So I’m watching The Mae Young Classic on the WWE Network for $9.95 a month, and it’s pretty much everything I figured it would be; pretty obviously scripted, easily predictable in who’s going to win what matches, and although I haven’t caught up to the very most recent episode, it’s a pretty forgone conclusion to whom will probably be in the final four, as well as who’s probably going to win the whole shebang outright.
And although she was someone who lost in the second round of the tournament, I have to say that the biggest takeaway for me so far, has been Bianca Belair. Watching the first round matches, it was painfully evident the people that were there for fodder, but it was also as apparent to quickly identify the women that actually had some talent. Belair caught my immediately, mostly because she didn’t just have a six-pack, but more like a Pepsi Cube of chiseled abdominal muscles; whether she could wrestle or not was irrelevant, this girl was a physical specimen.
I’m far removed from wrestling fandom to know who a lot of these women are, and I can’t be one of the cool hip smarks who know what their names in a previous federation or country were, but I was pretty immediately impressed by Bianca Belair in her opening round victory, because sure she was a little green in wrestling talent, but the athleticism was off the chart, and she had a very natural ring presence when it came to acting to her persona.
But then I watched her second round match with Kairi Sane who will probably be the runner-up in the whole tournament to Shayna Baszler because there’s a very predictable storyline brewing amidst this tournament; but Belair vs. Sane was probably the hottest match of the entire first and second rounds combined, and the jury is still out on whether or not any of the later ones will surpass it.
Sure, it was clear that Sane carried the match, but Belair still demonstrated some great work in the match, and there’s no denying that she has the physical tools to cut it in the industry. But what really opened my eyes was the spot where Belair began whipping Sane with her ridiculously long braid, and the fans went absolutely bonkers hot.
Heat this hot, especially in a developmental territory, is genuine gold in the making. The absolute goal of any wrestling performer is to elicit reaction, whether it’s good or bad; any sort of reaction is infinitely better than absolutely no reaction at all. There was no way Belair was going to have any split cheering section like 75% of the other matches did in the first place, but when she went full dark side and started whipping the tar out of fan-favorite Kairi Sane, with her braid, the fans went nuclear, which I found to be pretty surprising.
Sure, the usual crowd at Full Sail University are extremely smarky as it is, but that’s just how much heat the act seemed to generate, to where it blows past the spotting of the heat-meter to where it’s suddenly “oh shit, that really pissed them off” kind of heat. And the fact that Belair seemed to feed off of the massive reaction, with playing into the heel role, and then demonstrating some great spots, she turned into moneybags in spandex as far as my eyes could see.
And then she bust out a 450 splash that would’ve make Juventud Guerrera and AJ Styles go holy shit, and I was completely sold. I think the WWE would be foolish to let her move on, especially when the women’s division is in need of some fresh talent and personalities. As it stands right now, Belair would make an excellent cocky heel persona, and her pursuing and eventually capturing the NXT title would be way more compelling women’s division than anything that Peyton Royce and Billie Kaye could ever dream up. Whipping faces with her hair, with the commentary arguing on whether it’s legal or not, and then she would do shit like guerilla presses and 450 splashes since she’s clearly a god-like physical specimen.
Bianca Belair won’t win the Mae Young Classic, but as far as I’m concerned, she could very well be the breakout star of the whole tournament. I am clearly not the only one who has come to this conclusion, as well.
