5 Things the Latest Episodes of Mae Young Classic taught us
Shayna Baszler is about to Take Over
Okay, so let me just set the record straight and make it clear that over the next couple of weeks I'm going to be talking about Shayna Baszler a heck of a lot! I mean a lot a lot. I've already mentioned in past blog posts that I am a huge fan hers and if you follow me on Instagram I've been bombarding you all with Insta Stories all about her. Seriously it's becoming an obsession and I have no shame. With that being said we kick start today's blog post off talking about the women herself and rightfully so. Before the Mae Young Classic even started I wrote a blog post listing seven of the competitors I was favoring and of course Shayna was one of those women. Looking online and reading several other articles Shayna proved to be a fan favourite. The reaction she was picking up spoke volumes and it was clear she was one of the more popular women heading into this tournament. However, along the way she has picked up some serious heat and while I'm the biggest fan of her and her work I totally understand where so many fans are coming from. This tournament has been full of some amazing talent, some of the best female wrestlers in the world today and in history and Shayna right now just isn't one of those women. An amazing, skilled and experienced fighter Shayna is still new to the squared circle still getting to grips with the wrestling world an thats very clear when you compare her work in the ring in comparison to the likes of Candice LeRae, Tessa Blanchard, and Santana Garrett to name a few. However, while she could do with improving her ring work just a little more no one has made quite the impact Shayna has throughout this tournament. No one has been as spoken about and written about since this tournament started and again rightfully so. While we have seen competitors such as Tessa Blanchard, Kairi Sane and Toni Storm deliver fantastic performances in the ring amongst many others including Baszler's round two opponent Mia Yim, no one has been able to get people talking and have the impact Shayna has made. From day dot she has gone out there, stood in that ring and made her intentions clear. She's not here to make friends, be nice, impress the fans or look good but to make her name known and win. Her lack of respect for her opponents and the other competitors has been evident and her bad ass attitude has had heads turning everywhere. You watch Baszler and you really do believe this women is a bad ass bitch. Her performance in the ring has been strong with every match showing her to look better and better. The push the WWE have given her has been crazy but totally understandable. Shayna is a big name with a big following with big alliances. She looks, talks, walks and acts like superstar and shes one of the competitors you could throw into the main roster and she would fit in perfectly despite her lack of experience. As she heads into the finals against Kairi Sane one thing has been made perfectly clear; regardless of outcome Shayna Baszler is about to become one of the biggest names in wrestling today. Whether she gets the win or not next week the next twelve months are sure to be dominated by Shayna Baszler. There is no way she will be leaving this tournament without a contract and heading down to NXT. Already there are articles and comments talking about Shayna and the likelihood of her going on to become the next NXT Women's champion before the end of the year and I gotta say I'm behind it. Shayna brings something new and exciting and I'm very very interested in her future with the company as she looks to change women's wrestling the WWE forever.
Candice LeRae will work with Husband Johnny Gargano in NXT
Again, if you have been reading my blog from the beginning you will know that Candice LeRae was one of the first wrestlers outside of the WWE I wrote about here. Getting back into wrestling all those years ago she was one of the names I came across and became totally obsessed with. Throughout her career she has faced off against some of the best male and female wrestlers around the world. She has time and time again proven to be one of the best in the wrestling world today and yet the WWE have never decided to snap her up and add her to their women's divison. It makes no sense. She's an all round talent with the look, the experience, the character, the mic work, the following and the talent. To any wrestling fan it is beyond clear that she could so easily climb to the top of the divison and compete in some of the best matches the company has seen from its women's divison. Just imagine Candice taking on the likes of Bayley, Charlotte, Alexa Bliss, and Sasha Banks in lengthy matches every week. Wrestling magic! After all these years and all the hard work it looks as though the WWE may finally be snapping up one of the most popular and talented women in wrestling world today. Throughout the Mae Young Classic we have seen all the signs that Candice could be a huge name in the WWE and while I wished with all my heart she was in the final with Kairi Sane considering the pair could so easily give us a match of the year candidate bout things look to be far from over with her relationship with the WWE. I'm confident she has impressed major names backstage and fans have continues to talk about her but the WWE have also taken the time to show her relationship with husband Johnny Gargano on screen throughout the tournament leading me and so many others to believe that finally she will be arriving in the WWE. Gargano is still feuding with Andrade Cien Almas who of course has Zelina Vega by his side and after what we have seen the past couple of weeks during the tournament I'd say that that the chances of Candice teaming up with her husband to challenge Andrade and Vega in the future are pretty high and that is something I can totally invest in!More Veterans are needed in WWE Women's Division
