Mae Young Classic 2018: Predicting the path of every participant

#17 Kaitlyn

Minus the butterfly belt.

The first entrant announced into the tournament, Kaitlyn looks like she'll be in the Serena Deeb role this year. She's the returning veteran who will have some spotlight added to her to possibly get her ready for a bigger comeback. She'll get to the second round in the tournament and then lose to someone that NXT has bigger plans for.

#18 Rhea Ripley

She's back.

Rhea Ripley has tremendous upside. At 22, she's among the youngest competitors in the tournament. She also has the ideal WWE look, has shown a great deal of charisma, and looks promising in the ring. Despite all that, she hasn't been seen on NXT programming since last year's tournament. I believe she'll repeat last year's performance by getting into the second round and then lose to a heel like Jinny.

#19 Jessie Elaban

Jessie will get to show what the hype is about.

Jessie Elaban only came into the company a year ago, but she's already built quite the reputation for herself on the NXT house show circuit. Praised for her tremendous energy and athleticism, her future on NXT appears bright.

This will be the first chance she's had to show herself to a TV audience, and it's very likely she'll get to the second round. She probably doesn't yet get beyond that, but as we've seen with Bianca Belair and Lacey Evans, a second round placement can act as a rocket.

#20 Kavita Devi

She's back.

Kavita Devi lost last year to Dakota Kai in the first round, but WWE is still committed to expanding in India, and Devi has since been chosen to appear, of all places, at WrestleMania.

She took part in the women's battle royal. This was a clear signal that the company has bigger plans for her, and she's likely to get into the second round this year, where she'll act as a monster for a huge name, like Deonna Purrazzo, to overcome.