By Mark Rodriguez
It's time for the quarter finals!!! Who will win between Rhea Ripley and Tegan Nox? Who will win between Toni Storm and Mia Yim? Let's find out!
First Match- Lacey Lane VS Meiko Satomura
Both started rather evenly matched with Lacey blocking all of Meiko's kicks. Meiko caught her leg, but was nice enough to let her go and offer a handshake. Lacey slapped her hand away and got kicked to the side of the head, followed by a spinkick while she was down. After trading some painful kicks, Meiko got Lacey into the Armbar until she was luckily enough to get her foot on the ropes to break the submission. Lacey got some kicks in and hit The Final Boss with a running knee to the face. She did a Crossbody off the ropes but Meiko till kicked out. With both women on shakey legs, Meiko clocked Lacey on the side of the head with a kick and then picked her up for the Death Valley Driver. Meiko secures the win and advances to the Semi Finals. Lacey bows in respect and shakes her hand.
Pretty good match at first with Lacey matching Meiko move for move, but after a bit it was clear there wasn't much Lacey could do against The Final Boss. The most offense Lacey pulled off was Crossbody, but other than trading hits, it was all Meiko. I loved seeing the Death Valley Driver again. I was expecting Meiko to win but was waiting to see if Lacey would surprise me. Meiko is the one to beat in this tournament.
Second Match- Io Shirai VS Deonna Purrazzo
Shirai and Deonna actually shake hands respectfully. Deonna got Shirai in a Hurricanrana but her opponent actually landed on her feet. After some flips, Shirai hit her with a dropkick. The Genius of the Skies does a suicide dive through the ropes and hits Deonna across the steel ramp outside the ring. Shirai got Deonna against the ropes, but The Virtuosa got out of the way before she could drive the double knee into her face. After a few attempted pins from both women, including Deonna trying a Jack Knife Pin, Shirai hit her with a stomp to the mid-section and arm of Deonna Purrazzo. The Virtuosa got Shirai in the Armbar but she rolled over so she could counter it as a pin, but Deonna kicked out in time. Shirai tried her own headlock submission, but Deonna would also turn over to turn it into a pin with Shirai kicking out in time.
Shirai hit Deonna with a 619 and a Missile Dropkick off the ropes, but she would still kick out of a pin. Deonna took Shirai to Suplex City and then went for the Armbar again. After several desperate moments of Shirai trying not to tap, she rolled over and got Deonna into a Crossface. After fighting off the urge to tap out, Deonna slipped out of it but Shirai hit her with a knee to the face. Shirai hit Deonna with a double-knee to the face and then finished her off with the Moonsaut off the ringpost. Io Shirai advances to the Semi Finals. Both women hug it out.
This was an epic match and both women gave everything they got. I didn't know who to root for because I loved both women. Even though I figured Shirai would win, Deonna came real close. I figured it was the end once Shirai got that last kick in, but it still looked like Deonna could have gotten out of the way of the Moonsault and kept the match going a while longer. Both the Armbar and the Crossface gave moments of tension since both women were far from the ropes and it was a real test of determination for them to not tap and muscle out of them. A spectacular match all around.
Match 3- Tegan Nox VS Rhea Ripley
As always Rhea refused to shake her opponent's hand. Tegan hit her with a dropkick and then did a suicide dive to plant Rhea on the steel ramp outside the ring. However, Tegan still had that brace around her bad knee and it seems this move re-injured her knee. Rhea would raise Tegan up high and just drop her on her knee. Some officials and the ring doctor came in to check on Tegan's knee. Tegan insists she's OK to continue the match.
The officials tell commentary that Tegan actually injured her good knee, not the one in the brace. The women trade chops and Tegan runs right into Rhea's dropkick. The bell is rung as Tegan no longer continue and the officials go check on her. Due to this, Rhea is considered the winner and she advances to the semi-finals. Staying true to her character, Rhea had a 'oh well, too bad' kinda look on her face and walked off. The officials helped Tegan leave the ring as she was crying in pain. The audience thanks Tegan for her performance.
