Predicting the Results of This Week's (9/2) Mae Young Classic Matches

The second edition of the Mae Young Classic starts this Wednesday. The second Mae Young Classic will air on Wednesday at 9 pm (right after NXT) on the WWE Network.

This week we will see Meiko Satomura, Killer Kelly, Lacey Lane, Vanessa Kraven, Tegan Nox, Zatara, Rhea Ripley, and MJ Jenkins in action. We will see Tegan Nox vs Zatara, Lacey Lane vs Vanessa Kraven, Rhea Ripley vs MJ Jenkins, and Meiko Satomura vs Killer Kelly.

Tegan Nox vs Zatara will likely be the first match to start the show. We will then probably see MJ Jenkins vs Rhea Ripley. Lacey Lane vs Vanessa Kraven will be the match right before the main event. The main event will almost definitely be Meiko Satomura vs Killer Kelly.

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Tegan Nox vs Zatara

'The Girl with the Shiniest Wizard' Tegan Nox

The 'Girl with the Shiniest Wizard' Tegan Nox will face off against the opportunistic luchador Zatara. These two competitors are somewhat similar as both use a knee to the head as a finishing move. Tegan Nox uses 'The Shiniest Wizard' which is basically a Shining Wizard while Zatara likes to finish off her opponents with a running knee to the back of the head.

The Case for Zatara to Win: Zatara is a luchador which makes her somewhat unique. WWE has shown interest in female luchadors in the past (Princesa Sugehit's victory over a much more popular Kay Lee Ray in last year's Mae Young Classic demonstrates that).

Zatara is also a Chilean performer and WWE may be looking to highlight performers from Chile given the fact that a tournament involving Latin American performers was rumoured earlier this year.

The Case for Tegan Nox to win: Tegan Nox was supposed to compete in last year's Mae Young Classic but wasn't able to do so due to an injury. She will be given a second chance this year making her the tournament's redemption and underdog story. This makes her a favourite to make it to the finals. Tegan Nox also has an advantage over Zatara because she is currently signed to a WWE contract and will likely be a critical part of the NXT and the NXT UK women's division.

Therefore, WWE will probably want her to be showcased throughout the tournament. Zatara's main advantage is that she is a luchador but there is another luchador in the tournament. Therefore, WWE can choose to only highlight one of the 2 luchadors and Zeuxis's finisher is an Avalanche Spanish Fly so it is more likely that she will move on to the round of 16 than Zatara, who's finisher is just a knee to the back of the head.

Final Prediction: Tegan Nox defeats Zatara to move on to the 2nd round.

MJ Jenkins vs Rhea Ripley

This is a match between 2 women who are currently signed to NXT but have not appeared on NXT yet.

New NXT signee MJ Jenkins will face off against Rhea Ripley who competed in the 1st Mae Young Classic. While Rhea Ripley is more of a powerhouse, MJ Jenkins has a more hybrid style. While MJ Jenkins uses a Gory Neckbreaker as a finishing move while Rhea Ripley uses a Full Nelson Slam as a finishing move.

The Case for MJ Jenkins: MJ Jenkins is new to WWE while Rhea Ripley has been here since the first Mae Young Classic. WWE may want to showcase MJ Jenkins throughout the tournament like they showcased Rhea Ripley last year, who managed to make it to the second round of last year's Mae Young Classic. MJ Jenkins's main advantage is that she is a fresher face.

The Case For Rhea Ripley: WWE has been teasing that Rhea Ripley has a new attitude. WWE will probably want to showcase her newfound aggressiveness throughout the tournament so that she can put over a face like Tegan Nox later in the tournament.

Rhea Ripley is also set to be an integral part of the NXT UK Women's Division so WWE might see her as more of a priority than a newcomer like MJ Jenkins.

Final Prediction: Rhea Ripley defeats MJ Jenkins to move on to the second round.

Lacey Lane vs Vanessa Kraven

This match will be a true David vs Goliath story.

Former college basketball player Lacey Lane will face off against 'The Mountain' Vanessa Kraven. While Vanessa Kraven is a brawler, Lacey Lane uses a style known as lucha strong style. Lacey Lane uses a Top Rope Neckbreaker as a finishing move, while Vanessa Kraven uses the Cliffhanger Chokebomb as a finisher which is basically a sit-out choke bomb.

The Case for Lacey Lane: Lacey Lane is currently signed to NXT while Vanessa Kraven is not so WWE might see her as more of a priority than Vanessa Kraven. Lacey Lane also has a unique look that is somewhat similar to Ember Moon's style and WWE may want to put a spotlight on that throughout the tournament.

This match also seems similar to last year's Abbey Laith vs Jazzy Gabert match (where Abbey Laith the smaller underdog scored the win). Lacey Lane is also a former college basketball and WWE seems to like superstars that used to play other sports but decided to do wrestling instead (for example Roman Reigns).

The Case for Vanessa Kraven: Vanessa Kraven is an extremely tall competitor and can be the tournament's monster. WWE may want her to dominantly run through people in the tournament before being stopped by an underdog such as Jessie Elaban or Toni Storm.

Final Prediction: Lacey Lane defeats Vanessa Kraven to move on to the 2nd round.

Meiko Satomura vs Killer Kelly

This is a match between a veteran and a young upstart.

'The boss' Meiko Satomura will face off against NXT UK superstar Killer Kelly. Meiko Satomura will hope to use her strong style to handle Killer Kelly's striking style. Killer Kelly will hope to use her kicks to neutralize some of Meiko Satomura's best shots (such as her finishing move the Death Valley Driver).

The Case for Killer Kelly: Killer Kelly is currently signed to an NXT contract while Meiko Satomura is not. Meiko Satomura is also unlikely to sign a WWE contract at this stage in her career.

Killer Kelly is also set to take a big role in the NXT UK Women's division given the fact that she was given a match with Charlie Morgan on Day 2 of the UK Tournament so WWE might want to showcase her throughout the tournament.

The Case for Meiko Satomura: Meiko Satomura will probably be like Toni Storm in last year's Mae Young Classic. This means that Meiko Satomura will likely go far in this tournament even though she isn't currently signed by WWE.

WWE also recognizes all the hype that Meiko Satomura has so they probably don't want her to only make one appearance. WWE will probably have Meiko Satomura last until at least the quarterfinals, at most the semifinals. She will then probably put over a signed competitor like Toni Storm or Lacey Lane.

Final Prediction: Meiko Satomura defeats Killer Kelly to move on to the round of 16.

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