WWE: Ranking The Top 10 NXT Superstars of 2018

4. Shayna Baszler

One of NXT’s biggest success stories in recent years, Baszler has gone from a wrestling rookie to one of the most convincingly dominant forces in a WWE ring.

The former MMA star has transitioned perfectly to wrestling, thanks in part to the hard work she’s put in at the Performance Centre. But there’s something very natural about the way Baszler works which strongly suggests that pro-wrestling may have been her calling all along.

In a world of mean-girl style heels Baszler stands out as a glowering, no-nonsense menace. She is not there to deliver snarky one-liners. She is there to hurt people. It’s this distinction which makes Baszler such an effective heel.

Her ring presence is perfectly suited to her persona: she’s not quick and dynamic, nor is she outstandingly athletic, but she is powerful, ruthless and dangerous, with a vast arsenal of painful submissions at her disposal. She’s more akin to Minoru Suzuki than she is to most of her peers.

Baszler is a powerful presence in the NXT women’s division, and her repeated championship success is not unwarranted: she displays a ruthlessness which few have been able to withstand. But she is not invincible.

Multiple superb matches with rival Kairi Sane have shown both her strength and dominance and her weak spots, lending her a degree of humanity necessary to prevent her from sliding into unrealistic supervillain territory.

Baszler can be defeated, and it’s this possibility which makes her matches compelling as opposed to pointless squashes. This element of uncertainty has added a much-needed dimension to Baszler’s character, and makes her all the more interesting to watch from week to week.

With Bianca Belair hot on her heels, and Mia Yim waiting in the wings, Baszler’s reign as champion is under threat. But whoever steps up to challenge her won’t have an easy ride, and with her Horsewomen at her back, Shayna is not going to go down without a hell of a fight.