Meet All 32 Mae Young Classic Competitors

They’re ready to fight.

WWE’s women’s only tournament, the Mae Young Classic, pits 32 superstars against each other in a single-elimination tournament. When organizing the tournament, Paul “Triple H” Levesque wanted to make sure he put a spotlight on sports entertainers that may not have gotten an opportunity otherwise.  As a result, the competitor list runs the gamut from complete unknowns, indie darlings, and even a former UFC fighter.  While they might not be household names like Charlotte Flair or Becky Lynch yet, it’s only a matter of time until they make their own mark on the “women’s revolution”.

In the following slides, check out profile photos and bios for all 32 competitors, courtesy of WWE.

The Mae Young Classic will air exclusively on the WWE Network.

• The first four episodes of the single-elimination tournament will be available on-demand starting Monday, August 28.
• Episodes five through eight will be available on-demand on Monday, September 4.
• The final match will stream live from Las Vegas on Tuesday, September 12 at 10 p.m. ET.

Height: 5’4”
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Twitter: @AbbeyLaithWWE

Abbey Laith had to keep her love of WWE a secret growing up. She wasn’t allowed to watch sports-entertainment as a child, so Laith had to be sneaky. While she trained as a ballerina, she was dreaming of becoming a superstar, and eventually studied the ins and outs of grappling under WWE Cruiserweight Drew Gulak.

Laith has battled competitors across the independent wrestling scene—notably becoming the first (and so far, only) woman to hold the Chikara Grand Championship—but her goal was always to get to WWE. She accomplished that earlier this year, when she was signed to the WWE Performance Center. Now, Laith looks to use the Alligator Clutch, the same inescapable pin maneuver once utilized by the great Mae Young, to propel herself to victory in Young’s namesake tournament.

Height: 6’0”
Hometown: London, England
Twitter: @amazonayesharay

Ayesha Raymond can trade wrestling wristlocks and toeholds with the best of them, but at heart, she’s a girl from the East End of London who loves to brawl. Raymond has been a trained fighter since the age of 15 and is an accomplished bodybuilder, so her grit and brawn aren’t in question. She knew her calling was in the ring when she was young and would play-wrestle with her brothers. Now she’s all grown up, a 6-foot-tall, self-described Amazon towering over the competition. Raymond sharpened by the teachings of British greats like Johnny Saint, Tony Scarlo, and WWE Performance Center coach Robbie Brookside, and this summer she looks to conquer a new frontier in the Mae Young Classic.

Height: 5’7’’
Hometown: Knoxville, TN
Twitter: @BiancaBelairWWE

The Mae Young Classic boasts competitors of varying backgrounds and origins, but there’s only one “genetic beast”. NXT recruit Bianca Belair is one of the most talented, powerful, and promising up-and-comers roaming the halls of the WWE Performance Center.

Before joining WWE in 2016, Belair competed in track and field at University of South Carolina, Texas A&M, and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and she is a regional CrossFit competitor who has been featured in RX Magazine. It’s little wonder, then, that she shined in the inaugural Performance Center Combine last year, putting up amazing numbers such as a 400-lb trap-bar deadlift and a 2.07-second 10-yard sprint. Having defeated Aliyah to qualify for this summer’s 32-woman tournament, Belair now faces her biggest challenge yet.

Height: 5’2”
Hometown: Riverside, CA
Twitter: @CandiceLeRae

Candice LeRae is tougher than you.

The slogan on this indie scene standout’s T-shirt may as well be her personal battle cry. A relatively undersized brawler who could convincingly cosplay as Elsa from Frozen, LeRae prides herself on her ability to endure punishment and keep on fighting. The fact that she has gone to war against heavyweights like Cesaro and Kevin Owens, and is the only woman to ever win a championship in the male-dominated Pro Wrestling Guerilla, speaks volumes about her tenacity.

Inspired by charismatic underdogs like Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels, this modern-day Mighty Mouse is willing to take whatever risk necessary to pull off a victory. So, a few words of advice to the other competitors in the Mae Young Classic: If you want to win it all, you better be tougher than LeRae.

Height: 5’6’’
Hometown: Auckland, New Zealand
Twitter: @DakotaKai_WWE

If you’ve seen a woman kick her opponent so hard that tweeting cartoon birds pop out at any point over the last 10 years, there’s a good chance it was Dakota Kai doing the kicking. The New Zealand-native “captain of Team Kick” has been putting the boots to unsuspecting foes in the literal sense from Australia to Japan to the United States, where she held the SHIMMER Tag Team Championship alongside Ruby Riot. She even came into WWE’s orbit once before, in a 2015 loss to Nia Jax on NXT. Two years later, she’s out to prove that she belongs for good this time, and if she doesn’t get her kicks in the Mae Young Classic, you can be sure her opponents will.

