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Post by The Natural Eddy Valintino on Aug 25, 2017 9:17:56 GMT -5
What exactly is supposed to come out of this women's tournament? First of all is the winner going to get some version of a women's title? Is a weekly series supposed to come out of this a la the cruiserweights? Will some women go to raw and some to smackdown? I know probably none of you know at this point, but what do you think? Since Asuka was forced to vacate the title, i wouldn't be surprised if the winner wins the NXT Women's Title.
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Post by Red Dragon on Aug 26, 2017 4:25:10 GMT -5
Here's my picks:
Jazzy Gabert Marti Belle Kay Lee Ray Mercedes Martinez Nicole Savoy? Candice LeRae Mia Yim Shayna Baszler Kairi Sane Bianca Belair Dakota Kai Rhea Ripley Serena Deeb Santana Garrett Lacey Evans Toni Storm
Strange that by my picks, Abbey Lauth, Tessa Blanchard and Piper Niven are all going to go home in the first round. With Nixon not involved, I'm pulling for her friend Kay Lee Ray. But also pulling for Candice, Kai and Tessa.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2017 23:15:34 GMT -5
Managed to check out the Bracketology show on YT...really good to see some of my faves like Toni Storm, Kairi Sane (Hojo) and Dakota Kai (Evie)
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Post by Ember's Flame on Aug 27, 2017 10:08:06 GMT -5
One day!!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2017 11:55:28 GMT -5
Jesus Christ whoever thought having Lita on commentary was a good idea needs to be fired. Never heard commentary this abyssmal. I have 1 episode left to go. So far I'm kinda ehhhhh. Nothing has impressed me, everything is very generic. Change my mind, Candice.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Aug 28, 2017 12:37:03 GMT -5
WWE Mae Young Classic Episode #1 August 28th, 2017 | Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida
I’d love to pump out reviews of these episodes as quickly as possible, but I have quite the busy schedule for school (at Full Sail, no less) this week. Except for Tuesday. Therefore, I’m going to do my best to review at least one episode per day this week. I’ll be using the date I watch each episode as the date listed on the review.
Stephanie McMahon, pioneer for all things women’s wrestling related, voiced over the opening video package that showcased women throughout history. It called this the “greatest era” for women’s wrestling.
Jim Ross and Lita were on commentary. They had to re-record their work due to some issues.
Kay Lee Ray vs. Princesa Sugehit Like the CWC, we got a video package to highlight the competitors. Sugehit is a 37-year old Mexican luchador with over 680 matches under her belt. Ray is 25 and from Scotland. I’ve seen Ray in PROGRESS and SHIMMER in the past, but never any Sugehit. They did the handshake gimmick like the CWC. The setting was quite dark as the lights in the crowd were very dim. Fans were behind Ray. She was confident, but Sugehit used her quickness to combat it. Sugehit busted out an impressive Code Red that was probably the best spot. Another highlight was Ray turning a kickout into a Koji Clutch, but Sugehit countered. Ray’s high risk style cost her, as she missed a swanton and Sugehit made her tap to an armbar in 5:58. Good way to start the tournament. The cocky, younger, more popular girl made a few too many mistakes and the veteran made her pay. Good stuff. [***]
Naomi was shown in the crowd.
Serena Deeb vs. Vanessa Borne The video package showed Borne is 28 and has a past as a broadcast announcer and cheerleader. She is signed to WWE. Deeb (31) obviously worked as Serena in the Straight Edge Society, but had alcohol issues that cost her the job. Deeb has had quite the body transformation and looks very different. Of note, this was the first match officiated by WWE’s first female referee. Deeb controlled early with her experience edge. Borne had some nice offense, including a sliding headbutt that I don’t think I’ve seen before. She wore Deeb down for a bit, before the comeback started. Borne took a great bump on a neckbreaker. Deeb missed a spear, and Borne tried a few moves that weren’t enough. The frustration was clear, opening the door for the Deeb rally and Spear to win in 6:05. I thought this was solid. Borne is clearly still learning, so pairing her with Deeb was wise. She led a smart match and Borne showed some flashes. I could see Deeb either getting a run with the WWE or as a trainer at the PC out of this. [**¼]
Charly Caruso gave us nothing of note in the control center. Ronda Rousey, Marina Shafir and Jessmyn Duke were shown in the crowd to support Shayna Baszler.
