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A top wrestling name explained why Shayna Baszler was able to wrestle for a different promotion outside of WWE.
It was announced last month that Baszler will make her GCW debut at Josh Barnett's Bloodsport X event on April 4 in Philadelphia. It's one of several shows under GCW's "The Collective" banner set to take place during WrestleMania week at Penns Landing Caterers.
Barnett recently shared how he secured The Queen of Spades for his GCW show in an interview on Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour.
"Hopes and prayers, they actually did line up for once," Barnett said. "I have a relationship with WWE and I have for some years. Shayna being one of my athletes, but I've actually trained and worked with a lot of athletes that have had time in WWE like Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Tim Thatcher just to name a few. Just through that communication, now just seemed to be the right opportunity and they were completely amenable to sending her over. I was obviously overjoyed to be able to have my student and to have somebody that's a WWE talent in my show." [00:00 - 00:42]
Shayna Baszler to face Masha Slamovich at Bloodsport X
It was announced a couple of weeks ago that Shayna Baszler will battle Masha Slamovich at Josh Barnett's Bloodsport X. It will be Baszler's first match outside of WWE since July 21, 2017, when she defeated Mia Yim at AIW Absolution XII.
Baszler has been training under Barnett for the majority of her career in mixed martial arts and pro wrestling. She compiled a record of 15-11 under Barnett in MMA while also earning a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. She signed with WWE in August 2017 and has won the NXT Women's Championship twice and the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship three times.
On the other hand, Slamovich is currently signed to GCW, wherein she's the reigning JCW World Champion. She previously worked for Impact/TNA Wrestling, winning the Knockouts World Tag Team Championship twice with Killer Kelly.
Considering Shayna Baszler's status as a WWE Superstar, it's a historic matchup and should be a great spectacle in a week packed with wrestling.
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