Height: 6’1”
Hometown: Berlin, Germany
Twitter: @AlphaFemale1

Jazzy Gabert’s muscle-packed, 6’1″ frame can barely contain the brute force and bad intentions that lie within. The bruising Berliner has broken opponents and captured titles around the globe for more than 15 years. She achieved her greatest success in Europe and Japan, holding championships in Swiss Wrestling Entertainment and Stardom, to name a couple of her stomping grounds. Her competitive fire burns bright outside the ring, too, where she has fought MMA matches and participated in strongwoman events.

Mean, powerful, and rarely at a physical disadvantage, Gabert is unrepentant and undiscerning when it comes to dishing out pain. Whether she emerges from the Mae Young Classic as the top wrestler, it’s safe to say Gabert will make her presence felt in the global tournament, where she will be among the biggest brawlers.

Height: 5’1’’
Hometown: Yamaguchi, Japan
Twitter: @KairiSaneWWE

Kairi Sane’s resume reads like the accomplishments of 10 athletes. Apart from the laundry list of championships procured in the Japanese women’s promotion Stardom—three-time “Goddess of Stardom” and four-time “Artist of Stardom,” to name a few—she was an Olympic hopeful in yachting, pursued a career in acting, received a Bachelor’s degree in Japanese literature from Hosei University, and once taught Japanese to orphans in Cambodia.

Given her jet-setting and worldwide accomplishments, it’s no surprise that Sane sees herself as a modern-day pirate queen, sailing from port to port, meeting interesting people, and beating them in wrestling matches. In the Mae Young Classic, she aims to add the most prestigious sports item to her accolades yet and make her mark in WWE. No doubt some of her foes will shiver their timbers when faced with this elbow-drop artist, but they’ll soon realize once the bell rings that it might be too late to alter course now.

Height: 5’9”
Hometown: Haryana, India

Kavita Devi is ready to follow in the footsteps of her inspiration and trainer, The Great Khali, to become the first great Indian female superstar.

One trait Devi clearly has in common with the former World Heavyweight Champion is power. Devi is an accomplished powerlifter whose strength and size give her a leg up on her competition in the Mae Young Classic. She has represented India in international competition, including the 2016 South Asian Games, where she won gold in the 75kg category.

Although she is relatively inexperienced compared to some of her counterparts in the Classic, Devi has the physical tools to go a long way. Devi was a part of WWE’s historic Dubai tryout in April and caught the attention of the WWE scouts. Behind her immense physical skills, Devi could one day become a household name in wrestling, perhaps starting with this summer’s Mae Young Classic.

Height: 5’8”
Hometown: Glasgow, Scotland
Twitter: @Kay_Lee_Ray

Scottish high-flyer Kay Lee Ray is a fiery star on the rise from the flourishing United Kingdom circuit. A young veteran of eight years, Ray boasts an innovative, daredevil attack. When she’s in action, your best chance of keeping up with her is by following the scarlet streak of Ray’s hair as she soars around the ring, diving through the ropes and propelling herself off the turnbuckle with her graceful take on the Swanton Bomb.

The reigning women’s champion for Glasgow-based Insane Championship Wrestling, Ray is also a former Queen of Southside Champion, Scottish Women’s Champion, and SWE Speed King Champion, so she knows what it takes to snare championship gold. In the Mae Young Classic, Ray gets her first chance to make a splash on a global scale.

Height: 5’8”
Hometown: Parris Island, SC
Twitter: @LaceyEvansWWE

Declaring herself “The Lady of NXT,” Lacey Evans mixes the glamour of a pin-up model with the valor of a warrior. After growing up in a broken home where everything she owned was shared with her seven siblings, Evans joined the U.S. Marines, graduating with honors from Fort Leonard Hood before serving as military police and a member of the Special Reaction Team. While still in the service, she opened a construction company, housed and employed three of her siblings, and, along with her husband, began the journey of raising a daughter.

Drawn to wrestling after watching a staff sergeant compete at a local event, Evans cut her teeth in southeastern U.S. independents and signed with the WWE Performance Center in April 2016. As a participant in the Mae Young Classic, Evans looks to show her 4-year-old daughter, who accompanies her to many NXT shows, that no goal is unobtainable if you set your mind to it.

