Marina Shafir explains why we didn’t get a MMA vs. NXT Horsewomen feud in WWE

Even before Ronda Rousey made her WWE debut at Royal Rumble 2018, the company had been teasing something between Rousey and her friends & mixed martial arts training partners Shayna Baszler, Marina Shafir & Jessamyn Duke and Bayley, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch.

The basis for a program was obvious. Rousey’s crew were dubbed the Four Horsewomen in the MMA world, with Ric Flair’s blessing, as they supported Ronda as she proved a woman could be a draw in that sport. On other side were a group of wrestlers (which included the Nature Boy’s daughter) who had the name bestowed on them not because they were an on-screen team, but because they were the vanguard of change in how WWE presented its women’s roster. Pro wrestlers have mounted successful rivalries over less meaningful things, and with the star power involved here, it’s hard to imagine a Horsewoman feud wouldn’t have been a success at the box office, if nowhere else.

But despite the fact all eight women were on the company’s payroll from 2018-2021, the closest we ever got to the feud was those initial teases. What happened?

Shafir talked to Renee Paquette about in on her podcast The Sessions recently, and while she avoids naming names or getting into specifics, she doesn’t mince words about the big issue:

“Egos were at play. There’s too many fucking cooks in the kitchen sometimes... in more ways than one. I don’t know, I feel like — I never knew this, but I just feel like professional wrestling was a little more exclusive back in the day. It wasn’t just about politicking, it was just about showing respect, not kissing ass, and not feeling like you had to give something up of yourself to take it to the next level.”

It’s an answer that could put blame on a lot of people. One NXT Horsewoman wanted to make sure none of it was put on her...

They’re even feuding about why they didn’t feud!

Give us your take, Cagesiders. Should this have happened? Was it done it by egos, or something else (like lack of development on the part of some members of the MMA side)? Will it ever happen?