Shayna Baszler looks indestructible at this point no matter how often some of her challengers push her to the limits. The Queen of Spades reign is not to be ended soon, as it seems. But we have several candidates who might dethrone her or just make her sweat a little bit more, for the belt!
Let's see our A,B and C grade candidates...
THE GRADES:
GRADE A:
The most suitable Champion/Challenger. Those who have momentum, skills, gimmick and devotion that fitting into the categories 'CHAMPION' or 'CHALLENGER'.
GRADE B:
Building momentum and working really well, even as 'jobbers' for the others. They have experience and gimmick. They have attitude. They might be veterans. They are close to contend, but still need a little more... a small push.
GRADE C:
Our Wild Cards! It looks like they are nowhere near the title picture, they are losing matches, but they are actually ready to be pushed to the top...
GRADE-A:
Here are four tough ladies from NXT who are good enough to put a really intensive and full of twists match for the title. They are even good enough, to take the belt home!
NIKKI CROSS
We still think that Nikki Cross is one of the serious threat about Baszler's reign. We even hope to see the Lunatic Scottish wrestler as a NXT Women's Champion in the near future, because she is one of the most deserving and most suitable for that role.
Cross is sort of veteran in NXT and she even has experince from the indie scene, where she was known as 'The Best In The Galaxy'. So, with her grappling and striking, crazy style she might be closer to her first WWE title and the idea is not bad at all! It will be really interesting to see that kind of Champion, unusual and not easy to be tamed.
Cross and Basyler worked really-really good together. They have that chemistry needed, to put a good match and so we hope to see more battles, with Nikki Cross as challenger and eventually winner of the belt...
KAIRI SANE
If we think about dethroning/defeating of the Queen of Spades, there is one name that comes to mind, on the NXT roster: THE WINNER OF THE INAUGURAL MAE YOUNG CLASSIC - Kairi Sane, who defeated Baszler to earn that title!
Well, Kairi lost their last match on NXT TV, but she shared that she knows Shayna's weakness. At this point Sane suits great the role of the contender. She has some Champion potential, but at this poitnt we can see her as someone, who might push Baszler, over the limits. Both have different styles, but that is not an obstacle for them to put a series of great matches.
Sane even, can become a Champion after a long struggle to reach the belt, by always being a step near to it.
DAKOTA KAI
Don't let her unsuccessful title challenge fool you! This kid is stunning and she has a lot of rage and desire in her, despite her innocent, cute look!
Kai #1 Contender's role is not over. She is that type of wrestlers, that could challenge just to bring some fresh air in a current rivalry or just for change. Her stunning arsenal and kicks, has proven to be a dangerous weapon and no matter if she win or lose - her opponent will feel the damage in her jaw, for sure!
Is Dakota Kai a NXT Womenäs Champion material?
Why is she A-Grader?
I will start with the second question: She is A-Grader for us, because she is experienced and knows how to work in that ring! She knows how to sell, how to hit and how to perform. She is charismatic. And she is not Bayley for sure. That was my biggest fear abouth her - that she will be turned in a second Bayley, but thanks God, she is far more different from The Hugger in her own way! All that is needed to be one of the greatest is concentrated in that character and we love it.
About the title reign: She has it! Buuut... If you follow back her career, she is kind of team worker. Even now, we are trembling of excitement, when we imagine her teaming with Tegan Nox (oh, I still can't get use to that 'name')/ Steffani/Nixon Newell. Even Newell can debut by saving Kai from Baszler and then as a team to compete for the eventual WWE Women's Tag Team title (and win it). About the NXT Women's gold: Well, she is suitable! She can even be the wild card that might win in a multiple contestant match and reign with the title on the edge. They even could be like Edge and Christina - colorful and record breaking!
At this point, compared to the previous two (Sane and Cross) and the last one, her chances are less than 50%... But she has it!
BIANCA BELAIR
What? She is not even closer to the title picture!
Oh-ho-hou!
That girl can jump into it , anytime she wants. She is the EST and her series of victories over the likes of Candice LeRae and Dakota Kai, mean that there are a lot of plans for that girl with her Braid Whip.
Belair got it and she looks totally as a Champion-material - physically, mentally and even as a look! It's just a matter of time.
She is definitely an A-Grader, who will show more of her skills and we hope to see her defeating Cross and Sane, soon. We are not sure is she has the skills to defeat the NXT Women's Champion Shayna Baszler, but she has the skills to push Baszler to the limit.
We can see Belair as one of the greatest contenders for the gold at this point, and as NXT Women's title holder in the future.
