Mae Young Classic 2018: Breakdown and Most Likely Winners
This year's Mae Young Classic is almost upon us. The bracket is revealed tomorrow, or today depending when this goes up. Well, if you’ve avoided spoilers then you will be seeing it for the first time, as the matches were pre-taped about a month ago. When comparing the field this year to last year, the tournament is somewhat more stacked. The subtractions of Kay Lee Ray, Piper Niven, Jazzy Gabert, and others would be tough to replace, but WWE decided to try and one up themselves, and they may have done just that. We get Toni Storm back for a second run, Mia Yim is back, Kaitlyn returns, Deonna Purrazzo, Madison (now Ashley) Rayne, Allysin Kay (formerly known as Sienna) and 2 Japanese legends in Meiko Satomura and Io Shirai. They included some Performance Center wrestlers, which could mean they are prime for an NXT debut at some point here soon, like Bianca Belair in last years tournament aside from her qualifying match to get into the tournament. Personally, their are a few other women that I would have loved to see in this tournament, like Charlie Evans and Millie McKenzie as they are some of the best independent women’s wrestlers in the world, but with how high profile this field is those two may get lost in the depth. I will say that I am very excited for this tournament, so let’s look at all the competitors who are in this years field, and an in depth look at the women who I think have a real possibility at winning the whole tournament and how they may fair in WWE.
EDIT: Full disclosure, I finished this article on the 18th of August, and wanted it to be posted the day before the tournament bracketology comes out on the network when the bracket is officially revealed. On the 21st of this August, it was announced at the NXT UK tapings on the 25th and 26th of August would include a tournament to determine the first ever NXT UK Women’s Champion. In that tournament, which we expected are Toni Storm, Jinny, Isla Dawn, and the already signed to NXT UK Nina Samuels. What is interesting is no Killer Kelly in this tournament, she may have already been booked somewhere else for all I know. The other women in the tournament are Millie McKenzie, Dakota Kai, Rhea Ripley, and Xia Brookside. I don’t know Millie’s contractual situation with WWE, and Dakota is already in NXT. After reading this booking decision, it seems that WWE has decided that Rhea is ready to no longer just be a Performance Center wrestler and actually be in the ring for real, and that Xia has signed to be a part of NXT UK.
Others In The Tournament:
Killer Kelly (UNDER WWE NXT UK CONTRACT)
Lacey Lane (UNDER WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER CONTRACT)
Vanessa Kraven
Taynara Conti (UNDER WWE NXT CONTRACT)
Jessie Elaban (UNDER WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER CONTRACT)
Rachel Evers
Hiroyo Matsumoto
Kavita Devi (UNDER WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER CONTRACT)
Zatara
Isla Dawn (UNDER WWE NXT UK CONTRACT)
Nicole Matthews
MJ Jenkins (UNDER WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER CONTRACT)
Kacy Catanzaro (UNDER WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER CONTRACT)
Reina Gonzalez (UNDER WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER CONTRACT)
Ariel Monroe
Priscilla Kelly
Karen Q
Xai Li (UNDER WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER CONTRACT)
Lacey Lane (UNDER WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER CONTRACT)
Vanessa Kraven
Taynara Conti (UNDER WWE NXT CONTRACT)
Jessie Elaban (UNDER WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER CONTRACT)
Rachel Evers
Hiroyo Matsumoto
Kavita Devi (UNDER WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER CONTRACT)
Zatara
Isla Dawn (UNDER WWE NXT UK CONTRACT)
Nicole Matthews
MJ Jenkins (UNDER WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER CONTRACT)
Kacy Catanzaro (UNDER WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER CONTRACT)
Reina Gonzalez (UNDER WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER CONTRACT)
Ariel Monroe
Priscilla Kelly
Karen Q
Xai Li (UNDER WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER CONTRACT)
Dark Horses To Have A Deep Tournament Run:
Killer Kelly
Isla Dawn
Ariel Monroe
Lacey Lane
Isla Dawn
Ariel Monroe
Lacey Lane
Women Most Likely To Win:
Allysin Kay
PROMOTIONS WRESTLED FOR: Impact Wrestling, World Wrestling Network, Shine Wrestling, Shimmer
TITLES WON: Knockouts Champion (2 times), AIW Women’s Champion (1 time)
Like Rayne before her, fans of Impact will know Kay better as Sienna. While she was in Impact, she was a powerhouse and easily the strongest of the knockouts. She has some upside but from what I saw, a small amount of fine tuning is needed in order for her to reach the next level of the women’s wrestling world. She seems to have an aura of heel about her, but her ability makes it tough to not be impressed by her. Her build could really help her in WWE as they are lacking in women that are able to show their strength on a weekly basis. They have women that could do that, like Bayley, if you watch her Instagram stories you will see just how strong she is, but Kay could be a big part in the progression of the WWE women’s roster.
