Women's Wrestling Thursday: Mae Young Classic, Round 2, Night 2

The first half of the second round was incredible. Last night's second half was good, but not quite as stellar. Let's talk about it, and then predict the quarter finals. This is Wrestling Thursday.

And so, the stage is set for the quarterfinals, where six of the best wrestlers in the world - and also Lacey Lane and Rhea Ripley - will do battle to advance to the semi-finals. This is not a knock on Lane or Ripley, by the way. They have a ton of potential. Let's dig in.

Round 2

Io Shirai vs. Zeuxis

Oh, so Zeuxis doesn't suck. Good to know! After an underwhelming first round match, there's nothing like being in the ring with one of the best in the world to look a million times better. This one was less about Shirai's offence, and more about her showing that she can make an opponent look great. The only thing slightly hurting Io's matches for me is the fact that I think she's a lock for the finals, and have thought so since the tournament was announced.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Xia Li

The surprise of round 1 goes up against the virtuosa. Now knowing how good Xia Li is, this one was no surprise. It was just a really good, solid, fun match between two highly skilled competitors.

Tegan Nox vs. Nicole Matthews

This one was a bit difficult for me to watch, and it's neither of these women's fault. I'll talk about the reason in the quarter finals predictions. The match itself was very good. No one in the tournament has their character down quite like Matthews, while Nox is super fun to watch.

Kaitlyn vs. Mia Yim

This one could never compete with last week's main event, because few matchups in the world could. But it had a really great storyline. We had Kaitlyn's comeback vs. Mia Yim's injury and desire to make it in the big leagues. I think I've seen most of Kaitlyn's televised matches, and I think it's fairly safe to say that this was the best match of her career. This is a different WWE than the one she left, and she's adapted very well. That said, I'm glad Mia Yim won. She's terrific, and deserves this opportunity to shine.

Quarter Finals: Matchups and Predictions

Meiko Satomura vs. Lacey Lane

This is, easily, the mismatch of the quarterfinals. I'm not saying Lacey Lane, in her third televised match, can't beat Meiko Satomura... No, wait. That's exactly what I'm saying. In her third MYC match, the Japanese legend is facing her least qualified opponent. I nice showing for Lane would be a huge accomplishment.

Toni Storm vs. Mia Yim

This one is going to be so much fun, y'all. Both of these women are young and experienced. They're highly skilled, and fun to watch. This is my pick for the match of the round. I've predicted a Toni/Io finals from the start, and so I'm predicting another win for the Australian prodigy.

Io Shirai vs. Deonna Purrazzo

This one will also be very good. Purrazzo is the best opponent Io Shirai has had in this tournament, and they should put on a clinic. As previously stated, I feel Io goes over. I definitely think she should.

Tegan Nox vs. Rhea Ripley

So let's talk about the obvious spoilery elephant in the room. Which, to me, isn't a spoiler: It's a content warning. It is fairly common knowledge that this match ends when Tegan Nox breaks her knee. Even someone like me, who has studiously been avoiding spoilers, knows this. That's a heartbreaking result for Nox, who was recovering from a torn ACL. This has made all of the talk about Tegan's comeback story very difficult. It's hard to listen to when you know what a devastating end it all comes to.

Previous MYC coverage

Women's Wrestling Thursday: Mae Young Classic, Round 2, Night 1
The Lost Women's Wrestling Thursday Post: Mae Young Classic Night 4
Women's Wrestling Thusday: Mae Young Classic Night 3
Women's Wrestling Thursday: Mae Young Classic, Night 2
Mae Young Classic: First Round, Part 1
Rethinking the Mae Young Bracket
Overthinking the Mae Young Classic Parade of Champions