WWE Superstar Shayna Baszler pays emotional tribute to Ronda Rousey

The world of professional wrestling is as competitive and hard-fought as it has ever been.

With WWE and all of its brands and programming dominating much of the US and International scene and AEW also making major waves in the last year or two, there has arguably never been a more fruitful time to be involved in the industry - and that's without touching on the thriving Independent scene around the world and all that comes with it.

Sometimes, then, you just need a helping hand, an endorsement or someone to show you the ropes - literally in this case! Shayna Baszler may be making serious waves in WWE right now, but she's one Superstar who has undoubtedly benefited from such assistance.

While her talents and aggressive nature deservedly got her to where she is in the present day, there's little doubt that her good friend and former UFC cohort, Ronda Rousey, has played a part in her development and wrestling upbringing.

The extent of that was laid a little further bare by the 39-year-old former NXT Women's Champion, who paid a glowing tribute to Rousey in an interview with WWE UK.

Describing the influence the Rowdy one had on her career to date, she said:

“Ronda set the four of us up in a way that we could concentrate on being exactly what we are… You don’t make a lot of money in MMA, especially at first… She set us up so that we could just concentrate on showing up at the gym… We were free to concentrate on being whatever it is we wanted to be and that is what really set the tone for where I am at today.”

Baszler's rise through WWE hits another major peak at WrestleMania when she challenges Becky Lynch for the RAW Women's Championship.

Rousey, meanwhile, hasn't featured on WWE television since losing that title to Lynch around a year ago.