TITLES WON: Knockouts Champion (2 times), AIW Women’s Champion (1 time)
Like Rayne before her, fans of Impact will know Kay better as Sienna. While she was in Impact, she was a powerhouse and easily the strongest of the knockouts. She has some upside but from what I saw, a small amount of fine tuning is needed in order for her to reach the next level of the women’s wrestling world. She seems to have an aura of heel about her, but her ability makes it tough to not be impressed by her. Her build could really help her in WWE as they are lacking in women that are able to show their strength on a weekly basis. They have women that could do that, like Bayley, if you watch her Instagram stories you will see just how strong she is, but Kay could be a big part in the progression of the WWE women’s roster.
Ashley Rayne
PROMOTIONS WRESTLED FOR: Impact Wrestling
TITLES WON: Knockouts Women’s Champion (5 times), Knockouts Women’s Tag Team Champion (2 times)
It’s going to be tough to get used to calling her Ashley and not Madison. She is coming into the tournament just having matches for the Knockouts and the ROH Women’s Championship. So imagining her not having a good run in the tournament is hard. I hadn’t seen her since at least 2012, maybe, it's tough to remember. In looking at footage of her for something to write about, I looked at her match against Tessa Blanchard from May of this year. And holy hell, it’s like she is another wrestler completely. She has improved immensely and looked really good in the ring. Looking at her signing it makes sense on one hand, and not on the other. On one hand she is a mother and would probably love to see her daughter more often, she could do that in WWE and signing with NXT and being living in Orlando. On the other hand she is married to Josh Matthews. Matthews is the lead commentator for Impact Wrestling, so things could be weird, but I can see Rayne signing easily.
TITLES WON: Knockouts Women’s Champion (5 times), Knockouts Women’s Tag Team Champion (2 times)
It’s going to be tough to get used to calling her Ashley and not Madison. She is coming into the tournament just having matches for the Knockouts and the ROH Women’s Championship. So imagining her not having a good run in the tournament is hard. I hadn’t seen her since at least 2012, maybe, it's tough to remember. In looking at footage of her for something to write about, I looked at her match against Tessa Blanchard from May of this year. And holy hell, it’s like she is another wrestler completely. She has improved immensely and looked really good in the ring. Looking at her signing it makes sense on one hand, and not on the other. On one hand she is a mother and would probably love to see her daughter more often, she could do that in WWE and signing with NXT and being living in Orlando. On the other hand she is married to Josh Matthews. Matthews is the lead commentator for Impact Wrestling, so things could be weird, but I can see Rayne signing easily.
Deonna Purrazzo
PROMOTIONS WRESTLED FOR: Ring of Honor, Stardom, East Coast Wrestling Association
TITLES WON: DCW Women’s Champion (1 time), ECWA Women’s Champion (1 time), ROH Women’s wrestler of the year (2017)
She can kick your face in and then break your arm off. She is someone who will find a way to work on someone’s arm and then find a way to lock in that Fujiwara Armbar, and then wrench on it all day. And those kicks are vicious man! She is someone who hadn’t been on my radar before, but now she has my full attention for this tournament. WWE made somewhat of a big deal about her signing, but I hadn’t seen anything of her’s until now. I did know that she was Marty Scurll’s girlfriend, and thought her being signed might be a way to try and pull Marty Scurll from ROH and NJPW from WWE, but now I know she is a big enough star in her own right that WWE may only want her for right now. I can see her getting to the semifinals along with Tegan Nox, but she may be the wrestler flying the most under the radar for this tournament.
