Earlier this week, WWE announced that Kaitlyn would be returning to the company as part of the Mae Young Classic. WWE announced today that three top international stars would also be competing in the tournament. Those names are Io Shirai, Nicole Matthews from Canada and Jinny, a British wrestling star.
They have also announced that “American Ninja Warrior” competitor Kacy Catanzaro will also be in the tournament this year. There are still plenty more names to be announced but WWE will be spreading them out and more will be announced in the coming weeks.
Shirai’s signing was officially announced by WWE in Tokyo and she is considered to be one of the top female wrestlers in the world. There was interest in her last year but a neck issue prevented her from passing the WWE’s standard medicals.
Catanzaro is someone that management is high on. She was signed to a developmental deal earlier this year. Her lack of experience probably means that she is likely not going to make it to the finals but it says something that she was picked to be spotlighted in the tournament this year.
Matthews is a 12-year veteran from Vancouver and has wrestled all over the world including Canada, the United States, England, Japan and Australia.
Jinny has been wrestling less than three years but she has been getting some buzz on the independent scene this year. She was originally scheduled for a number 1 contender’s Four-Way at the NXT UK show last month but she was injured during the match (believed to be a head injury) and the match was changed to a Triple Threat Match. The original match was never completed and it never aired so Jinny has yet to make her WWE TV debut. She will do so during the Mae Young Classic.
The tapings are scheduled to take place on Wednesday, August 8th and Thursday, August 9th in Orlando’s Full Sail University, the home of NXT and the site of last year’s Mae Young Classic.
