Confirmed: Shayna Baszler Signs With WWE

Just over a week removed from the live finale of the Mae Young Classic, it’s finally been confirmed that runner-up Shayna Baszler has signed a WWE contract.

Per Squared Circle Sirens, Baszler’s fellow Four Horsewoman Jessamyn Duke confirmed the news:

Baszler, who is the current AIW Women’s Champion has signed with WWE, as confirmed by fellow MMA Four Horsewoman Member, Jessamyn Duke on her twitch video gaming channel.

Is it just me, or is a random video gaming channel a really odd place to confirm a WWE signing? I’m wondering if maybe Duke let the news slip without having the 100% go-ahead from WWE. After all, as of this writing, WWE has yet to comment on Baszler’s signing, and until now there’d been little to no news about her status with the company.

Rumors Swirling

Rumors that Baszler had signed with WWE began circulating just before the live finale of the Mae Young Classic, and you can blame Triple H for the buzz.

At the time, the wording of that tweet sure sounded like Baszler had been signed. However, there was no confirmation anywhere that Baszler had inked a contract with WWE. Furthermore, whereas a search for Kairi Sane on WWE.com returned an official Superstar bio, there was no such page for Baszler – and there still isn’t. Her only “bio” on WWE.com is an article about her participation in the Mae Young Classic.

Circumstantial Evidence

Even before Duke’s bombshell reveal, however, it seemed likely that Baszler had signed a contract. Per a previous report from The Wrestling Observer, Baszler is not scheduled to appear at any upcoming independent events. Not only that, but she quietly made her NXT debut at a house show in St. Petersburg, Florida on Aug. 10, where she teamed up with Billie Kay and Peyton Royce to take on Aaliyah and fellow MYC competitors Kairi Sane and Dakota Kai.

While working an NXT event does not necessarily equal a contract (or at least not a full-time, exclusive contract), it seems Baszler might have been signed with WWE for far longer than anyone realized.

But now the question is: what’s next?