TITLES WON: DCW Women’s Champion (1 time), ECWA Women’s Champion (1 time), ROH Women’s wrestler of the year (2017)
She can kick your face in and then break your arm off. She is someone who will find a way to work on someone’s arm and then find a way to lock in that Fujiwara Armbar, and then wrench on it all day. And those kicks are vicious man! She is someone who hadn’t been on my radar before, but now she has my full attention for this tournament. WWE made somewhat of a big deal about her signing, but I hadn’t seen anything of her’s until now. I did know that she was Marty Scurll’s girlfriend, and thought her being signed might be a way to try and pull Marty Scurll from ROH and NJPW from WWE, but now I know she is a big enough star in her own right that WWE may only want her for right now. I can see her getting to the semifinals along with Tegan Nox, but she may be the wrestler flying the most under the radar for this tournament.
Io Shirai
PROMOTIONS WRESTLED FOR: Stardom
TITLES WON: Every title imaginable in Stardom
What hasn’t been said about Io Shirai? She is one of, if not the most decorated women’s wrestlers in history. Io was supposed to be in the tournament last year where, if you believe rumors, she was supposed to win the whole tournament. A neck injury discovered during a WWE physical was the reason she was ultimately removed from the tournament. When trying to predict the finals, it’s hard to not pick Shirai. When you have a woman who was the ace of the Stardom promotion, it would be a huge surprise if they didn’t make it to the finals. While watching Io in action, she is a very fast and very hard hitting wrestler who has an innovative offense. I honestly think that it is a crime that Io Shirai is in NXT and not on the main roster from the jump. Yes I get the fact that she can be introduced to the WWE fanbase, but many fans already know who she is.
TITLES WON: Every title imaginable in Stardom
What hasn’t been said about Io Shirai? She is one of, if not the most decorated women’s wrestlers in history. Io was supposed to be in the tournament last year where, if you believe rumors, she was supposed to win the whole tournament. A neck injury discovered during a WWE physical was the reason she was ultimately removed from the tournament. When trying to predict the finals, it’s hard to not pick Shirai. When you have a woman who was the ace of the Stardom promotion, it would be a huge surprise if they didn’t make it to the finals. While watching Io in action, she is a very fast and very hard hitting wrestler who has an innovative offense. I honestly think that it is a crime that Io Shirai is in NXT and not on the main roster from the jump. Yes I get the fact that she can be introduced to the WWE fanbase, but many fans already know who she is.
Jinny
PROMOTIONS WRESTLED FOR: Progress Wrestling, Rev Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Chaos, South Coast Wrestling
TITLES WON: Progress Women’s Champion (1 time, current), Maiden of Chaos Champion (1 time, current), RevPro British Women’s Champion (1 time), South Coast Queen of the Ring Champion (1 time, current)
I’m gonna be honest with you, I’m not a big fan of Jinny. That should tell you how good of a heel she is. She isn’t as crisp as Toni, as experienced as Mercedes, but what she does do is she hits you like a ton of bricks.Plus you add in the fact that her heel work is so good, you have to think that she will learn a ton not just in the tournament, but as a part of NXT UK where she has signed to. Also, once that starts up, 2 of her 3 partners in House of Couture are signed to NXT UK with Chikara being the odd woman out. Jinny is being set up to be a big antagonist in NXT UK and could be a major heel in this tournament.
TITLES WON: Progress Women’s Champion (1 time, current), Maiden of Chaos Champion (1 time, current), RevPro British Women’s Champion (1 time), South Coast Queen of the Ring Champion (1 time, current)
I’m gonna be honest with you, I’m not a big fan of Jinny. That should tell you how good of a heel she is. She isn’t as crisp as Toni, as experienced as Mercedes, but what she does do is she hits you like a ton of bricks.Plus you add in the fact that her heel work is so good, you have to think that she will learn a ton not just in the tournament, but as a part of NXT UK where she has signed to. Also, once that starts up, 2 of her 3 partners in House of Couture are signed to NXT UK with Chikara being the odd woman out. Jinny is being set up to be a big antagonist in NXT UK and could be a major heel in this tournament.
