Four years ago in the second Mae Young Classic, Mercedes Martinez defeated an up and coming Xia Li with ease. Since then, Xia Li has become a much different competitor after some intense training from Tian Sha. Now, she’s a walking weapon, and not someone to mess with. Martinez is a tough veteran, and wasn’t scared when Li marked her to be purged, and if she goes down tonight, she will go down swinging. Li got some damage to the ribs on NXT this week, a target for tonight.
Mercedes Martinez Has A Slow Start
Xia Li has never had a match this big in her career, and would get an aggressive start. They’d spill to the outside, and she’d drive Martinez into the apron. Back in the ring, Martinez was able to hit a back body drop and an exploder suplex. She’s no stranger to big matches, but a Crossface Chickenwing through the ropes would do some serious damage to her.
Li used all she could of the five count, before pulling Martinez outside and drove her into the ring post. Back in the ring, Li would stomp Martinez out and slip outside to bend her around the ring post. Martinez would be kicked out of the ring with a shotgun dropkick, but was able to dodge a kick. Li would hit the ring post, and now the playing field was even.
It Only Takes One Kick From Xia Li
Back in the ring, Martinez would attack the left leg to get an advantage, before hitting the Royal Butterfly Suplex. Li would fire back with a wrist clutch exploder suplex, but was unable to follow up right away. She’s had too long rushing in, and get flapjacked onto the turnbuckles. Li went to the top rope, but Martinez pulled her off and nailed the cliffhanger for a two count.
Martinez would blast Li down with a running knee strike, but Boa saved Li before Martinez got a chance to make a pinfall. Boa tried to block Li from any more attacks on the outside, but just led to her getting hit with a back body drop on the outside. Back in the ring, Martinez looked for the air raid crash. Li countered and hit the jumping spinning roundhouse kick.
After years in the undercard, Xia Li has finally arrived. This was her best match yet, and Martinez made her look like an absolute star. It was a well paced but fast brawl, perfect for a Takeover Grudge match. Match Rating: 3.55/5 (*** 1/2)
After the match, Boa would hand Li a chair, but Martinez intercepted. She’d get the chair and stop any plans Li had. Mei Ling would finally leave her throne as Li was beaten with the chair. She’d easily throw Martinez off the stage into the barricade, and leave with her allies. What do you think of Tian Sha? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get TheOvertimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
Remember to stay up to date with the latest news on TheOvertimer. Don’t forget to visit Gamestingr for great videos, news, and gameplay!