Opinion: Shayna Baszler defeating Kairi Sane would be a disaster for the NXT women's division
It's possible that we saw the future at tonight's NXT house show, where it appears tomorrow's women's championship match at TakeOver: Brooklyn was practiced. While there wasn't a definitive time for the match, the result was that Shayna Baszler beat Kairi Sane cleanly.
If that's a prelude to the future, disaster awaits the NXT women's division.
While Shayna Baszler has done an admirable job as NXT Women's Champion, she's been booked so strongly that the entire babyface side of the women's division on the yellow brand has been wiped out. Dakota Kai was decimated. Candice LeRae was beaten cleanly with little build or fanfare only a few weeks ago. Only Kairi Sane has any semblance of momentum, and if tonight's result was an indicator, it could be snuffed out.
Who then, would challenge Shayna Baszler at Evolution and War Games?
Currently, the only one poised to be in title contention is Bianca Belair, but that presents a problem, because both of the would-be contenders are heels. Bianca Belair would either need to be turned face in a rush, or both competitors would go in as heels, which creates many more problems, since fans can't get invested in the outcome.
Beyond Bianca Belair, it will still be a few months before the competitors from the Mae Young Classic establish themselves in the division. What then?
NXT has, frankly, booked itself into a corner with Shayna Baszler. By having her run through all of her competition so quickly, there's no compelling story should she pick up the victory tomorrow night. By booking her so strongly and failing to go the route of having her squash local jobbers from time to time, NXT has burned out the fuel for her reign with lightning speed. Should it continue after tomorrow night, it will only do so at the entire division's expense.
There are more intriguing possibilities that await Kairi Sane as champion. None await Shayna Baszler, should she continue her reign. It's therefore imperative that she lose tomorrow night, or at the very least, not win cleanly. Truthfully, the main roster is far more in need of her services than NXT.
If the house show results are accurate, the point of diminishing returns will have been reached, and NXT's women's division is in for some dark months ahead.