10 Things We Learned From WWE's Mae Young Classic First Round
5. Kay Lee Ray Was Eliminated Too Early
Disappointing early eliminations are inevitable in competitions like this. WWE can't just stack the first round with predictably one-sided bouts, and must present at least a couple of early matches between two well-known wrestlers, both of whom could conceiably win. They did it with Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa in the Cruiserweight Classic, and the theme continued with multiple MYC bouts.
While it was a shame to see Jazzy Gabert and Tessa Blanchard both exit in the opening round, Kay Lee Ray is the tournament's biggest loss so far. She was defeated by Princesa Sugehit (the tourney's only Mexican participant) in the competition's very first match, and while both looked impressive, KLR felt like the bigger star of the two.
Ray is one of Europe's most exciting women's wrestlers, and among the best workers in the tournament. Though primarily billed as a high-flying daredevil, she showed off her technical side against Sugehit, but was ultimately forced to tap to an armbar. Her opponent will no doubt impress in her second round bout with Mercedes Martinez, but KLR is someone who could've easily gone as far as the semi-finals, and it's a shame we won't see another singles match from her.