Here's a place to follow along with the action and comment on the sixth episode of the 2018 Mae Young Classic (MYC) Women’s Tournament during its premiere, Weds., Oct. 24 at 9PM Eastern time on WWE Network.
Tonight’s action will determine who faces off in the finals at Evolution this Sunday (Oct. 28). And what action it is, as this year’s big villain Rhea Ripley faces the Genius of the Sky, Io Shirai, and we’re treated to a dream match pitting Toni Storm against the legendary Meiko Satomura.
You can also check out a complete bracket for the entire tournament here. Stella Cheeks will be along with a review of the episode a little later.
NOTE: Spoilers are out there for these pre-taped broadcasts (including here), but many Cagesiders don't partake. If you are going to post or discuss spoilers for this show before they happen, or results of future shows, please use the spoiler bar in your comment.
Enjoy the show!
In the dead of night she’ll come and take you away. Searing beams of light and thunder over blackened plains, she will find her way. Flying high through the night she will hide your fate as she takes your soul from under and the blinding light of the castle fades. There is no escape, it’s the ending of your precious life, your soul slipped away-- It belongs to the Queen of the Reich, but this liveblog belongs to anybody who needs to know what happened in the wrestling tonight, folks.
The show opens with a recap of last week’s show, focusing on Tegan Nox’s injury in particular.
The intro video follows, and then the video package for Storm vs. Satomura.
Meiko Satomura vs. Toni Storm (Mae Young Classic 2018 Semifinal Match)
Collar and elbow, struggling in the middle of the ring, Storm with a wristlock, Satomura reverses with a roll, torquing the elbow, but Toni has an escape into a hammerlock. Meiko maneuvers her way out, side headlock takeover, Storm with a cover but Satomura keeps it locked on. Reversed, Toni with a side headlock of her own, Meiko reverses to a pin and counters into a headscissors.
Storm with an escape, back to the side headlock she goes, and Satomura is hold-for-hold with her, reversing into side control and looking for a hold. Chest kick follows, tired of the grappling, and Toni wakes right up. Front kick, side headlock, shot off, shoulder block but neither woman budges! Uppercut from Meiko gets a boot off the ropes for one!
Storm capitalizes, stomping away, kicks to the back, drawing her up for a series of headbutts before kicking her back down for a two count. Snap suplex, again just two and Satomura kicks out with vigor. Toni draws her up, whip blocked and a vicious kick to the hamstring from the legend! More leg kicks, a leg pick, laying yet another into the hamstring before hitting the spinning toehold into a figure four stump puller!
Shifting to the Prison Lock and then an inverted Indian deathlock but Storm gets the ropes! Back to the drawing board, more hamstring kicks, taking Toni’s base out from under her one blow at a time. Hard whip across, charging forearm, back suplex denied by way of elbows, wicked forearm strike, whip across and Meiko comes off the ropes with a spinning wheel kick!
Uppercuts ensue, Storm counters one with a backslide... NOPE! Deathlock... a reverse chinlock variation of the Muta Lock applied! Satomura desperate, crawling, so close to the ropes but Toni wrenches it in and locks her down... SHE REACHES AND SHE’S GOT IT! Charging in, running hip attack, bridging fisherman suplex... STILL NO! Laying kicks in, Meiko rolls to the floor, Storm off the ropes... SUICIDE DIVE!
Satomura on one knee in the middle of the ring, Toni charges... SHINING WIZARD ISN’T ENOUGH TO PUT HER INTO THE FINALS! A kick to the jaw, disdainful, more of them, Meiko firing up, primal screams, Storm boots her down and she pops right up into a kick for kick slugfest! Satomura with a knee, a DDT, the handspring knee drop to the back of the head, fireman’s carry... TONI STORM SURVIVES THE DEATH VALLEY DRIVER!
