Former IMPACT Wrestling Knockout’s Champion One Of The Latest Participants Announced For This Year’s Mae Young Classic

The 32-woman tournament, which features competitors from around the globe, kicks off on WWE Network later this summer, with the finals taking place at WWE’s historic and first all-women’s pay-per-view, WWE Evolution, on Oct. 28.

A 13-year ring veteran from Columbus, Ohio, Ashley Rayne (pictured above) will not be intimidated by the Classic’s world-class field. Fighting far and wide, with tours of Japan, the U.K., mainland Europe and the United Arab Emigrates under her belt, Rayne has crossed paths with the likes of former WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James in the past. Her preferred finishing move, the Cross Rayne, is a vicious rolling cutter that threatens to twist opponents’ heads off their shoulders.

Making her pro debut a little over three years ago, 21-year-old Priscilla Kelly of Moon Creek, Ga., has already developed an ability to wage wicked mind games inside the ring. Though Kelly is equally capable of out-grappling her foes as staggering them with stomps and strikes, her physical prowess is trumped by her penchant for dominating the psychological struggle. Kelly is known to employ unorthodox tactics, including licking and biting her opponent to gain the edge.

The youngest woman to be announced for the Mae Young Classic so far, 19-year-old Xia Brookside of Leicester, England, enters the competition an already-decorated champion, having battled all over the globe while capturing titles and winning tournaments. The spunky up-and-comer — the daughter of United Kingdom legend and WWE Performance Center coach Robbie Brookside — specializes in classic British grappling techniques, but also brings a hard-hitting influence from her experiences competing in Japan.