2. Mercedes Martinez vs. Kylie Rae – RISE: Legendary

Legendary was Kylie Rae’s last pay-per-view event with RISE for the foreseeable before she headed to AEW. It was certainly eventful.

Rae nearly defeated Mercedes Martinez at ROW on the RISE in January for the Phoenix of RISE Championship. To settle this, Kevin Harvey made her rematch a No Ropes Submission match.

To mark the occasion, the crowd showered Rae with streamers. While she basked in the warm reception at the Berwyn Eagles Club for one last time, Mercedes hit her from behind with the championship belt.

Then, she slammed her leg against the apron and struck the limb as much as possible. Kylie finally mustered some offense, launching Martinez into the ring post. This freed her up to attempt to wear Mercedes down with a sleeper hold.

This match was brutal. Without the use of the ropes, Rae had to rely on her mat game. She showcased a surprisingly wide array of submission maneuvers.

She executed a guillotine chokehold and even a Kimura lock, which she transitioned into the Charity Case. There was also an inventive spot, where she wrapped Martinez’s arm around a ring post and put her in the crossface.

Not to be upstaged, Mercedes used her Surfboard Dragon Sleeper, but Kylie defiantly fought out of it. Rae won with the Charity Case and became the sixth Phoenix of Rise Champion.

Until her longtime friend, Miranda Alize, attacked her afterward. This made it even easier for Zoe Lucas to take advantage of the situation, use her title shot and become the new champion.

The aftermath was just as noteworthy as the match. At any rate, it was great to see Kylie Rae leave RISE on a high note and finally defeat Martinez to momentarily win the title.