Meiko laying in wait, charging in with a knee but Storm catches it and hits a German suplex! Underhooks, Storm Zero... MEIKO SATOMURA LIVES! Back up, underhooks again, blocked, Pele kick lands true, a roundhouse follows but it’s only good for two! Off the ropes... SCORPIO RISING STILL ISN’T ENOUGH! Jockeying for position, Toni gets the underhooks...
Toni Storm wins by pinfall with Storm Zero to advance to the finals of the 2018 Mae Young Classic.
Post-match, it’s good sports all around, and Kairi Sane comes out to congratulate Toni Storm as Triple H enters on the stage to raise Meiko Satomura’s hand.
Storm is interviewed in the ring. She’s incredulous that she just beat a legend like Meiko Satomura and says she can now say that she’s well and truly living her dream. She thanks the fans for supporting her, and Hunter raises her hand as well when she reaches the stage.
Video package for Shirai vs. Ripley follows.
Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai (Mae Young Classic 2018 Semifinal Match)
Collar and elbow, Ripley shoves Shirai away and poses. Circling, back to the lockup, again she throws Io to the mat and stands tall. Shirai ducks a lariat, handsprings into a dropkick, kip up, off the ropes but Rhea pop-up drops her for two! Hammerfist, disdainful kicks and stomps, grounded cobra twist ensues, Io throws kicks to escape but Ripley hammers her ribs to keep control!
Stepping on the small of her back, Rhea flexes and punctuates it with a stomp into a cover for two. Back to the grounded cobra twist, adding a claw to the midsection, Shirai screaming agony but there’s fight in her yet and she breaks free with right hands only to get clobbered by a single right in return! Mounted punches, into a bodyscissors, countered into a pin but Ripley keeps it locked on and adds forearms to the back of the neck!
Io posts to her feet into a pin again and breaks the hold only for Rhea to drop her with a dropkick! Delayed vertical suplex follows, only a nearfall and a frustrated Ripley goes for an additional cover before locking the bodyscissors back on! Shirai crawling, Rhea turns her around and grinds her face into the mat but Io eventually turns it around and rains forearms down until Ripley’s insensate!
Both women down and out, Rhea recovers first with kicks and clubbing blows, drawing her up, whip across, pop-up and Shirai counters into a hurricanrana... NOPE! Off the ropes, basement dropkick, Ripley rolls to the floor and a frustrated Io lets out a primal scream as she figures out what’s next. Off the ropes... SUICIDE DIVE! Rhea again recovers first, looking for the count-out win as referee Danilo Anfibio counts.
Shirai seems down and out but rolls in at nine! Ripley right on her, raining forearms down on her back, drawing her up again, jawing at her, and Io gets time to recover enough for a right hand! A forearm drops her to her knees in return, she floats over the suplex and hits a Shotei! Palm strikes on palm strikes, Rhea hung up on the second... TIGER FEINT KICK!
Io up top for the missile dropkick but it’s only good for two! Up top for the moonsault, Ripley crotches her and climbs up after her. Jockeying for position... SUPERPLEX! Rhea slow to capitalize... IO SHIRAI ISN’T STAYING DOWN JUST YET! Pumphandle applied, Io floats out and puts Ripley shoulder-first into the post! Willing life back into herself, Shirai pulls herself to her feet for the charging double knees! Stepping over her, she heads up top...
Io Shirai wins by pinfall with the moonsault, advancing to the finals of the 2018 Mae Young Classic opposite Toni Storm.
Shirai celebrates in the ring as Triple H raises Ripley’s hand on the stage. Kairi Sane arrives in the ring and she and Io hug, the Stardom vets sharing a nice moment together.
Io is interviewed post-match and thanks the crowd, saying she’ll win.
Commentary discuss their picks for our overall winner and we toss to the stage where Triple H, Sara Amoto, and Kairi Sane have all joined Shirai to celebrate her victory and invite her oppponent out for a photo op. Io and Toni hug and pose with the group.
That’s the show, folks.