Wrestling star Shayna Baszler details her surprise WWE release

In her first interview since being released by WWE, out pro wrestler Shayna Baszler provided a more detailed account about her release from the pro wrestling giant.

During an appearance on “The Ariel Helwani Show” Wednesday, Baszler told the show’s host that her release from WWE in May came as a surprise because she had recently signed a new contract with the company that still had three years left on it.

She added that the move was also not unexpected considering that she and Zoey Stark weren’t being featured on WWE television programming after WWE didn’t renew the contract of their Pure Fusion Collective partner and fellow out pro wrestler Sonya Deville, real name Daria Berenato, in February.

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“We were trying to pitch stories and ideas and do our own stuff on social media … and just nothing was really hitting with creative,” Baszler said. “As much as it’s a bummer in that moment, it’s kind of like, yeah, I kind of knew this was where we were at.”

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Baszler’s release ended an eight-year tenure with WWE that saw her reach championship heights, becoming one of the most dominant NXT Women’s champions ever and a three-time WWE Women’s Tag Team champion. She also made the finals of WWE’s first Mae Young Classic tournament in 2017.

That success is what came to Baszler’s mind after she got the news. “For me, my height was that Black and Gold NXT era. I guess it’s easy for me to say that because I was champion at the time and I’m very proud of that run that I had, but even just being in that era of wrestling. I’m grateful that I had that,” Baszler said. “There are some people that I feel like never really found their footing, whether that was they weren’t given the chance or they just didn’t for whatever the reason is, they never really got that same sort of satisfied run that I had.

“Now, I can commiserate and be upset of all the different ways that I feel like a main roster run could have gone, but I’m overall pleased with my time in WWE,” she continued. “I’m grateful that I at least had that because there are people that probably get told all kinds of promises just signing to NXT and then don’t ever make it on TV and get released.”

Baszler did express that there would be some lingering doubts about certain aspects of her time with WWE, such as the events of 202 hitting right as she made her main roster debut or details that she felt “handcuffed” her MMA rules match with Ronda Rousey at “SummerSlam 2023.”

But she added that focusing on things outside of her control isn’t in her plans.

“There will be, like, I wonder, man. I wonder if I could have been that … you’re just going to make yourself miserable kind of like dwelling on the things that are not in your control,” Baszler said. “Sometimes we’re not in control of creative and as much as you want to say like everybody gets that opportunity, sometimes people don’t get the same opportunity as others. But I can be proud of everything I had in my control and I am.

“[M]ore important than winning the WWE title is that did I carry the banner of that style of wrestling that I represent, which is when people watched me, they believed me. I think that is a harder thing to achieve in this day and age for pro wrestling than people realize.”

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