Exclusive: British star Ayesha Raymond signs for WWE tournament
Wednesday 12 July 2017 13:08, UK
British wrestler Ayesha Raymond has signed with WWE, Sky Sports can reveal.
The London-born competitor has signed up for next month's Mae Young Classic, a 32-woman tournament attempting to find the next generation of female talent.
Raymond, 27, has been progressing on the independent scene for a few years, wrestling under the name 'The Amazon Ayesha Ray'.
Her physical style has seen her impress fans and win titles in IPW, as well as with other organisations in both the U.K. and Japan.
Raymond joins Piper Niven, from Ayrshire, as the two British competitors confirmed for the competition with both women hoping it will give their careers the kind of boost domestic male talent has seen in recent months.
Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate are seen as two of WWE's rising stars after competing in the UK Tournament earlier this year, while Noam Dar and Jack Gallagher have made it to the main roster after impressing in the Cruiserweight Classic in 2016.
Raymond, who is 6ft, will offer a physical element to a tournament full of high-fliers and nimble athletes.
She's already experienced gruelling matches on the independent scene and it'll be interesting to see whether her time in the ring will stand her in good stead against opponents from a variety of sporting backgrounds.
The full line-up for the Mae Young Classic will be revealed on WWE's Facebook page at 11.30pm on Thursday so British and Irish supporters will be keen to see whether any more stars from these shores are given a shot.
