This year’s edition of the Mae Young Classic is gearing up to be just as impressive as last year’s show. The women’s tournament returns to Full Sail University once again this year, and it will consist of 32 women that some fans may be familiar with from the NXT roster or last year’s tournament, as well as some female athletes who will be competing in a WWE ring for the very first time ever. The likes of Kaitlyn and Rhea Ripley have already been announced as returning superstars for the tournament this year, and recent WWE signees Io Shirai and Kacy Catanzaro have also been confirmed for this year’s Mae Young Classic, but WWE has just announced a few more of the names who will be competing in the tournament this summer.

BREAKING: @WWEPerformCtr athletes @TeganNoxWWE_ @DeonnaPurrazzo @Jess10YES_ & @ReinaGWWE will compete in the 2018 @WWE #MaeYoungClassic! https://t.co/AzTx8NB7OI
— Mae Young Classic (@MaeYoungClassic) July 18, 2018
Tegan Nox – Formerly known as Nixon Newell, Nox has competed all over the globe for promotions such as PROGRESS, Shimmer, and Stardom. Nox was signed to a WWE contract last year, but it was later reported that she had been pulled from last year’s Mae Young Classic due to an injury. She returned to the ring at NXT live events earlier this year, and she will be getting a second chance to compete in the women’s tournament this year.
Reina Gonzalez – Gonzalez is a WWE Performance Center recruit who has been primarily competing on NXT live events and occasionally on NXT programming. She competed in the Mae Young Classic tournament last year but lost in the first round to Nicole Savoy.

Deonna Purrazzo – At only 23-year-old, Purrazzo made a name for herself on the independent scene before arriving in WWE. She has a made a few appearances on WWE programming in the past, and she was also used as an alternate in last year’s Mae Young Classic. Purrazzo signed a full time NXT deal earlier this year and officially reported for training at the Performance Center yesterday.
Jessie Elaban – A former collegiate volleyball player who has been competing for NXT since late last year. Elaban wrestles on NXT live events and has made a few on-screen appearances on NXT during battle royals in the past.
Be sure to stay tuned for all of the latest updates on the Mae Young Classic tournament before tapings begin in August.