Candice LeRae Reportedly Signs WWE Contract

Candice LeRae has reportedly signed a contract with WWE after previously competing in the company's Mae Young Classic tournament featuring female Superstars.

On Wednesday, Squared Circle Sirens reported LeRae passed the required medical examinations and is expected to begin work at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, "in the next few weeks."

LeRae emerged as one of the most notable names on the independent wrestling circuit over the past decade. Her most prominent work came in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, where she won the PWG World Tag Team Championships with longtime independent star Joey Ryan.

The 32-year-old Canada native reached the quarterfinals of the Mae Young Classic, which was taped in July and shown on the WWE Network in August and September, with victories over Renee Michelle and Nicole Savoy before losing to eventual finalist Shayna Baszler.

In October, she told Bleacher Report's Donald Wood during a Ring Rust Radio interview that getting to compete within the confines of WWE was a dream come true:

"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. 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."

Now it appears she'll get an opportunity to make an even bigger impact in wrestling's biggest promotion.

While she'll likely be destined for NXT after getting up to speed at the Performance Center, her reported signing comes with the WWE looking to bolster its talent on the female side following the announcement of the inaugural Women's Royal Rumble match on Jan. 28.

So it's possible LeRae could make an appearance during the marquee 30-woman event before beginning the process of character development in NXT ahead of a potential main-roster call-up in the future.