After former Divas Champion Kaitlyn and Australian NXT wrestler Rhea Ripley, WWE announced four more competitors for The Mae Young Classic 2018 Tournament in WWE NXT Superstar and former American Ninja Warrior competitor Kacy Catanzaro, NXT signee and Japanese Women’s star Io Shirai, Canadian indie veteran Nicole Matthews and current PROGRESS Women’s World Champion and NXT UK Superstar Jinny.
As quoted recently, Shirai was introduced as WWE’s newest signee at a Live Event in Tokyo 2 weeks ago. Dubbed “The Genius of the Sky”, Shirai has captured countless titles in Stardom promotion. Shirai, alongside NXT Star Kairi Sane and WWE Superstar Asuka, had been considered for a long time as the best female wrestlers in the world. Shirai was named the top women’s wrestler for the past three years by Tokyo Sports, as quoted by WWE.
Kacy Catanzaro was best known for her groundbreaking performances on “American Ninja Warrior” before being recruited into the WWE Performance Center earlier this year. The former gymnast has been a wrestling fan since childhood. She signed with WWE during the Mae Young Classic 2017 Tournament. She made her in-ring debut at an NXT live event last April, she also appeared on NXT TV show.
The former SHIMMER World Champion and 2-time Tag Team Champion Nicole Matthews is a 12-year ring veteran from Vancouver. She has competed in Canada, the United States, England, Japan and Australia. She has faced some of the best female wrestlers of this planet. Like WWE quotes, “She boasts an aggressive, bullying style of wrestling and likes to finish opponents with a devastating rolling cutter she calls the ‘Vancouver Maneuver’.”
Those who have never heard about Jinny discovered what the PROGRESS Wrestling Champion is about during the WWE UK Championship Tournament last month. She holds the distinction of being the first female graduate of PROGRESS’s wrestling school and has been wrestling for the company since 2014. The UK-based hard-hitting talent is now a member of the brand new NXT UK roster.
More names will be announced by WWE in the coming days and weeks. The Mae Young Classic 2018 Tournament tapings are taking place on August 8 and 9 at Full Sail Live in Orlando, Florida. The shows were sold out a few hours after the announcement of the tapings.
All pics courtesy of WWE.com