WWE's second Mae Young Classic is going to be taped next week, and I am super excited. The lineup this time is simply amazing, with some of the very best talents from around the world. So, after doing some research, I have decided to rank the competitors. My level of familiarity with these women varies wildly. I've seen some wrestle a bunch of matches, and some I've never seen wrestle a single second. So there's guesswork involved. I will also be ranking them in tiers, without trying to differentiate within the tiers.
The Best
Left to right: Io, Meiko, Mercedes. Photos were released on the WWE website.
- Io Shirai
- Meiko Satomura
- Mercedes Martinez
These three aren't just veterans, they're super veterans. They've all been at the very top of the game for years, with both Io Shirai and Meiko Satomura having proponents calling them the best worker - of any gender - in the world. And just to whet the appetite, here's an amazing match featuring Io Shirai vs. Meiko Satomura:
The Future Best
- Jinny
- Toni Storm
Jinny and Storm are amazing. To my mind, the only thing separating them from the top tier is time.
The Strong Vets
- Nicole Matthews
- Karen Q
- Hiroyo Matsumoto
- Allysin Kay (AKA Sienna)
- Mia Yim
- Ashley (AKA Madison) Rayne
These women are great. If the top two tiers weren't in this, and they were the top tier, the MYC would still be pretty damn awesome. This is also the TNA/Impact tier, as Sienna and Madison Rayne are both former Knockouts champs, and have been instrumental in building that division.
The Future
- Deonna Purrazzo
- Priscilla Kelly
- Killer Kelly
- Xia Brookside
- Isla Dawn
- Tegan Nox
- Rachel Evers
- Aerial Monroe
These women are all young, talented as hell, and have a terrific future ahead of them in the business. Any one of them could have a breakout moment in the Classic.
Solid vets
- Vanessa Kraven
- Zatara
- Zeuxis
- MJ Jenkins
These wrestlers have solid resumes, and some experience. These are also the wrestlers whose work I am least familiar with, considering their time in the business, so any of them could be a surprise or a revelation.
PC Enigmas
- Kacy Catanzaro
- Lacey Lane
- Jessica Elaban
Catanzaro and Lane are amazing athletes who've been in the Performance Center for a while. How good are they at wrestling? How good can they be? I don't know! Elaban is more of a personality, and has the same question marks for me.
The Special Case
- Kaitlyn
I have no idea how good a wrestler Kaitlyn is, despite seeing her wrestle a bunch. She was in WWE at a bad time. I've just always really liked her.
Retreads
- Xia Li
- Spoiler (for the latest NXT tapings)
- Reina González
- Kavita Devi
- Rhea Ripley
These five were in last year's Classic, and were very raw. González, Devi, and Ripley are all around 6 feet tall, so the company's gonna give them every chance to get better.