How Nia Jax vs Shayna Baszler can help change the women’s division
By Megan Chibba
![Apr 11, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Shayna Baszler (red top/red pants) and Nia Jax (red shirt/black pants) face Natalya (pink/black attire) and Tamina (black/green attire) during their Women's Tag Team Championship match during WrestleMania 37 at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports Apr 11, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Shayna Baszler (red top/red pants) and Nia Jax (red shirt/black pants) face Natalya (pink/black attire) and Tamina (black/green attire) during their Women's Tag Team Championship match during WrestleMania 37 at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/93a7b7522cd36643d196b9000bd502b5b0eedf2de666c0c28685b0104ec6790a.jpg)
The WWE women’s division can be very inconsistent, there are times we have women main eventing large PPVs, and the following week talented superstars are losing in 60-second matches. In the men’s division, we can always see a wide variety of superstars who can do different things and appeal to so many different types of people. I think this is what is missing the most from the women’s division. A lot of the top stars are very similar and people who are different don’t always get pushed the same way. This is why I personally think Nia Jax vs Shayna Baszler is the feud that can help change the direction of the women’s division.
In a world where more young women are watching professional wrestling, having a diverse roster is really important. Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax are two women who stand out in the division not only for their looks and personalities but also because of their wrestling styles. Both women, in different ways, showcase total dominance and incredible strength which isn’t always as common in this division. This is why they managed to work so well as a tag team during both of their reigns.
Many members of the WWE universe weren’t big fans of Jax and Baszler as a team and now they’ve split up are much happier. I think it leaves a lot of eyes on this feud for people to see how they will both move forward as solo competitors. Their split was necessary and now it’s all about building momentum for them to be alone again.
As we’ve seen on Raw, Baszler didn’t like Eva Marie being so confident that she could take on any woman in the locker room so she made it very clear she is the most dangerous woman on the roster, she hasn’t been afraid to continue the fight at the end of matches as we saw with Dana Brooke. It puts everyone on notice immediately and if done right can easily send Baszler right to the title picture especially joining a new roster.
As for Nia, being out currently due to the beating she took from Baszler can allow her to come back in a big way for revenge against Baszler if they end up on the same brand again in the future. There are still a few weeks before the draft fully takes effect so you never know what could happen.
We could have a really great match between the two of them doing things that we don’t often see women doing and could really set a new standard for women’s wrestling. Shayna Baszler was a fantastic champion on NXT during both of her reigns and put on some amazing matches, we could have that same dominance from her once again if she can carry on this way. This feud, not only can continue to show us great physical action but so far it’s had a lot of layers to the story which is the most important part of any wrestling storyline. On Raw Talk, it was clear Shayna didn’t want to hurt Nia but she still did it which leaves a lot of questions to be answered.
Although I think this could work, on the other hand, I have my concerns, this can only work if a lot of effort goes into it. I worry that due to it not being a title feud that there will not be as much attention put on it and it won’t reach its potential. Not many fans believe in Nia Jax as a wrestler after some bad spots in matches and if she is put over as a babyface which is the direction it seems to be heading in, I don’t think the fans are going to care as much.
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Time and momentum are needed for both of these women to reclaim the dominance they once had. We have had the same people being champions and the same feuds for a long time and if more superstars can be showcased in these non-title feuds we could end up with a much more exciting division moving forward. Now with Jax and Baszler being put on different brands, it may put an end to this completely leaving Baszler and Jax open to a wide range of new opponents and opportunities for success