Skip to main content
Inside The Ropes
  • News

    WWE News

    AEW logo for their Dynamite TV show

    AEW News

    Japan News

    Wrestling News

  • Features
    John Cena and Becky Lynch

    5 WWE Legends Who Almost Got Fired

    Scott Steiner and his 'pet' tiger

    10 Iconic Pro Wrestling “Super Pets”

    Triple H entrance

    5 Changes We Want To See Triple H Make To WWE

    Bray and the fiend

    5 Dramatic Gimmick Changes

  • Interviews
    20 Questions Killer Kelly

    20 Questions With Killer Kelly

    Rick Boogs

    Interview With Rick Boogs

    JONAH

    Interview With JONAH

    Rosemary Interview

    Interview With Rosemary

  • Podcasts
    What’s Going Down #86 – Omega & Punk Returns, Dexter Lumis & More

    Listen
    Wrestling Roast #72 – CM Punk Is Back!

    Listen
    Wrestling Roast #71 – Where Is MJF?

    Listen
    Power Slam Podcast #251 – Post SummerSlam RAW, Pat McAfee & More

    Listen
  • Quizzes
    Play Word Rumble

    Play Word Rumble

    WWE logo

    Can You Name Every WWE Pay-per-view?

    WWE Survivor Series sole survivors quiz

    Can You Name All The WWE Survivor Series Sole Survivors?

    WWE Smackdown logo

    Can You Name Every Wrestler That Competed On The First SmackDown?

  • Live Tours
  • Shop
    Magazine
    Clothing
    Accessories
    Collectibles
  • Trending
  • Follow us:
    • Facebook Facebook
    • Twitter Twitter
    • Instagram Instagram
  • Watch us:
    • YouTube YouTube
    • Twitch Twitch
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
  • Play Word Rumble
WWE News

Shayna Baszler On Overcoming Double-Standards And Breaking Stereotypes

By James Holder. Published 9th March 2021.
Shayna Baszler thumb

Shayna Baszler has been smashing through stereotypes her entire career. First in amateur wrestling, then mixed martial arts and now the world of professional wrestling, Baszler has proven that she can thrive in what are traditionally male dominated environments.

In a new interview the Arabian Business, Baszler has revealed which wrestlers she looked up to and the double-standards that she has encountered throughout her career.

Shayna Baszler reflected on how much wrestling has changed since she was younger where women were usually valets or managers to where now they are a huge part of the show competing in the ring. The Queen of Spades went on to explain how Lita was the first female wrester than she really watched.

“Then as I did get older, Lita, I think a lot of girls would say, she was someone that to me was probably the first woman wrestler that I watched. Not only did she wrestle and do cool moves and wrestle with the guys, but she dressed really cool I thought.

She was still sexy but it wasn’t the stereotypical look of the girls. To a kid, I thought she was cool and she wrestles pretty awesome.”

The former NXT Women’s Champion detailed how it is “crazy” that young girls now look up to her as an inspiration and that she felt she had to prove herself competing in male dominated sports.

I definitely think there was some proving yourself. I think a lot of guys, especially on the wrestling mat or in martial arts gyms, for lack of a better term, wanted to ‘show you’ that you didn’t have it. So maybe they would go a little harder on you…

I think that I had to learn pretty quickly that I had to not complain at all. Even less than a regular male might complain. There’s a quote from a female fighter Amanda Buckner that really resonates with me as far as wrestling and everything. She said: “If someone watches a male fight, they’ll say ‘that guy is bad at fighting’, but if someone watches a female fight, they’ll say ‘see look, women are bad at fighting’.”

I think knowing that double standard, rather than trying to fight it, taking what you’re given and still proving your worth is not something that’s easy to do and I think a lot of women have had to do that.

If the guys go out and have a boring match, they’ll say, ‘wow, those guys are boring’, but if the girls go out and have a boring match, it’s ‘see, women’s wrestling is boring’.

I think knowing that you have this weight of representing everyone on your shoulders, I think realising that helps to represent that.”

Baszler, who is currently one half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions, also dived into the differences in the perception of MMA and WWE, commenting that people are more willing to watch wrestling because they see it as entertainment.

“Let’s take MMA where I came from. There will be a lot of people who will just turn off, they can’t watch women fight, it’s uncomfortable for them or whatever their preconceived notions might be about females fighting, they just can’t watch it and they won’t.

Even as progressive as women in mixed martial arts has been. But I think in a professional wrestling sense they can watch these, which are stories about fights. Where MMA is the fight, pro wrestling is the story about the fight.

I think people are more willing to watch women in professional wrestling because it’s not a fight per se, so they can watch it for its entertainment. Even getting them to watch can open doors and start changing their mind about things.

That’s something I remember Triple H talking to us about, it’s about just getting the door to crack open. Some people won’t even open the door to check it out, no matter how much you say to them. But if you can just crack the door open and let them get a peek, then they start seeing and they want to see more and they’ll open the door themselves.”

Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax are set to defend their WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles against the team of Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair at WWE Fastlane.

  • Facebook
    Share
  • Twitter
    Tweet
  • WhatsApp
    Send
  • Share

Popular Stories

  1. Adam Page – “I Don’t Take Advice”
  2. CM Punk’s Shots At Adam Page On Dynamite Due To Real Life Heat
  3. The Gunn Club Is No More, Billy Gunn Reunites With Former Partners
  4. Eric Bischoff Talked Former WWE Star Out Of Posing For Playboy
  5. Jim Ross Makes Bold Claim Regarding Upcoming AEW Clash
  6. Charlotte Flair Addresses Becky Lynch With Curious One-Word Response
  7. Sylvester Stallone Hits Out At Claims That Wrestling “Isn’t Real”
  8. Injury Update On Kenny Omega Following AEW Return
  9. AEW Star Recalls Swallowing A Thumbtack During Street Fight
  10. Bizarre Details Of Donald Trump’s WrestleMania 23 Contract Revealed
Inside The Ropes
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
  • Write For Us
  • Facebook Facebook
  • Twitter Twitter
  • Instagram Instagram
  • YouTube YouTube
  • Twitch Twitch
© 2022 ITR Digital Media Limited. Read about our privacy policy.