Reason behind Shayna Baszler's absence from RAW, backstage news on her immediate future
Shayna Baszler was brought up to RAW with the idea that she would dethrone Becky Lynch to become the new RAW Women's Champion. That was, at the very least, what the fans had imagined would happen. The Queen of Spades was expected to be the top heel of the women's division upon her call-up. Sadly enough, her run on RAW has not quite hit the spot.
The former NXT Women's Champion has not appeared on RAW in the past few weeks. Sportskeeda's Tom Colohue revealed the reasoning behind WWE's decision to keep her off TV in his new YouTube video.
Tom noted that Shayna Baszler should be back to RAW soon, possibly after Backlash or even before the PPV. WWE apparently doesn't want Shayna Baszler to beat the same people week in and week out, which is the primary reason behind her absence. Many female Superstars have taken way too many losses on the Red Brand, and feeding them to Shayna Baszler again would do no good. It's in everyone's best interests to have Shayna Baszler take a step back.
Shayna Baszler's absence clears the way for Nia Jax's push
Shayna Baszler's absence also clears the way for Nia Jax's title push, which also contributed largely to the decision to give her a break from RAW. Tom added that the former NXT Women's Champion would return and be the next title challenger for Asuka.
Tom explained:
Shayna Baszler will be returning to RAW moderately soon, possibly after Backlash or even sooner. She's only been taken out for a brief period of time, so as not to continually beat the same people and risk the burial as it were. Liv Morgan has picked up a few too many losses recently, so they'd rather have her in backstage segments where she can establish herself.
At the same time, Natalya has lost too many. So maybe Shayna Baszler is at her best, just taking a step back. She's likely to be the next to feud with Asuka for the RAW Women's Championship after all, and a large part of the decision for her to step back now is to step out of the way of Nia Jax and the push that she is getting towards that Championship, or at least that Championship match.
The decision to keep Shayna Baszler away from RAW was the obvious thing to do as her presence would have not only complicated the RAW Women's title picture but also affected the standing of other talents on the brand.
Shayna Baszler will be back soon, but will WWE go all way with the Queen of Spades this time around? Will Shayna Baszler be the one who defeats Asuka? Let us know your predictions in the comments section.