[Rumor] Shayna Baszler's Immediate Future Unclear After NXT Title Loss

After losing the NXT Women's Championship to Rhea Ripley during NXT's broadcast on Wednesday, the immediate future for Shayna Baszler is unclear.

This isn't about an injury, nor is Baszler in some kind of hot water. In fact, it's just the opposite as WWE is unsure about the next steps to take with Shayna Baszler for a couple of reasons.

First, the skyrocketing popularity of Rhea Ripley wasn't expected. There's a strong argument to be made that Triple H and NXT did not expect to remove the title from around Baszler's waist so quickly. And, to say quickly is not exactly the right word to use. The idea was to cement Baszler as the most dominant female competitor in NXT history and now there's some debate about where she ranks next to someone like Asuka.

Second, there is talk WWE wants to move Baslzer into a program with Becky Lynch, perhaps having her win the Royal Rumble in January and move on to face Lynch for the Raw Women's Championship. That then begs the question, 'Will she do so as part of Raw? Or, will she stay NXT and possibly win the title as an NXT roster member?'

Triple H certainly doesn't want Baszler to leave and his thoughts are likely echoed by a number of those behind the NXT and WWE curtain. With lower-than-expected ratings, NXT needs draws and big names to keep or gain momentum. Moving Baszler off the brand hurts in that respect. In fact, Triple H tweeted after her loss on Wednesday, "An incredible champion who has shown the ability to bounce back from adversity... We have certainly not seen the end... Just the end of the beginning. #WWENXT"

What To Do With Baszler?

Raw and SmackDown aren't really "main rosters" any longer. So, is moving her considered elevating her up? Or, would doing so hurt the idea that NXT should be considered the third brand in WWE and not a lower-tier extension?

Or, does WWE scrap the idea that Baszler works a program with Lynch and tries to reclaim the NXT Women's Championship? At the same time, there are a number of deserving competitors in NXT's Women's Division that deserve the spotlight as well.

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