Shayna Baszler detailed the confusion and anxiety she felt leading up to Money in the Bank 2020, revealing she was initially told she would win the briefcase. Due to the pandemic, the match was filmed cinematically at WWE Headquarters, and plans shifted drastically without Baszler being fully informed of the reason.
“Funny story about that, by the way, I’ll tell this. Nobody knows this story,” Baszler said on Insight With Chris Van Vliet. “So COVID happens, and they’re like, ‘Yeah, in front of no audience. What we’re gonna do is we’re gonna shoot cinematic Money in the Bank. You’re gonna win that and then carry your feud on with Becky as the Money in the Bank winner.’”
However, when the talent arrived to film the match, Baszler learned that Asuka would be winning instead. Not knowing that Becky Lynch was pregnant and relinquishing the title, Baszler feared the worst for her own career.
“We get there, and they’re reading us the general idea for Money in the Bank in Titan Towers. And we’re like, all right, and then Asuka climbs and wins,” Baszler said. “But they had told me, ‘Oh, you’re gonna win Money in the Bank.’ And then so my newly called up NXT fresh meat is going, ‘Oh my god, they’ve lost faith in me. They hate me. They don’t want me to be in this. They’re taking me out of the thing. I don’t know, this is so bad.’ So I’m just beating myself up.”
The truth was revealed to the locker room when Lynch announced her pregnancy on Raw, handing the title over to Asuka, the Money in the Bank winner.
“And then it was totally kayfabe to the locker room, and everyone, Becky comes out and announces this whole thing about being pregnant, the winner of the Money in the Bank won the title,” Baszler said. “And I was like, ‘You guys couldn’t have told me, because I’ve been thinking this whole time that I’m the worst and you guys hate me. But you couldn’t have been like, ‘Hey, it’s not you. We can’t tell you why. You’ll find out.’”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Insight with Chris Van Vliet with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch the interview on YouTube.
