Shayna Baszler Clarifies Behind the Scenes at WWE NXT Role

Shayna Baszler may have been released from WWE in May, but her presence is still being felt behind the curtain—and now she’s gone live to clear the air herself.

Reports first surfaced when Baszler was credited as a producer for the July 8th edition of NXT, specifically working with Chris Girard on the match between Kelani Jordan and Lainey Reid. However, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, that was just the tip of the iceberg.

“She has been at NXT tapings. She has agented other matches, but this is the first one to come out. But it’s not like she has taken a job as an agent. She is doing it since she’s around and they’ve asked her.”

Baszler had recently appeared on SmackDown in April as part of the Pure Fusion Collective with Zoey Stark and Sonya Deville before her unexpected release, which blindsided many, especially after she’d re-signed with WWE not long before.

Now, Baszler is setting the record straight herself. On a Twitch stream, she confirmed she’s been active at the WWE Performance Center—while technically still under contract due to her 90-day non-compete—and that some people had requested she work with them.

“I happened to be at the (WWE) P.C. working with people and I’m not gonna out the people that requested I work with them. So please, the dirt sheets are usually wrong so do not believe stuff.”

She explained how the whole “producer” conversation even started, citing advice she once got from Bryan Danielson during their time in WWE:

“Okay, about the producing thing, that’s something that I’ve — okay, I don’t know if you guys — no, why would you know this? So, one time when Daniel Bryan was backstage when he was with WWE, he would always sit on the headset when he wasn’t wrestling and he always told me, you know, that’s when he learned the most was when he was on a headset. He learned a lot. He learned about what camera is actually looking for, what the calls are, what the timing is of the camera switches. Like, it helped him as a performer so, I figured during the times when I was home, I would go to NXT and I would sit on the headset just because on Raw and SmackDown, at the time, I don’t know if it’s still this way. I guess I haven’t been gone that long but only top guys were allowed to sit back in Gorilla for the rest of the show that wasn’t theirs — that matches weren’t theirs. Well, I knew at NXT, I could get on the headset because I was a top guy there. So, I would do it just to learn to be a better… I knew I could get on a headset so I started sitting on a headset just to listen to the calls to learn, again, about being a performer… It helps you understand the TV part of wrestling, which is what WWE is, and so I was doing that. A couple of my friends got the okay because technically, I’m still under contract with them. To help out with some stuff in the ring, it happened to be on a Tuesday, I happened to sit on a headset, that’s it. That’s literally all that happened, guys…”

She made it clear that this wasn’t a formal job offer—just something she was doing because of her continued connection with NXT and because she had the opportunity to learn and help out during her non-compete window.

Still, the idea of becoming a producer full-time isn’t off the table. But Baszler admits that decision would mean stepping away from the ring—something she’s not quite ready to do yet.

“But yeah, could the possibility be there? Sure. I would have to decide if I’m ready to be done. But that’s a whole other thing, you know what I mean? I still think I have some stories to tell, maybe? But, I don’t know… All I can tell you is, is it a possibility? Sure, always, especially because I’ve kept such a good relationship at NXT and like I said, that was a place I’d always hung around. Just didn’t really feel the need to tell anyone but, who knows? Who knows? Maybe they’ll see everyone talking about it and want to do it now. I don’t know.”

She even said there’s a part of her that wants the company to notice the fan interest in her backstage work.

“Like I said, that would be great, right? I can’t throw myself on the floor till I’m 60. But, as of right now, I have no job. Well, I shouldn’t say that. As of right now, I’m still under my 90 days left. But, as for anything else, who knows? A side of me kind of hopes they see everyone talking about it and then they think about it because what leverage that would have for me…”

As for wrestling again, Baszler didn’t rule that out either—especially if it means going back to Japan.

“Honestly, I really kind of wanna go back to Japan. But, I’ve wrestled all the Joshis that I want to except for… Ah, there’s a couple, I guess.”

So while Shayna Baszler’s WWE in-ring future may still be in question, she’s not sitting idle. Whether she laces up the boots again or takes on a headset full time, she’s staying close to the action—and her next chapter is still wide open.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.