WWE Mae Young Classic Review - September 12, 2018

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Deonna Purrazzo def. Priscilla Kelly in a First-Rounda Match

I've been following Purrazzo on the independent scene for years and am stoked she's finally getting a chance to shine on the big stage. She's a welcome addition to the Mae Young Classic and she proved she belongs among these elites with her showing here. It wasn't the most must-see match, but both women looked good in defeat and Purrazzo getting emotional afterward was a cool moment.

Zeuxis def. Aerial Monroe in a First-Round Match

This was easily the weakest match on the show, but that's not to say it was bad by any means. Nothing stood out as special about it and neither of them did anything to leave a lasting impression on me, but it was a passable bout. Plus, I did like Cedric Alexander (Monroe's husband) and their son watching on from the front row because that added an extra layer to it.

Kacy Catanzaro def. Reina Gonzalez in a First-Round Match

Considering Catanzaro hasn't been doing this for too long, she had a hell of a performance against Gonzalez and I loved the size dynamic between them. It had a fun pace and the crowd was into Catanzaro. I feel bad for Gonzalez getting bumped from the first round (again), but Catanzaro has a ton of potential as a plucky babyface even though she's still relatively new to this and was the better choice to win. I'm happy she advanced because she was a blast to watch here.

Mercedes Martinez def. AShley Rayne in a First-Round Match

I'm actually very surprised both of these women were positioned against each other in the first round, if only because both of them deserved to advance. I'm a big fan of Rayne and hope she's signed at some point, but given Martinez made it as far as the semifinals last year, she needed to at least make it past the first round this year, too. While this didn't exactly live up to the "dream match" billing it received, it was still very well-wrestled and a quality main event for the show.

Overall Show

The second episode of the Mae Young Classic wasn't as entertaining on the whole as the first, but it was still solid. Most of these matches aren't intended to be classics and instead are supposed to serve as introductions for each of the competitors. Thus, it won't be until the second and third rounds that we get some real memorable matches, I assume. For what this was, though, I enjoyed it.