American Ninja Warrior Kacy Catanzaro Will Be Mae Young Classic's Breakout Star

When the 2018 Mae Young Classic debuts Wednesday night on WWE Network, it will shine a spotlight on many of the best female wrestlers in the world, but nobody is poised to take greater advantage of the exposure than Kacy Catanzaro.

Despite having never competed in a televised match, Catanzaro is already one of the biggest names in the tournament due to her history on the popular competition series American Ninja Warrior.

The 28-year-old Glen Ridge, New Jersey, native became a trailblazer on the obstacle course by becoming the first woman to qualify for the finals and the first woman to complete a city finals course on ANW.

After gaining acclaim on the popular show, Catanzaro signed a developmental contract with WWE in August 2017 before reporting to the WWE Performance Center in January.

Aside from some matches at non-televised NXT live events, Catanzaro's progress has largely been kept under wraps. That will change when she faces Reina Gonzalez in the first round of the Mae Young Classic.

While Catanzaro is listed at 5'0", Gonzalez is a former college basketball player who stands 6'1".

That height disparity will make for an intriguing first-round match that will likely require Catanzaro to get creative.

Although Catanzaro's lack of height could be viewed as a negative in terms of succeeding in the world of professional wrestling, many performers have destroyed the notion that size is a prerequisite to success.

On the women's side, the most recent and obvious example of that is five-time WWE women's champion Alexa Bliss, who is 5'1".

In an interview with Scott Fishman of TV Insider in May, Catanzaro said she has drawn inspiration from Bliss' ascent to the top of the industry:

"[Alexa] helped changed my perspective. She has been growing and rising so much the last couple of years that I've really been thinking about WWE and seeing if it would be possible. I've definitely been looking to her to fuel that drive. The 'Five Feet of Fury' and being tiny but bringing that fire. She gave me that extra push to show that I could do this."

Like Bliss, Catanzaro has a gymnastics background that could prove vital in differentiating herself from the pack and creating an in-ring style all her own.

Catanzaro was a superstar gymnast at Towson University, where she was named the 2012 Southeast Regional Gymnast of the Year and ECAC Gymnast of the Year.

She has rare athleticism due to her background, and it's a safe bet that she will be able to pull off some stunts that have rarely—or even never—been seen inside a wrestling ring.

The odds aren't in favor of Catanzaro winning the tournament since veterans such as Io Shirai, Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez are viewed as the top contenders, but Catanzaro doesn't have to go the distance in order to captivate the WWE Universe.

A good comparison from last year's Mae Young Classic is Bianca Belair, who advanced to the second round before losing to eventual tournament winner Kairi Sane.

Belair's in-ring experience was limited entering the tournament, but she had an impressive athletic resume. In addition to being a CrossFit competitor, Belair competed in track and field at the University of South Carolina, Texas A&M and the University of Tennessee.

In just two matches, Belair showed off her combination of athleticism and strength, and she also showcased her innovation by whipping her opponents with her long hair braid.

Few wrestlers were talked about more than Belair coming out of the 2017 Mae Young Classic, and she has parlayed that into becoming one of the top Superstars in the NXT women's division one year later.

Catanzaro boasts that same level of potential, and the Mae Young Classic represents her first major opportunity to show it off.

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