International standout Toni Storm, NXT superstars Lacey Evans and Sarah Logan, and lucha libre champion Princesa Sugehit are the first four competitors officially confirmed for WWE’s inaugural Mae Young Classic.
The announcement brings into focus the global scale of the 32-woman tournament, coming this summer to the award-winning WWE Network.
Twenty-one-year-old Storm is the first and reigning PROGRESS Women’s Champion in the United Kingdom. Already an eight-year veteran, Storm has carved out a reputation worldwide: Born in New Zealand, raised in Australia, and based in the U.K., she wrestled in 13 countries before age 20, capturing championships along the way. With an aesthetic flair that finds inspiration in ‘80s rock, plus a ring style that is equal parts technical and hard-hitting, Storm looks to impress on her biggest stage yet in the Classic.
Evans, of Parris Island, SC, is a familiar face to WWE Network subscribers. A newcomer inside the yellow ropes of NXT, Evans joined the WWE Performance Center in April 2016. Prior to pursuing sports-entertainment, she served in the U.S. Marine Corps for five years, including time spent as military police and a member of the Special Reactions Team, which is the Marine equivalent of a SWAT Team. Nicknamed “The Lady of NXT,” Evans has said she hopes to use her platform in WWE to show women all over the world, including her 4-year-old daughter, that there are no limits on what you can achieve.
Hailing from Louisville, KY, Logan is proud to have been “born in the woods and raised in the mud,” as she puts it. Like Evans, Logan is an NXT competitor and recruit at the Performance Center. She began her in-ring career on the U.S. independent scene in 2011, and quickly gained notoriety for her rough-and-tumble fights. She refined her skills in Japan under former WWE Light Heavyweight Champion Taka Michinoku before signing with WWE in October 2016. Logan, who has also won Olympic powerlifting competitions, made her NXT TV debut earlier this year.
One of the most esteemed grapplers in Mexico, the masked Sugehit, from Monterrey, brings 20 years’ experience to the Classic. Since turning professional in 1996, Sugehit has earned countless accolades while competing in her home country’s top organizations, CMLL and AAA. Not only that, but she has claimed the masks of numerous rivals over the year, which is considered the ultimate sign of triumph in lucha libre. She is also the current Mexican National Women’s Champion.
Stay tuned to muscleandfitness.com and WWE.com in the coming weeks for more updates on the Mae Young Classic.