Wow. I mean.. I was rooting for Rhea to win, but obviously not like this. I really thought Tegan was going to win this one since we've seen people overcome adversity and somehow muster up the strength to win despite injuries, and figured the steel ramp spot was part of the story. It seems Tegan actually broke her leg during this match, and I mean out of kayfabe. I can only assume Rhea either didn't know or couldn't break her heel character to show concern, and she did walk out in a hurry. Man, this was painful to watch. Regardless of whether or not Rhea was supposed to win, she will be facing Io Shirai in the semi-finals.
Main Event- Mia Yim VS Toni Storm
Mia was the first to start the offense with some knees and strikes until Toni hit her with a running kick and then a double knee in the face. Toni got her in a suplex and then started to stomp on the still injured hand of Mia Yim. Mia gets back in control, stomping all over Toni while she's against the ropes and getting her into a Sleeper Hold. Toni powered out but the Blasian Baddie got her in a painful submission that is basically bending her body back against both her knees. Toni turned this move into a pin but Mia kicked out and hit her with a dropkick. Toni breaks the attempted pin. Mia Yim is quick to get Toni in another grappling submission move.
Despite having Mia wrapped around her, Toni managed to get up, lifting Mia up and slamming her down in a spine buster. Mia would hit her with several kicks and palm strikes, but her opponent would still kick out of a pin. Toni kicked Mia in the injured hand and then gave her a headbutt. Both women went down. They would slap each other as they both got to their feet and Toni would get Mia in a suplex and then with a Hip Check up against the ropes. Mia got her in a Suplex Pin but Toni still kicked out.
Mia picked up Toni and slammed her down, but she would still kick out of a pin. With the crowd chanting 'THIS IS AWESOME', Mia would try for the Sole Food, but Toni would block her attempt and crush her injured hand. Toni got her in a German Suplex and then slammed her down with Storm Zero and secured the win. Toni Storm advances to the Semi Finals to face Meiko Satomura.
Well... there goes my top pick to win it all. The match was pretty intense and both women gave it all they got. Man, does Mia Yim have an amazing repertoire of submission holds, any one of those could have won the match. There was a strange segment where Mia was kicking Toni similar to the Yes Kicks and for some reason she paused after the second kick and looked at the crowd and the crowd laughed. I'm not sure what was going on, or if the crowd was doing something silly off camera that made Mia pause and think 'WTF?' to herself. Either way it was a great match, I guess I'm a bit disappointed that Mia didn't win, but I can't take away from the amazing talent and moveset that Toni Storm has well. Maybe sometime we'll see a rematch between the two without Mia having an injured hand.
Overall Opinions-
I do want to say I hope that Tegan gets a speedy recovery and commend her bravery for trying to finish the match despite her real life injury. These things happen and it is the risk you take when you consider wrestling (or sports entertainment) as a profession. Man, that was painful to watch.
The top matches were the Shirai VS Deonna and Mia VS Toni. I like Lacey, but I feel there wasn't all that much she could do against Meiko. I guess I can say my favorite match was the Shirai one since she won. I like Deonna too but I'm fine with Shirai advancing.
As for Rhea, I do wonder how she will do against The Final Boss. Will she shock us all and beat her, or will Meiko take the win? I guess it's too soon to predict here, but depending on how Toni does, the final match at Evolution just might be Meiko VS Shirai.
There is also the small chance that if we break kayfabe for a bit, Tegan was meant to win this match and advance but due to her injury Rhea had to take the win. We'll see what changes this causes if Rhea does indeed defeat Meiko. I cant wait for the next week. This is getting incredibly intense!!
I do have to say that aside from 205 Live and NXT, they also added NXT UK to the line up which gives you an extra chance to see some of the girls like Toni Storm and Rhea Ripley in some more action even after the Mae Young Classic is over.
