Sarah Logan was the match of the entire first round! And Santana Garrett losing in the first round was kind of shocking. I thought Toni was good, but she sold me with her recent work in PROGRESS. If you get a chance, find a way to check that out. She's been having high quality matches there, including two recent ones with Kay Lee Ray and Candice LeRae. Thanks for the info, Kevstaaa!! I really liked Kay Lee Ray too, and Candice I have enjoyed for years, so that will be a treat as well. I know that looks shouldn't matter in wrestling if you are naturally gifted at it, but those girls being good looking does help me take a greater interest in their ring work and matches. It's too bad that the Diva era that was 2007 - 2010 didn't have the same kind of love the women wrestling gets today. I know that the wrestling in that era wasn't the best, but if NXT was around then, you would have to think that girls like Kelly Kelly would have advanced a lot more than what she was doing back then.
|
|
Deleted
Joined on: May 11, 2024 1:34:31 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2017 14:57:49 GMT -5
Episode two musings...
Quite impressed with Rhea Ripley (not just 'cos she's a fellow Aussie metalhead). Great look and she's quite tall - taller than I first thought.
Great to see Mia Yim on WWE TV. Solid match against the former Crazy Mary Dobson.
Amazed after what Rachel Ellering did at Wrestle Circus that they let her join this tourney, but fair enough. Not a great effort against Marti Belle, who's done better than that too.
No surprise that Martinez won, but still - interesting showing from Li.
|
|