5 Facts you need to know about Shayna Baszler

There's actually an interesting story behind Shayna Baszler's nickname
There's actually an interesting story behind Shayna Baszler's nickname

Last night's episode of RAW saw former NXT Women's Champion Shayna Baszler finally make her debut on the main roster when she went after Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch, biting a piece out of the back of her neck.

Baszler and Lynch have history since it was The Queen of Spades who won the battle of the Women's Champions back at Survivor Series before she was attacked by The Man to set up a match in the future.

Baszler was unsuccessful in winning the Women's Royal Rumble match which meant that she couldn't challenge Lynch for her title at WrestleMania like many fans predicted, so instead she had to go about it a completely different way.

This isn't the first time Baszler has been seen on RAW, but it's officially her main roster debut and for fans who don't tune into NXT, there's a lot of information to catch up with from The Submission Magician.


#5. Baszler is the oldest NXT Women's Champion in history

Shayna Baszler had an entire career in MMA before she came to WWE which means that she had a late start compared to many wrestlers who make their debuts as teenagers. Despite this, Baszler has gone on to become one of the greatest NXT Women's Champions of all time and her time in NXT has welcomed in a new era of women's wrestling at Full Sail University.

That being said, it could be argued that Baszler doesn't have a very long career ahead of her since she's already almost 40 years old. Baszler is the oldest NXT Women's Champion in the history of the Championship, beating Asuka by three years since The Empress of Tomorrow was 35 when she lifted the title back in 2015.

The Queen of Spades was an impressive 37 years old when she took the Championship from Ember Moon in New Orleans back in 2018.

#4. Baszler is a certified EMT

Wrestling is a sport that is very unpredictable, one minute a superstar can be having the best match of their career and the next their career could be over after one bad bump. This means that a lot of athletes take care of their bodies both inside and outside of the ring to ensure that they have some longevity in their career.

As a former Mixed Martial Artist, Baszler obviously knows how to ensure that she is safe in the ring and knows how to look after her own body, but if she isn't it's interesting to note that The Queen of Spades is also a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).

This means that Baszler is able to access any injury that she suffers at a higher level than many of the current WWE roster. This also means that if Baszler's career comes to an end suddenly, then she has a backup career already waiting for her, which shows just how smart the Submission Magician is both inside and outside of the ring.

#3. The Queen of Spades is a Roller Derby Coach

It appears that Shayna Baszler's list of talents knows no bounds. Not only is Baszler a former MMA star who was able to seamlessly make the transition over to wrestling, but according to reports, she is also the coach of her hometown Roller Derby ream called the Sioux Falls Roller Dollz.

Roller Derby is basically roller skating competitively as team of five around a track, it becomes a very competitive game throughout and can sometimes get physical for many of the women.

It does seem like the kind of sport that Shayna Baszler would participate in and her team has reportedly had a lot of success over the years since they have been able to tour on several occasions and even raised more than $40,000 for various charities.

It's impressive that Baszler is able to find time to fit this kind of sport into her hectic schedule, something that she may have to re-assess now that she been handed the touring schedule for WWE's main roster.

#2. Shayna Baszler wrestled on the Indy's for a number of years

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There's a huge misconception when it comes to Shayna Baszler's wrestling career, where many fans believe that WWE signed and trained Baszler fresh off her MMA career when this isn't actually the case.

The former NXT Women's Champion wrestled on the Indys from 2015 until 2017 when she competed in the original Mae Young Classic. Baszler made her wrestling debut alongside ReDragon in Ring of Honor who are now known as Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly in NXT.

Baszler's first match came at Quintessential Pro Wrestling (QPG) back in September 2015 where she was defeated by Cheerleader Melissa, but Mercedes Martinez reportedly took Baszler under her wing and became her mentor throughout her career, helping her push forward in the business.

Before coming to WWE, Baszler had already shared the ring with the likes of Mia Yim, Ruby Riott, Mercedes Martinez, Piper Niven, and Kay Lee Ray. The former Champion was then made part of the Mae Young Classic back in 2017 a tournament that she almost won but was defeated by Kairi Sane in the final.

#1. Baszler's nickname comes from her card magic days

Shayna Baszler has become known by the nickname "The Queen of Spades" throughout her career, something that her original trainer Josh Barnett began referring to her as in her early career but the actual story behind it is that it's down to her incredible skills with playing cards.

Over the years, Baszler has retained the nickname and is now using it in WWE with many fans unaware that the former Women's Champion is reportedly fantastic at card tricks. The Submission Magician herself has even admitted that this is where her nickname came from when asked about it by a fan on Twitter.

Despite Baszler being seen as quite a serious competitor in NXT and now on the main roster, it appears that she pulls out her old card tricks every now and again as seen here when she showed them off for Jessamyn Duke's Birthday a few years ago. The Submission Magician's card skills must make journey's from one arena to another much more entertaining for many of WWE's roster.

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Edited by Sai Teja
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