Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey used to be inseparable. Thanks to their common background in MMA and shared passion for hurting people’s limbs, it was easy to believe these real life friends couldn’t wait to team with each other to run roughshod over the women’s tag team division.
They looked poised to do just that when they defeated three other teams to win the vacant WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship in May, then unified their titles with the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship in June.
But something funny happened not long after that: While Baszler and Rousey were defending their titles against former champs Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez at Money in the Bank, Shayna turned on Ronda, beating her down mid-match and then walking out.
That would typically make her the heel in the ensuing feud, a situation that has played out many times throughout pro wrestling history as one tag team partner betrays the other. Yet Rousey has been unpopular with WWE fans in general for a while, and despite Baszler blaming her former mate for being handed everything she had to work for, it was Ronda who came off looking like a jealous brat this week on Raw.
Confusing? A little bit. But Baszler doesn’t think it has to be. As a guest this week on The Bump (h/t Cageside Seats), she simplified it by fans by telling them to cheer or boo whoever they want while insisting that she stands by her comments about Rousey.
I have seen some stuff from people like, ‘Who am I supposed to be cheering for? Who’s the bad guy?’
…You just cheer for who you like. And it just happens to be me, because the stuff I’m saying is real. And if we’re being honest, the stuff I’m saying is the stuff fans have been saying ever since Ronda got signed [by WWE]. So, I’m done being quiet about it.
The guess here is that between the honeymoon long being over between Rousey and the WWE Universe and the rumors that she’s leaving soon anyway, she’s going to be the heel no matter what she does, and most people will cheer for Baszler.
That works for us because despite her fearsome persona in the ring, Baszler is a delight to talk to and a credit to her profession. WWE should probably still have had Rousey be the betrayer, but it is what it is at this point.