It was rumored on various websites that Mae Young Classic competitor Tessa Blanchard may be signing with WWE in the near future, however it now appears those rumors are false.

Blanchard recently mentioned on Twitter that she is now taking independent bookings for next year, so that should rule out any indications of her signing to WWE at this time.

Now accepting bookings for 2018 #TessaIsForever #Undeniable

TessaMB1@gmail.com pic.twitter.com/Z0F2kWNmSs

— Tessa Blanchard (@Tess_Blanchard) December 1, 2017

In addition to competing in the Mae Young Classic for WWE, she also wrestled several months in NXT.

The post Tessa Blanchard NOT Signing with WWE appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

Kairi Sane did an interview with NBC Sports recently after defeating Shayna Baszler to win the Mae Young Classic earlier this week. Kairi discussed her elbow drop finisher, her Mae Young Classic win, the difference between American and Japanese crowds and more. Here are a few highlights from the interview:

On her elbow drop finisher:

“I’ve been doing this for about six years now and at first the diving elbow drop did not work. I got injured and it wasn’t my finisher at first, but the move was important to me. I wanted to win using my elbow, so now it has become my form. It’s my favorite thing to do when I perform.”

Her reaction on winning the first-ever Mae Young Classic:

 “I was very proud of myself to be there as one of the finalists. It was surprising that I made it so far. I felt nervous, but it was such a happy day for me.”

 Differences between working in front of an American audience as opposed to a Japanese audience:

“I have to say American fans make me happier. I love their reactions. It’s very exciting and fun. It’s as if they’re fighting together with me.”

You can check out the full interview on NBC Sports here.

The post Kairi Sane Reacts to Winning The Mae Young Classic appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

While speaking to Alundra Blayze at Tuesday’s Mae Young Classic red carpet event, Bayley provided an update on her shoulder injury.

“Doing good. I can move it and I can do daily life stuff, I can put my hair up again. I still haven’t lifted any weights on it cause I’m scared, so I’m waiting for the doctor to tell me it’s OK to do this, it’s OK to lift this amount of weight, but it’s going up. Every day is better. It sounds cliche, but every day I get better.”

As of this writing, there is no official return date for Bayley to return to action. The belief is that should could be out of action until early 2018. We will keep you updated if we receive more information on her status.

The post Bayley Provides Update on Her Shoulder Injury appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

The WWE network is something of a mixed bag. While there are a lot of terrible programs on there, the network has also allowed the WWE a chance to experiment with new divisions and give younger, fresher stars a chance to shine for the company.

One of the best things that the network has introduced over the last year is their network exclusive tournaments. The Cruiserweight classic was an absolute gem, and while the resulting 205 Live has gone down like a lead balloon, the initial tournament was something very special, and something they should definitely look at repeating.

The UK tournament, for the UK title, was a bonafide success, introducing the WWE to the likes of Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne, two stars who have gone on to give us arguably the best match of the year in WWE so far.

Finally, there is the Mae Young Classic, which debuted on the network two weeks ago, after Summerslam. The tournament has been a great showcase for women’s wrestling and has given us some future stars to look out for. The final, which is yet to air, is likely to be a great match as well, and will likely serve as a launching pad for both women’s careers and a likely NXT Women’s Championship reign.

The tournaments have been a huge success, and the company is likely to invest in more of them over the coming few years. With such a wealth of talent available from all around the world- now is the perfect time for them to scout out tomorrow’s superstars and give us some more excellent wrestling. Let’s take a look at four possible tournaments the WWE could hold over the next 12 months.

Tag Team Tournament

WWE’s tag team division is not in a good place at the moment. Despite the strength and depth of the current roster, there appears to be a serious lack of tag team talent on the rosters, with only about 4 teams being serious title contenders on each brand.

That problem is going to come to a breaking point soon, and with such an array of talent available from all corners of the globe, the company would be stupid not to at least consider bringing them in for a tournament.

Tag team tournaments have always proved fruitful in the WWE and dedicated a whole network special to one could prove to a massive hit.

As they have done with both the Mae Young Classic and the Cruiserweight Classic, the company could also reach out to some former tag teams to participate, helping to drive up interest from the WWE universe, and give us some familiar faces to root for.

The post Other Tournaments the WWE Could Host on The Network appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

WWE announced today that Ronda Rousey will be appearing on the Mae Young Classic Red Carpet special next Tuesday on Facebook Live. Here is the announcement:

Watch highlights from the Mae Young Classic Red Carpet Tuesday on Facebook Live

Hours before Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler square off in the final match of WWE’s inaugural Mae Young Classic this Tuesday on WWE Network, watch Superstars and celebrity-athletes walk the red carpet at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, live on Facebook.com/WWE.

Cathy Kelley will host coverage from the red carpet, which begins at 6 ET/3 PT. With the Mae Young Classic Finale being one of Sin City’s hottest tickets next week, luminaries from all walks of life will be in attendance for the all-important event.

Among those expected to appear on the carpet and speak to members of the media are former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey, former Team USA soccer star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Hope Solo, WWE COO Triple H, Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon, The Bella Twins, Charlotte Flair and Bayley. Cast members of the hit Netflix series, “GLOW,” will also be on hand Tuesday for one of the most pivotal nights in the history of women’s wrestling.

