Since the field of women was cut in half from 32 to just 16, this episode of the Mae Young Classic is already the last episode of Round Two. In the previous episode, we saw Abbey Laith, Kairi Sane, Mercedes Martinez, and Piper Niven advance. The second episode of this new batch includes Toni Storm vs. Lacey Evans, Mia Yim vs. Shayna Baszler, Dakota Kai vs. Rhea Ripley, and Candice LeRae vs. Nicole Savoy.
Toni Storm (Australia) vs. Lacey Evans (USA)
Both of these women had great showings in the first round of the Mae Young Classic. Toni Storm, one of the hottest prospects in the wrestling world today, defeated the London native Ayesha Raymond, a six-foot powerhouse her calls herself the Amazon. Lacey Evans had perhaps the most surprisingly great match of the tournament thus far against fellow newcomer Taynara Conti, a young judo aficionado. Evans is definitely up to the challenge of facing a more experienced foe since she is a former United States Marine.
Storm counters Evans’ unique finisher and prevents any further assault that Evans attempts. Storm looks to be going for White Noise, a move popularized by Sheamus, but instead of driving Evans into the canvas, Evans’ neck goes straight into Storm’s leg. Storm goes for the cover and gets the win, moving onto the third round to face Scotland’s Piper Niven. Winner: Toni Storm | Eliminated: Lacey Evans
Mia Yim (South Korea) vs. Shayna Baszler (USA)
This could be the show stealer of the Mae Young Classic. Mia Yim defeated Sarah Logan to get to the Sweet 16 in what many fans call the best match of the tournament so far. Shayna Baszler had a great sprint against fellow MMA trained Zeda in a nonstop back-and-forth match of counter wrestling. The pairing here takes a wrestling veteran in Yim (who has a second-degree black belt) taking on a combat sports veteran in Baszler, who helped change the industry of women’s MMA.
Yim gives Baszler the toughest challenge of the tournament so far and she looks to finish Baszler off with a 450 Splash, but the Queen of Spades gets the knees up. Baszler immediately capitalizes with the rear naked choke, giving Yim no choice but to tap out. Winner (via submission): Shayna Baszler | Eliminated: Mia Yim
Rhea Ripley (Australia) vs. Dakota Kai (New Zealand)
Now we have the battle of kicking experts. Dakota Kai has been competing in the independent scene for years and is known for her kicking ability. Kai showed how quickly her strikes can pick up a win in her opening match against India’s powerhouse, Kavita Devi. Rhea Ripley is only 20 years old but she translated her soccer background to the wrestling ring to show off some kicking of her own.
Ripley looks to throw Kai off of the top rope, but Kai is able to slip Ripley into the Tree of Woe. While Ripley tries to fight out, Kai regains composure and hits a tangled up Ripley with the Coup de Grace to advance to the quarterfinals. Kai has a big match ahead of her, as she goes on to face Kairi Sane. Winner: Dakota Kai | Eliminated: Rhea Ripley
Nicole Savoy (USA) vs. Candice LeRae (USA)
There is only one spot left in the third round and these two women could easily fit in with the seven other women who have already advanced. Nicole Savoy, who calls herself the Queen of Suplexes, defeated Reina Gonzalez in the first round while seemingly fighting through an injury. Candice LeRae, an independent wrestling veteran and wife of former NXT Tag Team Champion Johnny Gargano, picked up a win over Renee Michelle in an exciting first round bout. LeRae has to look out for Savoy’s MMA background while Savoy needs to avoid going on Ms. LeRae’s Wild Ride.
Savoy looks to hit LeRae with a superplex, but LeRae is able to change her positioning in her favor to the second rope. After stunning Savoy with several strikes, LeRae takes Savoy on Ms. LeRae’s Wild Ride to become the last woman to advance to the quarterfinals, where she will face Shayna Baszler. Winner: Candice LeRae | Eliminated: Nicole Savoy
