WWE NXT: 3 Potential Opponents for Shayna Baszler

credit: wwe.com

1. Candice LeRae

Sure, the first two picks in this article are women who have been with the WWE for quite some time. But if the company wants to go with the person that is currently the most over with the NXT crowd, the pick has to be Candice LeRae.

After 15 years of grinding it out on the independent wrestling circuit, “Mrs. Wrestling”, the wife of Johnny Gargano, got her chance to shine when she was invited to compete in the Mae Young Classic. And after victories over Renee Michelle and Nicole Savoy which vaulted her into the quarter-finals, she came face to face with “The Queen of Spades”. But even in defeat, LeRae looked sharp and every bit like the superstar that had competed in over 400 matches in her career.

LeRae’s performance in the tournament earned her a longer look from WWE brass, and the company signed her to a contract in January right in the thick of Gargano’s feud with Andrade Almas over the NXT Championship. Brought in at first to support her husband against Almas’ manager Zelina Vega, LeRae immediately garnered a wealth of support from the NXT faithful. She currently has a match next week on NXT against Vega and with a near certain televised win coming in that match, she can begin her ascent to title contention.

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Like Sane, LeRae has a built in story line with Baszler based on the champions post-match antics. After defeating LeRae in The Classic, she continued to choke her opponent causing Gargano to come to her side. This is something that NXT can build around in what would be a tremendous feud between these two. It’s perfect story-telling. The hard-nosed, never say die, baby face that scratched and clawed her way to the WWE against the brash, and somewhat raw heel champion has dollar signs written all over it. NXT….book it.