Candice LeRae Talks WWE Mae Young Classic, WrestleCircus, More

Women's wrestling has never been more popular, and one of the top female athletes stealing headlines is Candice LeRae.

After spending most of her career traveling the world as one of the top performers on the independent scene, many casual wrestling fans had their first chance to watch LeRae shine during the WWE Mae Young Classic.

In a recent interview promoting the WrestleCircus one-year anniversary celebration known as CircusMania, which takes place on Saturday, LeRae spoke to Ring Rust Radio about working the Mae Young Classic tournament, her future with WWE and her thoughts on what WrestleCircus offers independent wrestling.

One of the highlights of the Mae Young Classic was LeRae's performances against Renee Michelle in the first round, Nicole Savoy in the second round and Shayna Baszler in the quarterfinals.

When asked about the experience of competing in the marquee tournament, LeRae expressed just how much it meant to her.

"Still to this day it's insane to me because it is something that I've wanted since I was a six-year-old little kid," LeRae said. "It's super cool, and I felt like I've been preparing my entire career for that. That's what everything was for—so I could have that opportunity.

"I used to think I got into wrestling at the wrong time and it was never going to happen for me because I was a little different than some of the other girls that I was around when I first started wrestling. I'm starting to realize everything happened as it was supposed to and I got into it at exactly the right time, so I am very thankful."

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LeRae is one of the most positive people in the wrestling industry, which was on full display during her time in the Mae Young Classic. With two marquee bouts under her belt before taking the loss in the quarterfinals, LeRae was one of the tournament's MVPs.

After being one of the top stars in the Mae Young Classic, wrestling fans want to see LeRae in a full-time role with WWE. Whether it's on the main roster or in NXT, LeRae needs to be signed to a contract with the company as soon as possible.

When asked about her interest in signing with WWE, LeRae spoke candidly: "I would love to end up there. I've turned down other opportunities just in hopes of the opportunity to come to the WWE someday. 

"Obviously, my dream has always been to wrestle for WWE and have a full-time contract there, so I kind of felt if I was going to go anywhere else or do anything else I was cheating myself out of my lifelong dream. It is still to this day my ultimate goal, so I'm being very hopeful and taking it day by day and crossing my fingers."

In addition to stealing the show during her short time working WWE this year, LeRae is still one of the top attractions on the independent scene. One of her upcoming shows is the WrestleCircus anniversary event, CircusMania, where she will team with Joey Ryan to fight John Morrison and Taya Valkyrie.

LeRae spoke about what makes WrestleCircus so special: "I think they just do such a good job of bringing in all different kinds and varieties of talents, which is important. I think when you go to some promotions, they are in a mindset that this is a style that fits our promotion or this is the style this promotion runs.

"The crowd is into everything. They're rowdy, rambunctious and they add to the fun, which makes it a lot easier for us wrestlers. It is just so much fun, a big party."

Whether it's WrestleCircus, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Ring of Honor, TNA or any of the other companies she has worked for over the years, LeRae is one of the top attractions on every card on which she is booked.

LeRae has well over a decade of experience in the business and knows how to put on a match that can steal the show. With an intimate knowledge of how the industry works, she would be the perfect addition to the WWE roster and an instant-impact player.

WWE officials saw what LeRae can do in the ring and how well the WWE Universe responded to her at the Mae Young Classic, and as a result, the company should be looking to lock her into a long-term deal. The future of the women's divisions on NXT, Raw and SmackDown are already bright, but with LeRae added to the mix, they could be legendary.

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player above (some language NSFW).