Two weeks ago, 32 women arrived at Full Sail Arena for the first ever all-female tournament in WWE, The Mae Young Classic. After 8 episodes and 30 exciting matches, we arrived at the finale in The Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The match was set between Shayna Baszler, possibly the most vicious female heel wrestling in WWE today, and Kairi Sane, an enchanting new babyface in the company. After watching these women fight their way to the finals, developing their characters along the way, the anticipation for this bout was high. To add even more of a big fight feel, Lillian Garcia came out of retirement for the night to announce the match.
These women gave it their all; they had great chemistry together, told a compelling story, and captured the attention of the audience. The first half of the match was extremely one-sided with Shayna Baszler absolutely demolishing Kairi Sane. No matter what Kairi tried to throw at her, Shayna either countered or no-sold it. She even caught Kairi in her thus far unstoppable rear naked choke, but, however narrowly, Kairi escaped.
Kairi Sane attempts to bring down the Queen of Spades.
(Photo Credit: WWE.com)
This moment shifted the momentum in Kairi’s favor, allowing her to wear down the dominant competitor with blows to the ribs and a double stomp from the top rope. After her toughest match by far, Kairi Sane won the tournament with her magnificent elbow.
Kairi Sane now has an opportunity to fight for the NXT Women’s Championship at the next TakeOver and we feel confident that this is the start of a bright WWE career for her. Although she’s getting a late start in wrestling, WWE would perhaps be remiss if they did not consider hiring Shayna Baszler as well, as she brings something they do not yet have and certainly drew the interest of the crowd throughout the tournament.
What are your thoughts on The Mae Young Classic? Let us know on twitter, @TheRumbleRamble.