Height: 5’4”
Hometown: New York, NY (Representing the Dominican Republic)
Twitter: @MartiBelle

With nearly a decade of in-ring experience, Marti Belle sees the Mae Young Classic as her greatest opportunity to reach new heights in sports-entertainment.

Utilizing her athletic background and training by WWE Hall of Famer Johnny Rodz, Belle has made a name for herself on the independent circuit since 2008. The New York City native, who was raised in the Dominican Republic, is not only an accomplished singles competitor, with titles held in New York Wrestling Connection, Women Superstars Uncensored, and American Pro Wrestling Alliance, but she is also a champion tag team grappler, having co-held the tandem titles in Shine Wrestling and Women Superstars Uncensored.

Describing herself as “sassy, spunky and definitely not afraid to get down in a fight,” Belle prefers an all-out brawl to a technical bout. She will proudly represent not only the Big Apple but also the Dominican Republic when she makes her long-awaited WWE debut this summer.

Height: 5’7”
Hometown: Waterbury, CT

Mercedes Martinez isn’t some doe-eyed upstart who will be satisfied with simply “making a name” for herself in the Mae Young Classic. Instead, Martinez plans to not only triumph, but also prove that WWE made a mistake by not giving her a platform like this a long time ago.

Aggressive, rugged, and utterly unfazed by the bright lights of WWE Network or the reputation of any opponent she faces, Martinez brings 17 years of hard-earned resolve to this summer’s tournament. She has compiled an incredible resume, almost to the point where it would take less time to name the organizations where she hasn’t won championships. Harnessing an attack that is full of attitude, technique, and big hits—her Fisherman Buster has taken down even the most elite wrestlers—Martinez has been too good for too long to let her opportunity in the Mae Young Classic be anything less than unforgettable.

Height: 5’7”
Hometown: Fontana, CA (Representing South Korea)
Twitter: @MiaYim

Self-described rebel Mia Yim has been knocking opponents into oblivion around the world for nearly eight years. A lifelong wrestling fan, Yim followed in the footsteps of her in-ring idols Lita and Chyna, as well as legendary Japanese wreckers like AKINO and Aja Kong, when she decided to pursue sports-entertainment.

With eight tours of Japan and dozens of appearances in SHIMMER Women Athletes and Shine Wrestling under her belt, Yim has a wealth of experience. She also boasts a second-degree black belt in taekwondo and training in Muay Thai, making her as dangerous a striker as you will see in the Mae Young Classic. In fact, Yim compares herself to the legendary Street Fighter character Chun Li, whose lightning-quick attacks have made her a favorite of gamers everywhere. If Yim has her way, it will be game over for the Classic’s 31 other grapplers when all is said and done this summer.

Height: 5’1”
Hometown: Houston, TX
Twitter: @TheMiranda_S

Miranda Salinas isn’t the biggest competitor in the Mae Young Classic, but heaven help the wrestler who dares to dismiss her because of her stature. A petite powder keg, Salinas can explode in the ring without much notice, decimating everything in her immediate vicinity.

She grew up idolizing Trish Stratus, and used her as inspiration to begin training at age 18. Competing primarily in Louisiana and her native Texas, including in Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling organization, Salinas is equipped with a fast-moving style that is punctuated with notes of lucha libre craziness. Her bold outlook and persistent attack have earned her regional success, and if all goes according to Salinas’ plan, winning the Classic isn’t far behind.

Height: 5’7”
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Twitter: @NikiMSavo

If you find yourself standing across the ring from Nicole Savoy, there’s a good chance you’re about to be dumped on your head.

Known as “The Queen of Suplexes,” Savoy dishes out the punishing maneuvers with both intensity and variety that might make you think she’s The Steiner Brothers’ long-lost sister. German, Tiger, Dragon, Butterfly, you never know which suplex Savoy is going to execute; you just know it’s going to be vicious.

She’s by no means a one-dimensional competitor, though. Well-versed in both Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu, Savoy is experienced on her feet, and highly capable when things hit the mat. This unique ability to hurt people has earned her a title in the SHIMMER promotion and praise from Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Whether it will grant her victory in the Mae Young Classic remains to be seen, but rest assured, somebody’s getting suplexed.