Shayna Baszler vs. Zeda Zeda is signed to WWE and has a short background in MMA. She represents China. Baszler is 37 and one of the “Four Horsewomen” of MMA. No handshake from Shayna and we got “Shayna’s gonna kill you” chants. She took Zeda down and disrespectfully slapped her. They grappled around on the mat, with Shayna having the upper hand. Zeda surprised many by picking up a near fall with a monkey flip. Shayna countered a hanging guillotine into a falcon arrow/rear naked choke combo. Zeda tapped at 2:19. Pretty much the perfect way for Shayna to start. You establish her as a killer and Zeda’s the kind of girl who can take a loss like this since she has no name value and will continue to work at the PC. [**¼, but **** booking]
Abbey Laith vs. Jazzy Gabert Laith is better known as Kimber Lee. She’s 27 and currently signed to WWE, hence the name change. Gabert is 35, represents Germany and is one imposing looking woman. Gabert gave the handshake, but pulled Laith in hard. Laith came out of the blocks with fire, but her shots didn’t have much effect. The crowd ate everything up. Gabert began tossing her around. They did a cool spot where Gabert caught a kick and slammed Laith’s leg down, only for Abbey to go into a split and show it didn’t hurt. Gabert walloped her with strikes and Laith had to fight for her life to escape submissions. Laith made her comeback and hit the swanton bomb that Kay Lee Ray missed earlier. It wasn’t enough and Laith looked at a loss for what to do next. Gabert wrecked her with a lariat and some mounted punches. As Gabert went for the kill, Laith countered into the Alligator Clutch pin, which she learned her trainer who was taught it by Mae Young, to score the upset in 7:09. The best thing on the show. Great David vs. Goliath story and both women came out of this looking awesome. Laith showed strong fire, Gabert was a brilliant monster and everything they did made sense. The added touch of a Mae Young finish to the match was great. [***½]
Overall: 7/10. I found this to be a good way to kick off the tournament. Nothing on the show was bad and everything flowed nicely. The format is very much like the CWC, which is fine. The biggest issue was the commentary, as it came off clunky and awkward. Ray/Sugehit was good fun, Borne/Deeb was solid for what it was and Borne showed potential. Baszler was booked expertly and the main event was very good, getting both women over. I look forward to more.
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Post by mrassbillygunn on Aug 28, 2017 13:45:54 GMT -5
Great review, Kevstaa. I enjoyed reading it.
Jazzy Gabert fears the wellness policy. Some of these gals are so pumped full of testosterone. I love it though, the more crap they take the better.
Im hoping Merceded Martinez goes all the way. Carries herself like a natural heel.
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Post by mrassbillygunn on Aug 28, 2017 13:58:43 GMT -5
What exactly is supposed to come out of this women's tournament? First of all is the winner going to get some version of a women's title? Is a weekly series supposed to come out of this a la the cruiserweights? Will some women go to raw and some to smackdown? I know probably none of you know at this point, but what do you think? Since Asuka was forced to vacate the title, i wouldn't be surprised if the winner wins the NXT Women's Title. Women talent are a bit thin on the ground in NXT at the moment I feel, I could easily see many of these girls moving into NXT.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2017 14:27:32 GMT -5
Watched all 4 episodes, thoughts: I hope Lita never is on commentary again. Kairi Sane lived up to the hype, Toni Storm didn't. Nothing Toni Storm did left and impression of wanting more from me. Johnny Wrestling supporting Mrs. Wrestling at ringside was cute. Scary German chick and Mercedes Martinez needs to be signed asap. Massive heel potential. I feel like all of this is abit too submission based. It seems like more than half of the crop is described as a "submission specialist". Overall, I hate myself for watching 4 hours of this and gonna suffer through 3 hours of RAW later. But I was mildly entertained at times. I'm sure it'll pick up the closer we get to the final.
