5 things you need to know about WWE NXT women's champion Shayna Baszler

During the 2017 Mae Young Classic, the wrestling world had its eyes opened, as women's wrestling was a focal point of WWE. The event shared with a wider audience showed just how talented women wrestlers are, and where they are headed. One of the key competitors in the classic was finalist Shayna Baszler. Baszler showed her dominance throughout the tournament, defeating opponent after opponent on her way to the final. Over the past few months or so, Baszler has blitzed her way through the competition upon becoming the NXT women's champion.

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Baszler has shown her utter dominance and ability to systematically take down opponents, leading to her NXT women's championship win over Ember Moon. Do you know all there is to know about the Submission Magician? Do you know everything she has done in and out of the ring? Here are five things you need to know about the Queen of Spade's, Shayna Baszler.

Also, read: 5 NXT stars who could become WWE legends

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#5. Her nickname doesn't come from what she has done in the octagon

What she does with a deck of cards is pretty cool?

Since her debut on NXT television, Basler has been choking out opponents left, right and center, and has been a force in her brief time with the promotion. The moniker 'Submission Magician' that is often used by NXT announcer Mauro Ranallo helps describe who she is and what she does in the ring. However, while that nickname is self-explanatory, the origins of another nickname that she has gone by for a long time may surprise some fans.

Baszler is often referred to as the Queen of Spades, and perhaps you may think this nickname is a play on WWE Smackdown Live women's champion Charlotte often being referred to as 'The Queen,' given that she could be considered the leader of WWE's Four Horsewoman consisting of herself, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Becky Lynch. However, the Queen of Spade's nickname is tied to a talent that Baszler possesses outside the ring. She is known for her numerous card tricks, and when word of that got around, her trainer Josh Barnett gave her the Queen of Spade's nickname.

#4. She rose to prominence in MMA, competing for less than a decade

Baszler was a force in MMA for quite some time. Image courtesy of mandatory.com

For any wrestler, regardless of their age, it takes time to learn their craft, improve and be able to push forward. Baszler's development in the world of Mixed Martial Arts was no different. She was trained in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, in which she has a brown belt, and was also trained in Muay Thai. Her development is a product of her dedication to improving.

During her MMA career, she competed for such promotions as Strike Force and Elite XC among others. In total, she competed in twenty-six contests and holds a fifteen and eleven records with thirteen of those wins being by knockout. What is remarkable is that her notoriety grew all over the world, despite actively competing for only nine years. Contributing to this success was her participation in UFC's Ultimate Fighter program as part of Team Rousey, under captain and recent WWE signee Ronda Rousey. Baszler's most recent MMA fight was as part of UFC's Fight Night 62 in the spring of 2015. One can only imagine what else she could have achieved if she continued with her MMA career.

#3. Her activities outside the ring don't necessarily mesh with her persona

While her tough exterior may threaten some between the ropes, her heart is always in the right place.

From the first vignette promoting her debut with NXT, fans could tell that Shayna Baszler wasn't going to be someone to mess with inside or outside the ring. She walked much like she talked, and has no problem backing up everything she says with a rear naked choke. However, Baszler's in-ring character should in no way be confused with the type of person she is outside the ring.

While she is an established athlete, she is also an advocate for Mixed Martial Arts and the recognition of it as a sport. As a spokesperson on behalf of combat sports, she spoke out and challenged the South Dakota athletic commission on the validity of MMA as a sport. Her rather tough as nails persona also runs contrary to what she has done to help others outside the ring. Baszler is a certified EMT, a pursuit dedicated to providing medical care in case of an emergency tor those in need. That is certainly a departure from the Baszler we have seen systematically take apart the likes of Kairi Sane, Ember Moon, and Dakota Kai.

#2. She began to pursue professional wrestling much later in her athletic career

Despite pursuing wrestling later in life, she has received a great deal of success.

Many of today's pro wrestlers started competing when they hit puberty. For instance, current WWE NXT talent Roderick Strong began training as early as 13 years of age and former WWE United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate is just 20 years of age, having won that championship at the age of 19. However, in the case of Shayna Baszler, her professional wrestling career came much later than those examples.

Of course, as noted, her MMA career ran over nine years, and when we add on her newly adopted professional wrestler career, she has spent the last eleven years of her life to actively competing in a ring of one kind or another. On August 8th, 2018 Baszler will be celebrating her 38th birthday, and we wish her the happiest of birthdays on that date. However, if we subtract the number of years prior to her birthday that would make Baszler 26 years of age when she first started in the octagon, and 35 when she committed herself to professional wrestling.

#1. Baszler holds a rare wrestling distinction

She holds a rather unique distinction from her days of training.

Catch Wrestling is best defined as a combination of classical wrestling styles that dates back to the late 1800s. It encompasses a number of different submission holds and has been an integral part of the training of a number of today's mixed martial arts specialists. Some of the wrestling competitors that are synonymous with this form of wrestling technique include Baszler's trainer Josh Barnett and the late legendary English wrestling technician Billy Robinson. Barnett is also known today for commentating for NJPW on AXS TV, while Robinson competed for over five decades on four different continents.

Baszler held the distinction of being the only female catch wrestler to have been certified under Robinson. She does not only uses catch wrestling as a base for her in-ring style but shares the knowledge bestowed upon her by Robinson. To earn that accreditation would be remarkable for any wrestler, but Baszler has broken barriers with this achievement as well. One can only wonder what the future holds for Baszler on the international front.