The idea behind the upcoming Mae Young Classic that will be shown on the WWE Network is simple. The WWE and the competitors in the tournament want to showcase the female talent associated with the company and recognize one of wrestling's biggest female contributors in history — Mae Young. Young was a pioneer for women's wrestling and as such, the tournament will honor her memory. The WWE is also planning to make a movie about the deceased former women's wrestler. 

The movie will showcase Mae Young's incredible career, including her wrestling for the WWE well into her '80s. She celebrated her 90th birthday on RAW in an episode entitled 'Old School Raw' and she was often teamed up with the Fabulous Moolah.

She was a true team player and wasn't shy about doing anything the company might have asked. From wrestling to taking bumps through a table, to behind the scenes storylines like a relationship with Mark Henry or giving birth to a hand (still one of the craziest scenes ever broadcast on a WWE program).

via wwe.com

The movie will also honor her as a game-changer of the industry when it comes to female wrestling, and the film will chronicle her wrestling career which started in 1938. She became the first-ever NWA Women's Champion and wrestled all over the world. Young is a member of two wrestling Hall of Fames – the Professional Wrestling Hall Of Fame inducted her in 2004 and the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2008. Young passed away in January of 2014.

As big as the news of a movie is, the first sign of respect toward Mae Young will come in the form of a 32-women tournament that will be filmed in July and shown on the WWE Network. The Mae Young Classic will feature matches that take place on July 13th and 14th at Full Sail University, streaming on the Network starting Aug 28, 2017 and holding its finals on September 12, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

PREVIOUSLY: LITA AND JIM ROSS TO CALL MAE YOUNG CLASSIC

The tournament will feature female wrestlers from all over the world, female referees and be announced by former women's wrestler Lita and a returning Jim Ross to the commentary table. The tournament is another example of the WWE trying to find unique programming ideas for the WWE Network, and this idea has generated a lot of buzz. Let's hope the movie does justice to the legend!