Highlights
- Ronda Rousey's departure from WWE opens up new opportunities for Shayna Baszler to have a successful babyface run and potential feuds with top stars like Charlotte Flair.
- A feud with Trish Stratus could showcase the stark contrast between the Divas Era and the Women's Revolution, allowing Shayna to further establish herself as a legitimate fighter and gain more crowd support.
- Shayna Baszler and Bayley have a history of putting on great matches together, and a feud between them could give Bayley the consequences she deserves for her egotistical character while showcasing Shayna's skills as a dominant face.
The ever-intense Shayna Baszler is about to enter a fork in the road in her WWE career after her feud with Ronda Rousey seemingly came to a close at SummerSlam 2023. The two MMA veterans and best friends turned bitter enemies battled it out at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, in a hard-hitting showcase between two of the most talented female stars to ever participate in combat sports.
However, it is now public knowledge that Ronda Rousey had a 'hard out' in her WWE contract. Rousey's match with Baszler at SummerSlam is expected to be her last for the time being. The Baddest Woman on the Planet did the honors' and took the loss, wrapping up her latest stint, and setting Baszler up for what has the potential to be a great babyface run in the process. Of course, what WWE Creative chooses to do with Baszler could turn out to be just as important as the SummerSlam match itself, if not more so.
On the RAW after her match against Rousey, Shayna defeated Zoey Stark. But since then, she's seemingly fallen off the map when it comes to WWE programming. Baszler hasn't wrestled since defeating Stark, and WWE's creative team had nothing for the two-time NXT Women's Champion during the Payback premium live event.
Update (9/05/2023): Shayna Baszler returned to the ring on the September 4, 2023, episode of Monday Night Raw. She once again defeated Zoey Stark. Following the match, there was a sign of respect between both women. Will Baszler and Stark become a tag team?
When she comes back to WWE TV, who should be Shayna's next target? Without further ado, let's explore five potential feuds for Baszler after Ronda Rousey that could keep her momentum going strong moving forward.
5 Shayna Baszler Vs. Charlotte Flair
Charlotte Flair can divide a room very easily. Some fans love her and some fans hate her, but the single most important fact to consider is that she is a star. Charlotte is probably the biggest female wrestler in the WWE, and anyone she steps in the ring with is automatically in the spotlight. Not only is she in incredible shape, but Charlotte is also an incredibly gifted heel, something that any top babyface needs in order to work and get over effectively. A jump to SmackDown and a feud with Charlotte could take Shayna to new heights.
Charlotte and Shayna have wrestled each other in the past and have decent chemistry in the ring together despite their obviously clashing and completely different in-ring styles. Rousey leaving WWE and Shayna's slow-burn face turn could pay off dramatically if the company were to pull the trigger on giving Shayna a top-level feud against a natural heel like Charlotte Flair, and this would cement Baszler as a top babyface in the process.
4 Shayna Baszler Vs. Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus is having an incredible comeback run right now and is giving some of her best career work to date as a heel. Trish is a WWE Hall of Famer and looks to be in the best shape of her career in this latest run. She has been locked in a dream feud with Becky Lynch for months, but that seemingly came to an end inside a steel cage at the Payback premium live event. Trish is a veteran and her run right now seems to be geared towards helping the current generation of stars get over. This is where a feud with Shayna could happen.
Trish stands out as a veteran of the Divas Era of WWE, whereas Shayna is almost the complete opposite of what a diva used to represent. During her heel run, Trish stated in a brilliant promo back in April 2023 that the Women's Revolution wouldn't have happened if not for her. Shayna is a legitimate fighter and is just starting to get the crowd support as a face, and Trish is working magic as a heel. Putting these two together in a classic face and heel storyline could be a solid direction, and a match between these two could easily be a headline match at a premium live event and/or a future episode of Monday Night Raw. A rivalry with Stratus could help Shayna get over further during her face turn.
3 Shayna Baszler Vs. Bayley
Shayna Baszler and Bayley are no strangers to each other, and these two always put on great matches together. Bayley's current role in WWE as the egotistical leader of the Damage CTRL faction has been nothing short of entertaining, but she has seldom been featured in a big feud for quite some time.
Bayley's microphone skills have come so far since her heel turn, and she seems to truly be in her element. She is obnoxious and annoying, and fans have been waiting for her to face the consequences of her actions for a while. Shayna Baszler could quite easily be the superstar to do just that. A dream feud between these two women would likely see Bayley cheat to win on multiple occasions to generate heat. This would cause fans to want Shayna to win more and more before Baszler finally manages to emerge victorious at a premium live event to cap off the feud. These two have plenty of untapped potential to put on a solid rivalry, and it would be a great one to watch unfold.
2 Shayna Baszler Vs. Gigi Dolin
Gigi Dolin is a standout member of the NXT roster who has really come into her own in 2023. She has continued to evolve her character and isn't afraid to put her body on the line to make an impact. She has a bright future in the WWE. Perhaps most notably, Gigi put on a brilliant weaponized steel cage match against Jacy Jayne back in May 2023. Dolin has a hard-hitting, high-impact style, not unlike Shayna's, which makes sense as both women have served their time on the independent circuit in the past.
Shayna and Gigi could potentially have some great chemistry in the ring. A feud between these two women could either take place with Shayna crossing back over to NXT or Gigi getting the main roster call-up. Gigi is naturally charismatic and the many layers of her character would force her to evolve even further to take on an opponent like Baszler. Both women could emerge from this potential feud looking strong. In recent weeks, WWE has put more focus on NXT as a legitimate brand once again, which makes Gigi vs. Shayna a rivalry that could possibly happen on the white-and-gold brand.
1 Shayna Baszler Vs. Rhea Ripley
This has the potential to be a risky one for a number of reasons. Firstly, while Rhea Ripley is a heel, she is also very over with the fans, meaning that the fans could potentially choose to support Rhea in a title feud rather than Baszler, whom the company is trying to get over as a babyface. Secondly, if Baszler was to take the championship from Ripley, there also stands a good chance that the WWE Universe would turn on her, ending any chance of a successful babyface run in the process.
This potential feud is one that would need to be handled with care, but it has all the potential to be an incredible rivalry as they have a storied history dating back to the time they shared in the black-and-gold brand. Between them, they arguably put on one of the greatest NXT Women's Championship matches of all time when they faced off for the gold on the December 18, 2019, episode of WWE NXT. The chemistry between these two women is incredible. They have met a handful of times on the main roster, but never in a major way. It would be a treat for the entire WWE Universe to see this feud played back, but this time on a much grander stage on the main roster.