Shayna Baszler has broken her silence on her WWE exit, revealing she still had three years left on a recently signed contract extension when she was released. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, the former NXT Women’s Champion reflected on the end of her eight-year run with the company.
I had like three more years.,. I was released. I had, not too long ago, signed an extension. I wish it would have ran out, but I was released... It’s never a good feeling, but it was not unexpected.
Baszler's final match for WWE came in April 2025, during which she was part of the Pure Fusion Collective. After Sonya Deville's contract was not renewed in February, Baszler saw the writing on the wall for the group.
"We were trying to pitch stories and ideas and doing our own stuff on social media and that sort of thing. Nothing was hitting with creative... It's a bummer in that moment, but I kind of knew where we were at.
As she was released, Baszler has had to wait out a 90-day non compete clause which only recently expired. Her situation demonstrates that contracts in WWE do not always guarantee security, with the risk of being released always present.
Baszler wrestled for Shine, Shimmer, Beyond and others prior to WWE, and questions remain as to what's next for her. Whatever comes, the fighter is hoping for much more than what came at the end of her WWE tenure.
