WWE NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler spoke with Newsweek to promote tonight’s episode. She talked about how it was a dream come true to appear on Friday’s SmackDown, her main roster debut, to attack Nikki Cross, Sasha Banks and SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley. Baszler was asked her mindset going into the show.
“It’s what every athlete in any sport dreams about,” Baszler said. “Us getting called and showing up on SmackDown is the equivalent in our world of the pinch hitter getting called in the ninth inning with a 3-2 count with two outs and is asked to deliver. Or the starting quarterback goes down and we have to go in there and put together a game-winning drive. This is everything that you dream about when you’re doing sports. It was pretty wild.”
Baszler then appeared on Monday’s RAW to interrupt a pre-recorded backstage interview between Charly Caruso and RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch. Baszler warned Lynch that she is not Ronda Rousey, her good friend. She was asked how important it was to get that point across in the segment.
“We talk about the mainstream audience maybe not knowing exactly who we are,” she said. “But [if] there’s one thing that people who do watch RAW and SmackDown know it’s that I’m Ronda’s friend. And believe me, we share in each other’s success and celebrate with each other like normal friends do. But I’ve always wanted to make it very clear that she does her thing I do mine. I just want to make it clear from day one that we’re friends, but you’re dealing with a whole different animal. Just because you’re prepared for one doesn’t mean you’re prepared [for the other]. And I don’t just mean Becky, I mean the audience. Just because they know [Ronda] doesn’t mean they are prepared for me.”
Baszler is scheduled to face Bayley and Lynch in the big non-title Triple Threat at WWE Survivor Series on November 24, but the night before that she will make history by leading her team in the first-ever women’s WarGames match at the NXT “Takeover: WarGames 2019” event. She was asked how it feels to be involved with the historic bout.
“Throughout my sports career been involved in these pivotal, history moments and not just be a part but active,” Baszler said. “It’s just crazy because you hear these mumblings of “when is Shayna going to RAW or SmackDown,” but I’m so thankful that I haven’t because when the women’s War Games match was announced you saw a bunch of former NXT women superstars tweeting that they wish to be a part of it or saying, “hey I’m available for this match.” And I’m glad that I’m here being a part of it and not saying, “man I wish I was a part of that.” I’m a part of all this stuff right now and it’s crazy. It’s a really cool time to be a part of it the way that I am.”
