WWE Mae Young Classic Night 1 Results - 09/05
The show kicks off with a quick sizzle reel of last year's Mae Young Classic, with Kairi Sane emerging victorious. We got a brief view of the competitors and got informed that we would be treated to four match-ups tonight. This is Round One of the 2018 Mae Young Classic. Let's get to it!
Beth Phoenix and Renee Young have made history as the first-ever female announcers in the event.
Zatara vs. Tegan Nox
Originally from Santiago, Chile, Zatara comes to the Mae Young Classic as a veteran of the Lucha Underground. She's been in over 180 matches and has earned titles all throughout South America for her fighting, so she's nothing if not an athlete. She's facing off against South Wales, United Kingdom native Tegan Nox, who was Michael Cole's favorite to win.
The match kicked off strong, with a takedown of Tegan Nox by Zatara. But Nox fought back with two deep arm drags, a head scissors, and a dropkick that sent Zatara flying out of the ring. Nox then invited Zatara to a 6-1-9.
Zatara gave Tegan Nox a good beating, especially when she gave her a set of double knees in the corner. But Nox ultimately took Zatara down with a shining wizard to claim the win, and it was made all the more impressive by the fact that she did so with a bandaged, bum knee.
Winner: Tegan Nox
Rhea Ripley vs. MJ Jenkins
MJ Jenkins is a Brooklyn, NY native that is relatively new to professional wrestling, but was trained by WWE royalty, so she comes with good cache. What better place to make your debut on the WWE than at the Mae Young Classic?
Last year, Rhea Ripley made history when she became one of the youngest competitors to face off in the Mae Young Classic, and she earned herself a co-sign from none other than Triple H himself.
After the competitors refused to shake hands, the match kicked off. Rhea showed strong, and managed to land some damage on MJ Jenkins with a dropkick and a vertical suplex. Despite the sheer number of times she tried to cover Jenkins, she couldn't get her down for the three-count.
Jenkins managed to land a hip-toss onto Ripley, but she was still not able to pin Ripley down. Jenkins also managed to land a few uppercuts and a shoulder tackle on her opponent. But when she finally got her pinned, she could only get a two-count out of the referee. It took Rhea Ripley landing a powerbomb on MJ Jenkins before finally taking the win.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
Lacey Lane vs. Vanessa "The Mountain" Craven
Winter Park, Florida, native Lacey Lane has just signed a contract to join the WWE performance center, and is considered a "wild card" pick by Michael Cole. She's facing off against Montreal's own Vanessa "The Mountain" Craven, who stands a staggering 6-foot-2 and weighs over 200 lbs. It's nothing if not a crazy size discrepancy, but Lacey manages to bob and weave a lot of Craven's attacks because she's so small. Lacey was also able to land a few crucifix kicks to Craven's face.
But it didn't take long for Craven to overpower Lacey and cover her for a two-count. Not even a side-slam could take Lacey out. A mis-timed cannonball by Craven and a strategic crucifix by Lacey Lane helped the latter take home the win.
Winner: Lacey Lane
Killer Kelly vs. Meiko Satomura
Killer Kelly comes to the Mae Young Classic from Lisbon, Portugal, and cites Kane as one of her major inspirations. She's facing off against a "legend," Meiko Satomura, who's known as the "final boss" in her native Japan. Meiko was trained by Billy Robinson and specializes in Japanese strong style of fighting.
Killer Kelly wasn't predicted to win, especially against Meiko Satomura, who also once appeared on WCW's Monday Nitro. Meiko demonstrated that she was the "final boss" by coming at Killer Kelly with quick, hard kicks.
She also demonstrated her quickness with a half-crab and a choke-out, but wasn't able to take her down.
Meiko is really known for her systemic takedowns of her opponents, so it was shocking when Killer Kelly was able to land a vertical suplex on her. And even though Kelly came close to taking down Satomura, Satomura ultimately emerged victorious with a Death Valley driver, amidst cheers of "this is awesome." Even though Kelly wasn't able to defeat the "final boss," Kelly put up an impressive fight that earned her respect from her opponent.
Winner: Meiko Satomura
