Toni Storm vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto
Just how far does @tonistorm_ plan to go in this year's @WWE @MaeYoungClassic? #WWEMYC pic.twitter.com/bU0VXvCrTa
— WWE (@WWE) October 5, 2018
Up first we have the Lightning From Down Under, Toni Storm vs Lady Godzilla herself, Hiroyo Matsumoto. Out first is Toni followed by Hiroyo.
Handshake and bow. Tie up, break. Tie up, armbar by Storm, reversal by Hiroyo, Toni into a kip up counter and armbar. Reversal into a side headlock takedown. Toni gets out and back to the arm, another reversal into the headlock, counter by Toni into a side headlock takedown, Hiroyo with the head scissors. Toni gets and backs out. Another handshake and a boot to the stomach of Toni and then two chops. Irish whip that Storm reverses but Hiroyo hangs onto the ropes and stun guns on the second rope. Hiroyo connects with a high middle dropkick for two. Toni looks dazed.
Hiroyo picks Toni up to be met with a forearm and a boot, she’s set up for a suplex, counters and over-under Storm for two, then a hard chop and a stomp so vicious it could be in American History X. The crowd gets behind Storm who gets a backbreaker. Hiroyo follows Toni into the corner, stomps her and chokes her. Hiroyo showboats and runs at Toni who catches her and drops her like a Triple H movie onto the back of her head with a snap German suplex. Toni runs and backs that thang up in Hiroyo’s face and follows it up with a perfect plex for two. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi! A slugfest between the two.
Toni got the upper hand until she’s blocked and is slapped like she’s in the limo scene of “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”. They hit the ropes, and it looked like it was going to be a Ted Debiase clothesline, and that’s what it turned out to be. Hard clothesline by Hiroyo. She sets Storm up for a powerbomb that Storm counters. Hiroyo counters into a sunset flip and right into a modified Boston Crab. She then sits out into a half crab. Storm to the bottom rope breaks the hold. Matsumoto hits a Vader Bomb/Meteora off the middle rope for two. She comes off the rope to be met with a headbutt from Storm and a bridging German for two.
Toni looks like she’s about to cry as she waistlock Matsumoto, who elbows her way free, she picks up storm who goes into a casadora attempt to be saito suplexed. She’s not counted down because Storm gets her foot under the bottom rope. Undeterred, Matsumoto goes to the well one more time, and once again, Toni hits a casadora, this time into a victory roll for two. Matsumoto answers with a running sliding clothesline and picks her up and nails her with two hard short arm clotheslines. Going for a third, Storm counters into a rolling pin with a bridge for three. Hiroyo is beside herself.
Post-match, Storm celebrates her win, noting that she is moving on to the next round and one closer to her dream of going to Evolution.
Thoughts: Liked the match, and the outcome, and I was happy to see the more aggressive Matsumoto show up. This what I wanted to see from her last round. The match decent wasn’t going to set the world on fire or anything. But it was well-wrestled, the crowd loved Toni. I just wish Hiroyo was more aggressive than she had been.
