Kemo
01-19-2022, 07:11 PM
Shayna Baszler wrestled in her home town of Sioux Falls, South Dakota over the weekend. She lost to Charlotte Flair in a triple threat match that also included Naomi.
The former NXT Women’s champion spoke with Argus Leader last week about her transition from MMA to pro wrestling.
Many paths require you to be passionate in order to succeed. With a sport as dangerous as mixed martial arts, it’s essential. Baszler recalls “falling out of love” with MMA during the tail end of her fighting career. This led her to pursue pro wrestling.
“I think my coach had recognized and I think, you know, in hindsight, I can admit it, I think I was falling out of love with MMA, I started losing fights I shouldn’t have. I didn’t feel scared anymore. You know what I mean? Like I just didn’t care as much as I did before, when I was younger in the sport.”
Realizing her passion for MMA was slipping away, she asked the UFC if she could take some pro wrestling dates while still under contract with them. They rejected her request, which led her coach to suggest she pursue wrestling full-time. He presented it to her as somewhat of a ‘reset.’
Bazsler made a seamless transition to the squared circle. She’s been successful in the highly-competitive world of WWE. In just a few years, she’s achieved some impressive milestones.
When asked about her favorite moments as a pro wrestler, she said her most memorable match was winning the NXT women’s championship for the first time.
However, she doesn’t rate that as her best or favorite match.
One of her favorite matches is when she lost that NXT Women’s Championship to Rhea Ripley. She knows wrestling is all about storytelling and she was satisfied to lose the title as a heel to an up-and-coming babyface.
“I think on the flip side of that, I think when I lost the title to Rhea Ripley, that match is one of my favorite matches because the way we told the story and it’s so cool because I lose and the crowd, the fans are so happy that the bad guy lost and the good guy won that they stormed the ring.”
The former NXT Women’s champion spoke with Argus Leader last week about her transition from MMA to pro wrestling.
Many paths require you to be passionate in order to succeed. With a sport as dangerous as mixed martial arts, it’s essential. Baszler recalls “falling out of love” with MMA during the tail end of her fighting career. This led her to pursue pro wrestling.
“I think my coach had recognized and I think, you know, in hindsight, I can admit it, I think I was falling out of love with MMA, I started losing fights I shouldn’t have. I didn’t feel scared anymore. You know what I mean? Like I just didn’t care as much as I did before, when I was younger in the sport.”
Realizing her passion for MMA was slipping away, she asked the UFC if she could take some pro wrestling dates while still under contract with them. They rejected her request, which led her coach to suggest she pursue wrestling full-time. He presented it to her as somewhat of a ‘reset.’
Bazsler made a seamless transition to the squared circle. She’s been successful in the highly-competitive world of WWE. In just a few years, she’s achieved some impressive milestones.
When asked about her favorite moments as a pro wrestler, she said her most memorable match was winning the NXT women’s championship for the first time.
However, she doesn’t rate that as her best or favorite match.
One of her favorite matches is when she lost that NXT Women’s Championship to Rhea Ripley. She knows wrestling is all about storytelling and she was satisfied to lose the title as a heel to an up-and-coming babyface.
“I think on the flip side of that, I think when I lost the title to Rhea Ripley, that match is one of my favorite matches because the way we told the story and it’s so cool because I lose and the crowd, the fans are so happy that the bad guy lost and the good guy won that they stormed the ring.”