WWE Hall of Famers Jim Ross and Lita will serve as the commentary team for the upcoming Mae Young Classic women’s tournament, which premieres Monday, August 28th.

According to WWE.com, the Mae Young Classic women’s tournament will stream exclusively on WWE Network, starting Monday, August 28th, with the first four episodes available on demand. Episodes five through eight will be available on demand the follow week, Monday, September 4th.

The finale of the 32-woman single-elimination tournament will stream live from Las Vegas on Tuesday, September 12th at 10pm EST (after SmackDown Live goes off the air).

BREAKING: @JRsBBQ & @AmyDumas to announce the #MaeYoungClassic, streaming on @WWENetwork starting Monday, Aug. 28. https://t.co/LS2bvwf1jS pic.twitter.com/PR6Ma2Wdx0

— Mae Young Classic (@MaeYoungClassic) June 26, 2017

On Thursday, WWE sent in word that five additional competitors have been announced for the upcoming Mae Young Classic Women’s tournament. Among the participants is Tessa Blanchard, daughter of WWE Hall of Famer and Four Horseman Tully Blanchard.

International powerhouses, Performance Center standouts and third-generation grappler named to Mae Young Classic

The anticipation for WWE’s inaugural Mae Young Classic continues to grow with the announcement of five more entrants into the tournament, as first reported by ESPN.com.

Third-generation wrestler Tessa Blanchard, hard-hitting veteran Abbey Laith, black-belt judoka Taynara Conti, international bruiser Jazzy Gabert and Great Khali protégé Kavita Devi are the latest additions to the Classic, which streams this summer, exclusively on WWE Network.

They will join Toni Storm, Princesa Sugehit, Lacey Evans and Sarah Logan, who were announced last week for the 32-woman tournament.

Twenty-one-year-old Tessa Blanchard, of Charlotte, N.C., may be new to the WWE Universe, but her last name isn’t. The daughter of WWE Hall of Famer and Four Horseman Tully Blanchard, granddaughter of wrestler-turned-promoter Joe Blanchard, and stepdaughter of NWA legend Magnum TA, Tessa decided to follow in the family trade after watching her father’s Hall of Fame induction in 2012.

Since her 2014 debut, Blanchard has competed across the globe, including in the U.K., China, Japan and the Maritimes (where she once wrestled 23 nights in a row). She has even garnered praise from The Rock, whom she worked with on the set of the movie “Fighting with My Family.”

Abbey Laith grew up admiring revolutionaries like Lita, Chyna and Ivory, but the WWE Performance Center standout — renowned for her strikes and suplexes — will have a chance to break new ground of her own in this summer’s Classic. Coming to wrestling with an extensive background in dance, particularly ballet, Laith began training for the ring while working toward a bachelor’s degree in dance education from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

Laith, who counts WWE Cruiserweight Drew Gulak as one of her original coaches, developed into wrestling royalty on the independent scene. She captured titles in SHIMMER Women Athletes and Shine Wrestling and became the only woman to hold the Chikara Grand Championship before joining the Performance Center earlier this year.

A newcomer to sports-entertainment, 22-year-old judo master Taynara Conti might be one of the Classic’s least-seasoned wrestlers inside the ring. However, the Performance Center recruit isn’t lacking world-class combat-sport experience.

Conti spent years honing her martial arts skills in her native Brazil, eventually being promoted to black belt in judo and blue belt in jiu-jitsu. She competed in the 2016 Olympic trials in judo, and though Conti narrowly missed the cut, her thunderous throws helped put her on the radar of WWE talent scouts. Having trained under WWE coaches since last October, Conti will get her first chance at The Mae Young Classic to show the world what happens when a decorated judoka enters the ring.

Representing Germany in the Classic is Jazzy Gabert, a muscle-packed, 6-foot-1 brawler who has wrestled internationally for more than 15 years. A strongwoman and professional MMA fighter outside the ring, the bruising Berliner has achieved her greatest success in Europe and Japan.

Gabert is a multi-time champion in Japan’s Stardom organization, and she is currently a women’s champion for groups in Germany and Switzerland. In MMA, she has fought under the banners of the Rizin Fighting Federation and IFO Europe.

Kavita Devi is a powerhouse student of former World Champion The Great Khali. Hailing from Jind, Haryana, India, the 5-foot-9 Devi is a top competitor in Khali’s Punjab-based organization, Continental Wrestling Entertainment. She gained the attention of WWE talent scouts at a tryout this past April in Dubai.

