As we approach the much anticipated Mae Young Classic Women’s Tournament taking place this summer, more names of participants into the tournament are being revealed!
Today an ESPN exclusive have confirmed the following five names:
- Tessa Blanchard: The daughter of Tully Blanchard (one of the legendary Four Horseman), the stepdaughter of NWA standout Magnum TA and granddaughter of Joe Blanchard, who trained Dusty Rhodes, Blanchard has roots richly steeped in professional wrestling. The 21-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina has competed in China and Japan, and trained with 205 Live superstar Cedric Alexander.
- Abbey Laith: Formerly known as “Kimber Lee,” Laith joined the WWE Performance Center as part of another class of recruits in January. This opportunity came after more than six years in the world of independent wrestling, where she won titles with various promotions such as Shimmer, Shine and WSU. The 26-year-old from Seattle, Washington became the first woman in wrestling history to win a primary championship of a male-centric promotion when she won CHIKARA Grand Championship in December 2015. She’s also fought in NXT as Kimberly Frankele, losing to Ember Moon last December among several other appearances, including a recent match with Ruby Riot and a battle royal to determine the No. 1 contender to the NXT women’s championship.
- Taynara Conti: A 5-foot-6 black belt in judo who participated in the 2016 Olympic trials in her native Rio de Janeiro, Conti was among a class of recruits to join the WWE Performance Center last October. She is a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
- Alpha Female: Also known as Jazzy Gabert, the 35-year-old fighter from Berlin, Germany has competed in MMA (1-1) and previously worked with Stardom in Japan, as well as TNA (now IMPACT Wrestling). She received a WWE tryout in 2012.
- Kavita Devi: Devi is trainee of former WWE heavyweight champion, The Great Khali, and has competed for India’s Continental Wrestling Entertainment. Additionally, she was among 34 international athletes to compete at a WWE tryout hosted in Dubai in April. The 30-year-old India native has also competed in weightlifting at the national level in her home country, as well as several MMA fights.
WWE have previously announced the Toni Storm, Lacey Evans, Sarah Logan and Princesa Sugehit for the tournament. Other rumored names for the tournament include Bianca Blair, Danielle Kamela, Mary Kate, Victoria Gonzales and Zhao Xia.
You can find more pictures and information on the Mae Young Classic particiapnts on WWE.com.
The Mae Young Classic tournament will be filmed on July 13th and 14th, 2017 at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida with the special live finale reportedly being set for the end of the summer. The first round of the tournament will be available on VOD in late august while the second round being released in early September.
The WWE Network will also be airing a special preview of the tournament on Sunday August 20th.
What do you think of the current names listed? What other names do you think will be added? Let us know in the comments below!
