The best and worst of the Mae Young Classic episode 5

As was the prediction of many, the Mae Young Classic gathered steam rapidly after the first round concluded. This episode was easily the best content in WWE this week.

With the uptick in talent came a consequent uptick in the matches. Four of the eight matches of the second round aired last night. They were Toni Storm vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto, Kacy Catanzaro vs. Rhea Ripley, Lacey Lane vs. Taynara Conti, and Meiko Satomura vs. Mercedes Martinez.

Only four of these women proved victorious and moved on to the quarterfinals, sad as it was to see any of them knocked out of the tournament!

In a strong episode where even the commentary was on point, were there any weaknesses?

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Best: Toni Storm survives a beating

Perhaps Toni Storm's beating went a little too far, and Hiroyo Matsumoto tried too hard to play to the crowd again instead of being a proper heel, but this match was too strong for those flaws to bring it down. It was well worked by both women, who have had experience with each other in the past.

Hiroyo Matsumoto plays a convincing monster. She thrashed Toni Storm for minutes on end in this match. Toni's comebacks didn't look like they'd be enough. Only a bit of luck seemed to save her, as she got her foot on the bottom rope after a nasty suplex from her opponent.

Toni Storm would eventually hit a picture perfect bridge pin to survive, rather than defeat, her opponent. Matsumoto's anger and shock at the loss were palpable.

This kept Toni Storm as a babyface favorite while also keeping Hiroyo Matsumoto strong in defeat. Though it didn't approach the level that the main event of the night did, it was still one of the best WWE women's matches of 2018.

Best: Stars in the making

Rhea Ripley and Kacy Catanzaro are both going to be stars. Rhea Ripley has already made her mark outside of the Mae Young Classic. Kacy Catanzaro may be new, but she's already fit to appear on NXT television.

Of the David vs. Goliath matches in this tournament, this was easily the best. Rhea Ripley laid a massive beating on her opponent, but Catanzaro's speed and innovative offense surprised her hulking opponent numerous times. That tornado DDT won't be forgotten soon!

Eventually, Rhea's strength was too much, but Catanzaro seemed to have won her respect.

Worst: Lacey Lane vs. Taynara Conti

Each episode is inevitably going to have a weak link, and this one was it. That's to be expected from two women with as little experience as Lane and Conti have.

Lane's athleticism continued to shine in the contest, though, and both women are ready to appear on NXT television. The ending was abrupt, but it was better to not go on too long.

Conti's facial expressions are on point, but her character work still needs some fine-tuning. At times she seems to turn from face to heel on a dime.

Best: Legend vs. general

Well, this wasn't a surprise. Easily the best match of the tournament so far, many people have gone further and placed it as a match of the year candidate. While I'm not one of those people (the standards seen this year have been absurdly high), it was still one of the best women's matches in WWE this year.

Satomura and Martinez threw everything they had at each other and kept coming back for more. It was a match that ran the gamut from technical wrestling, to strikes, and even to a frog splash on the part of Satomura.

Eventually, Satomura was able to land two devastating high-speed kicks to put her opponent away.

Give these women more time and a bigger stage and we can only imagine how far they'd be able to go.