Backstage News On WWE's Plans For The Mae Young Classic Women's Tournament
A strong female presence, inside the ring and out.
As announced on WWE.com this week, the long-awaited WWE Mae Young Classic tournament will tape at Full Sail University on July 13th and 14th. A 32-person single-elimination competition, it will follow an identical format to last year's Cruiserweight Classic, and feature wrestlers from all around the world.
According to a new report from PWInsder, the tourney will also feature a strong female presence outside the ring, and word is that WWE could opt for three-person announce team featuring two female commentators, and one male. There's no confirmation of who they'd use, but Renee Young has prior commentary experience from her time in NXT, and Jim Ross is already scheduled to be working as an announcer that week.
There have also been rumblings of using female referees for the tournament, with the recently-signed Kennadi Brink likely to play a role. There's no word on whether or not she'll share these duties with another ref, however.
Finally, this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter states that Scotland's Viper has been approached to participate in the tournament. Known for her imposing, power-based style, Viper's situation could be complicated by her participation in ITV's World Of Sport tapings last year, though that promotion's status remains up in the air.