When Shayna Baszler finally made the transition from NXT to WWE’s main roster, Vince McMahon had a unique plan in store for her. The idea was to present her as a breakout star, generating viral social media attention with her debut. According to Baszler, WWE aimed to portray her as the Mike Tyson of the women’s division, with the goal of making her a trending topic on Twitter.
This plan led to a memorable angle on the February 10th, 2020 episode of Raw, where Baszler applied a chokehold on Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and bit the back of her neck, causing Lynch to bleed. While the segment received an intense reaction from fans, it also sparked a wave of online criticism, with many deeming it unnecessary.
In a recent conversation with Fightful, Baszler revealed that WWE’s primary concern was creating a shocking and memorable moment that would garner significant attention. “They wanted something that would make me trend on Twitter,” she said. “It worked. I was like, ‘I mean, I have this gnarly arm stomp.’ They were like, ‘No, no, no. We want you to be like the Mike Tyson of the division.’ I was like, ‘You think they’re gonna think Mike Tyson after this? Okay. You got it.'”
Shayna Baszler (Via WWE/Twitter)
Despite the controversy surrounding the segment, Baszler emphasized that she was simply doing her job and fulfilling WWE’s expectations. “I just came up to main roster. I was doing my job getting myself to trend on Twitter. That’s it,” she stated.
Baszler’s recent appearance involved participating in a WWE Women’s World Title #1 contender’s battle royal on the November 6th edition of Raw, where Zoey Stark emerged victorious, earning the opportunity to challenge Rhea Ripley for the championship at Survivor Series WarGames 2023. As for what’s next for Baszler, only time will tell, but her controversial debut will undoubtedly remain in fans’ memories.
