Ruby Riot perfectly sums up what makes the Mae Young Classic so special

Ruby Riot

It’s safe to say Ruby Riot counts herself among the many who eagerly await this summer’s Mae Young Classic.

Speaking with Kayla Braxton on Facebook Live in Derby, England — the site of the Download Festival, where NXT Superstars are competing this weekend — Riot called the 32-woman tournament “empowering.” She also summarized perfectly why the tournament, which will stream exclusively on WWE Network, is so revolutionary.

“A couple years ago, the thought of there being a full tournament just for the Women’s division was basically unheard of,” Riot said.

“It’s an incredible, incredible feeling that we’re actually at the forefront of this,” she added.

Though no competitors have yet been named for the global tournament, the anticipation has been high since WWE officially announced it during WrestleMania Week.

Riot, meanwhile, has another goal in sight: The NXT Women’s Title. She and Nikki Cross are set to challenge the champion, Asuka, in a Triple Threat Elimination Match next week on NXT.

Asuka and Riot already had one brutal encounter, however, at the Download Festival: Their singles match Friday was cut short when Asuka ran Riot head-first into chairs, resulting in a laceration that required five stitches to close. Riot appeared to take the incident in stride, saying the extreme measures taken by Asuka were a sign of fear.

“I think her biggest fear is losing the NXT Women’s Championship, which it rightfully should be, especially after the streak that she’s had,” Riot said.

Watch the entire Facebook Live interview below:

Ruby Riot and Kayla Braxton are live from #NXTDownload

Posted by WWE NXT on Friday, June 9, 2017

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