Kicking Off The Mae Young Classic

Hello Ring Time Pro Wrestling fans!

This is Keshia, and I am going to be the official RTPW correspondent for the 2017 WWE Inaugural Mae Young Classic, only to be watched on the WWE Network! I have to say that I am thoroughly excited to be covering this historic and absolutely phenomenal event for the RTPW site, and as the female member of the RTPW podcast, I am thrilled and honored to cover this event. I will be taking you all through the bracket, matches, news, surprises, and, of course, covering the winner and what is to be expected of the future of the women of this tournament.

This tournament will feature 32 women representing different countries from around the world, and although we do not know what is going to be given to the winner just yet, the women’s division as well as the executives of the WWE will be watching closely to the competitors. Of course, I will be implementing the opinions and picks of the bracket of the RTPW team, and we will be giving our usual views and reviews on the podcast and here on the website.

First, let’s talk about the incredible late superstar that the tournament is named after. Mae Young was a pioneer for the women’s division, having wrestled primarily in the National Wrestling Alliance, winning multiple titles and spreading her name across the United States and Canada. Feeling as young as she looked, Young went on to entertain wrestling fans for over 70 years, starting at the tender age of 16 and continuing on until her official retirement in 2008, the same year she was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. She was also inducted into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2004. She was described as a fun loving and genuinely hearting woman, as we got to see during her time in WWE and after her retirement. Being a part of hilarious storylines and antics, Mae never failed in giving everyone around her a good laugh and a hard slap if necessary. Even though she only lived to be 90 years young, Johnnie Mae Young will forever be a standard and a staple in the world of professional women’s wrestling.

Now, let’s get into a little info about the WWE Mae Young Classic. It was announced during the weekend of WrestleMania 33 that it will taking place this summer, and it will have its official premiere on the WWE Network on August 28th, 8 days after this year’s Summerslam. The commentators for this event will be none other than WWE Hall of Famers Jim Ross and Lita, and the matches will be held at Full Sail University, except for the final match, which will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada and aired live on September 12th.

Lastly, we get to the 32 competitors. Even though I will not be listing the names of all 32, let me take a moment to highlight some of the women that will participate in the Mae Young Classic, which are our (Keith and I) picks on who to look out for during the tournament. We understand that all of them may not make it to the end, but we just want to give you a chance to get to know some of the names. The profiles of the other ladies can be found on the WWE website, which is also where you can find the Parade of Champions for the MYC. Let’s begin:

Abbey Laith, once a ballerina, is now a signee to the WWE Performance Center. Learning her skills and craft from WWE cruiserweight Drew Gulak, she is the only woman to hold the Chikara Grand Championship. She stands 5’4” and is representing USA.

Kairi Sane was once a hopeful for the Olympics in yachting, but she has been wrestling in Japan and around the world for years, calling herself The Pirate Queen. She is a three-time Goddess of Stardom and four-time Artist of Stardom in Japan’s women’s wrestling promotion Stardom. She stands 5’1” and represents none other than Japan.

Mia Yim, a second degree black belt, likes to compares herself to Chun-Li, the legendary character from Street Fighter with the ferocious kicks and bubbly attitude. She has wrestled for 8 years and looks up to lady wrestlers along the likes of Lita, Chyna, Akino, and Aja Kong. She stands 5’7” and represents South Korea.

If you watched Smackdown in 2010 and were a fan of the Straight Edge Society, then you were a fan of Serena Debb. She was the bald-headed, female devotee to the SES, appearing alongside CM Punk and Luke Gallows. She is a six time OVW champion and a certified yoga instructor who has continued to wrestle throughout the years. She stands 5’4” and is representing USA.

Not going by her real last name, the daughter of Paul Ellering (you know, current manager of current NXT Tag Team Champions Authors of Pain), Rachel Evers is a graduate of Lance Storm’s wrestling academy. Having been an athlete most of her life, she holds multiple awards and records in powerlifting and also dabbed in other sports throughout high school. She stands 5’6” and represents USA.

One thing that is interesting about Kay Lee Ray is that she is the only Scottish wrestler in the MYC, and she is the current women’s champion in the United Kingdom’s Insane Championship wrestling. This may be her first time out of the U.K. circuit, which makes her presence in this tournament even more special. She is 5’8” tall and represents Scotland.

Tessa Blanchard

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