WWE announces Rhea Ripley for Mae Young Classic 2018
Two of the 32 wrestlers have now been confirmed for this summer’s Mae Young Classic.
WWE has announced that 21-year-old Rhea Ripley will again be participating in the tournament. Ripley, who is from Adelaide, Australia, made her WWE debut in last year’s Mae Young Classic after signing with the company. She defeated Miranda Salinas in the first round before losing to Dakota Kai in her next match.
RIpley has wrestled on NXT house shows since last year’s tournament and also appeared in a battle royal on NXT television last October. She wrestled under her real name (Demi Bennett) before joining WWE.
“When I first got here, I was very uneasy about everything…a different country, new surroundings, new people,” Ripley told Adelaide’s The Advertiser. “I’m feeling a bit more settled to be honest…I still miss home, I miss my friends and my family, but my training and my dog, Luna, have made me feel a lot more at home.
“I’ve always struggled to make good friends but everyone in the Performance Centre has been so helpful that it’s definitely a family environment.”
Former Divas Champion Kaitlyn was announced as the first wrestler for this year’s Mae Young Classic yesterday. The tournament will be taped at Full Sail University on August 8 and 9.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.