All Of The Black Women In The Mae Young Classic
This week, the WWE held the "Parade of Champions," a live stream introducing the 32 participants of their Mae Young Classic, which is a tournament of women's wrestling that officially kicks off on August 28, 2017 on the WWE Network (although they already taped Round One). And you know how we do around here: we're looking out for the black women in the tournament. We need representation.
Now, I must say: they did the damn thing. Of the 32 women, we're seeing representatives from Korea, Germany, Brazil, Japan, Scotland, and, of course, the United States of America. Out of that 32? It looks like there are 32 women of African descent in this tournament. Some of them you may (mae?) have seen before, others are brand-spanking new. Either way, here's a look at the five black women who are a part of the Mae Young Classic.
Nicole Savoy
Nicole Savoy's been wrestling for six years, and is a part of the Trifecta, a stable with fellow Mae Young Classic participants Mercedes Martinez and Shayna Baszler. Savoy was ranked #13 in the 2016 PWI Top 50 Females list, and won the Pro Wrestling Revolution World Women's Championship, the AWS Women's Championship, and the Heart of Shimmer Championship.
Ayesha Raymond
British star Ayesha Raymond is known as the Amazon, primarily for her six-foot stature. She's been trained to fight since she was 15, and has been a force to be reckoned with in the international independent scene, making a name for herself in the IPW as well as other feds in the UK and Japan.
Bianca Belair
While Belair has a CrossFit and powerlifting background, she's only been wrestling professionally for a year, signing a WWE contract back in April of 2016. She's been seen on NXT programming off an on, and defeated fellow NXT superstar Aliyah to qualify for the Mae Young Classic. She's also engaged to fellow wrestler Montez Ford.
Mia Yim
We imagine you've heard of Mia Yim. Born Stephanie Bell, this Korean-American pro wrestler was known to many as Jade, the former TNA Knockout's Champion. She's built her rep up as Mia Yim through Ring of Honor, CZW, SHIMMER, and in Japan. Yim ranked #6 in on the 2016 PWI Top 50 Females list, and could be a strong contender to take the Mae Young Classic.
Renee Michelle
This won't be Michelle's first time on WWE programming; many might recall her being a part of Adam Rose's posse during the 2014 Slammy Awards. She was the first MCW Women's Champion, a title which she held three times, as well as holding the top titles in ECWA and the NWL.
Much luck to all of the women in the Mae Young Classic, especially to the ones with some black in them.
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