Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey, along with Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke, are part of the MMA Four Horsewomen. The four women have been connected since their days in the UFC and though they haven't been presented as a quartet on WWE TV -- Rousey was on Raw while Baszler, Shafir, and Duke were aligned in NXT -- they've made no secret of their bond through interviews.
That said, Baszler is thankful WWE hasn't gone overboard with the friendship nods and comparisons between herself and Rousey.
“I am glad that it’s not something that WWE has like forced down people’s throats,” Baszler said in an interview with the New York Post. “I’m not afraid. It’s not that I want to hide the fact that Ronda’s my friend. I don’t. But at the same time, I busted my ass just as hard as anyone else to do this, so I’m glad that people can see it.”
Rousey hasn't been on WWE TV since losing to Becky Lynch in the main event of WrestleMania 35. Baszler now has her eyes set on Lynch and the Raw Women's Championship for a potential showdown at WrestleMania 36. Baszler re-introduced herself to the WWE Raw audience when she attacked Lynch on Feb. 10, which ended in a gruesome-looking biting spot.
“It’s either you are going to get broke in that ring or you are going to find your way through it. And the people who can’t hack it get weeded out really fast,” she said. “That’s the world I come from. These girls that come in there and they want to win fans and get people to ooh and ahh. It’s like, people can go and watch fireworks and ooh and ahh. They’re not going to remember the fireworks show at the end, but you know they are going to remember when someone’s arm is gross and hanging off their body. I’m just gonna turn heads, and everything I do … no matter what energy level it’s at, is going to show people, ‘Oh, that is someone I need to watch out for,’ So that’s the whole point is everything is like off the cuff, but it’s gonna make you raise your eyebrows and maybe put your hand in front of your kid’s eyes.”
Baszler will compete in the Elimination Chamber on Sunday against Liv Morgan, Natalya, Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, and Asuka. Should she win, she will go on to face Lynch at WrestleMania 36 for the Raw Women's Championship.
You can check out the full card for Elimination Chamber by clicking here.
