According to Cageside Seats , WWE chairman Vince McMahon has given up on Shayna Baszler and has no intention of pushing her in the near future.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, Paul Heyman losing his job as Monday Night Raw ‘s executive director may have led to McMahon seemingly giving up on the two-time NXT Women’s Champion. Heyman was reportedly high on the superstar, and McMahon was only willing to give her a chance because he vouched for her.
The Inquisitr report also highlights that McMahon is keeping Baszler off of television at the moment because he has no plans for her. However, the belief is that WWE still intends to book her strongly when she is around, even though it might not lead to a title push anytime soon.
Heyman’s exit reportedly has other rising stars fearing for their positions on the card. Heyman was responsible for the groundswell of opportunities for young and underutilized talents in recent months, but now that he’s gone, McMahon is more likely to push the performers he likes.
Earlier this year, Baszler was tipped to be the next big thing on the WWE roster. She was promoted from NXT before the Royal Rumble pay-per-view and went on to have a strong showing in the eponymous 30-women Battle Royale match.
Baszler won the women’s Elimination Chamber a few weeks later, after dominating every other performer in the match. This victory earned her an opportunity at Becky Lynch’s Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 36 , but she ended up losing in the end.
Baszler has been largely absent from WWE television since WrestleMania . She did appear at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view as an entrant of the titular women’s Ladder match, but the briefcase was won by Asuka. On the following episode of Monday Night Raw , Lynch awarded Asuka with the Raw Women’s Championship, and the Japanese superstar has been leading the division ever since.
This booking decision led to some controversy. While Asuka is a fan-favorite, some fans and pundits believe that Baszler should have dethroned Lynch at WrestleMania , especially considering Lynch took time off to have a baby a few weeks later.
The company has been pushing other superstars since then. Charlotte Flair has featured heavily on almost every episode of WWE’s weekly shows in recent weeks, and Nia Jax has also been chasing the title.
Sasha Banks was announced as Asuka’s next challenger on the latest episode of Monday Night Raw . Banks is a Friday Night SmackDown superstar, however, and it appears as if the company is more interested in giving the spotlight to wrestlers who technically don’t compete on the red brand. It now remains to be seen if Baszler will be given a chance at a later date.