Shayna Baszler Admits Not Being Female Brock Lesnar
Shayna Baszler Reflects on Initial WWE Main Roster Struggles, Vince McMahon’s Limited NXT Knowledge
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Former WWE Superstar Shayna Baszler discussed her challenging transition to the main roster, attributing some of the difficulties to Vince McMahon’s unfamiliarity with her work in NXT and the substantially larger audience she faced.
The “Badass” Label and Initial Impressions
Baszler explained that her initial presentation to Vince McMahon seemed to rely on a simplified description of her persona. She believes McMahon was primarily informed about her through brief summaries,such as “Oh,this badass. And also MMA.” This led to a disconnect between her established character in NXT and how she was initially perceived on the main roster.
“I think Vince, at the time, didn’t watch NXT religiously,” Baszler said in an interview with Insight with Chris Van Vliet. ”So he woudl get told stuff like,’Oh,this is Shayna,she’s a badass.’ I’m just surmising that he’s told about what we kind of are. ‘She’s a badass. She did MMA, she’s friends with Ronda Rousey. Here’s Shayna.’ So even he doesn’t know what I’m about in the ring. So even introducing yourself to him is kind of a thing.”
A Wake-Up Call: The Size of the Main Roster Audience
Baszler admitted that she underestimated the difference in audience size between NXT and the main roster. She realized that a large portion of the main roster audience was unfamiliar with her background and in-ring style, requiring her to essentially reintroduce herself.
“I don’t think I understood at the time that the main roster audience is so much bigger than NXT that most of them don’t know who you are,” Baszler stated. “I feel like I have to reintroduce myself. I don’t know if that’s about winning them over. They don’t know my signature stuff. They don’t know what I do.”
Background: Shayna Baszler’s Career
Shayna Baszler is a professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. Before joining WWE, she competed in MMA, achieving a professional record of 15-11. She is a former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship challenger. In WWE, Baszler gained prominence in NXT, where she became a two-time NXT Women’s Champion and was known for her aggressive and dominant in-ring style. Her association with Ronda Rousey, a fellow former MMA star and WWE Superstar, also contributed to her initial recognition.