Shayna Baszler, who built a reputation on being completely legitimate, has been experimenting with more of the sports entertainment side of professional wrestling over the last year. Arguably, the tip of the iceberg has been her feud with Alexa Bliss. Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Baszler did her best to explain the juggling act that she feels like she regularly has to take upon herself.
“It’s always been a constant juggling act, and that’s not just on Raw,” Baszler says. “That’s also [been the case in] my time in NXT and the indies. I come from a very old-school professional wrestling tradition. Josh Barnett and Billy Robinson were my main coaches, and they’re really, really old-school.
“Back in Billy’s day, the wrestling mentality was that you weren’t going to beat someone in the ring until people believed you could beat them out on the street. It was a very different mindset, and that’s just not how professional wrestling is presented today. It’s been a juggling act to stay true to my martial lineage in professional wrestling, that style I bring where people believe what I do. It’s two-sided. It’s special. There are wrestlers that work for 20 years to build that legitimacy in the eyes of the fans, and I have it when I come through the curtain. It’s also a curse. Not everyone on the roster knows how to deal with that style and mindset.”
Continuing on, she explains how her tag team over the last year with Nia Jax has helped her expand her range and grow her wrestling skill-set.
“Teaming with Nia has helped me expand my pro wrestling repertoire,” Baszler says. “Obviously coming from a fighting background, we don’t do tag teams in MMA. It’s not something I spent a lot of time concentrating on. But it’s a craft and so much more in-depth than people realize. It’s a great sort of Rubik’s cube to solve, and I love solving those puzzles. Nia’s also been a big help for me behind the scenes.”
She added, “I’m putting more tools in my toolbox,” Baszler says. “I worked for years to build this legitimacy. I walk through the curtain, and you know I can ruin someone. I won’t let people forget that.”
SEE MORE: Alexa Bliss Plays Mind Games, Defeats Shayna Baszler At WWE Hell In A Cell
