Abbey Laith vs Rachel Evers
This was a step up for Evers after her wretched first round
performance, but this wasn’t as good as Laith/Gabert from the first round.
Laith hits a scary looking dive early where they cut to an angle that disguises
the fact that she’s caught her for on the middle rope. Evers hitting an RKO as
a random early move seems a bit odd. I like them basically hitting reset on a
double big boot, and I really liked Evers hitting a big second rope slam. Laith
seems to win out of nowhere, catching an Evers big boot into a powerbomb, and
pinning her with the Alligator Clutch. This was fine.
Piper Niven vs Serena Deeb
You have to question the logic of Deeb deciding to try and
slam Niven just moments after failing to take her over with a headlock takeover
– unsurprisingly it doesn’t work. Despite that, I did quite enjoy how Deeb
built up to finally getting Niven on the mat, working a headlock and using the
rope to get elevation to take Piper over. A second attempt at a powerslam looks
poor, I don’t buy Deeb having the strength to pick up Niven, and it looks
really sloppy. With that being the case, her decision to try and pick up Piper
into a fireman’s carry seems like a rookie mistake, and inevitably ends up with
Niven countering and hitting a cannonball in the corner. Vader Bomb only gets
two, despite it looking like a finisher. The actual end is good though, as
Piper misses a splash but is able to sidestep the spear and whip Deeb straight
into a Michinoku Driver to win. Another good Piper performance.
Princesa Sugehit vs Mercedes Martinez
Not a bad match, but ultimately a little forgettable. It
starts with a nice little mat sequence, before a schoolboy in the corner sends
Mercedes head backward into the bottom turnbuckle in a nice spot. Martinez goes
for the three amigos, looking a bit laboured in the transition (and really, it’s
only Eddie Guerrero who has ever made the swivelling of the hips look
believable) but I liked it ending with a draped neckbreaker. The end felt like
it came from nowhere, as Martinez escapes Sugehit’s armbar finisher and, using
the affected arm, hits a fisherman buster to win.
Kairi Sane vs Bianca Belair
Feels like a real breakout performance by Belair here.
Everyone knows how good Sane is, but Belair is right there in the match with
her. Her hair-whipping was brutal here, making a loud sound as she beats down
Sane in the corner. She also gets to show impressive strength – doing squats
whilst holding Sane up for a delayed vertical suplex – and some nice highflying
– missing a perfect looking 450 splash. You got the feeling that Belair will
really be something in a few years if she keeps up at this rate. However, Sane
was also impressive here, and facing a larger, more powerful opponent she needs
to be convincing at taking down a stronger opponent. Her sliding D in the
corner and vicious spinning backfist will certainly do the job. The big elbow
gets the victory, and this was a great showing by both.
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