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Shayna Baszler reveals Vince McMahon’s advice to transform her from MMA fighter to WWE superstar

The Queen of Spades has learned from the boss (Picture: WWE)

Shayna Baszler has revealed how Vince McMahon helped her understand the transition from being an MMA fighter into a top WWE superstar.

The former NXT Women’s Champion – who also had two runs alongside Nia Jax with the Women’s Tag Team Titles but is yet to win singles gold on Raw or SmackDown – was a fighter in various promotions having being trained by Josh Barnett, and she has opened up on the lessons she needed to learn after making it to the main roster.

She exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘My style in the ring – people believe, “I dunno man, she went off the page and did something there”. Vince really likes that. There’s times where he’s like, “That looked like you were just fighting”.

‘I’m like, “Yeah…” For a while, it was hard for me to find the balance between, “Am I a fighter right now, or am I pro wrestler?” Even in the ring. I think I’ve really found the melding between the two, it’s been good.’

The Queen of Spades explained the importance of understanding the different art forms involved in pro wrestling, and how to balance them as part of her character in WWE.

‘I think it’s just knowing that it needs to be a performance. If you watch UFC – I can’t just go in, take someone down and lay on them [in WWE]. Is there a time for me to do that in a match sometimes? Yeah! If someone’s down, hit them!

Vince McMahon helped her understand her role (Picture: WWE)

‘But that can’t be the totality of it. And I think trying to know when to do that and when to rip someone off or something, knowing the whens of doing the two different sides is something I had to learn.

‘And not just for me, but for what [Vince] wants – it’s his show! So knowing what the writers and he wants and when, and navigating that.’

A big part of her journey on Raw was also learning from her partnership with Nia Jax – who was released by WWE in November – as she was able to adjust to the demands of her new environment.

‘As experienced as I am in one-on-one combat, she was far more experienced in being on Raw and SmackDown. So she would really help me, “You might wanna try this instead”. She helped me find my footing for sure,’ she said.

The end of Shayna’s team with Nia saw the Queen of Spades reveal her aggressive side once more (Picture: WWE)

‘When I came up, I didn’t know anybody so for a while she was the only one I was hanging out with just ’cause we were kind of forced to have this sort of relationship together.’

The team had its critics, with many fans suggesting Baszler would be better showcased as a dominant singles star, but the star herself has insisted the journey was necessary for her to get comfortable after a fantastic run in NXT.

‘I think that’s one of the best things that my tag team did, was show a completely different side to me,’ she explained. ‘I was still trying to be comfortable and find my footing and get in the groove.

‘Getting in this tag team and showing this side of me really helped me be comfortable. Now, if you look at my singles run when I first got called up, as compared to my singles run now, I think you can see there’s definitely a difference in comfort level and just how I carry myself in the ring.’

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There was a period where former Cirque Du Soleil acrobat Reggie became involved, which again drew some criticism, but Shayna pointed out that everything led to the point she is now, having shown a more intense side in recent months.

She smiled: ‘Even if you [the fan] don’t like the particular story, even if you hate that I was doing this stuff in a tag team and almost a comedy sort of thing sometimes, you still see me as dangerous and it helped me to get to where I am now – which is pretty scary and dangerous.

‘It’s all a path to something.’

*WWE SmackDown airs Friday nights at 1am on BT Sport 1. WrestleMania 38 takes place Saturday April 2 and Sunday April 3 at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas. Travel packages are now on sale.

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