Former WWE star Shayna Baszler appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show to discuss various topics, including her role as a producer in NXT.
Baszler said, “It’s really funny. This whole thing kind of blew up to be bigger than it was. I have a really good relationship with WWE. Especially with NXT and the time I put in and the coaches there. I happened to, I’m not going to name any names, but I happened to be in to help some friends of mine work on submission transitions.”
She continued, “It happened to be on a Tuesday. The truth is, years ago, when Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson), during the COVID era, in Gorilla, you have the opportunity to sit on a headset and hear all the communication going on with the truck and production. Generally speaking, it’s just for the top guys. I wasn’t in a position to sit and do that on the main roster, but I remember Daniel Bryan telling me, ‘If you ever get a chance to do that, it completely changed my understanding of how wrestling works.’ He understood, ‘they want me to do this because of this camera, and it takes this long to switch to this angle.’ You see wrestling differently for TV. I always remembered that, and anytime I was around NXT after that, I would jump on a headset and listen.”
Baszler added, “I happened to be there that Tuesday, jumped on a headset and listened to the call. I wasn’t on a microphone.”
On how she became a producer:
“I hadn’t been gone for a million years. I know many of the talent there. If anything could be said it was maybe, ‘I have an idea. Why don’t you do this and this,’ but I wasn’t standing there putting this match together, writing down the notes and on a mic to the truck being like, ‘We’re gonna need a floor camera.’ It wasn’t any of that. We have that kind of open relationship where, is it a possibility someday? Sure. I would like to think so. I shouldn’t speak for them, maybe they think differently, but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility. I would love to be the (Antonio) Inoki of NXT and bring a little visceral reality into things. I’m also not sure I’m ready to be done in the ring. I’m also not sure I’m one of those people that would ever feel like I’m ready to be done.”
On if she only worked one show:
“It’s been a few times. As far as sitting on a headset in NXT, I’ve been doing that forever. No one paid attention because I was a talent and it was normal to see me there. I’ve been doing that. Pretty much my whole 90 days, I’ve been in there helping out with a couple of matches here and there. It wasn’t until NXT had a show before Evolution with all the Raw and SmackDown girls showing up for the battle royal. I know it was one of them! [laughs].”
On if she would be open to a full-time role:
“I’d be open to discussing something like that. A conversation would need to be had about the normal things like the money. I’d have to really sit and figure out what in-ring looks like. I’m very aware of where I’m at. I’m in my 40s. There are people in their 40s at the height of it, so could I? This would all be stuff I would have to navigate. I do not take lightly that they even allow me (to be on a headset). I think any talent could go to NXT and sit on a headset, I think the anomaly is that I was released and they still allowed me to do that. This is a male dominated industry and I think they are always looking for women that can step into a role like that. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility and I don’t take lightly the compliment it is for them to allow me to do that post-released. Even if nothing comes of it, I’m learning the craft so it’s more tools to put in my toolbag.”
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below.
(H/T to Fightful for transcribing the above quotes)
