Tonight on the WWE Network, Shayna Baszler faces Kairi Sane in the Mae Young Classic Finale. Which woman will be crowned the inaugural winner of the Mae Young Classic? The Diva Dirt teams weighs in:
Abir: With the inevitable Horsewomen vs Horsewomen feud coming along, the MMA women need to have some credibility to this somewhat new audience. If Shayna has the title of the “first MYC winner”, then she’ll look pretty tough. Also, I see Kairi being the next NXT Women’s champion. And to make that moment even sweeter, it needs to be her real crowning moment. If she takes a loss at the MYC, this can build her up and put her at an even playing field to the other women of NXT whom have also taken big losses. So, in the end, it works out best for both women is Shayna takes home the crown tonight.
Alex: I’m going to my bold here and say I’m predicting Shayna Baszler to win. The Four Horsewomen battle seems to be on the cards and Kairi has ample time to make her mark in NXT. Shayna has the potential to bring in the new MMA style to the women’s division, as she’s done through the tournament and it’s clearly something that the WWE are invested in with someone like Brock Lesnar around. Shayna catching Kairi out the sky during her elbow drop into a naked choke for the win.
Candace: Kairi Sane for me!
Josue: From the very moment it was announced that Kairi Sane had signed with NXT, I knew she would make it to the finals of the Mae Young Classic. I wasn’t sure who would meet her in the finals but seeing as how WWE have been pushing this Four Horsewomen feud before, throughout and most likely after the tournament, I can see why it was Shayna Baszler. While I want to believe that Kairi being signed with WWE guarantees she’ll win, I’m going to go with Shayna Baszler getting the upset win tonight. Post victory, she’ll be embraced and share her celebration with her fellow MMA Horsewomen and they’ll have one final stare down with WWE’s Four Horsewomen in the crowd to continue their feud.
Matthew: I’ve got Kairi Sane for the win.
Rhys: In this instance, it’s very difficult to say who will come out on top. On one hand, you have the adorable Kairi, who is actually signed with WWE, has the crowd support, and is a good role-model for the inaugural winner of the MYC Trophy, showing true respect to everyone she has been in competition with. But on the other hand, you have Shayna Baszler, who has been built up as the biggest villain of the tournament, showing no respect to anyone in tournament, having the crowd genuinely dislike her, and of course while she’s not signed with WWE (yet), she’s one of the MMA’s Four Horsewomen, which of course includes Box Office draw, Ronda Rousey. And you of course have the seeds planted for a WWE 4HW VS MMA 4HW feud being planted. But I’d rather not let this tournament be focused on that. It’s like the reports of the winner also winning the NXT Womens Championship. Both of these things would devalue the whole idea of the Mae Young Classic. So if Shayna wins, it’s not that she’s not deserving, it’s just that other factors playing behind the scenes shouldn’t let this influence the victory. She should win because she did it, not because Ronda Rousey was involved, or anyone else in the 4HW feud. So with this logic, I’m hoping Kairi Sane comes out on top.
Stephanie: Kairi Sane is the total package. She’s got her character, a unique moveset, and enough dazzling charisma that she’s already stolen the hearts of everyone watching the tournament. She’s the right woman and my pick to win. However, I expect some kind of swerve with Shayna in order to continue pushing this 4 HW angle no one really wants. I hope WWE makes the right decision and my fears of using MYC as a vehicle just to get Ronda into WWE is unfounded because it looks and tastes really bad. Kairi for the win!
BREAKDOWN: 4 for Kairi Sane, 3 for Shayna Baszler.
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Who do you agree with? Who is just dead wrong? What are your predictions? Sound off in the comments below!
