In 1943 the first ever Womens Baseball league was formed breaking the door down for women in sports. In 2017 the first ever all Womens tournament, the Mae Young Classic, was held breaking down the door for women in wrestling. For these 32 women to carry this thing all on their own without any build up on TV for any of the competitors is a monumental feat. What you knew about the women before the tournament is all you had to go on. The Horsewomen Era has definitely got people used to women wrestling real matches but still, an entire tournament to carry without any WWE/NXT established names is no slam dunk. But every woman brought their A-game win or lose and because of that the matches were good to great allowing the tournament to gain momentum with every episode.
Because of the success of this tournament we may see a day where women have their own show in WWE on the Network. Instead of only a handful of spots for the Women, there would be a full roster waiting to be filled with the best of the best. This could totally change the game creating bigger and better opportunities for women. That’s why I compare them to the women that started the League of Their Own, both faced an uphill battle in male dominated professions to prove their worth but found it in them to succeed. And because of that, opening the door for future generations. The Mae Young Classic has to be considered an unqualified success even if it doesn’t lead to their own show. It has created opportunites for many of the women already by signing with WWE when they may not have received the chance without the tournament.
I can admit that when it was announced they were going to be doing a Women’s Tournament I was both excited and nervous. I was excited for them to get this big stage opportunity but also very nervous that they could pull off an entire tournament. Esp without any of the main roster or NXT names but boy was I nervous for no reason. I guess I just didn’t realize how much WWE ready Women’s talent is out there. Half could walk onto the roster and contribute right now and the other half just need some developing in NXT. Because of that all the 1st round matches were at least good and just kept getting better round after round. The way tournaments go usually means the best of the best start to match up and the matches should get better, if they do you know you have something special. We definitely saw something special with the Mae Young Classic.
Instead of breaking it down match by match, I’m just going to say something about each competitor. Not going to watch the tournament again yet just because I want these thoughts to be mostly my first impressions.
Abbey Laith – Prob closest thing to the Mae Young style in the tournament, she is great. Had a really good match vs Jazzy Gabert in the 1st round, really enjoyed it. Followed it up with another good match vs Rachel Evers in the 2nd round, good chemistry. 3 for 3 in good matches, bowing out in the 3rd to Mercedes Martinez. Established herself as one of the best in the world with this tournament, other than winning can’t ask for more than that. Set up Abbey vs Sasha Banks and take my money.
Ayesha Raymond – Good match vs Toni Storm. Little bit of a chance to showcase her abilities, losing in the 1st round. Definitely want to see more from her.
Bianca Belair – Tons of potential, didn’t realize how solid physically she was until she started throwing clotheslines haha damn. Won’t take long for her to be in the conversation as one of the best in the business. Good match vs Sage Beckett in the 1st Round, really good stuff vs Kairi Sane in Rd 2. Couldn’t believe she hit the 450. Very impressive run.
Candice LeRae – Had only heard of her before this tournament so this was my 1st time seeing her work and she lived up to the hype. Already a great wrestler, has charisma and a kickass finisher with a cool name. Mrs LeRae’s Wild Ride is too awesome haha got her a couple of Wins first vs Renee Michelle and then Nicole Savoy. Loved her match in Rd 3 vs Shayna Baszler and the story it told, nice that it can continue post-tournament.
Dakota Kai – When I saw her character and her work in the ring, instantly thought of how much potential a feud with Bayley has, think they would work well together. You could bring her in as the evil-Bayley, done right should be easy money. Great showing in the tournament, really good matches vs Kavita Devi and Rhea Ripley. Came up just short vs Kairi in Rd 3 but delivered a great match. Big things ahead for her.
Jazzy Gabert – Man I was so impressed by everything about Jazzy, Her character, her wrestling, her charisma, she has the total package. One might think she has to be a heel but her connection with the crowd is real and special. She is your ass kicker baby face that can go toe to toe with the biggest, baddest heels. Maybe the first female I have ever seen that could be the Stone Cold of Women’s Wrestling. Really good match vs Abbey Laith, I’d be signing her yesterday.
Kavita Devi – Man I did not expect what we got from Kavita. The way she ran up the ropes like a cat and pulled off a Lucha-Libre style arm drag…wow! Then displaying her power later in the match. You don’t see that combo of power and agility every day. If she can put it all together, she could be the greatest of all time lol Long way to go before that though but she is just starting and the potential is definitely there.
