Csonka: Where Are They Now, The 2017 Mae Young Classic Elite 8

WELCOME back to column time with Larry. I recently did a Where Are They Now, The Cruiserweight Classic Finals Performers that some seemed to like and wanted similar columns on other things. So today, I thought I would take a look back at the 2017 Mae Young Classic Elite 8 in a similar where are they now sort of column and see where the competitors are now. The only rules are to “have a take, be respectful of other’s opinions and don’t be a dick.” We all have opinions, we’re going to disagree, just be cool about it. Lets get to work…

Abbey Laith: Kimber Lee was renamed Abbey Laith in WWE, and the word going around was that she was going to be pushed as a big star in the division. And with her portfolio of work, it made sense for that to be the goal with her. She was earmarked for the Mae Young Classic, rumored at one point to be a finalist/possible winner, and given Mae Young’s finish as an extra way to put her over. But something went wrong along the way. She almost never made NXT TV, her live event appearances became less and less, and in total, she only worked approximately 50 NXT matches. There are tons of rumors out there, and please let me stress, RUMORS. These RUMORS allegedly include things like WWE not thinking she was staying in good enough shape (that she put on weight after signing and didn’t put in the effort to lose it), that she wasn’t progressing as they hoped she would, she was late/inconsistent attending practice and workouts, poor attitude and refusal to change, and not being a team player. Now please keep in mind, these are RUMORS, but it paints an interesting picture; she was brought in and earmarked as a future star, her use became erratic and sparse on live events, and her overall lack of TV appearances became alarming. I’m not saying that the rumors are true, and I do not claim to know the full story. But you have to ask, what went so wrong in just over one year for the company to release a woman that they reportedly had such big plans for. VERDICT: “Abbey Laith” should have been a star in WWE. She had a good look when signed, and was also praised for her work and ability to adapt and work with anyone. Instead, she either didn’t play the game right or simply pissed off the wrong people. But maybe, just maybe, she and WWE were never a good fit, which is fine, because it brought a popular name back to the indies, where she seems happy and isn’t hurting for work.

Mercedes Martinez: In years past, Mercedes Martinez doesn’t get a look from WWE in any way, because she’s 37. But in 2018 WWE things are different and she has a shot here again to impress. Martinez is a longtime veteran of the indie scene and someone fans have wanted to see get a shot for years. She’s been working since 2000, and has been a regular for SHIMMER, SHINE and more; she’s a veteran of well over 400 matches. Word is that Martinez made the effort to go to the WWE Performance Center to train with Xia Li ahead of their Mae Young Classic match. That showed great maturity and considering that Li’s experience in the ring is very limited, they did well in the very short match that they worked. She’s a hard-working veteran who has busted her ass for the chance, so I think she’s worth a look. I love what Martinez brings to the table, she’s a great wrestlers that can play the badass & hard-hitting bitch when she wants to. VERDCT: I’d love for Martinez to get a job with WWE. At worst, she’d be a great player-coach to work with the inexperienced developmental talents on live events, which is an important role. If she’s good at it, it could lead to a coaching job at the PC. But at the same time, I also feel she’s too valuable a name for the indie scene to lose, and that WWE doesn’t “need” her. But if they chose to sign her, she’d be great as the female Chris Hero in developmental.

Candice LeRae: I was puzzled for years regarding the fact that WWE hadn’t signed Candice LaRae. Looking back, my best guess is that the intergender stuff may have caused WWE some pause, especially when the most iconic image of LeRae on the indies washer covered in blood. But Candice LaRae was a star in the indies, working her way up, becoming extremely popular, and setting the trends for others to succeed and sell merchandise. In my opinion, LaRae is one of the best pure babyface performers out there, and she finally got a chance to show it during the classic. She had a good run, made her opponents look great, and showed that she belonged on WWE. VERDICT: She got signed and I was thrilled for her. She accomplished her dream; she’s working (and often teaming) with the love of her life. Candice LaRae has everything it takes to be a star if the company actually treats her that way.

Dakota Kai: The former Evie gained a lot of attention before getting onto the WWE radar in 2015, doing enhancement working NXT and then being signed to a WWE developmental deal. That led to her run in the initial Mae Young Classic, where she defeated Kavita Devi & Rhea Ripley before losing to eventual winner, Kari Sane. The cool thing is that for fans of Evie, we got to see her on the big stage and felt vindicated in our support of her. But even better than that was the fact that a whole new group of fans that never saw her, had no clue what the fuck Evie was, got exposed to her, and became fans, which is the really cool thing about something like the Mae Young Classic. VERDICT: She was signed going into the Mae Young Classic, which I felt was smart. Kai is only 30-years old, is a great babyface, and is a good worker with room to improve still. Her WWE career hasn’t been anything special yet, she’s a role player, had a fun mini-feud with Shayna Baszler, but hasn’t been given anything resembling a sustained push. I think Kai has a ton of potential, but to get a chance in NXT for a run, she’ll have to wait as she’s not the priority. If given the chance, Kai will be an asset to the NXT or NXT UK brands, as well as the main roster when the time comes.