It's time for the quarter finals!!! Who will win between Rhea Ripley and Tegan Nox? Who will win between Toni Storm and Mia Yim? Let's find out!
First Match- Lacey Lane VS Meiko Satomura
Both started rather evenly matched with Lacey blocking all of Meiko's kicks. Meiko caught her leg, but was nice enough to let her go and offer a handshake. Lacey slapped her hand away and got kicked to the side of the head, followed by a spinkick while she was down. After trading some painful kicks, Meiko got Lacey into the Armbar until she was luckily enough to get her foot on the ropes to break the submission. Lacey got some kicks in and hit The Final Boss with a running knee to the face. She did a Crossbody off the ropes but Meiko till kicked out. With both women on shakey legs, Meiko clocked Lacey on the side of the head with a kick and then picked her up for the Death Valley Driver. Meiko secures the win and advances to the Semi Finals. Lacey bows in respect and shakes her hand.
Pretty good match at first with Lacey matching Meiko move for move, but after a bit it was clear there wasn't much Lacey could do against The Final Boss. The most offense Lacey pulled off was Crossbody, but other than trading hits, it was all Meiko. I loved seeing the Death Valley Driver again. I was expecting Meiko to win but was waiting to see if Lacey would surprise me. Meiko is the one to beat in this tournament.
Second Match- Io Shirai VS Deonna Purrazzo
Shirai and Deonna actually shake hands respectfully. Deonna got Shirai in a Hurricanrana but her opponent actually landed on her feet. After some flips, Shirai hit her with a dropkick. The Genius of the Skies does a suicide dive through the ropes and hits Deonna across the steel ramp outside the ring. Shirai got Deonna against the ropes, but The Virtuosa got out of the way before she could drive the double knee into her face. After a few attempted pins from both women, including Deonna trying a Jack Knife Pin, Shirai hit her with a stomp to the mid-section and arm of Deonna Purrazzo. The Virtuosa got Shirai in the Armbar but she rolled over so she could counter it as a pin, but Deonna kicked out in time. Shirai tried her own headlock submission, but Deonna would also turn over to turn it into a pin with Shirai kicking out in time.
Shirai hit Deonna with a 619 and a Missile Dropkick off the ropes, but she would still kick out of a pin. Deonna took Shirai to Suplex City and then went for the Armbar again. After several desperate moments of Shirai trying not to tap, she rolled over and got Deonna into a Crossface. After fighting off the urge to tap out, Deonna slipped out of it but Shirai hit her with a knee to the face. Shirai hit Deonna with a double-knee to the face and then finished her off with the Moonsaut off the ringpost. Io Shirai advances to the Semi Finals. Both women hug it out.
This was an epic match and both women gave everything they got. I didn't know who to root for because I loved both women. Even though I figured Shirai would win, Deonna came real close. I figured it was the end once Shirai got that last kick in, but it still looked like Deonna could have gotten out of the way of the Moonsault and kept the match going a while longer. Both the Armbar and the Crossface gave moments of tension since both women were far from the ropes and it was a real test of determination for them to not tap and muscle out of them. A spectacular match all around.
Match 3- Tegan Nox VS Rhea Ripley
As always Rhea refused to shake her opponent's hand. Tegan hit her with a dropkick and then did a suicide dive to plant Rhea on the steel ramp outside the ring. However, Tegan still had that brace around her bad knee and it seems this move re-injured her knee. Rhea would raise Tegan up high and just drop her on her knee. Some officials and the ring doctor came in to check on Tegan's knee. Tegan insists she's OK to continue the match.
The officials tell commentary that Tegan actually injured her good knee, not the one in the brace. The women trade chops and Tegan runs right into Rhea's dropkick. The bell is rung as Tegan no longer continue and the officials go check on her. Due to this, Rhea is considered the winner and she advances to the semi-finals. Staying true to her character, Rhea had a 'oh well, too bad' kinda look on her face and walked off. The officials helped Tegan leave the ring as she was crying in pain. The audience thanks Tegan for her performance.
