Liv Morgan Could Return As A Massive Babyface, Shayna Baszler Confirms WWE NXT Role, ECW Legend Receives Great News, WWE NXT Ratings (7/8/25)
The July 8th episode of WWE NXT saw an increase in viewership and ratings ahead of this weekend’s NXT Great American Bash pay-per-view event.
According to a report from Programming Insider, the show drew 695,000 viewers on the USA Network, up from 627,000 the previous week. In the key 18-49 demographic, NXT scored a 0.16 rating, a slight uptick from the 0.15 it posted on July 1st.
Tuesday’s broadcast was the final episode before Saturday’s NXT Great American Bash special on Peacock. NXT ranked eighth among cable originals for the night, while NBC’s America’s Got Talent led the evening with a 0.44 demo rating and 4,896,000 viewers.
It was reported earlier this week that Shayna Baszler was listed as a producer for the Kelani Jordan vs. Lainey Reid match on Tuesday night’s episode of WWE NXT. It is said that WWE is currently testing Baszler out in a potential producer role.
Baszler addressed the speculation during a Twitch livestream, confirming she had been at the WWE Performance Center and “working with people,” though she declined to name names. She said,
“I happened to be at the (WWE) PC working with people, and I’m not gonna out the people that requested I work with them. So please, the dirt sheets are usually wrong, so do not believe stuff.”
She clarified that she was at NXT primarily to observe and learn, citing advice she once received from Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan). He told her he learned the most about wrestling while listening in on the production headset during shows. She stated,
“One time when Daniel Bryan was backstage with WWE, he would sit on the headset when he wasn’t wrestling. He always told me that’s when he learned the most — what the cameras are looking for, timing, the calls… it helped him as a performer. So I figured, while I was home, I’d go to NXT and sit on the headset. On RAW and SmackDown, only top guys are usually allowed in Gorilla unless they’re in the segment. But at NXT, I could because I was a top talent there. I did it just to learn. It helps you understand the TV side of wrestling, which is what WWE is all about.”
Baszler said her recent appearance at NXT was simply a continuation of that learning process. She also helped with some in-ring work while visiting, noting that she’s still technically under WWE contract due to her 90-day no-compete clause. She said,
“A couple of my friends got the okay for me to help out in the ring. It just happened to be on a Tuesday, I sat on a headset, that’s it. That’s literally all that happened. Could the possibility be there? Sure. But I’d have to decide if I’m ready to be done (wrestling). I still think I have some stories to tell. A part of me hopes the powers that be at WWE see all the talk online and think about it. That would be great, right? I can’t throw myself on the floor until I’m 60. But as of now, I’m still under my 90 days. As for anything else — who knows? Honestly, I really kind of want to go back to Japan. I’ve wrestled most of the Joshi talent I’ve wanted to — except for a couple.”
In June, former ECW talent Francine shared that a small mass had been discovered in her left breast and that she was scheduled for a follow-up appointment in July.
She has since provided a health update on Twitter, announcing that her test results came back and no cancer was found.
Just got my biopsy results and NO CANCER WAS FOUND! God is good! 🙏🏼
Thank you for all the prayers and positive thoughts that you sent my way! 🥰
— Francine (@ECWDivaFrancine) July 10, 2025
During a recent appearance on the “Busted Open Radio” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella opened up about the storyline she had been involved in with Liv Morgan, which was unfortunately cut short due to Morgan suffering a shoulder injury. Bella expressed confidence in Morgan’s ability to bounce back, suggesting that she could return as a major babyface.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On earlier storyline with Liv Morgan: “I would love that story to play out. I want to do things that when she comes back, gives so many layers of heated, like, even if she comes back as a massive babyface. But I want to do things in the meantime that elevate a story even more than we can imagine.”
On what they now have to work with: “Now, we have all this cool stuff to work with, and the beauty of pro wrestling is not only the stuff we do in the ring, but it’s the buildup, the story, especially when it’s personal. And it’s not even about the fight, it’s about everything outside of the fight that we bring into the fight.”
