Kairi Sane's win at the Mae Young Classic had been planned for a while, but with a different opponent.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Shayna Baszler, one of the two finalists of the Mae Young Classic, wasn't even originally penciled in to be a finalist. The original finish saw Sane defeat Toni Storm in the finals to win the tournament. The brackets were changed before the tournament, and Sane defeated Storm in the semi-finals.
Plans were made to go all out with Sane vs. Baszler with the Horsewomen angle between the MMA horsewomen (Ronda Rousey, Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke) and the WWE horsewomen (Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Bayley) being shot during the tournament. At the end of the day, WWE decided to make the final night about Sane and the decision to go with Sane was most likely made on the day before the tournament finals.
The Horsewomen angle was never done during the finals, instead opting for a staredown during tournament tapings. All Horsewomen members from MMA and WWE were present in the finals, save for former RAW Women's Champion Sasha Banks. As earlier reported exclusively on Fightful, Ronda Rousey is currently training to be a WWE wrestler.
As for Sane, the Mae Young Classic winner will get a shot at the currently vacant NXT Women's Championship at the NXT TakeOver event in Houston on the day before the Survivor Series pay-per-view. More details on TakeOver will likely be addressed during the NXT tapings set for tonight. Fightful managing editor Sean Ross Sapp will be at the tapings.
