WWE has announced the name of the second confirmed wrestler for the 2018 Mae Young Classic. Yesterday, the company announced that former Divas Champion, Kaitlyn, was the first to officially enter the tournament.
Today, WWE unveiled Australia’s Rhea Ripley will be back in the tournament this year. The 21-year-old got her start wrestling in Melbourne’s Riot City Wrestling from 2013 to 2017. After a solid performance at last year’s tournament, WWE signed Ripley and sent her to the Performance Center in Orlando.
Rhea Ripley
In last year’s tournament, Ripley defeated Miranda Salinas in the first round before losing to Dakota Kai in the next.
Since signing with WWE last year, Ripley has been active on the NXT house show circuit. She has only competed once on NXT television, however, participating in a battle royal on the October 4th, 2017 edition of the show.
“The hard-hitting Ripley, who began wrestling as a teenager and competed in Japan before joining NXT, is considered one of the strongest women in the WWE PC weight room” WWE’s press release states. “In addition to a wide arsenal of power moves, Ripley boasts wicked striking ability, which can be traced back her extensive background in soccer.”
2018 Mae Young Classic
This year’s version of the Mae Young Classic will take place on August 8th and 9th from Full Sail University. As was the case with last year’s tournament, the finals will take place at a later date and likely air live on the WWE Network.
Last year’s winner, Kairi Sane, competes in NXT. The other finalist from last year, Shayna Baszler, is now the NXT Women’s Champion.
Abbey Laith (Kimber Lee), Sage Beckett, and Zeda were signed after last year’s tournament but have since been released.
Candice LeRae, Kavita Devi, and Shayna Baszler all signed shortly after the tournament. Serena Deeb would also sign with WWE but as a trainer assigned to the WWE Performance Center.