Kaitlyn
PROMOTIONS WRESTLED FOR: WWE
TITLES WON: Divas Champion (1 time), NXT Season 3 Winner
If you think that this is going to be Kaitlyn’s first match since 2014, you would be incorrect. This year she wrestled 2 matches for Coastal Championship Wrestling, which is a small promotion based in Florida. Thank god for Cagematch. When she was in WWE the first time, I knew watching her in the ring was something different. Kaitlyn, AJ Lee, Paige, & Emma are the ones that started the women’s revolution, which is a better name than women’s evolution I think. Kaitlyn is a lot like Allison Kay, where she has amazing power and strength. She has a background in body fitness, which has helped her. She could be used like Serena Deeb was in this tournament last year, but she could easily be used as a surprise semi-finalist in order to get the wrestler going to the finals over with the fans watching at home. I would love to see her signed after the tournament and be in NXT as the veteran leader in the locker room.
TITLES WON: Divas Champion (1 time), NXT Season 3 Winner
If you think that this is going to be Kaitlyn’s first match since 2014, you would be incorrect. This year she wrestled 2 matches for Coastal Championship Wrestling, which is a small promotion based in Florida. Thank god for Cagematch. When she was in WWE the first time, I knew watching her in the ring was something different. Kaitlyn, AJ Lee, Paige, & Emma are the ones that started the women’s revolution, which is a better name than women’s evolution I think. Kaitlyn is a lot like Allison Kay, where she has amazing power and strength. She has a background in body fitness, which has helped her. She could be used like Serena Deeb was in this tournament last year, but she could easily be used as a surprise semi-finalist in order to get the wrestler going to the finals over with the fans watching at home. I would love to see her signed after the tournament and be in NXT as the veteran leader in the locker room.
Meiko Satomura
PROMOTIONS WRESTLED FOR: Sendai Girls’ Pro Wrestling, Fight Club:PRO, Gaea Japan
TITLES WON: AAAW Single Championship (2 times) (Gaea), FCP Championship (1 time, Current) (Fight Club), Sendai Girls’ World Championship (1 time) (Sendia)
When looking at Satomura, she has become the thing of legend in Japan. She has been heralded as one of the leaders of Women’s wrestling for the past 23 years. That's right, while WWE fans had to deal with women who weren’t wrestlers first like Michelle McCool, Layla, & Eve Torres, Satomura was wrestling in Japan and killing it. When looking at if she will sign with WWE, it’s a tough situation. She is 38 years old and is in the latter half of her career. She would be a welcomed addition to the coaching staff at the Performance Center along with Sarah Amato and Serena Deeb, but I think she wants to continue to wrestle, and can see her getting signed and going straight to the main roster.
TITLES WON: AAAW Single Championship (2 times) (Gaea), FCP Championship (1 time, Current) (Fight Club), Sendai Girls’ World Championship (1 time) (Sendia)
When looking at Satomura, she has become the thing of legend in Japan. She has been heralded as one of the leaders of Women’s wrestling for the past 23 years. That's right, while WWE fans had to deal with women who weren’t wrestlers first like Michelle McCool, Layla, & Eve Torres, Satomura was wrestling in Japan and killing it. When looking at if she will sign with WWE, it’s a tough situation. She is 38 years old and is in the latter half of her career. She would be a welcomed addition to the coaching staff at the Performance Center along with Sarah Amato and Serena Deeb, but I think she wants to continue to wrestle, and can see her getting signed and going straight to the main roster.
Mercedes Martinez
PROMOTIONS WRESTLED FOR: Shimmer, World Wrestling Network, World Xtreme Wrestling
TITLES WON: Shimmer Champion (2 times), WXW Women’s Champion (6 times), WXW Cruiserweight Champion
If you watched the Mae Young Classic last year, then you will know who Mercedes Martinez is. She is one of the biggest independent female wrestlers in the world and after seeing the tournament, I was surprised that she was one of the wrestlers that wasn’t signed. All the wrestlers she wrestled were signed in one way or another. Mercedes has a ton of in ring ability and is able to adapt to ability of her opponents. She showed a grittier side against Abbey Laith in the quarterfinals and then turned around and showed her wrestling ability. She is going to look good in this tournament and would be a huge sign for WWE and really help bolster their women’s division.