Devi was an accomplished kabaddi player in high school and is also a competitive powerlifter. In 2016, she won gold in the 75 kg weightlifting division at the South Asian Games. Inside the ring, Devi has racked up victories using a head-caving roundhouse kick.

Visit WWE.com for more on the upcoming Mae Young Classic tournament.

First Four Competitors Announced For Mae Young Classic

WWE has announced the first four competitors to be included in the Mae Young Classic tournament this summer. The four names announced are NXT Superstars Lacey Evans and Sarah Logan, Progress Women’s Champion Toni Storm and Princesa Sugehit. Princesa Sugehit has been in the wrestling business for over 20 years and is the current Mexican National Women’s Champion.

You can check out the official announcement and bio of the Superstars by clicking here.

6 Strangest Things Hung Above A Ladder

WWE has posted a new video narrated by Corey Graves that counted down the 6 strangest things hung above a ladder in wrestling. The list included Kurt Angle’s Olympic gold medals, a stun gun, custody papers, a ceramic duck and more. You can check out the entire list in the video below.

Current Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Kelly Klein recently did an interview with Interactive Wrestling Radio’s James Walsh, Patrick Kelley, and Scott Vodrey to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. During her appearance, Klein was asked about the possibility of getting involved with the WWE’s Mae Young Classic tournament.

Here’s what she had to say:

Thoughts on the Mae Young classic:

“When you look at other things outside of wrestling, at history. The person who writes the history book is always the winner. The person with more money behind them and more exposure is going to claim that,” Klein explained.

If WWE or Impact started the women’s revolution:

“I think the WWE has done and is doing great things for the women’s revolution. But, at this point, I think it is more a collaborative effort. There are so many women who are training and excelling now in the lower levels of wrestling and a lot of that is because they see there is a payoff, there is a place for them. Whereas, 10 years ago, when I was starting, there were very limited roles. That was when the Knockouts started. There were more roles and that was a big deal.”

TNA Knockouts’ impact on the women’s revolution:

“As far as starting it, I think that the Knockouts really had a huge role in that.” Klein said. “It is kind of funny, in a way. Even though there are more spots available, there are more women going for those spots. We do have to be working even harder and be at the top of our game. I love it because it creates competition among us and within ourselves to be the best.”

Possibly commentating for the Mae Young Classic:

“I am just going to say that I would always consider any opportunity. Every opportunity has many, many variables… many seen and man unforeseen. I am not one who would ever say I would never do this or never work for this place. Every opportunity is different and has to be considered individually.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions 

According to PWInsider.com, a preview special for the 32-woman tournament will air on the WWE Network on August 20th. In the final week of August, the entire first round of the tournament will be released via on-demand so fans can binge-watch the episodes. The second round of the tournament will then be released during the first week of September.

WWE originally discussed releasing it during SummerSlam week, but changed their minds because they didn’t want the tournament overshadowed by everything going on SummerSlam weekend. NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III airs on August 19th and then SummerSlam airs the following night on August 20th.

The finals of the Mae Young Classic are set to air live on the WWE Network on September 12th. WWE is scheduled to tape SmackDown Live in Las Vegas on the same night, so it is possible that the finals will air live from Las Vegas. All rounds of the Mae Young Classic, excluding the finals, are set to tape on July 13th and July 14th at Full Sail University.

WWE’s upcoming Women’s Tournament kicks off Thursday, July 13th and has been dubbed the Mae Young Classic. The event will stream later this summer exclusively on WWE Network. In a statement released to WWE.com, Triple H said,

“The Mae Young Classic will mark a significant moment in the evolution of WWE. We are proud to provide this unique opportunity for the best female talent from around the world.”

The Mae Young Classic

After months of rumors, WWE confirmed a women’s tournament was in the works at the “WWE Reimagined” presentation from Orlando, Florida during WrestleMania weekend.

The Mae Young Classic will feature 32 female competitors from 17 different countries. WWE has not yet announced any of the participants, but expect to see talent from NXT, participants from WWE’s recent tryout camps and top independent performers.

The tournament will be taped on July 13th & 14th from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida and will air as a weekly show on the WWE Network this summer. Earlier this month, PWInsider reported that the finals will take place on Tuesday, August 29th and will air live on the WWE Network.

The tournament being named after the late Mae Young is a fitting tribute to the legendary grappler. After a career that spanned seven decades, she gained a whole new following during the Attitude Era when she and the Fabulous Moola made occasional appearances on WWE television. The women’s wrestling pioneer was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.

Discussion: Based on what we’ve seen from the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, the Cruiserweight Classic and the UK Championship tournament, what is your interest level in the Mae Young Classic? Any NXT/independent stars you really want to see involved?