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Post by The Natural Eddy Valintino on Aug 28, 2017 15:12:15 GMT -5
I binged watched the First Round of the Mae Young Classic, so I wanted to do a brief review. I typically review matches short and simple, not gonna go through a whole match review, but more of a "Hey, this was a good match". Most of the spots I mention would be because it wasn't impressive/sloppy, but I did take note of a few great spots. I also never use stars in reviewing matches. I feel that job is taken by other reviewers, and I also barely use star ratings other than comparing it to Meltzer's ratings whether I agreed with it or disagreed. I'll just say bad/OK/decent/good/great. Also, even though the shows have technically aired already with the on demand, I'll put each episode review in spoilers, just in case. Episode 1: Princesa Sugheit submitted Kay Lee Ray
This was a pretty good opener for the tournament. Both Sugheit's and Kay Lee's style fit well IMO. One thing I did notice, though not surprised, Princesa Sugheit's slaps looked weak, while her kicks looked nice. Having watched Sugheit in CMLL, I pretty knew her punches and slaps would look weak. I was very disappointed to see Kay Lee Ray lose, but at the same time, I knew for a fact Sugheit was going to make it to the second round. I would like to see Kay Lee Ray get signed, and I have a feeling she will, after seeing that she lost the ICW Women's Title a month ago. One other note I wanted to point out. Lita stumbled on her words when she wanted to say something about Princesa Sugheit's lucha libre style. I thought it was funny.
Serena Deeb pinned Vanessa Borne
This match was decent at best, could have been better. Serena Deeb looks different body wise than when she was released from WWE. Admittedly, I have not seen any of Serena's indy work post WWE. Vanessa Borne looked decent in the match. I feel she's got great potential as she continues training. One spot I thought looked rough was Vanessa Borne's headbutt to Serena when Serena was on the apron, although her headbutt to Serena on the ground looked good. I feel Serena could be a trainer for the Performance Center in the future.
Shayna Baszler submitted Zeda
They should the other Four Horsewomen in the crowd before the match began. This match was short and simple, made to focus on Shayna Baszler. I liked the match. I liked it when the crowd chanted "Shayna's gonna kill you" in the beginning of the match. Both women hit some stiff strikes to each other. I bet Shayna Baszler is one of the women that gets signed, and I solely see her getting signed based on her association with Ronda Rousey.
Abbey Laith pinned Jazzy Gabert
I liked this match more than I thought I would. I was never impressed with Jazzy Gabert/Alpha Female's work, even when she showed up in TNA for a short while. Jazzy looked like the ultimate bad ass, even more than Shayna. The opening seconds to the match set the tone for this match IMO. Pretty intense, the crowd helped show that intensity. Abbey Laith looked like the ultimate underdog as Gabert got most of the offense. The finish of the match was Laith rolling up Gabert. This finish made sense, it didn't look Gabert look weak, and it also showed Laith as the underdog, so that's the story I got out of this match. Gabert and Laith embracing after the match was classy. I can't wait for Abbey Laith to show up on NXT TV soon. Episode 2: Mercedes Martinez submitted Xia Li
I was definitely going to root for Mercedes Martinez since she was representing Puerto Rico, the home country of the majority of my family. The match was decent. I really liked Xia Li's kick based moveset, and she's another one who I feel has a lot of potential in the future. I feel the match should have lasted a couple of minutes more than it did, but it is what it is. I can see and hope that Mercedes goes far in this tournament.
Rachel Evers pinned Marti Belle
I wasn't too impressed with this match. Having seen Marti Bella in the indies and TNA, I was never impressed for her in ring work, but always liked her on the mic, so I wasn't surprised I didn't like this match too much. There were a couple of spots that looked sloppy to me, like Rachel Evers' spinebuster, and Marti Belle's "Stroke" like move as examples. BTW, by Stroke, I mean Jeff Jarrett's finisher. I'm not surprised Rachel won, since her dad's on NXT.
Rhea Ripley pinned Miranda Salinas
Now this match, I was surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did. I thought both women did good. I found the crowd doing Aussie chants funny. Not the first time they do this BTW. Rhea Ripley really impressed me. She's got great potential, and is still very young where she's got plenty of time to get better. Miranda's another one that I could see getting better if she gets signed to a developmental deal.
Mia Yim pinned Sarah Logan
First off, PLEASE SIGN MIA YIM!!!! Not the first time I'll be using that term. The match was great, wish it went another 5 minutes. Both women looked great, with no surprise. Hopefully they bring Sarah Logan on TV after this. One spot I didn't like was Mia Yim's tarantula. IDK about anyone else, but I didn't like the way Mia Yim put it on. Other than that, no other complaints about the match.
Episode 3: Toni Storm pinned Ayesha Raymond
I was never familiar with Toni Storm's work, so this was the first time I see her wrestle, and holy crap, I'm already a fan. At only 21 years old, this girl has IT, between her in ring work, her personality. I really hope WWE signs Toni Storm after the tournament is over. I hope she goes very far in the tournament. BTW, PLEASE SIGN TONI STORM!!! Now that I got that out of the way, the Aussie fans returned with the chants lol. This match was good. I felt Toni carried the match. Toni was very entertaining. Her hip attacks were funny. Ayesha Raymond needs improvement.
