Mae Young Classic 2018 Results: Winners, Grades and Highlights from September 26

The first round of the 2018 WWE Mae Young Classic continued this week with eight new wrestlers competing in four matches.

This was the last of the first-round contests, and WWE saved some interesting names for this episode, including the daughter of a Performance Center coach and a few returning faces from last year's MYC.

There was a healthy mix of indy talents and Superstars signed to contracts for NXT in both America and the UK, so there was something for everyone.

Let's take a look at everything that happened during the final set of first-round matches on Wednesday's show.

Rachel Evers vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto

Rachel Evers, the daughter of Paul Ellering, returned after coming up short in last year's tournament to battle Hiroyo Matsumoto in the opening match.

They started with a spirited lockup to show off their strength and came to a stalemate several times before Matsumoto scored the first takedown.

Both women showed a lot of aggression, but it was Matsumoto who controlled the majority of the action. Even though Evers came into this with more crowd support, the Japanese Superstar won over a lot of people in the stands.

They made the most of every minute they had to make this a fun and competitive contest. After several near-falls, Evers succumbed to Lady Godzilla's finisher.

Matsumoto will face Toni Storm in the next round.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• Matsumoto's entrance music was great. It sounded like something from a film soundtrack.
• The announcers gave Funaki a shoutout since he trained Matsumoto. Lance Storm also got credit for training Evers.
• Matsumoto's dropkick from the top rope sounded painful.
• We need more Beth Phoenix on commentary. She comes off as knowledgeable and invested in the product.

Taynara Conti vs. Jessie Elaban

NXT Superstars Taynara Conti and Jessie Elaban took to the ring for the second match of the night. While both women are signed to contracts, this was the first time many WWE fans have seen them compete outside of the developmental system.

Instead of the usual pre-match handshake, Conti chose to bow to her opponent in keeping with her martial arts background.

Conti was relentless as she took Elaban to school, but the smiling Superstar kept finding ways to keep herself in the fight and make the match feel more competitive.

The crowd wasn't nearly as invested in this match as it was for Evers vs. Matsumoto, so it's probably good it didn't last as long. The Brazilian black belt got the win and broke down with tears of joy in the ring.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• Conti is the total package. She has charisma, a marketable look and a good gimmick. She is someone to keep an eye on.
• Elaban will be compared to Bayley a lot. Hopefully, she can define her character further once she is used on NXT more often.
• Conti is deceptively strong for her size.

Isla Dawn vs. Nicole Matthews

Nicole Matthews was looking to make an impact after serving as an alternate for last year's MYC, but so was Isla Dawn.

The WWE Universe was introduced to Dawn during this year's United Kingdom Championship Tournament when she faced Storm, Jinny and Killer Kelly. Even though she lost, Dawn made a good impression with her energy.

Since the majority of WWE fans were unfamiliar with these two going into this match, it took some time before the crowd started to get behind them.

They maintained a steady pace and used a variety of different maneuvers, but it felt like there was a lack of chemistry. They just sort of moved from sequence to sequence without telling much of a story.

Matthews defeated Dawn with a modified Boston crab that Michael Cole compared to the Walls of Jericho because of the way it was applied.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights

• The announcers mentioned some kind of witchcraft gimmick for Dawn, but she never acted like one, so it was a bit confusing.
• Matthews delivered some loud strikes. Dawn sold them well.
• The way Matthews applied the Boston crab made it look legitimately painful. She had her knee pressed against Dawn's back as she applied pressure.

Io Shirai vs. Xia Brookside

Xia Brookside is the youngest competitor in this year's Mae Young Classic at 19 years old, but she has grown up around the business thanks to her father, Performance Center coach and UK wrestling legend Robbie Brookside.

Io Shirai came into this tournament as one of the heavy favorites, so WWE was wise to save this bout for the main event of the final first-round episode.

Both women like to use a high-risk style of offense, so they gave the crowd plenty of reasons to chant and cheer throughout the match.

Unfortunately, the match didn't last as long as hoped. Brookside gave a good performance, but Shirai made quick work of her with a textbook moonsault to advance to the next round.

Shirai helped the English wrestler to her feet and hugged her after the match was over to end the show on a positive note.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• Cole rightfully referred to Shirai as one of the highest-profile signings in recent history. She is going to be popular with the WWE Universe because of her exciting in-ring style.
• This was allegedly Robbie's first time watching his daughter compete live.
• The mask Shirai wore to the ring was cool. It had references to talents like Rey Mysterio and Tiger Mask incorporated.