Kay Lee Ray – One of the Women that kicked off the tournament and they made the right choice. Very impressive in what little time she had, good match vs Princessa Sugehit. Hopefully we will be seeing more of her.
Lacey Evans – One of the few NXT Women to compete in the tournament and she did them proud. Good match vs Taynara Conti picking up the W. Cool finish, may I suggest the Apple PIE-ldriver as a name 😀 She is improving every time I see her, going to be an impact player sooner than later. When she is ready, a match vs Charlotte could be big money.
Marti Belle – Good match vs Rachel Evers, you can see the potential. Just needs to develop a character or turn up the volume on this Marti Belle character. When she does, look out.
Mercedes Martinez – Too good not to be in NXT or WWE, no reason to wait. She could be a great asset on SmackDown with their division as long as she is treated as a threat. Did a great job vs Li and Sugehit making sure the matches were good and really had a good one vs Abbey Laith. Would’ve loved at least 10 more minutes. Hope she is brought into the mix right away.
Mia Yim – Another one that could/should jump right into WWE or NXT. Good match vs Sarah Logan that surprised me with the outcome, thought it would go the other way. Enjoyed her match vs Baszler, you can tell she could get in there with anyone and have a good match.
Miranda Salinas – Good match vs Rhea Ripley, not much of a chance to showcase her abilities but showed she belongs in the time she had. Gotta keep an eye on her.
Nicole Savoy – The Queen of Suplexes, I like it. Would love to see her get in there with Becky Lynch, thinking they put together something special. Good matches vs Gonzalez and LeRae, hopefully she gets a shot.
Piper Niven – Most Outstanding Performer in the tournament for me, she was just awesome. Her moveset is perfectly suited to her body type and she is money executing it. Thought she had the best match of the 1st 3 rounds vs Garrett, Deeb and Storm respectively. Each women is different but Piper was able to adapt to all 3 and have a great match. No brainer to get her signed asap. An alliance with Nia Jax could be awesome stuff and make them pretty much unstoppable leading to a bigtime match eventually. Made a huge fan out of me.
Princessa Sugehit – Always wanted to see a female Luchador in WWE or NXT and Princessa did not disappoint. She is good but I feel we still haven’t seen all of what she can do. Good matches vs Kay Lee and Mercedes, definitely want to see more from her.
Rachel Evers – Daughter of Paul Ellering and trained by Lance Storm, those are big shoes to fill but she can walk in em. Already good with so much room to grow, if she sticks with it she will be a top name in no time. Good match vs Belle and I really got into her match vs Abbey Laith, sky is the limit.
Reina Gonzales – Liked what I saw from the time she was given, like Marti she needs to find and bring the character out of her. 2nd generation star so she has the pedigree, just has to pull it off.
Renee Michelle – thought she had a good match vs Candice LeRae, made me want to see more. She is very close to taking that next step in her career, the right trainer could help her get there so hope she gets to spend time at the performance center.
Rhea Ripley – Potential with a capital P, she will go as far as she takes herself. That potential everyone recognizes means the expectations will always be high, needs to stay committed to getting better and always performing to the best of her abilities. If she keeps her head on straight and puts it all together in the ring, could be an all time great if not the greatest.
Sage Beckett – Now she is one that does not need to find her character haha so much potential there and she is good in the ring. Gotta keep working but would def be a talent worth investing in especially with the type of character she could bring to TV.
Santana Garrett – Thought she had the best match of Rd 1 vs Piper. Another talent that is WWE/NXT ready right now. Only thing that worries me is if the Santana Garrett character will get over on TV, might be a candidate to repackage. I’m thinking her and Nattie would tear the house down. Excited to see more from her.
Sarah Logan – Man if they are ever considering making Sister Abigail a working character, I can’t be the only one thinking Sarah would be the only choice haha I like her, very charismatic and a unique character. Good match vs Mia Yim, hope they get her signed up ya know she can go with anyone.
Serena Deeb – very happy to see her back in the ring, known for years how talented she is. Had a good match vs Vanessa Borne, nice for her to get a win after a long journey back. Thought she had the best match of the 2nd round vs Piper, almost had it. Hope to see her in WWE/NXT so she can continue her redemption song.