One of the main things I loved about the Mae Young Classic the most was the diversity. We had women from all the round the world who had all different levels of experience. Some such as the likes as Bianca Blair and Rhea Ripley to name just two of many lacked experience and had a lot to learn from the tournament while others such as Serena Deeb and Mercedes Martinez had years of experience behind them and had something completely new to bring to the table. Throughout the tournament we have seen these different levels of experience come into play and as a result of all the different skill sets we have been able to witness some amazing matches and it's made me realize something, the WWE need more veterans in its women's divison. Women the up and coming female talent can learn from and benefit from working in the ring with. Of course, when you look at the women's divison right now there are so many names that clearly are very skillful and talented in the ring however when we look at just how many women have been going this for a long time and can truly own that real veteran name. At the moment Natalya and Mickie James own that status one hundred and ten percent but the Mae Young classic has really made me see that the divison needs more names like that. Women that have been doing this for well over ten years that can help push and coach the young up and comers. Throughout the tournament there were so many names that were able to step in the ring with younger more fresh stars and help them shine brighter than ever before. Take Serena Deeb for example who pushed Viper to new levels and had her looking like a true monster or Mercedes Martinez who made everyone feel like a star for even stepping in the ring with her not to mention that brilliant match up against Shayna Baszler where she was able to push Shayna to her limit and get the best she had had in this tournament out of her. If more names like Mercedes, Serena and Princesa were added to the women's divison in the WWE feel would be completely different and creating new stars for the future would work far better.The Four Horsewomen vs The Four Horsewomen MUST happen
Okay, I did warn you, there was going to be a lot of mention of Shayna Baszler in this blog post and I wasn't lying! Round two of the Mae Young Classic saw Baszler take on Mia Yim in what was hands down one of the best matches of that round. While the match has been massively spoken about since was aired there has been one part of this show that has got people talking more than anything and I have to say I was sat at home very excited and totally marking out. The past five years or so has seen a huge shift in women and sports and we have seen a number of female athletes pave the way and change the perception of women in the sports and sports entertainment history. Two worlds in particular have had eight women standout more than any for the WWE Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Sasha Banks the four horsewomen have been labeled as the leaders of the women's revolution in the WWE. Their matches, feuds, storyline's, promos and segments highlighted them massively and changed the way women's wrestling is seen and really it hasn't been the same since. Four for of the biggest, most popular and all round talented women in not only the WWE but women's wrestling as a whole. Over in UFC/MMA the same thing was happening there with four women again making an impact, standing together and naming themselves the four horsewomen of MMA, Consisting of Ronda Rousey, Marina Shafir, Jessamyn Duke, and of course the Mae Young Classic's very own Shayna Baszler. The four women have mad several WWE appearances including Wrestlemania and SummerSlam pay per views and the WWE have been teasing a special match featuring those women for what feels like forever. However, never has there felt as though there is a chance of that actually happening until this past Monday. During episode six of the Mae Young classic Shayna Baszler confronted Charlotte, Lynch and Bayley who had been seated in the audience. With her fellow four-horsewomen sitting just opposite the tension was crazy and the entire crowd were on their feet hotter than ever. The energy was insane and you could feel it through the screen. By far one of the best moments of not only the tournament but of the year the whole thing highlighted something we have all known for quite some time, the four horsewomen of the WWE vs the four horsewomen of MMA must happen in the near future. A backstage segment showed Ronda Rousey put the challenge out their telling the three former women's champions to name a time and place. Honestly, I had chills! I don't think anything could be bigger for women's wrestling than this match and knowing this could one day happen has me so so so excited. It's a match that could feature on a Wrestlemania card and still the show easily being noted as one of the most hyped match on the card. The reaction the confrontation got on the episode was clear and that kind of reaction and energy cannot be ignored, this is a feud fans need in their life and trust me I do not want have to wait any longer. The seeds have been planted and I need more!Young talent Secure safe future for WWE Womens Division
We've touched on what the veterans brought to the Mae Young Classic but we cannot go without speaking about those young up and comers still early in their career. The tournament has seen as we have already touched on, women from all round the world including the US, India, England, Scotland, China, Japan and Australia to name just a few I'm so happy I can now sit here and say that I have discovered so much new talent I'm excited about learning more about. While the first round wasn't as strong because of lack of experience some of these women had the tournament as a whole showed the world that the future of the company is in safe hands and the future of women's wrestling looks to be very very bright. Take names such as Toni Storm, Dakota Kai and Piper Niven who
I do have a couple more blog posts coming up including a list of the women that changed the game and stood out the most throughout the tournament and hopefully that post will be uploaded very very soon! For now however, any recent blog posts will be linked bellow including all the reviews and highlights post I have written about the tournament and any other recent posts. Finally, you can let me know what you thought of round two of the Mae Young classic by leaving a comment bellow at the end or by dropping me a tweet over at @TezangiVictoria.
Recent blog posts:
Best Round 2 Mae Young Classic Matches
Other Names that Could have Replaced JBL at Smackdown LIVE Announce table
Mae Young Classic Competitors Eliminated Too Soon
Last Week in Wrestling
Best Mae Young Classic Matches From Round 1
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