Dakota Kai pinned Kavita Devi
THE BIG DAWGS represented with Dakota Kai. This match was not all that, but I understood why. The match showcased Kavita Devi's powerhouse style very well. Dakota Kai got little offense, but the offense she did was good enough to win the match because of Devi not capitalizing on her offense.
Bianca Belair pinned Sage Beckett
This is the first time I see Sage Beckett wrestle since her short time as Rosie Lottalove in TNA. This match was decent, nothing too impressive. Both women need improvement. I was very surprised Bianca Belair won the match. I feel the whole Bianca uses her hair as a weapon is dumb. Bianca finished the match by whipping Sage in the chest with her hair, and then speared Beckett for the win. Eh.
Piper Niven pinned Santana Garrett
First off, PLEASE SIGN SANTANA!!! This match was great. Only thing I did not like in this match was that Santana used the Eat Defeat as a regular move to recover from Piper Niven's offense, a couple of episodes after Mia Yim used it as a finisher. I wanted to see Santana Garrett win, but I wasn't surprised to see Piper win. I guess they wanted to use one of the women who are regulars in ICW to go to the next round, and since Kay Lee Ray lost in the first episode, they decided to have Piper advance instead. It is what it is, I like Piper Niven/Viper, so I saw no problem in her advancing.
Episode 4: Candice LeRae pinned Renee Michelle
PLEASE SIGN CANDICE!!! Anyways, the match was decent. Renee Michelle looked very green, Candice had to carry this whole match. Pretty much nothing else note worthy happened.
Lacey Evans pinned Taynara Conti
I feel like I don't have much to say about the first three matches in episode 4, but that's cause nothing note worthy really happened IMO. This match was decent. Both women weren't sloppy, but they need improvement. I liked Taynara's attitude in the beginning and end of the matches where she refused to shake Evans' hand before the match started, and she slapped Evans' hand after.
Nicole Savoy submitted Reina Gonzalez
OK, I lied. I did have some stuff to say about this match, but none good. This was my least favorite match in all four episodes. First off, Reina's attire looked more of an entrance attire than an in ring attire. She had a hat, a mask covering part of her face, and chaps. The match was a little sloppy. Reina Gonzalez needs a lot of improvement. Her reverse Boston Crab looked weak. Didn't look like she had it applied too well. I'm not familiar with Nicole Savoy's work, so I don't know if she's a lot better than what she was in this match, but she didn't impress much either.
Kairi Sane pinned Tessa Blanchard
Another woman who has IT IMO, is Tessa Blanchard. They definitely saved the best for last, cause this match was my favorite match of this first round. Now that I think about it, it's funny how I go from my least favorite to my favorite match. These two had great chemistry out of all the other matches. Kairi's elbow drop was as impressive as it was hyped to be. I wish these two would have fought in the second round instead of the first. I feel bad Kairi has to face Bianca Belair next. I really hope they sign Tessa Blanchard.
Other things I wanted to point out. Lita's commentary was not as bad as I thought it would. She did stumble a little bit on words, but it wasn't very noticeable other than in the first match. Jim Ross did great. Then again, I just remembered they had to re-record the commentary after the tapings. I thought Madusa was supposed to be a backstage interviewer for the Mae Young Classic, but she never showed up in any of the four episodes. They did show wrestlers in the crowd during certain matches. Gargano was there for Candice, Ronda for Shayna, Nakamura for Kairi as example. We also saw Naomi, Charlotte, Beth Phoenix, Natalya in the crowd. If I missed anyone else, oh well. My bad. Looking forward to the rest of the tournament.
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Post by marino13 on Aug 28, 2017 17:49:33 GMT -5
Watching now. Nothing specific but...
Rachel Evers vs Marti Belle was awful. Marti annoyed me when she got a one count and started saying how close it was. No, it wasn't, shut up.
Rhea Ripley is a future star. They need to sign her to the performance Center and get her some real training ASAP. At her age, her height, and her her athleticism, she's a sure bet.