TITLES WON: Shimmer Champion (2 times), WXW Women’s Champion (6 times), WXW Cruiserweight Champion
If you watched the Mae Young Classic last year, then you will know who Mercedes Martinez is. She is one of the biggest independent female wrestlers in the world and after seeing the tournament, I was surprised that she was one of the wrestlers that wasn’t signed. All the wrestlers she wrestled were signed in one way or another. Mercedes has a ton of in ring ability and is able to adapt to ability of her opponents. She showed a grittier side against Abbey Laith in the quarterfinals and then turned around and showed her wrestling ability. She is going to look good in this tournament and would be a huge sign for WWE and really help bolster their women’s division.
Mia Yim
PROMOTIONS WRESTLED FOR: Shimmer, Impact Wrestling, Shine Wrestling
TITLES WON: Shine Champion (1 time), Shine Tag Team Champion (1 time), Knockouts Champion (1 time)
Mia competed in the tournament last year, beating Sarah Logan and then falling to Shayna Baszler. She was in Impact and went by the name Jade. I really was impressed with her in the 2017 tournament and her, like Mercedes Martinez, surprised me by not signing with the WWE after the tournament. She has the skill set and the type of offense that WWE looks for. She can do a little bit of everything and showed all of them in the tournament last year and the footage I watched of her. Depending on how the bracket is drawn, she could be a darkhorse to make a deep run. She has wrestled all over the world and I think it is time that she calls WWE home. She can fit right in with Kairi Sane, Dakota Kai, and many of the other women that are on the tier just below the WWE 4 Horsewomen.
TITLES WON: Shine Champion (1 time), Shine Tag Team Champion (1 time), Knockouts Champion (1 time)
Mia competed in the tournament last year, beating Sarah Logan and then falling to Shayna Baszler. She was in Impact and went by the name Jade. I really was impressed with her in the 2017 tournament and her, like Mercedes Martinez, surprised me by not signing with the WWE after the tournament. She has the skill set and the type of offense that WWE looks for. She can do a little bit of everything and showed all of them in the tournament last year and the footage I watched of her. Depending on how the bracket is drawn, she could be a darkhorse to make a deep run. She has wrestled all over the world and I think it is time that she calls WWE home. She can fit right in with Kairi Sane, Dakota Kai, and many of the other women that are on the tier just below the WWE 4 Horsewomen.
Rhea Ripley
PROMOTIONS WRESTLED FOR: Riot City Wrestling, WWE
TITLES WON: RCW Women’s Champion (2 times)
This one is the shock of the list, but hear me out on this one. Rhea is someone who is still a little rough around the edges, but her potential is through the roof. She is only 21 years old and according to Cagematch, she took her first booking in 2013, which would be when she was only 16. She has all the tools available to be one of the best women’s wrestlers in this day and age, and her supporting cast in WWE at the Performance Center is amazing I think Rhea will be one women to watch out for in this tournament. She had some good matches in the last tournament, specifically against Dakota Kai. She showed that she has a good strength advantage over her opponents and she has a distinct height advantage over her opponents. She isn’t the tallest women in this tournament, but of the women on this list, she is the tallest at 5’7”. I expect her to get to the quarterfinals this year, simply because of the amount of women still at the Performance Center in this tournament, and Rhea being the best of the bunch that hasn’t been apart of the major independent wrestling scene before signing.
TITLES WON: RCW Women’s Champion (2 times)
This one is the shock of the list, but hear me out on this one. Rhea is someone who is still a little rough around the edges, but her potential is through the roof. She is only 21 years old and according to Cagematch, she took her first booking in 2013, which would be when she was only 16. She has all the tools available to be one of the best women’s wrestlers in this day and age, and her supporting cast in WWE at the Performance Center is amazing I think Rhea will be one women to watch out for in this tournament. She had some good matches in the last tournament, specifically against Dakota Kai. She showed that she has a good strength advantage over her opponents and she has a distinct height advantage over her opponents. She isn’t the tallest women in this tournament, but of the women on this list, she is the tallest at 5’7”. I expect her to get to the quarterfinals this year, simply because of the amount of women still at the Performance Center in this tournament, and Rhea being the best of the bunch that hasn’t been apart of the major independent wrestling scene before signing.
