Toni Storm Returns To The Mae Young Classic

As expected, Toni Storm is returning for this summer’s Mae Young Classic.

As first reported by Mirror Online, Storm, a nine-year ring veteran from Australia, will return to the Mae Young Classic for the second straight year. Storm made it to the semifinals in the inaugural event, turning heads by earning three straight victories before falling to tournament winner Kairi Sane.

Storm signed a United Kingdom contract with WWE earlier this year and appears set to be positioned as a top star in NXT UK’s women’s division. She won a Triple Threat Match on night one of June’s Royal Albert Hall shows and advanced to unsuccessfully challenge for Shayna Baszler’s NXT Women’s Championship the next night.

“It’s just strange because I feel like my brain still hasn’t let it sink in yet that I am associated with WWE,” Storm told Mirror Online. “I have strived for it for so long and dreamt of getting into WWE from being a kid and I have never let it go. It’s completely surreal, a lot of the time I kind of don’t even think i have got there.”

Storm was born in New Zealand, grew up in Australia, and has held titles in PROGRESS Wrestling and Stardom. She’s also the current wXw Women’s Champion.

The Mae Young Classic will be taped at Full Sail Live in Winter Park, Florida on August 8 and 9 before the finals are held at WWE’s Evolution pay-per-view event in Uniondale, New York on October 28. Nineteen of the 32 participants for the tournament have officially been announced.

• Kaitlyn
• Rhea Ripley
• Io Shirai
• Nicole Matthews
• Jinny
• Kacy Catanzaro
• Deonna Purrazzo
• Tegan Nox (formerly known as Nixon Newell)
• Jessica Elaban
• Reina Gonzalez
• Mia Yim
• Mercedes Martinez
• Kavita Devi
• Killer Kelly
• Zeuxis
• Isla Dawn
• Lacey Lane
• Karen Q
• Toni Storm

A Mae Young Classic Qualifying Match was held at the July 18 NXT television tapings at Full Sail Live in Winter Park, Florida. Click here for the spoiler result of the match.