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MAE YOUNG CLASSIC 2018 - EPISODE 4


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The only thing Io is almost certainly dropping is the tombstone. Everything else they should be fine with. I'm actually curious if she might try for new stuff with the PC having an area specifically for high flyers to try their shit out if I recall correctly.

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Pretty interesting that they totally went backwards on this episode with the best match first and probably the biggest squash of the first round as the last match.  The middle two matches were just there, but the crowd was pretty dead with it being the end of the tapings.

Also, can we get some more "OOOOHHHH!" on commentary.  Renee and Cole couldn't go at least one move without yelling it out. 

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Thought Hiroyo/Rachel was GREAT with maybe the most I was really unsure of who was going over, but very glad to see Hiroyo advance. Both put on a show there and looked great. We definitely need more Lady Godzilla. Up there with Kelly/Meiko for my favorite match of the tournament. Taynara looked fantastic, loved her finish and Jessie seems pretty fun as well. Thought Nicole/Isla was very good also, another where I wasn't sure who was going over but glad to see Nicole get the win as she's been great for years... awesome liontamer finish. Wasn't expecting quite such a squash for the main but Io looked as good as expected, killer moonsault. Maybe my favorite overall episode of the first round.

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Hiroyo/Rachel was solid and a nice showing for both. It was nice to see Hiroyo able to pull the crowd in working heel.

Conti/Elaban was kind of just there though not bad. Elaban shows some decent potential. Still not super impressed with Conti though I did like how her finisher looked on Elaban.

Mathews/Dawn was probably more than decent, but the crowd didn't seem too interested in either women. Kind of sad since both looked generally decent.

Io/Xia went exactly how it should have which was a squash and showcase for Io. Thought it was fun. Xia was fired up, and Io was incredibly energetic with everything she did looking great outside of that moonsault where she kneed poor Xia in the ribs. Kind of surprised on that one since Io usually has no problems with that distance.

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Everything was pretty good on this episode. I agree that I was shocked to see the main end so quickly too but it's understandable. Best match was definitely Hiroyo/Rachel. I also liked Isla/Nicole but the crowd was just beat at that point. Second round matches look fun.

 

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8 hours ago, Eivion said:

Its one of Hiroyo's regular moves. She always looks so happy when using it.

I'm fairly certain this was the first time I saw her.  I know she had a run in Stardom, but I don't think I saw any of it.

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31 minutes ago, Brian Fowler said:

I'm fairly certain this was the first time I saw her.  I know she had a run in Stardom, but I don't think I saw any of it.

She is a freelancer who mainly works in Oz Academy though she has had runs all over.

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Rachel Evers vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto was very good and without rewatching the first episode, I'm pretty sure it is my favorite match of the tournament so far.  Have these two ever wrestled before?  They worked this match like they were really comfortable working with each other.  Matsumoto's offense looks absolutely brutal, that springboard double knee was insane.  Evers looked good as well, and I'm kind of sad that she's not moving on to the next round.  Is she signed? Because she's really solid in the ring, and I'd like to see more of her.  Hiroyo Matsumoto looks like she shops at the same store as Asuka, but wears her underwear on the inside instead of the outside.  I'm not a big fan of the overly colorful gear, but it's better than Asuka's.

Jessie Elaban vs. Taynara Conti was OK, but nothing spectacular.  Conti has something about her that reminds me of a tiny, but mean dog.  I get that she's trying to look and act intimidating, but she looks so tiny and harmless.  She needs to figure out to make her mannerisms more big dog menacing and less tiny dog yappy.  Jessie Elaban is really athletic, but for some reason chose to play a klutz.  She's like an MMA fighter who is a great grappler, who likes to get into slugfests.  Sure, you might win a slugfest or two, but is that really the best way to use the tools that you have to build the best career?  These are two women who have huge potential, but also have obvious speed bumps in their development.

Isla Dawn vs. Nicole Matthews wasn't bad, but I think the wrong woman won.  Nicole Matthews isn't bad, she's just uninteresting to me.  Isla Dawn just seems like the one who has the bigger future to me.  She has a character that has legs, she's part of the UK brand, and they don't have another woman on the roster who looks like her.  Nicole Matthews was doing a little too much taunting, which I thought distracted from the work in the ring, which was mostly solid.  I thought the spot of the match was Isla Dawn's running knee, it looked like she killed Matthews with it, but it also looked like it's something that she could do safely.  I want to address this as sensitively as possible, because people are built how they are built and I'm not here to fat shame anyone.  Nicole Matthews is not a fat woman, but needs gear that doesn't expose her mid-drift.  She needs gear that makes her size project as strength and power, her current gear makes her size look like she's out of shape.  

Io Shirai vs. Xia Brookside was a squash match, but a fun squash match.  Io is one of the best wrestlers in the world and is the favorite to win this tournament.  Xia is a 19-year old who is just getting started, this is the exact match they should have had.  Xia is tiny, adorable, and looks like someone who could be a future babyface ace.  I was impressed by how good Xia looked in this short match meant to put over her opponent.  She didn't do much, but what she did looked smooth and crisp and at this point in her career that is not a small thing.  

This was by far the best episode of the tournament so far.

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Episode 4

Another only decent episode. First round had a lot of good individual performances but not a lot of very good matches. Evers/Matsumoto was the best non-Meiko match of the first round, made me want to see a lot more Evers. This is my first time seeing Elaban and I cannot remember the last time I was this turned off by a try hard phony personality. That "I'm SUCH a clumsy NERD!~" thing made me want to see Conti snap her arm. 

Also, I believe they said that this was Robbie Brookside's first time seeing his daughter wrestle (I assume live). But does that strike anyone else as strange? If I was someone who had been involved in wrestling for 30+ years, I think i'd find a way to see her wrestle some time over the 3 years she's been wrestling. I can't imagine a former MLB pitcher, still involved in coaching, been in the game for 30 years, not seeing his son pitch until he was debuting in the majors. 

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3 hours ago, EricR said:

Episode 4

This is my first time seeing Elaban and I cannot remember the last time I was this turned off by a try hard phony personality. That "I'm SUCH a clumsy NERD!~" thing made me want to see Conti snap her arm.

That's exactly how I felt when I first saw AJ Lee in NXT s3. I thought Jessie at least came off more likable than that. Conti however is awesome.

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Why are all the Japanese ladies so mean this year?

All the matches this episode was stiff, like just gals not givin a shit and stiffing each other... and seemingly loving it. Especially Isla/Nicole.

Really glad Xia is signed to WWE through UK at least, she looked very comfortable in the ring and sold like a vet.

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On 9/30/2018 at 5:25 PM, EricR said:

Agree that for someone who is 19, Xia seems to already look really comfortable in the ring. 

Yeah. I really enjoyed what I've seen of her in Stardom. She's not there yet, but she's 19 and well on her way.

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