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#4 Io Shirai can replace Shayna Baszler
Like Kairi Sane, Shayna Baszler made a name for herself in the NXT system after making it to the final of the 2017 Mae Young Classic. The two women went on to feud sporadically over the next 20 months, with Baszler ultimately coming out on top after defeating her rival at WWE Evolution to become the first two-time NXT Women’s champion.
Moving forward, there is a serious lack of female Superstars in NXT who have been built up enough to be seen as a credible threat to Baszler. A title reign for Belair certainly cannot be ruled out, but it is difficult to imagine “The EST of NXT” defeating “The Queen of Spades” in a one-on-one match.
Other than Belair, Io Shirai is the only current NXT Superstar who can realistically take the NXT Women’s Championship from Baszler and become the next person to spearhead a women’s division that has previously been run by high-profile stars including the Four Horsewomen, Ember Moon and Asuka.
Perhaps that is one of the key reasons why WWE allowed Sane to move to the main roster but decided to keep Shirai in NXT.
