Big Change Made To Mae Young Classic Winner At WWE Evolution

WWE Evolution was a historic night for women’s pro wrestling, especially in WWE. One of the hardest-hitting contests only got 10 minutes but some fans say they would have stolen the show if given a little more time. Io Shirai lost to Toni Storm which cemented her spot in a future NXT Women’s Title match — but that wasn’t the initial plan at all.
There was a moment during the series where a heartbreaking injury cost Tegan Nox her spot in the tournament. A knee injury cost her the opportunity of working in the first MYC and this year, the other knee was destroyed after she took a dive and landed poorly on the outside of the ring. Despite pleas to carry on, Nox ended up throwing the dreaded X up on herself and stopping the match.
It was noted in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the original plans for the Mae Young Classic had Nox slated to win the entire tournament. Therefore, not only did Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley have to throw together a great match with 20 minutes of notice — but the conclusion of the entire tournament had to be altered as well.
Therefore, the plan was always for Toni Storm to be in the finals at WWE Evolution to fight in her bracket — but she was supposed to lose against Tegan Nox. Instead, she ended up defeating Io in a match that was widely praised, but that wasn’t the initial plan at all.
Let’s hope that Tegan Nox can heal up quickly because this time she’ll likely have 2 knee braces on and hopefully she’ll be able to pick up right where they left off with shooting her to the top of the roster with 2 incredible comeback stories under her belt next time.