Mae Young Classic Is Perfect Springboard for Kaitlyn's Return to WWE Main Roster

After more than four years away from the ring, Kaitlyn's road back to WWE prominence will begin with her participation in the 2018 Mae Young Classic.

The 31-year-old was announced as the first entrant in the tournament in July, just seven months after she revealed she was coming out of retirement.

Kaitlyn will face India's Kavita Devi in what should be a hard-hitting first-round encounter, and a win would set up a meeting with either Mia Yim or Allysin Kay in the second round.

In a recent interview with WWE, Kaitlyn discussed the rationale behind her return and revealed how much the recent strides in women's wrestling inspired her to come back:

When Kaitlyn left WWE in 2014 to launch her Celestial Bodiez fitness clothing line, she was atop what was then known as the Divas division.

She won the Divas Championship in 2013 and held it for 153 days before dropping it to AJ Lee, and she was unquestionably among the most popular women on the roster.

Kaitlyn seemed to be hitting her stride from an in-ring and character perspective just a few years after entering the business in 2010.

Following her somewhat abrupt departure, Kaitlyn experienced some troubles. After getting married in 2014, Kaitlyn announced less than three years later that she and her husband were splitting up.

In October 2017, Kaitlyn wrote in an Instagram post (contains profanity) that it had been one year since she checked into a hospital for medical-drug detox amid the struggles: "Over the past few years I was in a terrible marriage, an addict and not true to myself. It took me so long to admit I had a problem... and then to admit how serious the problem was."

She wrote about her drug and alcohol addiction and remembered "wanting to die" after celebrating her 30th birthday.

Since that post, she made a one-off return to the ring for Coastal Championship Wrestling before her place in the Mae Young Classic was announced.

There is no guarantee that Kaitlyn will have a role with WWE beyond the tournament, but she would be a great fit on the main roster if all parties have interest.

Although Kaitlyn has a modeling background, her powerful physique and quirky personality made her something of an outlier in a WWE Divas division that at times promoted women for their looks rather than wrestling ability.

Due to the current emphasis on in-ring performance and diversity within the women's division, though, Kaitlyn would be a better fit in WWE now than she was in her previous stint.

Most longtime fans would likely remember Kaitlyn, but the Mae Young Classic can re-introduce her with a chance to show that time away from the ring hasn't caused her to miss a beat.

The looming Evolution event in October, which will be the first all-women's pay-per-view in WWE history, also makes the timing of her return interesting, with women from WWE's past and present likely to have an opportunity to be part of the card.

Assuming Kaitlyn acquits herself well in the Mae Young Classic, Evolution is an ideal stage for her main-roster return and a surefire way to garner her some buzz.

With women's wrestling exploding, the main roster needs additional depth and talent, and Kaitlyn can add another dimension and help continue the division's upward trend.

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