B-GRADE:
We are putting two women in here as one of them is a veteran, while the other is a firecracker.
ALIYAH
What has Aliyah done, to be here?
Are you serious? That young girl, veteran, has survived a really hard beginning to become a really good worker in the ring. You can rely on her to put a good match with whoever they book her to face. We have a lot of respect for Aliyah and we hope to see her as a #1 Contender, maybe by winning a multiple contestants match. She deserves to be pushed in the title picture and to be allowed to put on display all of her skills.
For now it's hard to be said when she might become a NXT Women's Champion. At this point the line of contenders is long and she is somewhere around the middle of it.
The situation overall is that you can make everyone Champion if you want, but that doesn't mean that this is the right decision. There is a time for everyone, but that time might not come.
Aliyah has more work to be done. She needs some creatives back up and more defined gimmick. Who is she? What is she doing? Where is she going? We want to see her in a title match and we hope to see the creatives allowing her to put her best not to be squashed, because she deserves to put a good fight! We love the way she work and we want to see more from her, because she is a vital part of NXT, even when she jobbing!
LACEY EVANS
This one is a really great addition to NXT's roster!
She is one step closer to the NXT title shot, but ... let's be honest at this point she is good in bullyng the rest of the division and to barging with the rest girls and we hope to see her facing Taynara Conti, like she did at MYC.
Lacey is suitable for #1 Contender and even for Champion's role. Maybe not at this point! We hope to see her in a title match against Baszler, throwing everything she has. It will be nice. She can become champion by defeating a title holder who is face! Baszler is heel, the TOP HEEL! So for Evans there are no chance to defeat her.
Overall Evans is really, really good worker, with really intensive and full of tension matches. She will be a great challenger for the belt and future champion, eventually!
C-GRADE:
They are Wild Cards and they can come out of nowhere, but at this point their potential is rarely put on display, by the creatives.
CANDICE LeRAE
Candice LeRae should be an A-Grader... if she was somewhere else, at this point BUT her WWE career is just begin... Yeah, she was stucked in the middle in the rivalrie of her husband Johnny Gargano against Andrade 'Cien' Almas and Zelina Vega and Tommaso Ciampa.
She delt with Vega in her very first TV match and that was promising. But since then, she had sporadic appearance in a competitions, even has one loss to Bianca Belair! LeRae is still faraway from the title picture. She is just at the door of the NXT women's division!
For now she is C-Grader with huge potential and we hope to see her using it, to face Baszler in a MYC rematch! Even steal one over the Queen of Spades.
LeRae is a Champion-material as well, but at this point she is not even closer to the belt. She needs to beat several others, to reach to the title picture, and those others are mainly fellow faces. We have faith in her WWE career and we are sure that she will be awarded, for her work and patience!
VANESSA BORNE
There is something about this one! She is my personal 'weak spot' as a professional wrestling commentator. I love to see her working. Winning, losing it doesn't matter! She is shaping her character slowly but with confidence.
Vanessa Borne had faced all of the women of her generation in NXT, even Asuka (not broadcasted). She is developing faster, but she needs more matches and TV time like LeRae. She needs a long lasting rivalry, for two-three months. Eventually with LeRae. Why not in a mixed tag team - Borne as seductress accompanying Ciampa or current Gargano's rival and LeRae on her husbands behalf, but this time more physical rivalry, than that with Zelina Vega, for Candice. Vanessa will develope even further as a gimmick...
Her problem to reach the belt is the same as Evans' - yes, she can compete in a title match against Baszler, but as a heel it won't be with the usual heat and even the fans will support Baszler, who is the most dominant Champion at this point. Vanessa needs babyface opponent, if she is going to be a heel.
We can see her competing for the belt, even now! But she needs more victories and matches, overall and it's not bad time to start winning.
What about the title run? Maybe in the distant future, when the A-Graders are called to the main roster, or are in their lower period - that's when she and several others will have their chances to be pushed to the Champion's position! Until then, she can have a 'Death Wish' segment and challenge the Queen of Spades, asking for revenge, for that post-match a weeks ago!
OVERVIEW:
If we have to be more specific we can see all of the A-Graders as a Champions, at different point. Candice LeRae and Lacey Evans, for sure are suitable for a title reign, as well. Aliyah and Vanessa will need more time and to be allowed to surprise us for real, because they ca do it!
Taynara Conti, who is officially added to the roster is out of the Grades, because she had only one match in NXT, but we hope to have the oppoertunity to add her in one of these three grades, soon, because she looks ready for a great run with NXT!
