There have only been a handful of people who have held the prestigious NXT Womens Championship. The belts been held by only 8 individuals, those being Paige, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Asuka, Ember Moon, Kairi Sane, and Shayna Baszler. That is a who’s who of womens wrestling in recent years, with the only notable missing name being Becky Lynch, who is unlikely to ever hold the belt as she is Monday Night RAW’s biggest star and longest reigning womens champion.
You can make a case for any of the 8 women as the best champion in the belts history, but three factors make Shayna the top pick.
Shayna Two-Time
As I mentioned, there have been only 8 champions in the belts history, but there has been 9 reigns. Shayna Baszler is the only woman to hold the belt more than once. She lost the belt to Kairi Sane at WWE NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 , only to win it back at the first ever all womens PPV for WWE, Evolution. That was 395 days ago, no one has been able to beat Shayna for the belt since then. Her two combined reigns currently add up to 528 days, making her the longest reigning champion overall, with Asukas single 510 day reign making her a close second. Paige comes in first with her initial reign coming in at 308 days.
Consistency
Shayna is maybe the best mat technician in NXT, which is impressive considering she shares a brand with people like Matt Riddle & KUSHIDA. You rarely see her make mistakes in matches, everything is done with purpose. Her matches will often be slower paced technical affairs, which helps them stand out from the usually frantic pace of NXT matches. Some view her as an average worker, but if you enjoy seeing someone pick apart opponents and destroy them, Shayna is a treat to watch. She plays a perfect heel, and when paired with a strong face like Candice LeRae, Kairi Sane, or Mia Yim, the story tells itself in the ring.
Main Eventing Survivor Series
Shayna Baszler had the biggest match of her career this past Sunday when she faced RAW Womens Champion Becky Lynch, and Smackdown Womens Champion Bayley in the main event of Survivor Series, being the first NXT Champion to main event a major PPV for WWE while they were champion. Shayna made history, and as an exclamation point; she even got the win when she choked out Bayley with her Kirifuda Clutch after neutralizing Becky Lynch by throwing her through the announce table.
With strong competition in Rhea Ripley breathing down her neck in NXT, Shayna’s reign might be coming to an end soon, but her legacy will live on as at least one of the best champions in brand history. Long live The Queen Of Spades.
