Could Nikki Cross, Shayna Baszler Get Called Up After WWE Evolution?
For many wrestling fans, who have been waiting years for women’s wrestling to be recognized by WWE on this level, WWE Evolution feels even bigger than WrestleMania. On that note, the promotion could capitalize on the post-show hype by calling up Nikki Cross and Shayna Baszler on the television episodes following the PPV.
Nikki Cross and Shayna Baszler could have been called up after NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV/SummerSlam, because they already accomplished plenty in NXT. Though never a women’s champion, Cross was always a major player in the NXT Women’s Division, with her Last Woman Standing match against Asuka being one of the highlight’s of her career thus far.
At WWE Evolution, Baszler will challenge Kairi Sane for the NXT Women’s Championship, which Baszler held with unyielding authority until Sane wrestled it from her grasps in a sensational TakeOver: Brooklyn match. Baszler had a couple of solid bouts with Ember Moon, but that performance against Sane was her best match yet.
Though Baszler and Sane could put together yet another classic, it’s unlikely Baszler walks away as champion. It seems like her time in NXT is done, because there isn’t anything left for her to accomplish. She already walked all over the division before losing to Sane in a high-stakes match, and if she does get her revenge on the “Pirate Princess”, it shouldn’t be for a long time.
The rumors of Baszler getting together with Ronda Rousey, Marina Shafir, and Jessamyn Duke aren’t dead yet, but even if a “Four Horsewomen of MMA” faction isn’t in the cards, there are plenty of directions for Baszler’s character to proceed on the main roster.
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The Raw and SmackDown Women’s Divisions are in need of a bad-ass heel with no filter like Baszler, who makes people tap, nap, or snap without a gleam of remorse in her soulless eyes. Baszler is the “Queen of Spades” for a reason, and nobody on the main roster will be safe if she gets called up. And that’s precisely the dynamic that either Raw or SmackDown could use. Baszler gets compared to Samoa Joe frequently, but she might be even more effective than Joe at conjuring up numbness and detest from the WWE Universe.
Cross would be just as welcome on the main roster, with SmackDown Live being her natural destination point. Fans were puzzled when Sanity was called up to the main roster without Cross, because while Eric Young is the leader of the unhinged faction, Cross is its ace. Without Cross, Sanity loses its spark, and they just feel like a bunch of crazy dudes making an entrance to cool-but-headache-inducing camera cuts.
Plus, Cross offers the same kind of uniqueness that Baszler does as a character. She’s so committed to playing this insane psychopath who is simultaneously inhuman and superhuman in her characteristics that few other wrestlers in NXT have endeared themselves to the audience like she has. Cross has been an institution in NXT, but after spending two years with WWE’s “Third Brand”, it’s time for the main roster to get a taste of the former three-time Pro Wrestling: EVE Champion.
Evolution is WWE’s most important Pay Per View of the year from a historical standpoint, because everyone will remember the first women’s PPV. The fallout from the PPV should be just as important, because shocking Raw or SmackDow appearances from two respected superstars like Baszler and Cross could extend the PPV’s impact for a couple of more nights. It is all about momentum in WWE, and nothing would feel for monumental than Cross and Baszler putting an exclamation point on Evolution by debuting on the main roster.
Next. Last Woman Standing Perfect For Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair. dark
It’s worth noting that Cross faces Bianca Belair on next week’s episode of NXT and has been a key part of the storyline surrounding Aleister Black’s mysterious attacker. Even though she’s been out of the title picture since losing to Baszler at NXT TakeOver: Chicago II, she’s been just as integral to NXT’s storylines as ever. Perhaps that’s an indication she will remain on the main roster, but it’s honestly time for her to move onto the next chapter of her promising career in WWE.