The upcoming Mae Young Classic tournament will finally begin taping the first round of matches from Full Sail University later tonight in Orlando, Florida. The tournament is a very special one that will exclusively feature women that the majority of the WWE audience is unfamiliar with, much like last year’s Cruiserweight Classic tournament did. The show is going to be a historic 32-woman tournament that will end in one winner earning a trophy and possibly a new title belt as was rumored a little while ago. All 32 competitors will be revealed later tonight on WWE’s Facebook page through the Mae Young Classic Parade of Champions.
The tournament will feature three different WWE Hall of Famers on commentary, those being Alundra Blayze (formerly Madusa), Jim Ross, and Lita. The event will also have recent WWE signee Kennadi Brink serve as a female referee during the tournament. As of right now, we only know about half of the participants in the tournament, but a recent report put out by PWInsider claims to have knowledge on the full list of talent that will be taking part in the tournament tapings later tonight. Keep in mind that Nixon Newell is no longer expected to be in the tournament due to an injury she suffered recently. Also, PWInsider states that other talents may be in Orlando right now that haven’t been confirmed.
*Candice La Rae
*Mia Yim
*Tessa Blanchard
*Rachel Ellering
*Lei’d Tapa
*Deonna Purrazzo
*Santana Garrett
*Renee Michelle
*Marti Belle
*Mercedez Martinez
*Kay Lee Rae
*Ayesha Raymond
*Rhea Ripley
*Sage Beckett
*Kairi Sane
*Dakota Kai
*Bianca Belair
*Vanessa Borne
*Abbey Laith
*Jazzy Gabert
*Taynara Conti
*Piper November
*Kavita Devi
*Lacey Evans
*Sarah Logan
*Toni Storm
*Princesa Sugehit
*Reina Gonzales
*Zaeda
*Zhao Xia
*Barbi Hayden
*Shayna Baszler
*Nicole Savoy
Interestingly enough, PWInsider was able to confirm 33 names for the tournament rather than the expected 32. It is possible that other talents could be there to fill in for participants if they go down with unexpected injuries or if any other issues occur. The Mae Young Classic is going to be taping later tonight with the first four episodes premiering on the WWE Network on August 28th. A Bracketology special will be airing immediately after SummerSlam on August 20th. The tournament will join the Cruiserweight Classic and United Kingdom Championship Tournament in the recent round of tournament shows that WWE has produced. A new tournament featuring tag teams is reportedly under consideration at the moment.
Be sure to check back here later tonight for the full list of confirmed participants after the Mae Young Classic Parade of Champions airs.