Be sure to like WWE’s official Facebook account before Tuesday to watch live highlights from the Mae Young Classic Red Carpet as they happen, and don’t miss the tournament Finale later that night when it streams at 10 ET/7 PT, exclusively on the award-winning WWE Network.

The post Ronda Rousey Announced for Mae Young Classic Red Carpet Special appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

As previously reported, NXT Women’s Champion Asuka vacated the Championship title at Thursday’s NXT tapings at Full Sail University because of a collarbone injury she suffered in her match at last week’s Takeover: Brooklyn III event.

Dave Meltzer indicated on today’s installment of Wrestling Observer Radio that the company has discussed plans to have the winner of the Mae Young Classic be crowned the new NXT Women’s Champion. The finals take place live from Las Vegas on September 12th after SmackDown Live.

Once Asuka is healed from her injury, the plan is to bring her up to either the RAW or SmackDown Live brand. She is expected to be out of action for six-to-eight weeks.

The post Possible Plans for the Vacant NXT Women’s Championship appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

Channel Guide Magazine recently interviewed Bayley. Here are some highlights from the interview:

Not wrestling at Summerslam: “Being a part of 2K event is really cool since I wasn’t on SummerSlam, and it sucks that I’m not actually wrestling. However, I still get to feel a part of something so huge as this. Visiting the children hospitals is one of the most rewarding things for us. So even if I were to do one of those every day, I feel it would be a successful week.”

Having action figures: “The fact I have multiple action figures is crazy. You see them come with the headband, tassels and inflatable men. They really put a lot of time into those.”

The Mae Young Classic: “It was incredible. I stayed both nights and sat in the crowd the whole time. I didn’t want to sit in the back and watch on the monitor. I sat out there because there are so many of my friends who are on it. All of those girls deserve to be in that tournament. I think the fans don’t even know what to expect. They are not going to know what hit them. Once they watch, it won’t take long for them to see how good it is. Words can’t really describe it.”

Where she pulls her motivation: “I will watch what made me fall in love with it in the first place. It keeps me going. I kind of started doing CrossFit, so now I’m training with these CrossFit people. They motivate me to make a better lifestyle for myself. It’s a very healthy lifestyle. So that is where I have been pulling motivation from these days, especially being injured.”

Her shoulder injury: “It’s a separated shoulder. I’m getting checked out in a month again, so we will see where I am after that. Then I will have a better timeframe.”

The post Bayley Provides Update on Her Injury appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

Ross opens today’s show by expressing his excitement at the news that Ric Flair is improving after being hospitalized last weekend. He says that for a few days last week things could have went either way, as doctors were unsure of Flair’s fate. Luckily for all of us, Flair kicked out at two and appears to be recovering as we speak. Ross is sure that Flair will be up and back in action sooner rather than later.

Ross says that he had a terrific time in Brooklyn last week. He informs that he and Lita had to re-do the commentary for 16 matches of the Mae Young Classic after a change was made in the the show’s creative/direction. Ross was surprised to hear that they had to re-do that much content, but he looked at it as an opportunity to improve upon his work and he believes he and Lita accomplished that.

He says that he thoroughly enjoyed his guest appearance on NXT Takeover on Saturday night, and he says it’s hard to put into words the distinct atmosphere that exists at NXT events. He thought Aleister Black and Hideo Itami had a great, physical bout on Saturday and he was proud to be a part of it.

Ross thinks that Lesnar is a ‘man amongst men’, and he took an awful beating on Sunday night in an effort to make the other three men look good. There’s no doubt that this match was booked around making Braun Strowman look like a destructive force, and the work of all four men certainly helped in accomplishing that goal.

The post The Ross Report Recap w/ Mike Johnson – SummerSlam Analysis, Cornette’s GFW Debut, How Can WWE Get Fans to Cheer Reigns? More! appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

Ronda Rousey and WWE may be working once again in the future.

Fightful.com reports that Ronda Rousey has expressed interest in coming to WWE and has went as far as to learn some of the basics from a WWE Superstar.

According to a source within WWE, Rousey was referred to Brian Kendrick for training purposes in Southern California. WWE had previously referred Eva Marie to Kendrick as well.

Many are aware that Rousey made an appearance at the Mae Young Classic back on July 13 and 14th. The word going around backstage at the tournament was that Rousey’s training would start soon and she’s taken some basic bumps and other things thus far.

With WWE recently doing a tease between WWE and UFC’s Four Horsewomen, it’s very possible that something will come from that angle in the future.

The post Ronda Rousey Training for WWE Soon appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

While speaking to Amarillo, Becky Lynch made the following remarks about a possible women’s Royal Rumble match:

“I think there’ll definitely be a time where the women get their own Royal Rumble. When you look at the fact that in July there is the Mae Young Classic taking place between 32 women. Then, you have the women in NXT and the women on both brands. I think it’s a year or two away from having our own Royal Rumble, then maybe our tag titles, the sky is the limit.”

You can check out Becky Lynch’s full Q&A at this link.

The post Becky Lynch Says There Will Be Women’s Royal Rumble appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.