Shayna Baszler struggles to hold back tears

Shayna Baszler struggled to hold back tears in a recent interview. The former two-time NXT Women's champion left WWE this year in May, though she has made some appearances as a backstage producer and a coach.

During her time in the Stamford-based promotion, Baszler was booked as a dominant force in NXT. This trend continued with her main roster call-up, as she had impressive showings in the Women's Royal Rumble match in 2020 and that year's Elimination Chamber.

Her win in the Chamber earned her a chance to face Becky Lynch at the pandemic-affected WrestleMania 36 for the RAW Women's Championship. During a conversation on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, the Queen of Spades revealed that she was supposed to win the match against Lynch before the change in plans.

When asked if this was still her WrestleMania moment, Baszler had a different answer, and it made her emotional.

"I think the tag match I had, me and Nia against Tamina and Nattie. And I know it wasn't like super feature big-time main event title like Becky was meant to be. But I think it was emotional for all of us because it was like the first time back in front of an audience, even though it was only, like, 50-25%, maybe," she said.

WrestleMania 37 was held in the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. It was the first WWE show to have fans in attendance since the pandemic-enforced restrictions. As she recalled the beginning of the show and how the fans chanted welcome back, she struggled to hold back the tears.

"There's clips of us on stage for the intro, and we're all kind of like crying because hearing the crowd, I'm getting emotional now. F*ck why is it making me emotional? Hearing the crowd say, 'Welcome back,' f*ck," she recalled.

The event saw Baszler and Nia Jax retain the Women's Tag Team Championship after beating Natalya and Tamina on Night 2.

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Shayna Baszler open to WWE return

In May 2025, Shayna Baszler was let go by WWE, ending her eight-year stint with the company.

She returned to the promotion as a producer for a match on NXT in July and has also been making appearances as a coach for the developmental brand.

During the conversation with Chris Van Vliet, she said though she isn't officially hired by WWE, her gig could turn into a full-time deal. When asked whether her in-ring career as a WWE star is over, Shayna Baszler kept the door open, saying, "Never say never."

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Edited by Sherjeel Malik