Piper Niven: In my opinion, Piper Niven was the breakout star from the 2017 Mae Young Classic that no one really saw coming. She was involved in some of the best matches in the tournament, putting in quality and consistent performances, showing good charisma and winning over the crowd. Niven also provides someone with a different look than much of the roster, and more importantly than that, she knows how to use her size, unlike Tamina or Nia Jax. She’s a fun performer, who has worked extremely hard over the last year and became a much better in-ring performer than I thought she could be. I thought she was solid but would simply become the cliché big woman, but has really grown past that and is a quality worker with a lot of upside. If she grew so much in the past year, it makes me feel that we’re just scratching the surface with her. VERDICT: WWE missed the boat here, failing to lock her up and bring her in. But WWE’s loss is the wrestling world’s gain as she continues to work everywhere; Japan, Europe, the US, and always delivers. I don’t want WWE locking up everyone, but if I’m WWE, this one comes across as a huge miss, especially when you still employ Tamina & Nia Jax.

Toni Storm: Storm has been a standout in the European scene, working for PROGRESS, wXw, and also logging time in Japan with STARDOM. Storm was well on her way to becoming a good in-ring performer, with a good look and great in-ring presence and attitude, but the time in Japan refined her work and brought her up to a new level. The word was that she was on WWE’s radar, and that was confirmed as she was brought in to work AXXESS over Mania weekend last year so that WWE could get an up close and personal look. She was great in the tournament and really delivered in her two final matches against Niven and Sane. The signing didn’t come right away, Storm continued to travel the world, collecting titles, and generally being awesome. VERDICT: Toni Storm is a star, she’s been great everywhere in the world she worked, and if the WWE machine got behind her, the sky’s the limit. I think that she’s talented enough to become one of the biggest female stars in the company. She’s back for this year’s classic and locked into an NXT UK contract. She’s a huge get for WWE and if she doesn’t become a huge star for them WWE will have no one to blame but themselves.

Finalist – Shayna Baszler: Shayna Baszler made it all the way through the Classic to the finals, which should tell you what WWE thought about her back then. WWE was also brought her in to work NXT live events in Florida, which is another vote of confidence from WWE. She has a completely different style than pretty much everyone else they have under contract. Between catch wrestling and MMA, Baszler certainly had a great athletic background to pull from, but to be honest with you, when she made the announcement of her move to wrestling a few years back at a WrestleMania weekend SHIMMER show, I didn’t see it working out all that well for her. She cut a universally panned interview, that was not only bad and completely awkward, but was also completely devoid of any and all charisma. But she hit the indie scene; she worked hard, started to get some character and then had an excellent breakout match with Io Shirai. She worked along with Mercedes Martinez & Nicole Savoy a lot in SHIMMER, got on the WWE radar and the rest was history and she made the finals of the MYC. VERDICT: This translated into an NXT deal, and Shayna Baszler’s WWE signing has been a complete success. She’s done nothing but improve, she’s a great badass heel, and always delivers. She may be 38, but there’s still a lot to do with her as a performer that hasn’t even been touched on yet. She’s a great success story.

Winner – Kairi Sane: Along with Io Shirai, Kairi Sane was one of the aces of STARDOM, and many feared that with WWE signing both at the same time, that STARDOM was set to fall. But in a twist of fate, WWE rescinded Shirai’s deal due to a health issue. But in all honesty, I think that worked out for the best for all involved. Shirai returned to Japan, rehabbed and got healthy, and got to return to STARDOM to keep that company healthy. And that also allowed things to shake out in WWE. Asuka moved to the main roster, Sane became a main player in NXT, and Shirai ended up in WWE anyway as she is in this year’s Mae Young Classic. While Triple H runs NXT and does it well, I had no faith in WWE pushing three Japanese women on the same show at the same time. Looking back, she had a hell of a run, defeating Tessa Blanchard, Bianca Belair, Dakota Kai, and finally Toni Storm before finally defeating Baszler to win. VERDICT: Sane won the first Mae Young Classic, and while it took her some time to rise to the top, she’s there now as the NXT women’s champion. Sane is a great babyface, she’s over, and her Mae Young Classic final against Baszler ended up being a major part of her NXT run and led to her next big moment, winning the championship from Baszler. Like Baszler, Sane is a success so far, but they’ve only scratched the surfaced with what’s possible with her.

– End Scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”