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Very rarely does the anime world clash with the real one, but in one instance, fans saw Naruto come alive in front of their own eyes. No, it wasn’t a life-savior whose philosophy matches the character, but a WWE wrestler whose voice is scarily similar toNaruto.
The WWE world is full of anime fans like Ronda Rousey, John Cena, Mercedes Mone, Rhea Ripley, and more. They have openly expressed their interest in Japanese animations and their incredible plots. But the spotlight has suddenly shifted to another wrestler, and for a completely coincidental reason.
Meet Shayna Baszler, the Wrestler Who Sounds Like Naruto
Shayna Andrea Baszler is a professional wrestler hailing from South Dakota, USA. She is a former kickboxer and mixed martial artist, who is currently signed in with WWE. She is also the former two-time reigning champion of NXT Women’s Champion. She is also a former three-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion.
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A clip from one of Baszler’s matches has surfaced on social media websites, and fans are of the opinion that she sounds uncannily similarto the English dub voice of Naruto. In the clip, she challenges her rival, Ronda Rousey, who she defeated by submission at WWE SummerSlam 2023 in a simulated fight. She even claimed that she’s a better Ronda Rousey than Ronda herself.
While this heated moment has excited WWE fans, it has also perked up the curiosity of anime otakus. It didn’t take long for fans to figure out why Baszler sounds too familiar for comfort. Turns out, it’s because her voice is similar to Maile Flanagan, who voiced Naruto inNaruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto.
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No doubt, both Ronda Rousey and Maile Flannagan are at the top of their classes. Rousey herself is best known for her tenure in the UFC and WWE. She is the only woman to be champion in both the UFC and the WWE. In a 2015 ESPC fan poll, Rousey was voted the best female athlete of all time. So, her accolades are under no circumstances lesser than that of Baszler.
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But Ronda is not just famous in the WWE community, she has also beenwelcomed by anime fanson account of being one herself. In 2020, when the quarantine was in full motion, Ronda Rousey tweeted that she had been addicted toFullmetal Alchemist. She is also an avid reader ofKaijumax, Vagabond, Lone Wolf & Cuband more such series.
Been an a manga kick this quarantine#FullmetalAlchemist1-3 was awesome just ordered the box set. Also started#kaijumax, The Damned, Curse Words, Vagabond and Lone Wolf & Cub. Would def reccamend, already ordered more of all of them#CantWait
She even asked her fans to recommend her different manga and posted a compiled list of them all. Now, if she is a true otaku, then her first move should be to shelve the list and buy other manga while suffering from guilt, but that’s a discussion for another day. Nonetheless, it was a sweet gesture that brought her closer to her fans.
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Rousey also considers herselfa huge fan ofDragon BallandPokemonand often talks about them in various interviews. So far, Rousey’s internet fame as the otaku wrestler has been unchallenged, but with the arrival of Baszler and her Naruto voice, fans are looking forward to an epic match between the two.
Narutois available to read on Viz Media and it is streamed by Crunchyroll.
Aaheli Pradhan
Anime Content Writer
Articles Published :1558
Aaheli is an Anime Content Writer at FandomWire with 1300+ published articles. With five years of experience under her belt, she is a living, breathing encyclopedia for anime and manga. From Shonen and Shojo to the most niche anime, nothing escapes her radar. Her poisons of choice are Assassination Classroom, Gintama, Ouran High School Host Club and every Ghibli movie ever. She believes in living a slow life, surrounded by incomplete art projects and her beloved cats.
