On July 13th and 14th, women's wrestling comes to the forefront. One of the most anticipated tournaments to take place, the Mae Young Classic is slated to take place on those days and will garner a great deal of attention. While the results may be released after the taping, that doesn't mean that the event still won't be something special to watch.
The tournament is said to feature 32 females from around the world, competing to determine the winner of this prestigious event. However, the event isn't just one match after another, leading to an eventual winner. It is important to realise that the event should surprise fans either with unannounced stipulations or moments that fans wouldn't see coming. Could we see friends become rivals? Would we see surprising alliances made and a cut-throat result in the end?
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There are several possibilities that can arise from this tournament, and each one appears to be more exciting than the next. Who will come out on top, and how will they do it? Here are five ways the WWE can make the Mae Young Classic tournament interesting.
#5 A contract is offered to the tournament winner
When all these talented women come together to compete in the Mae Young Classic, a great deal could be at stake. During the Cruiserweight Classic in the summer of 2016, fans were aware beforehand that a trophy would be awarded to the winner. However, it wasn't confirmed until the final match-up that the winner would, in fact, become the WWE Cruiserweight champion.
While one of the items that spilled out was that not all competitors had signed contracts, in the end, the final consisted of two men already under contract because the winner, and thus champion, would have to be someone under contract. In this instance, unless it's kept completely under wraps, the concept may be that an official contract will be awarded to the winner.
In an ideal tournament, provided those that aren't under contract remain in the tournament and make the finals, it would be interesting to see the winner walk away with an official contract and be immediately drafted to either Raw or Smackdown Live.
#4 Tournament winner could receive a championship opportunity at the end of the tournament
The tournament will be filmed over the course of two days at Full Sail University in Florida where NXT is recorded. It will be a raucous crowd, to say the least. A tournament that has some interesting twists and turns is one that fans would be excited about, especially if they are unannounced.
The key to any story being told during a tournament is the talent’s ability to overcome injury and exhaustion, and beating the odds to reach the top.
An interesting twist WWE could employ here is declaring at the outset that the winner of the tournament will face the women's champion of their choice immediately after their finals match.
Maybe there will be about 10 minutes for the winner to recover, but for all intents and purposes, it would be right away. All three women's champions would sit at the top of the rampway with their titles, waiting for the winner to state who they want to face.
#3 The winner could be given the choice of which Women’s championship they want to compete for
Since the tournament was announced, there was a great deal of speculation as to why it is happening and what could unfold. What is definitely known is that the tournament is named after one of the most decorated female wrestlers of all-time in the late Mae Young.
Other than its name, any guesses as to what could and may come from it is just speculation. Once the event has come to an end and a winner is announced, that winner could be granted their choice of whom they would like to compete against in a Women's Championship match.
The choice would be among all three of WWE's brands – Raw, Smackdown Live or NXT. Perhaps the NXT women's championship would be ignored in favour of the main roster titles, although the idea of defeating the undefeated Asuka may be appealing to some.
#2 Past WWE female superstars could be brought into the tournament
Wrestling fans don't forget. They don't forget great women's wrestlers that fought hard and carried themselves with class and style. They don't forget women that were as amazing in the ring as they were at delivering a promo.
Women such as Lita, Trish Stratus, Victoria, Jazz and Beth Phoenix are among the best women's wrestlers that have ever been in WWE. Currently, these women are not with the company, but all but Victoria has been immortalised as part of the WWE Hall of Fame. However, nostalgia says a lot, and this was no more evident than when Mickie James returned to the company to face Asuka at NXT Takeover, and now she is a fixture on the Raw brand.
An idea the company should include is the involvement of past WWE women's stars, much like Tajiri and Brian Kendrick were part of last summer's Cruiserweight classic. Could Gail Kim, Awesome Kong, Victoria, or Melina return? It will be interesting to see if notable past talent, along with a number of today's biggest independent stars, come together in the tournament.
#1 Include women commentators, referees and in other capacities
This tournament will feature an incredible collection of talent for all fans to see. However, while the tournament will feature women from all over the world, and perhaps some from the NXT roster, it won't truly represent a ‘revolution' unless the female empowerment is reflected throughout the two-day special.
A truly special element that could be added to the tournament is to not only have women compete, but involved in all aspects. This would mean female ring announcers, female referees, and most importantly, female commentators as well. The company has women such as Charly Caruso and Renee Young used as backstage interviewers and pre- and post-show hosts, but to have them in the commentary position would be truly unique.
Young is no stranger to being used on commentary, as she has experience of doing so in NXT. This would heighten the meaning of the tournament, as women in the industry are celebrated in all aspects. The Mae Young Classic would only benefit from having a female perspective throughout.
