WWE Mae Young Classic Review - October 24, 2018

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Toni Storm def. Meiko Satomura in a Semifinal Match

The clash of styles here was perfect considering Satomura is such a seasoned veteran while Storm is still new to the game of wrestling yet has shown incredible potential in her few years on the scene. Putting those two things together made for an amazing affair that the crowd was heavily invested in from start to finish. I also loved how they gradually picked up the pace as they went along and the second half in particular was just fantastic. Their signature spots have been established nicely over the course of the tournament, so the fans in attendance popped huge when each of them kicked out of the other's finisher. Storm looked like an absolute star in victory here and Satomura proved once again that she remains among the best women's wrestlers in the world. What a match.

Io Shirai def. Rhea Ripley in a Semifinal Match

Similar to Storm, Ripley hasn't been doing this for very long, and likely even less than she has, so it's super impressive how she has been able to come into her own so quickly. After all, she showed signs of promise in in the 2017 Mae Young Classic, but her evolution as a character over the last year has been something to behold. Despite her defeat to Shirai, she has a very bright future ahead of her, and there's no questioning how tremendously talented Shirai is. This was another extremely entertaining match that was certainly worthy of taking place in the semifinals.

Overall Show

The finals of the 2018 Mae Young Classic are set: it will be Storm vs. Shirai at WWE Evolution this coming Sunday, a match that could very well wind up stealing the show if they're allowed to go all out. As for this episode, it was excellent all around with two terrific matches (I'd give the slight edge to the opener). Plus, the presentation of the whole thing couldn't have been better with last year's Kairi Sane winner endorsing this year's finalists and the final face-off happening at the end.