5 Reasons it doesn't matter that Shayna Baszler didn't win the WWE Royal Rumble

#3 Baszler is a cage fighter

The Queen of Spades back in her MMA days

I don't know if you had heard this before, but former NXT Women's Champion Shayna Baszler used to fight in MMA. I know - shocking, right?

I realize they played up the whole "she started as a cage fighter" angle since the Elimination Chamber match was announced - almost to the point of annoyance. WWE does that sometimes, in case you hadn't noticed. But, it makes a lot of sense, too.

Baszler is closely associated with another former MMA star, Ronda Rousey. You may have heard of her. However, while Rousey is certainly famous for her success in UFC, she's moved beyond that as far as public perception goes. Yes, MMA fighting is how she made her name, but when the average person thinks of Ronda Rousey, they probably just imagine a badass punching and kicking the bejesus out of someone - in a cage or not.

Baszler, on the other hand, doesn't have the same persona with the general public - or the WWE fans, for that matter. That's not her fault, it's just how it is. But, when you talk about Shayna's past accomplishments, you tend to focus on where those accomplishments happened. In her case, the octagon with a cage surrounding it.

So, it makes sense that if she's going to challenge for a championship at WrestleMania, she should earn it while fighting inside WWE's ultimate cage match.