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Post by The Natural Eddy Valintino on Aug 28, 2017 17:55:15 GMT -5
Watching now. Nothing specific but... Rachel Evers vs Marti Belle was awful. Marti annoyed me when she got a one count and started saying how close it was. No, it wasn't, shut up. Rhea Ripley is a future star. They need to sign her to the performance Center and get her some real training ASAP. At her age, her height, and her her athleticism, she's a sure bet. I agree about Rhea Ripley. BTW, she was already signed prior to the Mae Young Classic
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Post by marino13 on Aug 28, 2017 18:12:50 GMT -5
Watching now. Nothing specific but... Rachel Evers vs Marti Belle was awful. Marti annoyed me when she got a one count and started saying how close it was. No, it wasn't, shut up. Rhea Ripley is a future star. They need to sign her to the performance Center and get her some real training ASAP. At her age, her height, and her her athleticism, she's a sure bet. I agree about Rhea Ripley. BTW, she was already signed prior to the Mae Young Classic GOOD!
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Post by ahunter8056 on Aug 28, 2017 18:52:01 GMT -5
Starting off on a positive note, I love how the crowd is genuinely respectful and loving it, rather than trying to make themselves the focus of the show.
However, while it is not unexpected at all, it's disgusting how petty WWE are by completely snubbing AJ Lee in the intro promo video. You can't promote the evolution of women's wrestling in WWE without showing at least one clip of AJ Lee. It's absolutely pathetic and completely disgusting to try to discredit the forerunner of the women's revolution simply for being married to CM Punk. Like I said, completely expected, but doesn't make it any less disgusting and pathetic.
And on top of that, the Bellas are the ones they chose to feature as the best of female wrestlers in WWE history? Really?
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Post by The King Of Crisps on Aug 28, 2017 20:39:19 GMT -5
alot of tasty bums in these episodes
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Post by cableV on Aug 28, 2017 22:25:23 GMT -5
I like Lita, but she added nothing to the commentary. There were times when JR would set her up to say something, or even ask her a question, and Lita was silent. And while he did fine, I haven't been impressed with anything JR has called this year.
Random comments/observations:
- When I see Vanessa Borne, I think of the 80's and I like it. - Cool finishing sequence by Baszler. - I liked Xia Li's offense. - Sarah Logan has likability and is good in the ring. She will do well when they put her on tv full time. - Mia Yim should be signed. NXT would benefit from an active veteran like her. - I hope Toni Storm gets to show more in the next round. I don't think she had the best "dance partner" in round one. - If Candice LeRae married Renee Michelle, she would be Candice Michelle. If Renee Michelle married Candice LeRae, she would be Renee LeRae. (Sorry, I don't why what amused me so much) - I wish Tessa would have been given an opponent that would have allowed her to make it into the next round.
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Post by Mr. PerpetuaLynch Motion on Aug 29, 2017 1:24:48 GMT -5
Have yet to watch all 4 episodes yet (watched the first 3, gonna watch Episode 4 when I get home from work)... there's nothing in this tournament that I can consider bad, a lot of just fine wrestling. There was 2 matches that I would recommend people check out if they're looking for something to watch but nothing like the first round of the Cruiserweight Classic which happened to have one of my picks for WWE Match of The Year last year.
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mrassbillygunn
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Post by mrassbillygunn on Aug 29, 2017 1:55:57 GMT -5
I want to sleep with Piper Niven. What a fat babe.
Her match with Santana Garrett has been my fave so far. I was expecting Santana to struggle to really do anything with Piper but she worked really well with her and I hope both of these gals get signed up for NXT.
Ive watched all four episodes so when do the next 4 air?
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Post by Mr. PerpetuaLynch Motion on Aug 29, 2017 2:50:48 GMT -5
I want to sleep with Piper Niven. What a fat babe. Her match with Santana Garrett has been my fave so far. I was expecting Santana to struggle to really do anything with Piper but she worked really well with her and I hope both of these gals get signed up for NXT. Ive watched all four episodes so when do the next 4 air? September 4th is what I've read. The finals is projected to go September 12th I think?
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Post by IRS on Aug 29, 2017 3:53:14 GMT -5
Well, I finished all four episodes. The only match that really kinda blew me away was Sane/Blanchard. Not to say that some girls weren't impressive, but I think a lot were paired with other girls too green to do much. Second round should be better for match quality. It's a shame to see Tessa, Kay Lee Ray, and Santana making first round exits. Looking forward to what Baszler can do with more time, and Storm & Candice with a better opponents. Oh yeah, and please never put Lita on commentary. In fact, use Bryan for all these tournaments.
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