WWE Evolution: Star Ratings For All 7 Matches
5. Toni Storm Vs. Io Shirai - Mae Young Classic 2018 Final
There are two sides to this coin.
As the final to a heavily-hyped tournament, 10:20 was a scant duration. Storm and Shirai are so talented, too; it was impossible to escape the feeling that this meeting only scraped the vast potential of their demonstrably awesome dynamic.
Conversely, this smashed the remit of the undercard attraction it was. A thrilling exhibition of submission and high-flying, wrestled with enough creativity and class to stand out as memorable after the fact - it's not as if this sort of action is a novelty in 2018 - this unglued but did not wear out the crowd.
You can tell Storm is young and eager to impress; her facials were distractingly affected, particularly at the finish, not that you can blame her. This was the biggest night of her life. In contrast, Shirai exhibited incredible subtlety to conduct the audience in her opponent's favour. Seconds before the knees-up moonsault spot, she quietly, callously, stepped on her stomach on the way to the turnbuckle, on which she preened just that little bit too long to ensure the sought-after babyface reaction on Storm's behalf.
Ultimately, two performers unfamiliar to the casual audience seduced them by the electric finish, and enter the next phase of their WWE careers having elicited an all-too-rare anticipation and optimism.
Both imperfect and perfect.
Star Rating: ***3/4