WWE Raw: Losing to Becky Lynch made Shayna Baszler the ultimate villain
She lost her WWE Raw Women’s Championship match to Becky Lynch at WrestleMania, but Shayna Baszler may have come out even stronger after it.
On the road to WrestleMania, Shayna Baszler lacked the star power it took to feel like a believable challenger who could/should dethrone Becky Lynch of her year long reign as WWE Raw Women’s Champion.
Bold statement, I know, but it’s not like it was a secret. Even Vince McMahon was reported to have doubts about Baszler’s star potential. And judging by how said Mania match concluded, it seems he wasn’t sold on her in time to pull the trigger on pushing her when the moment called for it.
It’s perplexing when you think about it. In NXT, she was over as a heel during both of her Women’s Championship reign and in every sense of the word seemed like a star in the making. Yet, that star power seems lacking now that she’s competing on Monday nights. What did she have on NXT that she’s missing on Raw?
Brutality. Scary, ruthless brutality tailor made for a villain.
And that’s exactly what Baszler was in NXT. The ultimate villain.
Her first match in NXT saw her decimate Dakota Kai’s arm with a smile on her face. She acquired a win, but by referee stoppage. She wasn’t concerned with making her opponent tap or getting a pinfall win, or even a win in general. The match set the stage for Baszler’s true mission statement during her run in NXT: to inflict pain.
There are few things scarier than a villain that lacks a true agenda. Think Michael Myers in the first Halloween movie. Before we learned that he was hellbent on destroying his bloodline in the sequels, Myers’ actions merely read as a deranged killer who wants only wants to destroy with no rhyme, reason, or pattern. Someone who just wants to hurt people.
In a wrestling context, every wrestling character should enter a match wanting to pick up a win. Not Baszler. In NXT, she entered every match just hoping to practice a new form of punishment on her opponent. She didn’t care if her opponent snapped, tapped, passed out, or had their bones broken. As long as pain was unleashed, Baszler was happy.
The past couple weeks has seen Baszler go back to her roots. She qualified for Money in the Bank by referee stoppage against Sarah Logan and then, last Monday in a match with Indi Hartwell, she won by the same means.
Only, this is a new twist on the character we were introduced to in NXT. Rather than seek pain for her own pleasure, Baszler is harboring anger from losing a match at WrestleMania that was supposed to be her coronation as a champion.
Baszler is angry and in hopes unleashing her anger on anyone in sight, she is bigger, badder, and scarier than she’s ever been. And it works.
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While her debut on Raw came at a rough start, going back to her old roots now has quickly seen Baszler mold herself back up to prominence. She’s finally feeling like the star we all hoped she’d be upon joining the red brand. By time she’s back in the title picture, she could be the brand’s top heel.