Shayna Baszler Released from WWE Contract, 'Nothing Was Really Hitting with Creative'

Former WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Shayna Baszler is the latest WWE Superstar to hit the open market.

During an appearance on Wednesday's episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, Baszler revealed that she was released from her contract with three years remaining on her deal. She cited a lack of direction for her character as the reason for her release, saying that "nothing was really hitting with creative."

Baszler noted that she signed an extension with WWE "not too long ago," but she wasn't necessarily surprised by her release. She most recently was in a tag team with Zoey Stark and the faction Pure Fusion Collective, which also included Sonya Deville. However, Deville left the company earlier this year after her contract wasn't renewed, and Stark suffered a knee injury in May that took her out of action.

"From that time, we just weren't on TV, me and Zoey. ... We were trying to pitch stories and ideas and do our own stuff on social media, that kind of thing, and just nothing was hitting with creative," Baszler explained. "As much as it's a bummer in that moment, it's kind of like, 'Yea, yea, I kind of knew this was where we were at.'"

One of the pioneers of women's MMA, Baszler transitioned to professional wrestling in 2015 and joined WWE two years later with a run to the final of the inaugural Mae Young Classic. She officially signed with the company in October 2017 and made her NXT television debut near the end of the year.

During her time in NXT, Baszler was one of the best heel characters in the company, regardless of gender. She held the NXT Women's Championship twice before making her debut on the main roster in February 2020. She was victorious at the Elimination Chamber that year to become the No. 1 contender for the Raw Women's Championship, but she lost to Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 36, putting a swift end to her singles push.

Baszler went on to make her mark in the tag team division, winning the women's tag titles twice alongside Nia Jax and once with her real-life best friend and longtime MMA training partner Ronda Rousey. Before Rousey departed WWE, the two of them engaged in a rivalry that culminated with Baszler defeating her by technical submission at the 2023 SummerSlam premium live event.

While speaking with Helwani, Baszler expressed an openness to joining AEW, so there's a chance her pro wrestling career will continue. She added that her release from WWE didn't produce any drama, as she handled it like a pro.

"It's kind of just straightforward like, 'We always hate doing this, we want to wish you the best,' all the normal kind of cliche stuff," she said. "Nothing dramatic, no real reason why, and I'm not a person that's gonna sit in that moment and be like, 'But why?! Tell me.'"