10 WWE Royal Rumble Wins That Would Have Improved WrestleMania
4. Shayna Baszler (2020)
As WWE’s dropped balls go, they don’t get much more egregious than ‘The Queen of Spades’.
In a familiar story that’s exceeded the point of parody, Shayna Baszler arrived in NXT as runner-up in the 2017 Mae Young Classic Tournament and was immediately presented as a merciless killing machine (rightfully so, having previously cut her teeth on the Ronda Rousey learning tree in UFC). Baszler’s path of destruction continued on the main roster, logging a then-record eight eliminations in the 2020 Royal Rumble before another second place finish to Charlotte Flair. Nevertheless, ‘The Submission Magician’ still secured her WrestleMania match with RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch by single-handedly incinerating all five Elimination Chamber opponents.
Then the wheels came off.
Officials ignored a pitch from Becky Lynch herself to drop the title at WrestleMania 36 and Baszler came away empty-handed. Four weeks later, Lynch surrendered the championship to Money In The Bank winner Asuka and went on a 16-month maternity leave. Meanwhile, the most credible threat to ‘The Empress of Tomorrow’s reign languished in nonsense alongside acrobatic sommeliers, haunted dolls and Nia Jax before being relegated to Sonya Deville’s lackey.
There’s still time to rescue Baszler from the smoldering wreckage, but this could have easily been avoided. Shayna Baszler wins the Rumble. The Chamber match isn’t needed. Charlotte Flair stakes her claim for Ripley’s NXT Women’s title because she’s Charlotte Flair. Baszler’s snowballing momentum steamrolls Becky Lynch, who takes sabbatical after WrestleMania.
It’s not rocket science. At least it shouldn’t be.