According to previous reports, Shayna Baszler was set to win the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble and Money In The Bank matches. However, plans were changed in both cases and Baszler has been virtually absent.
Paul Heyman was a staunch supporter of Baszler, but he is no longer the Executive Director of RAW. This might have affected her push. During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed why Shayna Baszler is absent from WWE television.
Meltzer said that the main programs in the women’s division were between Asuka and Nia Jax and now will involve Charlotte Flair, so Shayna has “no reason” to be around right now. He said that she would come back soon, but not at this moment. He also speculates that the reason she is off TV is simply that she does not suffer an unnecessary defeat because WWE still has plans for her in the future.
It was noted that Baszler was “very much a Heyman project” and “I don’t know where Vince comes with her.” Meltzer added that that the stark reality is that a decade previously, Shayna Baszler would never have made it to NXT let alone the main shows. He clarified that this is hardly a negative of Baszler’s, but is simply a reference to the standards for how female wrestlers should look ten years ago.
It was then said that both Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard have older mindsets. The women’s revolution changed women’s wrestling in general in WWE. However, with them in charge, Meltzer seems to fear a regression.