Height: 5’8”

Hometown: Ayrshire, Scotland

Twitter: @missviper91

Piper Niven is an experienced powerhouse who has competed across numerous promotions, including Shine, SHIMMER, and Insane Championship Wrestling. The commanding competitor joins a lineage of Scottish wrestlers who love to unleash a beating on their opponents. Drawn to sports-entertainment at an early age, Niven played contact sports in her youth, which no doubt set the foundation for her arrival inside the ropes in 2008. With an impactful arsenal that includes a Vader Bomb, powerslam, and other big-hit maneuvers, she can knock out her competition at any given moment with a single, monstrous move. Though 31 other wrestlers will try to stand in her way of winning the Mae Young Classic, the intimidator from Ayrshire will have plenty of opportunity to inflict pain this summer on WWE Network.

Height: 5’1”
Hometown: Mexico City
Twitter: @PrincesaSugehit

Princesa Sugehit has two distinct advantages going into the Mae Young Classic.

One comes from the fact that she is one of the few competitors in the tournament who can lay appropriate claim to the term “veteran”. A pro since 1996, Sugehit has competed at the highest level for Mexico’s two biggest promotions—AAA and CMLL—for more than two decades, and is the reigning Mexican National Women’s Champion.

Two is that Princesa Sugehit is the Classic’s only luchadora. Trained in the great Mexican wrestling tradition, this masked marvel is a dangerous and highly skilled flier—the butterfly on her hood is a nod to her ability to soar beautifully through the air—and simply unpredictable between the ropes. Her opponents won’t know what’s coming next, but Princesa Sugehit will—victory.

Height: 5’6”
Hometown: Melrose, MN

Rachel Evers — a graduate of Lance Storm’s wrestling academy—is entering the Mae Young Classic, ready to forge her own path.

An aggressive competitor who relies on the athleticism that comes from being a three-sport athlete—she played basketball, volleyball, and softball in high school—Evers has been making her presence known on the independent circuit since 2015. She combines refined technique with deceptive strength, as evidenced by her impressive powerlifting record: a bronze medal with the World Powerlifting Federation, 27 state records, five American records, and three state titles.

Evers has used her abilities to create a high-impact arsenal of maneuvers that has earned her multiple championships, and she makes every opponent think twice before entering the ring against her.

Height: 6’0″
Hometown: Harlingen, TX
Twitter: @ReinaGWWE

WWE Performance Center standout Reina González boasts both a sports-entertainment pedigree (her father is noted competitor Ricky “Desperado” González) and a collegiate athletic background (she played basketball at Sam Houston State University). That’s not to mention a 6-foot frame that puts her, literally, head and shoulders above the rest of the field in the Mae Young Classic.

Although she earned a degree in Mass Communication Broadcast Journalism, González quickly set out to pursue her passion in the ring, ultimately auditioning for the 2015 season of WWE Tough Enough. In her highlight reel, over images of her pulverizing opponents in the ring, González revealed her philosophy in a nutshell: “It’s not just about being tougher than the girls, it’s about being tougher than the boys.” Come bell time in the Mae Young Classic, we’ll see how tough this desperado’s daughter really is.

Height: 5’3”
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Twitter: @1ReneeMichelle

You could say that wrestling found Renee Michelle, thanks to a little help from former WWE superstar Duane Gill. The one time Gillberg approached Michelle—at the first sports-entertainment event she attended—he asked if she would consider giving the ring a try. Michelle agreed, and only four years later she is one of America’s top prospects. She has held the MCW Women’s Title three times and the ECWA Women’s Title twice, and has built a reputation outside the east coast, traveling as far as Japan and India to compete.

Michelle counts daredevils like Lita, Jeff Hardy, and Jushin Liger among her inspirations, as well as Chigusa Nagayo, the iconic grappler who took Michelle under her wing while she trained in Japan. Able to adapt to her environment with chameleon-like deftness, Michelle will have to adjust to her biggest challenge yet when she takes part in the inaugural Mae Young Classic.

Height: 5’7”
Hometown: Adelaide, Australia
Twitter: @RheaRipley_WWE

New WWE signee Rhea Ripley might be the youngest wrestler in the Mae Young Classic, but don’t expect her to be star-struck by the field. A product of Australia’s rapidly developing independent scene, the 20-year-old prodigy already has four years of ring experience under her belt, including tours of the notoriously tough Japanese circuit.

A new arrival to the WWE Performance Center, Ripley first established herself as a pillar of Adelaide-based Riot City Wrestling, where she held the women’s championship twice. Before that, she was a standout soccer player in her youth, making her uniquely prepared for a career of throwing hard kicks. However, instead of drilling a ball into the net, she uses her striking prowess to rearrange opponents’ faces with missile dropkicks and a move she calls “Solefood”. The other competitors in this summer’s Classic had better watch out, because Ripley aims to kick off her WWE career with a bang.

