Shayna Baszler has been terrorizing the WWE NXT women’s division since she made her debut in December of 2017.
After she famously choked out Mae Young Classic winner, Kairi Sane, the message was clear: The Queen of Spades is here, and everybody better watch their back. The former MMA fighter went on to run roughshod on the rest of the division, becoming the first two-time WWE NXT Women’s Champion.
Baszler started her first reign by defeating then champion, Ember Moon, in a gut-wrenching match at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. In the end, she locked in the Kirifuda Clutch to win via technical submission.
Sane, who defeated her in the Mae Young Classic finals, managed to dethrone the champion at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4. But even she has fallen to Baszler on more than one occasion. Wednesday, in a WWE.com exclusive, William Regal granted Kairi one last rematch, scheduled for next week’s episode of NXT.
It’s highly likely that The Pirate Princess will lose and make her way up to the main roster. If WWE was going to take the title off Baszler, they probably would’ve done it last weekend at TakeOver: New York. However, if Kairi Sane can’t end her current 165-day reign, who will?
Dakota Kai
This is a bit of a long shot, but what if Dakota Kai is the one who can finally defeat Baszler? Unfortunately, Dakota suffered a torn ACL back in December. She recently got an approximate return date, so hopefully, she will be back in the ring soon.
Nonetheless, how fitting would it be for Kai to return and challenge Shayna for the title? After all, she was the champion’s opponent in her first televised WWE NXT match. The Queen of Spades won the match via referee stoppage and brutally continued to attack her afterward.
When Dakota returned, she was clearly still shaken up about the experience, letting Baszler run her off on numerous occasions. Eventually, she did work up the courage to challenge the champion, but she was unsuccessful.
There’s so much potential here for a compelling comeback story. WWE could use her road to rehabilitation as an angle. Furthermore, they already have so much built up tension between these two that they could play off.
Baszler is such a great heel, and Kai would make a perfect underdog to pit against her. In fact, this could be the time to give her a high-profile win. The Captain of Team Kick would make an excellent champion.
Io Shirai
Io Shirai is one of the few women who has managed to pin the champion. She was undoubtedly a strong favorite to win the fatal four-way last weekend.
It was certainly a questionable decision to have Bianca Belair tap out, but it probably wasn’t a coincidence that WWE protected Io. Now, Shirai has a definite claim for a rematch. If her tag team partner, Kairi Sane, loses next week, she has to be next in line for a title shot.
The Genius of the Sky is one of the most decorated women’s champions in the world, but she still has something to prove to WWE fans. She was one match away from becoming the winner of the second Mae Young Classic. She was also supposed to compete in the inaugural tournament, but she was sidelined due to a neck injury.
A win over Baszler would give WWE a chance to set her apart from Sane, who is already an established star. There’s a good chance she could join Sane on the main roster, as the Sky Pirates, but that feels premature. It would make more sense for Shirai to gain her own following first.
A run as NXT Women’s Champion would give her more credibility and add prestige to the title.
Candice LeRae
Last but not least, Candice LeRae could realistically be the next champion. As a matter of fact, of these three choices, she is possibly the most likely contender.
LeRae is a great wrestler. Her resume on the indie circuit speaks for itself. Unfortunately, she hasn’t had a chance to do much on WWE NXT other than play a supporting role for her husband, Johnny Gargano. She competed in this year’s Royal Rumble, so the company clearly has plans for her.
Now that the Gargano and Ciampa storyline is over, LeRae can finally focus on her own career. One would have to assume she will try to make a run at the champion.
If logic dictates Dakota Kai would make a good sympathetic babyface, then Candice would work just as well as in a program against Baszler. They also have a history together dating back to quarterfinals of the Mae Young Classic.
The Queen of Spades defeated LeRae with the Kirifuda Clutch and refused to break the hold after her opponent tapped out, causing her to pass out. It was a big win for Baszler, but it was never really addressed when they both came to NXT.
WWE doesn’t always keep up with its own continuity, but this could a chance to build a story around Candice LeRae’s quest for revenge.