Tegan Nox
PROMOTIONS WRESTLED FOR: Southside Wrestling Entertainment, Stardom, Fight Club: Pro, ATTACK! Pro Wrestling, Defiant Wrestling
TITLES WON: Attack! 24/7 Champion (3 times), Attack! Tag Team Champion (1 time), SWE Tag Team Champion (1 time), WCPW Women’s Champion (1 time)
Tegan Nox was known as Nixon Newell in the wrestling world outside of WWE. Her nickname is ‘The Girl With the Shiniest Wizard’ and she would hit women very hard with her knee. She is one of the women that have been on WWE’s radar for quite some time. She was signed last year and was planned to be in the tournament, but she tore her ACL and had to be replaced by Miranda Salinas. In last year’s field, she would’ve been somewhat of a dark horse pick to get to the semi’s or even the finals. I do think that a semi-final run for her this year will be possible, but with Io Shirai and one other wrestler that I don’t talk about until later in this article, the finals may be just to much of a pipe dream this year. Tegan will have a phenomenal time over in NXT UK as she spent a lot of years honing her craft to become the wrestler that she is today. Expect a strong showing from the newly renamed Tegan Nox this year.
TITLES WON: Attack! 24/7 Champion (3 times), Attack! Tag Team Champion (1 time), SWE Tag Team Champion (1 time), WCPW Women’s Champion (1 time)
Tegan Nox was known as Nixon Newell in the wrestling world outside of WWE. Her nickname is ‘The Girl With the Shiniest Wizard’ and she would hit women very hard with her knee. She is one of the women that have been on WWE’s radar for quite some time. She was signed last year and was planned to be in the tournament, but she tore her ACL and had to be replaced by Miranda Salinas. In last year’s field, she would’ve been somewhat of a dark horse pick to get to the semi’s or even the finals. I do think that a semi-final run for her this year will be possible, but with Io Shirai and one other wrestler that I don’t talk about until later in this article, the finals may be just to much of a pipe dream this year. Tegan will have a phenomenal time over in NXT UK as she spent a lot of years honing her craft to become the wrestler that she is today. Expect a strong showing from the newly renamed Tegan Nox this year.
Toni Storm
PROMOTIONS WRESTLED FOR: Progress Wrestling, World Wonder Ring Stardom, WWE, Westside Xtreme Wrestling
TITLES WON: Progress Women’s Champion (1 time), Natural Progression Series IV winner, WXW Women’s Champion (1 time, Current)
The best thing about Toni Storm, she’s only 22 years old. Oh, and she is also pretty good in the ring I guess. Toni is so good at such a young age, it’s scary to think how good she will be as her career matures. She has a great technical game and all her moves look very crisp in the ring. She helped pioneer the Progress Women’s division and was the inaugural champion. When I was talking about Tegan Nox, and was cautious to pick her to get to the finals, Toni was the reason for that. The star power of Toni is so strong that I can’t help but pick her to go to the finals. Hell, I’ll actually go as far to say that Toni will be the winner of this years Mae Young Classic. She is already signed to WWE for the NXT UK expansion, where I will bet she becomes the ace for the women there. With that being the case, expect her to have a deep run in the tournament.
TITLES WON: Progress Women’s Champion (1 time), Natural Progression Series IV winner, WXW Women’s Champion (1 time, Current)
The best thing about Toni Storm, she’s only 22 years old. Oh, and she is also pretty good in the ring I guess. Toni is so good at such a young age, it’s scary to think how good she will be as her career matures. She has a great technical game and all her moves look very crisp in the ring. She helped pioneer the Progress Women’s division and was the inaugural champion. When I was talking about Tegan Nox, and was cautious to pick her to get to the finals, Toni was the reason for that. The star power of Toni is so strong that I can’t help but pick her to go to the finals. Hell, I’ll actually go as far to say that Toni will be the winner of this years Mae Young Classic. She is already signed to WWE for the NXT UK expansion, where I will bet she becomes the ace for the women there. With that being the case, expect her to have a deep run in the tournament.