Height: 5’11”
Hometown: Ruskin, FL
Twitter: @SageBeckettWWE

Hardened by the rugged training she received at Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley’s Team 3-D Academy, 5’11” Sage Beckett is as tough as they come. Not only that, but as the holder of multiple college degrees, she is incredibly wise, too.

After breaking into the sport in 2007, she spent five years steamrolling through the competition in dozens of organizations before health issues forced her to hang up her boots in 2012. Putting her education to use, Sage researched what she had to do to transform her body and return to the ring. To the alarm of her prospective opponents around the world, Beckett wasn’t done carving out her legacy of destruction. She came back two years later, 130lbs leaner and even meaner than before. The decision paid dividends in 2017, when she signed with the recognized leader in sports-entertainment, WWE, and reported to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL. With a renewed focus on imposing her will inside the ring, the prudent Beckett now has one objective in mind: Thrashing her way through the Mae Young Classic.

Height: 5’5”
Hometown: Ocala, FL
Twitter: @SantanaGarrett_

She might not possess a Lasso of Truth, but Santana Garrett carries herself with so much strength, determination, and grace that you’d be forgiven for thinking Wonder Woman had just wandered into the Mae Young Classic.

Garrett is one of the most accomplished competitors outside of WWE. Inspired to pursue wrestling by her father, who was once a grappler, Garrett translated her gymnastics and cheerleading background into a sports-entertainment skillset that has earned her title reigns across the globe. Combine that with the mentorship she received under WWE Hall of Famers like Scott Hall and Larry Zbyszko, and it’s easy to understand how Garrett has claimed accolades such as the Cauliflower Alley Club’s Future Legend Award—the same award won by Kurt Angle in 2000—and a fourth-place position in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s 2016 ranking of the world’s top women’s wrestlers.

Height: 5’6”
Hometown: Louisville, KY
Twitter: @SarahLoganWWE

Sarah Logan is proud to have been “born in the woods and raised in the mud,” an upbringing that has given her the survivalist instinct of a hunter. Seeing her competition as nothing more than prey, Logan never backs down from a fight, and she doesn’t think twice about trading headbutts or closed fists with anyone foolish enough to try her.

Starting in the U.S. independent scene in 2011, Logan quickly carved out a rugged reputation. She polished her skills in Japan, where she trained under former WWE Light Heavyweight Champion Taka Michinoku at the Kaientai Dojo, and by the time headlines heralded her WWE signing in fall 2016, she had achieved notoriety in Europe and Mexico, too. Not only is Logan adrenalized by a good fight, but she’s also deceptively powerful, having won multiple Olympic weightlifting events. The potent combination serves to create one of the Mae Young Classic’s most dangerous prospects.

Height: 5’4”
Hometown: Fairfax, VA
Twitter: @SerenaDeeb

Serena Deeb wants to write a new chapter in her career. Deeb was a six-time Ohio Valley Wrestling Champion and former member of the SmackDown roster in 2010, during which time she famously became a bald-headed member of The Straight Edge Society. But now she’s eyeing a new beginning with the Mae Young Classic.

The technical competitor has been honing her craft in promotions all over the world, and mastering new in-ring styles. She combines the concentration and motivation of a yogi—she’s a certified yoga teacher—with the intensity and passion of a warrior. Deeb has unfinished business in WWE, and she has her sights set on a feel-good comeback story when she enters the Classic.

Height: 5’7”
Hometown: Sioux Falls, SD
Twitter: @QoSBaszler

There are plenty of tough women in the Mae Young Classic, but none have an employment history quite like former UFC fighter “The Queen of Spades,” Shayna Baszler. Baszler is one of the true pioneers of women’s MMA, and she’s credited with helping give rise to the likes of Paige VanZant, Miesha Tate, and her good friend Ronda Rousey.

After vanquishing many a foe inside the octagon, Baszler chose a new martial craft to hone, this time inside the squared circle. The transition has been seamless for Baszler, who is the reigning AIW Women’s Champion, IndyGurlz Australia Champion, and PREMIERE Women’s Champion. An unapologetic devotee of catch wrestling, she has trained extensively under former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett, and studied under U.K. wrestling legend Billy Robinson, making her the spiritual continuation of a Wigan Snake Pit lineage that counts no less than “The God of Wrestling,” Karl Gotch, in its ranks.

