NXT: Shayna Baszler Continues Down Her Path of Destruction

Ever since Shayna Baszler retained her NXT Women’s Championship at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix, she’s been on a warpath along with Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir. They’ve been attacking women in the division left, right, and center. They’ve laid out Kairi Sane, Io Shirai, Mia Yim, and more than a few others, all in the name of putting the division “on notice.” They’re looking for dominance and respect, the latter of which Mia Yim refused to give last week, defiantly standing up to Baszler during a post-match confrontation, setting up an in-ring showdown on this week’s show.

Baszler establishes dominance early on in the match, circling Yim and laying her out with some great takedowns. Baszler is clearly feeling confident, smiling and standing over her opponent rather than continue with the attack. That’s a mistake, as it gives Yim space to recover. She sends Baszler to the outside, hits her with a suicide dive, and then throws the champ into the steel steps. Clearly, Yim is angry, ready to get revenge no matter the cost. She stomps on Baszler’s hand but misses on a follow-up kick that rattles off the steel.

Baszler sees her opening. She goes to work on that leg, viciously stomping on it back in the ring, looking to break bones. Yim won’t give up though, much to Baszler’s chagrin. She tries to lock in a Kirifuda clutch and cut off Yim’s air supply, but Yim fights back by focusing on the hand she stomped. That loosens Baszler’s grip, allowing Yim to escape to the apron and hit Baszler with a spinning DDT. At this point, the outcome of the match is all about who can overcome their injury.

Yim connects with a few kicks, but her injured leg means she can’t get into the cover quick enough to secure a win over the champion. She gets another near fall off a sitout powerbomb, but Baszler manages to fight back and lock in her Kirifuda clutch. This time she uses her legs rather than an arm to gain leverage for the choke and Yim has no choice but to tap out. It’s a great, evenly-contested match, but once again Baszler gets the win, and the reign of the Queen of Spades continues.