Rhea Ripley had a solid run in last year’s Mae Young Classic. The Australian born superstar made it to the second round before being knocked out by NXT’s Dakota Kai.
Ripley has since appeared various times on NXT, facing off against the likes of Aliyah, Shayna Baszler, and Kari Sane. The WWE officially announced her participation earlier today on WWE.com.
NXT’s Rhea Ripley will make her second appearance in the Mae Young Classic, competing alongside 31 other women on WWE Network later this summer.
Coming on the heels of the announcement that former WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn will compete in the Classic, Ripley’s hometown newspaper, The Advertiser in Adelaide, South Australia, reported that the 21-year-old WWE Performance Center recruit will also take part in the international tournament.
Signed to the WWE PC last summer, Ripley entered the first Mae Young Classic as the youngest competitor in the field. The 5-foot-7 powerhouse defeated American Miranda Salinas with a full-nelson slam in the First Round before falling to New Zealand’s Dakota Kai in a closely fought match in the Second Round.
The hard-hitting Ripley, who began wrestling as a teenager and competed in Japan before joining NXT, is considered one of the strongest women in the WWE PC weight room. In addition to a wide arsenal of power moves, Ripley boasts wicked striking ability, which can be traced back her extensive background in soccer.
Stay with WWE.com in the coming days and weeks for more updates on the second annual Mae Young Classic.
Rhea Ripley joins former WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn for this year’s Mae Young Classic. Can a better showing this year push her into a bigger role on NXT? We’ll find out in August.