Height: 5’5’’
Hometown: Rio de Janiero, Brazil
Twitter: @TaynaraContiWWE

A 22-year-old judo master, Taynara Conti might be relatively new to sports-entertainment, having joined WWE last October with no previous in-ring experience, but her combat-sport bona fides are no joke. A black-belt judoka and a blue belt in jiu-jitsu, Conti brings a joint-wrenching mat game to the Mae Young Classic that has already earned her medals in Brazil. Her thunderous throws helped put her on the radar of WWE talent scouts, leading to her arrival to the Performance Center in 2016. Now, Conti prepares to show the entire WWE Universe what happens when a judoka enters the ring.

Height: 5’4”
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
Twitter: @Tess_Blanchard

Tessa Blanchard will not be fazed by the pomp, circumstance, or grandeur of the Mae Young Classic.

The daughter of WWE Hall of Famer and iconic Four Horsemen member Tully Blanchard, granddaughter of Joe Blanchard, and stepdaughter of Magnum T.A., Blanchard is a branch on a truly legendary family tree. But she hasn’t relied on her surname to reach the heights she’s reached. Inspired to pursue the family trade after watching her father’s 2012 WWE Hall of Fame induction, Blanchard debuted in 2014 and has traveled far and wide—including China and the Maritimes—to establish her own identity.

With her pedigree as impressive as anyone’s in the field, her skillset only becoming vaster by the day, and her confidence as high as her father’s in his prime, it’s a safe bet that Blanchard will make serious noise in the Classic.

Height: 5’2’’
Hometown: Gold Coast, Australia
Twitter: @ToniStorm_

Toni Storm is coming to rock the Mae Young Classic. An eight-year veteran of sports-entertainment, Storm has a style and swagger clearly inspired by the ’80s Los Angeles metal scene, but her ring game is unmistakably ’90s Japan. Her mix of Japanese strong style, British technical grappling and the odd bit of high-flying has taken her to championship heights in promotions across the world, including PROGRESS Wrestling in the United Kingdom, where she recently became the organization’s first Women’s Champion. Now, Storm hopes to ride that lightning all the way to WWE with an opportunity in the Mae Young Classic. As for those who have the unfortunate task of trying to defeat her? Good luck.

Height: 5’4”
Hometown: Scottsdale, AZ
Twitter: @VanessaBorneWWE

As part of the Mae Young Classic, NXT newcomer Vanessa Borne is ready to show the WWE Universe that she’s a force to be reckoned with.

No stranger to the spotlight, Borne was previously a broadcaster for Fox Sports Arizona, as well as a dancer for the Phoenix Suns and a cheerleader for the Arizona Cardinals. During her tenure with the Cardinals, she was featured on one of the world’s biggest stages—the Super Bowl—proving that she has the focus and experience to perform under pressure.

With aspirations of becoming a WWE superstar, she switched gears and sought out training under Attitude Era Superstar Gangrel and WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi. Borne signed with the WWE Performance Center in 2016, and on the July 12, 2017, episode of NXT she defeated Jayme Hachey in a Mae Young Classic qualifying match to earn a spot in the global tournament.

Height: 5’3”
Hometown: Chong Qing, China
Twitter: @XiaWWE

Xia Li is a grappler unlike any other in the Mae Young Classic. Among the first Chinese athletes to be recruited into WWE’s developmental system, Li is new to the ring, but not combat sports. A decorated martial artist, she claimed top-place finishes in numerous tournaments, including the Second World Traditional Chinese Wushu Championship, as well as fitness events, such as the Nike Challenge Competition, in her native China.

Li officially joined the WWE Performance Center in January, and has been diligently studying under WWE’s coaches ever since, learning how to apply her well-honed martial arts bona fides inside the ring. She will have her first opportunity to show the world the fruits of her labor when she battles in this summer’s Mae Young Classic.

Height: 5’3”
Hometown: Richmond, VA
Twitter: @Zeda_WWE

With a background in MMA, amateur wrestling, and sports-entertainment—not to mention, singing, acting, and modeling—Zeda enters the Mae Young Classic with one of the most unique skillsets.

She might be a relatively unknown entity in WWE, having only joined the Performance Center earlier this year, but Zeda is the real deal: Prior to arriving in Orlando, she received wrestling training under the likes of The Brian Kendrick and fighting tutelage at the Black House MMA, the same facility where UFC legend Anderson Silva spars. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s communications program, where she concentrated on public relations, Zeda has only one message to deliver to her peers in the Classic: Watch out.