Xia Brookside
PROMOTIONS WRESTLED FOR: Stardom, IPW, Kamikaze Pro
TITLES WON: PWU Women’s Champion (1 time), IPW:UK Women’s Champion (1 time; current)
Xia Brookside is 19 years old and she is about to wrestle for WWE. Now let that sink in, and add in the fact that her father is Robbie Brookside, yes the UK wrestling legend Robbie Brookside, and Xia has all the potential in the world. She has been working for only a few years and her in ring ability looks really good. The only thing that could be a knock for her is her lack of experience compared to some of the other competitors in the field. She has the advantage of learning from her legendary father. She does have a really nice drop kick and her bridging pin is eerily similar to that of Zack Saber Jr, and a lot of her other moves are crisp as well. She isn’t under WWE contract, but she would be a welcomed edition for NXT UK as the brand only has 6 wrestlers currently and 4 are in this tournament already.
TITLES WON: PWU Women’s Champion (1 time), IPW:UK Women’s Champion (1 time; current)
Xia Brookside is 19 years old and she is about to wrestle for WWE. Now let that sink in, and add in the fact that her father is Robbie Brookside, yes the UK wrestling legend Robbie Brookside, and Xia has all the potential in the world. She has been working for only a few years and her in ring ability looks really good. The only thing that could be a knock for her is her lack of experience compared to some of the other competitors in the field. She has the advantage of learning from her legendary father. She does have a really nice drop kick and her bridging pin is eerily similar to that of Zack Saber Jr, and a lot of her other moves are crisp as well. She isn’t under WWE contract, but she would be a welcomed edition for NXT UK as the brand only has 6 wrestlers currently and 4 are in this tournament already.
Zeuxis
PROMOTIONS WRESTLED FOR: CMLL
TITLES WON: Mexican National Women's Championship (1 time), CMLL-Reina International Champion (1 time, current), CMLL-Reina International Champion (1 time), Reina World Tag Team Champion (3 times)
My god is this woman violent. The footage I watched of her showed that she is willing to go the extra mile in order to win the match. She defeated Princesa Sugehit who was in last year's tournament in a mask vs mask match at CMLL’s 84th anniversary show. She has an amazing suicide dive, and a nice Spanish Fly from the top. Other than that, she can be a little to aggressive in the ring, but that can be forgiven if she is portrayed as a heel. I can see her not being signed right after the tournament, but once NXT South America starts up, expect her to be a key part of that
PREDICTED FINISHES FOR ALL ON THE CONTENDERS LIST:
Meiko Satomura: 2nd Round
Ashley Rayne: 2nd Round
Xia Brookside: 2nd Round
Zeuxis: 2nd Round
Jinny: 2nd Round
Allysin Kay: 2nd Round
Mercedes Martinez: Quarterfinalist
Mia Yim: Quarterfinalist
Kaitlyn: Quarterfinalist
Rhea Ripley: Quarterfinalist
Tegan Nox: Semifinalist
Deonna Purrazzo: Semifinalist
Io Shirai: Finalist
Toni Storm: Finalist *WINNER*
TITLES WON: Mexican National Women's Championship (1 time), CMLL-Reina International Champion (1 time, current), CMLL-Reina International Champion (1 time), Reina World Tag Team Champion (3 times)
My god is this woman violent. The footage I watched of her showed that she is willing to go the extra mile in order to win the match. She defeated Princesa Sugehit who was in last year's tournament in a mask vs mask match at CMLL’s 84th anniversary show. She has an amazing suicide dive, and a nice Spanish Fly from the top. Other than that, she can be a little to aggressive in the ring, but that can be forgiven if she is portrayed as a heel. I can see her not being signed right after the tournament, but once NXT South America starts up, expect her to be a key part of that
PREDICTED FINISHES FOR ALL ON THE CONTENDERS LIST:
Meiko Satomura: 2nd Round
Ashley Rayne: 2nd Round
Xia Brookside: 2nd Round
Zeuxis: 2nd Round
Jinny: 2nd Round
Allysin Kay: 2nd Round
Mercedes Martinez: Quarterfinalist
Mia Yim: Quarterfinalist
Kaitlyn: Quarterfinalist
Rhea Ripley: Quarterfinalist
Tegan Nox: Semifinalist
Deonna Purrazzo: Semifinalist
Io Shirai: Finalist
Toni Storm: Finalist *WINNER*
