Mae Young Classic (2017) 1: August 20, 2017

A hard-hitting clash between USA’s Abbey Laith and German powerhouse Jazzy Gabert capped off a thrilling premiere episode of the inaugural Mae Young Classic. When the dust settled, four competitors moved on to the Second Round of the global, 32-woman tournament.

## Episode recap

### **Princesa Sugehit vs. Kay Lee Ray**

Mexico’s Princesa Sugehit brought more than two decades of experience to her bout against Scottish daredevil Kay Lee Ray, as she masterfully controlled the action in the first match of the tournament. Like the monarch butterfly after which her mask is designed, the veteran luchadora floated gracefully, too, until Ray smashed her onto the canvas with a Gory Bomb.

True to form, Ray went big, soaring off the top rope with a Swanton. The risk didn’t pay off, as Sugehit slid out of the way, and Ray crashed and burned. Sugehit then quickly locked on an armbar, forcing Ray to tap out.

### **Vanessa Borne vs. Serena Deeb**

Competing in WWE for the first time since 2011, former SmackDown Superstar Serena Deeb held a considerable experience edge over ruthless NXT upstart Vanessa Borne. Despite coming off a two-year hiatus from wrestling, Deeb showed no ring rust, dropping the larger Borne with a neckbreaker and gutbuster.

Borne dished out punishment of her own, clocking Deeb with a headbutt and taking after one of her original trainers, WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi, by slamming Deeb with a Samoan Drop. The former Arizona Cardinal cheerleader missed a big splash, though, giving Deeb the chance to hit her with a Spear for the win.

### **Zeda vs. Shayna Baszler**

Former UFC fighter Shayna Baszler sent a message to the rest of the Mae Young Classic field with her dismantling of WWE Performance Center standout Zeda. She showed little respect for her opponent, refusing to shake Zeda’s hand before the match, an option that is presented to all tournament competitors.

As her Four Horsewomen stablemates Ronda Rousey, Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke cheered her on, The Queen of Spades toyed with her athletic but overmatched opponent. She played to the WWE Universe in between demolishing Zeda with fierce strikes. Zeda tried to lock in a guillotine, but Baszler countered with a Falcon Arrow into a rear-naked choke. Zeda had no choice but to submit, advancing Baszler to the Second Round.

### **Abbey Laith vs. Jazzy Gabert**

Seattle native Abbey Laith was presented with a tall task in the First Round: Figuring out a way to beat Jazzy Gabert, the 6-foot-1, muscle-packed machine from Germany.

Gabert appeared impervious to Laith’s attack at the start. Each time the NXT Superstar lunged at her, Gabert threw her down with thunderous force, eliciting a shocked reaction from the fans inside Full Sail University. Gabert mauled Laith with a smothering attack on the mat, crumpled her with body strikes in the corner and nearly took her head off with a clothesline.

Laith showed incredible fortitude throughout, enduring the mauling and eventually using her speed and technique to fight back. As Gabert had her set up for a backbreaker, Laith slipped out of the Berliner’s mighty grip and rolled through into the Alligator Clutch, Laith’s finishing maneuver which was originally made famous by the tournament’s namesake, Mae Young.

Laith’s application of the hold proved as inescapable as Young’s, and she snared the three-count — a fitting end to the Mae Young Classic’s thrilling debut episode.

## Match results

1. Princesa Sugehit def. Kay Lee Ray in a First-Round Match
2. Serena Deeb def. Vanessa Borne in a First-Round Match
3. Shayna Baszler def. Zeda in a First-Round Match
4. Abbey Laith def. Jazzy Gabert in a First-Round Match