During a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Shayna Baszler commented on going from singles matches to being in a regular tag-team, defending the WWE tag-team titles on tonight’s WWE NXT broadcast, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On going from singles matches to being in a regular tag team: “I think it’s a huge shift, and I think that you can even see, earlier in our time when we first teamed up, you can definitely see it was two singles wrestlers doing their own thing when they were in the ring. Whereas now, and we’re not one of those tag teams that’s doing cool, big double team moves, you know what I mean? But I think you can definitely see that we work together now. So like I said, we’re not doing these convoluted big tag team moves, but we definitely help each other out using numbers, so I think we figured out how to work well together as two singles wrestlers.”
On the regular teaming with Jax being a surprise: “I didn’t foresee a permanent tag team or a long long-term tag team. I wrestled on the indies too, I’ve been wrestling long enough to know that every now and then you team up for a match with someone or something along those lines. So that was not unexpected. It was unexpected to have a long-term tag team, and I think the nature of how Nia and I happened, it started off as more of a business proposal where it was beneficial to both of us to help take out problems for both of us, and it just ended up working. And you can’t argue with the results, we’re champs and dominating ones at that. So it was unexpected, but that’s how things work out sometimes, so you got to roll with the punches.”
On Dakota Kai: “Everyone is talking about this transformed Dakota Kai, but all I see is a Dakota Kai that has a Raquel Gonzalez to hide behind. She’s pretty confident when she has her. She wasn’t that way when I was around and she’s not going to be that way when I return. I’ve been in combat sports, wrestling and MMA long enough to know when someone’s putting on this facade, and her facade happens to be Raquel, and she can talk a big game while she’s there, but I’ll break her down just like always. It might take longer, but you guys will all see it, it’s the same Dakota Kai.”
On Raquel Gonzalez: “Raquel is big and strong and she can move a lot of weight, I’m sure, in the weight room, but the thing I’ve always been taught, and the reason why the Kirifuda Clutch is my go-to is because it doesn’t matter. I think I’ve said this before, it doesn’t matter how big, how strong, how athletic and intimidating you are, you still need air to breathe. And I’ve trained a long time in grappling arts that are designed to be an equalizer for a person who’s bigger and stronger to be on the same level of a more technical, smaller, not as strong person. So it’s unfamiliar for everyone else to see because they haven’t seen me and Raquel, but it is not unfamiliar territory for me.”
On what she and Jax want to bring to the tag team division: “I’d like to see us… I’d like to bring, and I think we’re on the way to doing it, but I’d like to bring fear back into the titles, where the Champions are people to be afraid of. Too long, it’s been, the Tag Titles especially have been this side story, and it’s the other title to hold, but I think we’ve really done our job being so dominating like we are, and taking on all challengers, it doesn’t matter what brand they’re coming from, to make these be, not just one of the most important women’s titles, but most important titles in the WWE right now. And I think that we will continue to carry that flag all through 2020,” Baszler said. “This is going to be… We’ve done it. It’s a long-winded answer to say more of the same, but that’s what we set out to do when we said we’re winning back the titles. We’re going to go and take these and make people know these are the most important titles and the Tag Team Champions are the most feared people to get in the ring with. And we’ve succeeded, so we’re just going to keep doing that.”