Mae Young Classic: Schedule, Bracket Picks, Spoiler-Free Preview for Round of 16

It's time for more ass-kicking and history-making; the next stage of Mae Young Classic is on its way. 

After an entertaining first round, the field has been halved. Sixteen competitors remain in the hunt to become the winner of the inaugural event.

The charismatic and enigmatic Kairi Sane is still in the mix. As is the former UFC fighter Shayna Baszler. And thanks to a win over Marti Belle, Rachel Evers is among those wrestlers who are a three-count away from making it to the quarterfinals.

More thrillers and upsets are on the way. More standout performances from little-known wrestlers looking to make names for themselves are coming too. The Mae Young Classic will only get better from this point.

As we've seen with the Cruiserweight Classic and United Kingdom Championship Tournament, the second round often trumps the first. 

The WWE Network is the only place to catch it all. The second block of episodes will be released on Monday. They will be available on demand at 9 a.m. ET.

Round of 16 

• Abbey Laith vs. Rachel Evers
• Princesa Sugehit vs. Mercedes Martinez
• Nicole Savoy vs. Candice LaRae
• Mia Yim vs. Shayna Baszler
• Kairi Sane vs. Bianca Belair
• Dakota Kai vs. Rhea Ripley
• Serena Deeb vs. Piper Niven
• Lacey Evans vs. Toni Storm

Must-See Matches

In a David-versus-Goliath battle, the feisty Dakota Kai will take on the hard-hitting Rhea Ripley.

Kai entered the tournament as one of the more experienced competitors, and it showed. She did well to make the green Kavita Devi look strong in the opening round. This time she'll have a more skilled foe on the opposite side of the ring.

Ripley was impressive in her slugfest with Miranda Salinas and has the presence to be one of the event's biggest stars.

Mia Yim vs. Shayna Baszler is perhaps the second round's most intriguing matchup.

It's a clash between a veteran of the independent scene and a woman in the midst of making her transition from MMA to pro wrestling. Baszler is a promising prospect, a skilled grappler with knock-you-off-your-feet power.

She is lined up to face an experienced opponent who is likely to draw the best from her.

Credit: WWE.com

Yim's meeting with Sarah Logan was one of the standout matches of the first round. Can Yim continue her momentum against Baszler? Will the former Impact Wrestling talent advance, or will WWE decide to showcase the rising Baszler instead?

Those questions make this a contest well worth tuning in for.

Predictions

Piper Niven wasn't one of the wrestlers most fans buzzed about heading into the event, but that's set to change.

The powerhouse got herself noticed with a strong showing against Santana Garrett. Niven employs an old-school style reminiscent of what one would see on the United Kingdom's World of Sport. She's unique. She has big-time power.

And with a match against the well-traveled Serena Deeb ahead of her, she's bound to make sure she's a pivotal part of the Mae Young Classic conversation. 

The quality of the matches will improve overall. Many of the most unpolished prospects didn't make it this far.

Despite being perhaps the two most complete wrestlers in the tourney, Toni Storm and Sane won't light the world on fire in the second round. Their next opponents aren't great. 

Sane will face former track star Bianca Belair. Storm is set to clash with Lacey Evans. Both Belair and Evans are NXT prospects who have been solid but not spectacular. They're not likely to deliver classics against their more popular opponents.

Sane and Storm will have to hope they advance to produce something more memorable.

Even so, it will be fun to see those two do what they do best. The elbow-dropping pirate and the top hat-wearing bruiser have personality to spare.