Shayna Baszler on the Transition to Professional Wrestling

Queen me! Earlier this year, the Mae Young Classic saw a host of fresh talent make their WWE debuts, many of which became names that the fans took instant likings to. One of the bigger names was Shayna Baszler, who made it all the way to the finals. She has since signed with the company and is at the WWE Performance Center, but what else is there to know about her?

Baszler was recently interviewed by the Argus Leader (of her hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota) on her transition from mixed martial arts into professional wrestling. The interview looks at what it’s like to train in the WWE Performance Center as well as how different the two sports are. Here are some highlights.

On Why She Made the Switch

“I got to a point in my MMA career that I was just going to work. I kind of lost the spark for it. I love MMA. It’s what I studied for most of my adult life, but there comes a point I think when you’re just not as hungry anymore and it was starting to show up in my results.”

On the Difference Between the Crowd Reactions

“In MMA, you’re trained to tune the audience out. In sports entertainment, you’re trained to feed off what the audience is thinking and feeling. There’s a lot more emphasis about making the crowd feel certain emotions about certain things.

Here’s how close Baszler came to winning the tournament.

Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler - Tournament Final: Mae Young Classic Finale, Sept. 12, 2017

And on the Difference in Timing Between the Two Sports

“In sports entertainment, you can take your time and digest what’s going on along with the audience. It’s really learning that you don’t have to be in this panic mode. I’m on call whenever they have a body for me to come in and break.”

You can read the full interview here.

Opinion: Baszler is someone who should be able to become a star in short order, though the question is how long can Baszler be a top star in WWE. She’s 37 and has some experience, though I’m not sure if she has a long WWE career in her. WWE is smart to strike while they can and Baszler already being in NXT is a good thing, though they don’t have much time to spare.

What do you think of Baszler? Should she have won the tournament? Let us know in the comments below.