Raw General Manager Kurt Angle Interrupted Intercontinental Champion The MizIt's rare that Raw kicks off with Miz nowadays, so it was a breath of fresh air to see him in the opening segment with Angle, who wasn't wrong when he said the Intercontinental title has largely been forgotten about as of late. It's interesting that they would hold a title match with No Mercy less than one month away, but perhaps it will merely be an angle to set up a rematch or something else at the pay-per-view. By the way, it was wise to air the entrances of Big Show, The Hardy Boyz and Finn Balor before the commercial break to show that this wouldn't be your typical jobber-filled Battle Royal. Jeff Hardy Won a No. 1 Contender's Intercontinental Championship Battle RoyalWith so much star power involved, I was much more engaged in this Battle Royal than I usually am. It helped that several stories were told as well with seeds being planted for a potential Balor Club, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows eliminating Matt Hardy, and Bray Wyatt costing Finn Balor the contest (indicating their feud is not yet over). I thought for sure Jason Jordan had the match won, so Jeff Hardy emerging victorious was a pleasant surprise. I'm curious to see whether this means officials are testing the waters for Jeff as a singles competitor again.
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Candice LeRae def. Renee Michelle in a First Round MatchIt's rather well-known by this point, but LeRae is the real-life wife of NXT star Johnny Gargano, and she's an underdog in the ring much like he is. Michelle needs more experience before she can be considered good, but LeRae was able to carry her through a majority of the matchup and make it passable. Regardless of whether she wins the tournament or not, LeRae should end up with a WWE contract once it's over. Lacey Evans def. Taynara Conti in a First Round MatchEvans wasn't much more than a pretty face the few times we saw her on NXT TV earlier this year, but I love her backstory and how she's fighting for her family. It gave her an all-new purpose and allowed me (as well as the crowd) to root for her in this match. I believe Conti has already signed a developmental deal with NXT, so while she is a work in progress, she showed signs of being a skilled heel eventually. The in-ring work was better than expected, so that was a plus.
Toni Storm def. Ayesha Raymond in a First Round MatchI wasn't too familiar with Storm whatsoever coming into this tournament, but she has quickly become one of my favorites. Holy shit, does she have charisma! Not only that, she is incredibly skilled in the ring and has breakout star written all over him. Raymond did her best to elicit heat from the crowd, but she wasn't very skilled. Thankfully, this was largely a showcase for Storm who shined and advanced. Dakota Kai def. Kavita Devi in a First Round MatchKai initially impressed me when I saw her in action against a debuting Nia Jax about two years ago on NXT, so I'm happy she's finally made it to WWE as part of the Mae Young Classic. She's young and small yet feisty in the ring and her explosive offense was on full display in this match. There wasn't anything overly special about Devi, but at least she held her own in there.
Mercedes Martinez def. Xia Li in a First Round MatchI had no idea Martinez was a Connecticut native until she made her entrance, so it looks like I'll be pulling for her in this tournament as a Connecticut resident myself. At any rate, this was fine while it lasted and pretty much what it should have been with Martinez picking up the victory and doing so in relatively quick fashion. Xia Li is one of the top Chinese prospects at the Performance Center, so expect to see more of her down the road after she improves. Rachel Evers def. Marti Belle in a First Round MatchEvers has been a solid hand in the ring whenever she's surfaced on NXT (she is a second-generation wrestler after all), but this was a deplorable performance from both her and Belle. I was never a fan of Belle's work in TNA to begin with, and she was terrible here too, but Evers should take part of the blame as well. Most of the spots were sloppy, there was no sense of urgency and there was no flow to anything they did. I'm hoping Evers has a better showing in the second round for her sake.
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