After weeks of anticipation, the second annual Mae Young Classic has officially begun. Much like last year’s tournament, 32 women from all over the world will be competing in the tournament this year with the two finalists going on to compete at WWE’s all women’s Evolution pay-per-view in October in order to determine the winner of the Mae Young Classic. The show was taped in Full Sail University a few weeks back, and the first episode of this year’s tournament was uploaded onto the WWE Network last night after NXT concluded. The show can be watched on-demand right now for all network subscribers, but the results from episode one of the 2018 Mae Young Classic have also been posted down below:
Tegan Nox defeated Zatara – After missing last year’s tournament due to an injury, Nox is hoping to really show what she is made of in this year’s show. She started off the tournament strong by defeating masked wrestler Zatara.
She’s done it!
The comeback story begins for a victorious @TeganNoxWWE_! #WWEMYC pic.twitter.com/04PW1iTRUf
— Mae Young Classic (@MaeYoungClassic) September 6, 2018
Rhea Ripley defeated MJ Jenkins – Reemerging in this tournament with a new attitude and altered wrestling style, Ripley took down recent NXT signee MJ Jenkins on last night’s show.
A new outlook serves @RheaRipley_WWE well as she secures her place in the next round! #WWEMYC pic.twitter.com/Um9WshXDSI
— Mae Young Classic (@MaeYoungClassic) September 6, 2018
Lacey Lane defeated Vanessa Kraven – Hometown girl Lacey Lane showed off some of her skills and took down her much bigger opponent in order to earn a spot in the second round of the Mae Young Classic.
Inexperience is a non-issue for @Lay_Lane. She’s heading to the next round of #WWEMYC! pic.twitter.com/GGnuF3j8Eh
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) September 6, 2018
Meiko Satomura defeated Killer Kelly – Japanese legend Meiko Satomura instantly impressed in her WWE in-ring debut by pinning NXT UK roster member Killer Kelly.
Respect.@satomurameiko advances, but @Kelly_WP didn’t make it easy for her. #WWEMYC pic.twitter.com/DQRmMdxPZF
— WWE (@WWE) September 6, 2018
Between the Raw, SmackDown, NXT, and the recently unveiled NXT UK Women’s Championship titles, the women in WWE have plenty of gold available to fight for. Even more championships could be on the way soon with several conflicting reports over future tag team titles for the women still looming about, and according to BarnBurner’s Fired Up podcast, WWE is currently considering adding other titles for the female stars in the near future. Much like the Intercontinental and United States Championships that the men currently fight for, these new titles will reportedly be secondary championships. The plan is to reportedly introduce these championships and have them defended on TV by early 2019.