Taynara Conti – Enjoyed her match vs Lacey Evans, you can see the potential is there. Glad she is signed so she can get the training she requires to take that next step. I’m sure next time we see her in action the improvement will be noticeable.
Tessa Blanchard – Oh man how long are we going to have to wait for the match/feud with Charlotte b/c it is going to be legendary. The promos they could cut will be so great and the matches should be even better. Tessa is already good to go and had a really good match vs Kairi Sane. Hopefully she gets brought into the fold soon.
Toni Storm – Man is she great, total package. Total 80’s rock theme, awesome hat, cool character, great in the ring, crushes the little things, could go on and on but she is the real deal. Good matches vs Ayesha and Lacey but had the match of the tournament vs Piper in Rd 3. Another really good match vs Sane just falling short of the Finals. I’m sure they are doing everything they can to sign her, could walk onto the roster and contribute today. Big things ahead.
Vanessa Borne – Good match vs Serene Deeb, really enjoyed it. Still has room to grow and improve but you can see she is getting there both in-ring and character wise. Glad she is signed, shouldn’t be long before she is making her mark.
Xia Li – for someone just starting she is already ahead of where you would think she would be. Tons of potential, needs to get the right training so they can help her put it together but could be something great. Very interested to see more from her.
Zeda – Shayna’s style made it tough for Zeda to really showcase her abilities but they had a good match. Would be interested to see what she can do with someone working more of a pro-wrestling style. Hope to see more from her.
Finalist #1 – Shayna Baszler – Can’t lie it took me a bit to warm up to her style but I became a fan halfway through her 2nd round match vs Mia Yim. She is trying to hold onto her MMA fighting style too hard, to me it’s like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. The way she starts is like a worked MMA fight instead of wrestling and just feels awkward to me but as the tournament went on I felt she started to adapt much better. Huge pop from me when she finally locked up to start the match for the first time in the Finals. By the end of the tournament I became a big fan and think she could be a major star. Loved the way they built up the danger of her finish, which I would like to dub the Nightmare Sleeper 😀 but they did a great job of establishing her as a badass and force to be reckoned with. I see huge potential as a badass heel Champion eventually leading to a big babyface run. She has proved in this tournament she can hold up her end in the ring with anyone. Just needs to find a trainer that can help her find that happy medium in her style between MMA and Pro Wrestling, she is getting close. When she does she will be ready for a great run, hope they give her a serious shot.
Winner of the Mae Young Classic – Kairi Sane – Had to be the favourite coming in and she delivered by running the table defeating Shayna Baszler in the Finals to win it. Lived up to the hype and then created some more. That elbow is a true thing of beauty, love the way she swings it up and down to create more impact instead of keeping it stationary. Every match she was in was awesome, no secret she is ready for WWE/NXT. Sounds like she will be 1 of the competitors in the match for the vacant NXT Womens Championship so thankfully they are wasting no time with her. Can’t wait to see what she can do with all the talented women she will be working with, not to mention the intensity of a Takeover crowd. Very happy she is signed and ready to go, will be fun watching her have kick ass matches. Immediately raises the stock on the NXT Women’s division, can’t wait to see what is coming next.
I left the Mae Young Classic wishing this was a wrestling company instead of a stand alone tournament. Give me any combination of these 32 women weekly and I’ll be watching every time. Thinking about who they would have great matches with on the NXT/WWE rosters makes me very excited for the future. So happy this did this tournament and shined the spotlight on so much talent I had no idea existed. My own fault for not checking out SHIMMER, the home to a lot of the women in this tournament. Really hope this gets people to come out and support women’s wrestling if there are shows near them, then we’ll really have a Womens Revolution.
Well that was really an awesome tournament and I enjoyed every minute of it. Big thanks and congratulations to all 32 women for stepping up and knocking this out of the park. I will def be following their careers from here on out and hope to see them all get a shot on the big stage in the very near future. They set a high bar with the 1st Mae Young Classic and it may not ever be surpassed, but I can’t wait to see the 32 women in the 2nd Mae Young Classic give it a shot. Hopefully sooner than later 😀 Cheers!