There are 16 women that have made it to the 2nd Round of the Mae Young Classic. Tegan Nox, Rhea Ripley, Lacey Lane, Meiko Satomura, Deonna Purrazzo, Zeuxis, Kacy Catanzaro, Mercedes Martinez, Kaitlyn, Xia Li, Toni Storm, Mia Yim, Hiroyo Matsumoto, Taynara Conti, Nicole Matthews, & Io Shirai have all made it to the second round.
These women all have close to no chance of making it to the quarterfinals.
#16: Zeuxis
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Io Shirai managed to make it to the second round by defeating Aerial Monroe with her beautiful Avalanche Spanish Fly finishing move. She will probably not make it any farther as she is set to face Io Shirai.
She will likely play a similar role to Francesca Sugheit in last year's tournament by getting a win in the first round before being eliminated by a favourite. Io Shirai is one of the favourites to win the whole tournament so there is no way that she is going to be defeated by Zeuxis.
#15: Nicole Matthews
Nicole Matthews made it to the second round by defeating Isla Dawn via submission with a modified Boston Crab. She is set to face Tegan Nox in the next round. Tegan Nox is the tournament's underdog so she will definitely be tested by Nicole Matthews. Nicole Matthews will probably viciously go after her knee but it will not stop Nox as she will certainly at least make it to the semi-finals at least.
#14: Hiroyo Matsumoto
Hiroyo Matsumoto advanced to the second round by defeating Rachel Evers via pinfall with the Rock Drop. She will hope to use her power to defeat Toni Storm in the second round. She is unlikely to do this as Toni Storm is one of the favourites of this tournament. Since Toni Storm is one of their new signees, she will probably get the win.
#13: Mercedes Martinez
Mercedes Martinez defeated Ashley Rayne via pinfall with the Bull Run to advance to the 2nd round. However, she is unlikely to go any farther. Mercedes Martinez made it to the semifinals of last year's tournament so she already had an opportunity to shine. Meiko Satomura will almost definitely make it to the semifinals so Mercedes Martinez has close to no chance of moving on.
#12: Xia Li
Xia Li defeated Karen Q via pinfall with a Corkscrew Roundhouse Kick to make it to the second round. She competed in last year's tournament but was eliminated early. Because she is facing Deonna Purrazzo who is a favourite to win the tournament, it is unlikely that she'll get the win once again.
#11: Kacy Catanzaro
Kacy Catanzaro defeated Reina Gonzales by rolling her up to advance to the second round. She will face one of NXT UK's hottest stars in Rhea Ripley. Unfortunately for Kacy, Rhea Ripley will probably be given a big push in this tournament so she will probably be defeated by Ripley.
#10: Taynara Conti
Taynara Conti defeated Jessie Elaban via pinfall with a modified judo slam to move on to the second round. She will face off with a fellow NXT prospect in Lacey Lane. Unfortunately for Taynara Conti, Lacey Lane is new to WWE so it is likely that she will be allowed to go pretty far in this tournament.
We have now gotten to the women who have a good chance of advancing to the quarterfinals.
#9: Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn defeated Kavita Devi via pinfall with the Spear to move on to the second round. She will face off with recent WWE signee Mia Yim. Kaitlyn is a veteran and seemed crisp in the ring during her match with Kavita Devi. Because Kaitlyn has so much credibility, WWE might want to send her to the quarterfinals before being eliminated.
#8: Mia Yim
Mia Yim defeated her rival Allysin Kay via pinfall with Sole Food to make it to the second round. She will face off with Kaitlyn who is making her return to WWE after several years. Because Mia Yim was recently signed by WWE, it is likely that she was negotiating with WWE during the time that the Mae Young Classic was being typed.
Because of that, I predict that Mia Yim will get a huge upset over Kaitlyn so that she already has a major accomplishment on her belt when she makes her NXT debut.
#7: Lacey Lane
Lacey Lane managed to make it to the second round by pinning Vanessa Kraven with a Crucifix Bomb. She will face off against a competitor who competed in last year's tournament in Taynara Conti. Because Lacey Lane seemed to get a good reaction from the crowd in her last match and is new to WWE, it seems likely that Lacey Lane will move on to the quarterfinals.
#6: Rhea Ripley
Rhea Ripley defeated MJ Jenkins via pinfall with the Pumphandle Powerbomb to move on to the second round. She will face off with a former American Ninja Warrior participant in Kacy Catanzaro. Rhea Ripley is one of the few NXT UK stars still in the tournament and her new heel attitude is sure to be spotlighted throughout the tournament. Kacy Catanzaro has had a nice little underdog story going, but it is likely that Rhea Rupley will get the win.
#5: Deonna Purrazzo
Deonna Purrazzo defeated Priscilla Kelly via submission with the Fujiwara Armbar to make it to the second round. She will compete against Xia Li (who competed in last year's tournament). Because Triple H is reported to be a big fan of Deonna Purrazzo and because she is one of WWE's high profile signees, she will probably get the win.
#4: Meiko Satomura
Meiko Satomura defeated Killer Kelly via pinfall with a Death Valley Driver. She will face off with a former Mae Young Classic semifinalist in Mercedes Martinez. Because Meiko Satomura is such a popular and credible superstar, she will probably go far in this tournament before putting over a signed competitor.
#3: Tegan Nox
Tegan Nox defeated Zatara via pinfall with a Shining Wizard to move on to the second round. She will face a veteran in Nicole Matthews in the second round. Because Tegan Nox is an underdog and this tournament's redemption story, it is likely that Tegan Nox's run won't end abruptly. She will almost definitely move on to the quarterfinals when she faces off with Rhea Ripley in a David vs Goliath story.
#2: Toni Storm
Toni Storm defeated Jinny via pinfall with Storm Zero to move on to the second round. She will face off with "Lady Godzilla" Hiroyo Matsumoto. Because Toni Storm is set to become one of the big stars of NXT UK's women's division and is a fan favourite, she will probably go far in this tournament. Therefore, she will defeat Matsumoto to move on to the quarterfinals
#1: Io Shirai
Io Shirai managed to make it to the second round by defeating Xia Brookside via pinfall with a Diving Moonsault. She will face off with a luchador in Zeuxis. Because Io Shirai is a favourite to win the whole tournament and is set to be one of NXT's big stars, there is absolutely no way she will be losing here tonight.
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