Shayna Baszler has revealed whether she is still under WWE’s payroll.
WWE released Baszler from her contract in May despite having significant time remaining on her deal. She later returned to the independent circuit, facing TNA’s Dani Luna at Prestige Roseland XII on October 5, 2025.
Shayna Baszler also surprised the WWE Universe with a cameo appearance at NXT Homecoming in the lead-up to No Mercy. The former two-time NXT Women’s Champion shared some words of wisdom with Sol Ruca and Zaria during a backstage segment.
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet in a new interview, Baszler clarified her WWE status for fans who believe she is still working for the company.
“I’m not officially hired, but I have a good relationship with them,” Shayna Baszler said. “I’m officially guest coaching when the opportunity comes. I don’t hate it. I actually like it a lot more than I thought I would. So how that all came about is that Daniel Bryan, it was during COVID, and Daniel Bryan was always the guy sitting in Gorilla. It’s kind of like, I don’t know if it’s still the same way now, but it’s kind of like only the top guys can sit back on a headset in Gorilla.
“There’s just too much, it’s not enough room, so you don’t want to crowd the place. But he was talking to me about, if you ever get a chance to sit in the truck or sit on a headset, it completely changed my wrestling. I feel like my wrestling went to another level, because you get to see what they look for, and how they call things, and the time it takes. So you feel weird making a face for too long, but they have just TV stuff.”
Shayna Baszler on potentially getting a full-time coaching role in WWE
When asked if she sees herself becoming a full-time coach with WWE, Baszler responded, “If I don’t suck too bad at the guest part of it.”
She admitted she was apprehensive when the opportunity to guest coach first arose, but said she has since come to enjoy the role due to the emotional investment and collaborative process that comes with coaching talent.
“I’ve been a talent, so I know how to go from creative to the talent and kind of bridge the gap of what creative is looking for and what the talent wants to do. So, I don’t know, I got emotionally invested in everything, so they kind of got me coming back. But yeah, it’s been a lot more rewarding. I’ve enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would, to be honest.”
When asked whether she believes her career as a WWE performer is over, Shayna Baszler said, “Never say never in this business. I mean, weirder things have happened, right? If I get over with something crazy on the Indies or something, and I get an offer. It’s a strange question, because I don’t know that I’m ever going to be someone that’s like, Yeah, I’m ready to be done. I’ll always feel like I can go.”
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