WWE Mae Young Classic: Episode 5 Review

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Abbey Laith def. Rachel Evers in a Second Round Match

Evers had easily the worst match of the first round with Marti Belle, but I thought she redeemed herself quite well here against Laith, who has become a real fun babyface to watch in this tournament. Both women put forth a strong effort and it resulted in an excellent opener to the episode. Evers has potential, but Laith advancing to the next round was definitely the right call.

Piper Niven def. Serena Deeb in a Second Round Match

I knew next to nothing about Niven coming into the Mae Young Classic, but between this bout and the one she had with Santana Garrett in the first round, she has since stood out to me in a major way. Sure, she's significantly bigger than the rest of the field, but she's incredibly athletic and versatile for someone of her size and she's damn good. Meanwhile, Deeb looked great in defeat and I hope this wasn't the last we've seen of her in a WWE ring.

Mercedes Martinez def. Princesa Sugehit in a Second Round Match

After the first two matches were so terrific, I didn't feel this matchup was as strong and lacked urgency and energy. That said, it was still solid and Martinez and Sugehit had impressive outings. The flow wasn't exactly smooth, but they got through the contest and it was a middle-of-the-road match in the end. As a seasoned veteran in the business, Martinez has a better story than Sugehit and I'm glad she'll be moving on.

Kairi Sane def. Bianca Belair in a Second Round Match

It needs to be noted that Belair has only one year of experience in wrestling under her belt. One year! That's pretty amazing considering how fantastic she looked here, using her hair as a lethal weapon and hitting an awesome-looking 450 Splash. It was obvious Sane was advancing, as she should have, but the goal was to give Belair a star-making performance and they were certainly successful at doing just that. She should be a huge product of the Performance Center if she keeps up the progress.

Overall Show

This was undoubtedly my favorite installment of the Mae Young Classic to date with three above-average matches. Martinez vs. Sugehit was well-wrestled for the most part and enjoyable while it lasted, but it simply paled in comparison to everything else on this episode. This show is must-see for those matchups and as expected, things are picking up with the second round underway.