Wow. I mean.. I was rooting for Rhea to win, but obviously not like this. I really thought Tegan was going to win this one since we've seen people overcome adversity and somehow muster up the strength to win despite injuries, and figured the steel ramp spot was part of the story. It seems Tegan actually broke her leg during this match, and I mean out of kayfabe. I can only assume Rhea either didn't know or couldn't break her heel character to show concern, and she did walk out in a hurry. Man, this was painful to watch. Regardless of whether or not Rhea was supposed to win, she will be facing Io Shirai in the semi-finals.
Main Event- Mia Yim VS Toni Storm
Mia was the first to start the offense with some knees and strikes until Toni hit her with a running kick and then a double knee in the face. Toni got her in a suplex and then started to stomp on the still injured hand of Mia Yim. Mia gets back in control, stomping all over Toni while she's against the ropes and getting her into a Sleeper Hold. Toni powered out but the Blasian Baddie got her in a painful submission that is basically bending her body back against both her knees. Toni turned this move into a pin but Mia kicked out and hit her with a dropkick. Toni breaks the attempted pin. Mia Yim is quick to get Toni in another grappling submission move.
Despite having Mia wrapped around her, Toni managed to get up, lifting Mia up and slamming her down in a spine buster. Mia would hit her with several kicks and palm strikes, but her opponent would still kick out of a pin. Toni kicked Mia in the injured hand and then gave her a headbutt. Both women went down. They would slap each other as they both got to their feet and Toni would get Mia in a suplex and then with a Hip Check up against the ropes. Mia got her in a Suplex Pin but Toni still kicked out.
Mia picked up Toni and slammed her down, but she would still kick out of a pin. With the crowd chanting 'THIS IS AWESOME', Mia would try for the Sole Food, but Toni would block her attempt and crush her injured hand. Toni got her in a German Suplex and then slammed her down with Storm Zero and secured the win. Toni Storm advances to the Semi Finals to face Meiko Satomura.
Well... there goes my top pick to win it all. The match was pretty intense and both women gave it all they got. Man, does Mia Yim have an amazing repertoire of submission holds, any one of those could have won the match. There was a strange segment where Mia was kicking Toni similar to the Yes Kicks and for some reason she paused after the second kick and looked at the crowd and the crowd laughed. I'm not sure what was going on, or if the crowd was doing something silly off camera that made Mia pause and think 'WTF?' to herself. Either way it was a great match, I guess I'm a bit disappointed that Mia didn't win, but I can't take away from the amazing talent and moveset that Toni Storm has well. Maybe sometime we'll see a rematch between the two without Mia having an injured hand.
Overall Opinions-
I do want to say I hope that Tegan gets a speedy recovery and commend her bravery for trying to finish the match despite her real life injury. These things happen and it is the risk you take when you consider wrestling (or sports entertainment) as a profession. Man, that was painful to watch.
The top matches were the Shirai VS Deonna and Mia VS Toni. I like Lacey, but I feel there wasn't all that much she could do against Meiko. I guess I can say my favorite match was the Shirai one since she won. I like Deonna too but I'm fine with Shirai advancing.
As for Rhea, I do wonder how she will do against The Final Boss. Will she shock us all and beat her, or will Meiko take the win? I guess it's too soon to predict here, but depending on how Toni does, the final match at Evolution just might be Meiko VS Shirai.
There is also the small chance that if we break kayfabe for a bit, Tegan was meant to win this match and advance but due to her injury Rhea had to take the win. We'll see what changes this causes if Rhea does indeed defeat Meiko. I cant wait for the next week. This is getting incredibly intense!!
I do have to say that aside from 205 Live and NXT, they also added NXT UK to the line up which gives you an extra chance to see some of the girls like Toni Storm and Rhea Ripley in some more action even after the Mae Young Classic is over.
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