The WWE Raw Women’s Champion Sasha Banks recently talked about a number of topics including fans who think wrestling is “fake,” as well as the influence that the legendary Eddie Guerrero had on her career. In addition, Sasha discussed what the hardest part of being a WWE superstar has been for her so far, including life on the road and breaking out of her character she portrays for the WWE fans.
According to Wrestling Inc in their December 2 report, Sasha was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard and touched on all those topics. She mentioned that time on the road “barely seeing my family” is the hardest part about being in WWE. The women’s champion also mentioned the other wrestling business realities including the fact that she gets “beat up every single week” and has bruises from the work she puts in.
Banks was banged up following a Hell in a Cell match in October 2016. [Image by WWE]
Sasha added that maybe those who don’t think the sports entertainment matches are “real” should try it out.
“People think that — I hate that, I hate that people think it’s fake but if they got in the ring and they took a bump like we do every single week, legit travel like we travel every single week they would so appreciate everything we did.”
In terms of real, it doesn’t get much more real than the recent matches Sasha has been involved in against fellow superstar Charlotte. The two have feuded for years, ever since their participation in NXT. They’ve taken women’s wrestling to another level since they joined the main roster, including a first-ever women’s Hell in a Cell match, and their No Disqualification Falls Count Anywhere match from this past Monday’s Raw. Both matches saw the women’s title change hands.
In this past Monday’s match, Charlotte was defending the championship in front of her home city of Charlotte, North Carolina. The two battled to a double count-out early during the episode of Raw but then were informed they’d meet later in the show to determine a definitive winner.
According to ESPN, the main event saw Sasha become a three-time women’s champion. The match included a number of vicious spots and impressive moves too. They included Sasha attacking Charlotte with a Kendo stick, and Charlotte hitting a moonsault off the commentators’ table onto Sasha near the ramp. Ultimately, the fight finished in the stands with Charlotte tapping to the Banks Statement while being pulled against a guardrail.
The post-match celebration featured wrestling legend Ric Flair coming to the ring to congratulate the champion while his dejected daughter cried from the stands. The endorsement came from one of the best in the business, although Banks grew up rooting for another top star.
Sasha credits her success today to the late Eddie Guerrero. [Image by WWE]
Sasha credits a lot of her success to the late great Eddie Guerrero, noting just how strong an impact he made upon her.
“There wouldn’t be Sasha Banks if there wasn’t Eddie Guerrero, he was truly my idol. I still look up to him to this day. Everything I do in the ring, I think ‘would Eddie do that? Would Eddie be proud of me?’ And if I got to meet him I would just tell him thank you. He changed my life and I would not be the person I am today if I never saw him wrestle the first time I did.”
The three-time women’s champion paid tribute to her hero during a Triple Threat match during WrestleMania 32. Charlotte’s championship was on the line there, with Becky Lynch also part of the contest. During the bout, Banks not only wore Guerrero style gear to the ring but also connected on a Frogsplash, his trademark move off the corner turnbuckle.
There have been a lot of fans upset over how the Raw women’s roster and title picture have been handled. One has to wonder what’s next for Sasha as many fans believe the title changing hands continuously between she and Charlotte is monotonous. It’s hard to argue against the fact that Sasha and Charlotte have provided some memorable encounters, though, or that Banks has a good amount of talent in the ring. Just don’t tell Sasha that wrestling is “fake.”
[Featured Image by WWE]