– Tonight at WWE Elimination Chamber, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, and Mickie James will challenge Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss for her title in the first-ever Women’s Elimination Chamber Match. Ahead of the match, Banks revealed in this post on Instagram that she can only think about those who said she’d “never make it” and people labeling women’s wrestling as the “bathroom break” match.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfmfoh9nAxc/
– Recent WWE signee EC3 and 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick attended Saturday’s UFC event — UFC on Fox: Emmett vs. Stephens — at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
– Following Monday’s announcement that Jeff Jarrett will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018, the WWE Network has added videos highlighting the career of “Double J” to the “WWE Hall of Fame: Class of 2018” Collection.
– In case you haven’t seen them yet, Paul Heyman’s Heyman Hustle website has a must-see photo gallery from the Universal Championship match at last month’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
Heyman wrote on Twitter, “I have advocated for more #WWE champions than anyone in history. Spent the majority of my time in #WWE screaming “reigning defending …
No one in history matches Brock Lesnar’s level of dominance. No one. #WrestleMania #April8 #NewOrleans #BrockLesnar”
– Both Sasha Banks and Bayley took to Twitter ahead of their “friendly competition” match tonight on Monday Night RAW. Here’s what the two women had to say:
Mondy Night Raw General Manager, Kurt Angle, has signed a match between Bayley and Sasha Banks for tonight.
While Angle claims the match will be “friendly competition”, there are signs Bayley and Banks’ friendship is breaking down. After all, Banks eliminated Bayley from the 1st ever women’s Royal Rumble last month.
“Friendly competition” is good.. So I’m making it official for tonight on #Raw– San Jose’s own @itsBayleyWWE will take on @SashaBanksWWE!
Sasha Banks and Bayley have wrestled each other in single’s action on 12 prior occassions. 10 of those matches took place in NXT, while the other 2 took place last year on Raw.
In NXT, Bayley won 7 of 10 matches against Banks including their 2 matches for the NXT Women’s Championship. On the main roster, Banks defeated Bayley on the March 3rd, 2017 Raw from Chicago but Bayley beat Banks in a #1 contenders match for the Raw women’s championship on July 24th, 2017 Raw from Washington.
– Sasha Banks has had quite a nice run in the past week. In the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Banks lasted nearly a full hour in the match, before taking on Rumble winner Asuka in an awesome one-on-one match the following night on Monday Night RAW. Many are expecting Banks to turn heel soon for a potential feud with Bayley at WrestleMania 34. Perhaps that heel turn could come tonight after “The Legit Boss'” most recent Tweet:
– During a quick “5 questions” segment on Twitter, Ring Of Honor (ROH) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Cody Rhodes answered a question from a fan asking if he believes Vince McMahon unfairly holds NXT call-ups back. The former WWE Superstar then went on to defend his former boss:
He doesn't hold anybody back. A lot of times it's hard for fans to accept that some of their favorites have a ways to go or that they become lazy after they get that first LE check. Stardust for example didn't go beyond tag gold cuz' I wasn't improving & I also got outta' shape. https://t.co/PJstDITaMp
– Per WWE Stats & Info on Twitter, Shinsuke Nakamura made history at last weekend’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) by becoming the first-ever Japanese star to win the Royal Rumble match. He was also the first-ever to win the match entering at the 14th spot:
– WWE Superstar and 2018 Cricket Wireless Ambassador Sasha Banks recently did a Q&A at a Cricket Wireless store in Philadelphia earlier this week and discussed various topics. You can watch the full Q&A in the video player below:
WWE Superstar Sasha Banks recently did an interview with on the latest episode of Hot Ones. “The Legit Boss” said that the harsh realities of WWE lay within the politics behind the company:
“I feel at ease when I’m in that square circle. The hardest reality is knowing that it’s a lot of politics, a lot of grueling grueling traveling, which I didn’t realize how hard that would be.”
Banks is also first cousins with Rap icon Snoop Dogg. She explained how she developed her nickname from always hearing Snoop’s body guards calling him “boss,” and she later evolved it into “The Legit Boss”:
“When I was around him, his bodyguards would always call him ‘boss’, and I was like, ‘That’s kind of catchy. That’s a good little nickname.’ So I was like, ‘Sasha Banks the Boss,’ and then it turned to ‘The Legit Boss.’ Any time he was with the WWE, I would call him and be like, ‘Please take me with you. I love this. Please, please, please.’ And I remember going with him at 2008, and he was doing rehearsals with the Divas at the time, and he was walking down the ramp. And I was following him behind like this, and I was walking down the WrestleMania ramp. I was 16 at the time and 25 doing it this year. Dreams really do come true.”
She also said that she uses ‘lots of wine’ to recover after a long and grueling match:
“Lots of wine. I love drinking wine after a match. It makes me really calm and relaxed.”
Banks resides in Boston, Massachusetts and explained her love for the historic city:
“I was in Boston when they won the Bruins championship. The whole town just came out of these restaurants and just went to the streets and started rallying…It was so crazy. That’s why I love Boston so much. Any time I go out in Boston and they say, ‘From Boston, Massachusetts…’ the crowd just erupts. I remember in my Hell in a Cell match with Charlotte, I lost it, and they were just dead silent. They couldn’t believe it. I thought they were going to start a riot. I’m like, ‘That’s Boston fans for you.'”
After months of speculations Ronda Rousey finally made her official WWE debut during the Royal Rumble PPV this past Sunday, immediately following the Women’s Royal Rumble.
However, her debut didn’t sit well with some female WWE wrestlers and as we noted before both Nikki Bella and Nia Jax criticised Rousey overshadowing Asuka’s victory in the Rumble.
During her recent interview with Busted Open Radio, Sasha Banks was also asked about Ronda’s arrival and her comments too showed the frustration of the whole Women’s Division.
While The Boss did not say anything negative about the former UFC Star, she refused to comment on her debut at all, claiming that she has nothing nice to say:
“My feelings…and sorry to do it to you guys. You know, I have nothing nice to say so I can’t say anything at all, I have nothing to say about it.”
All these comments show that the female locker room of WWE was not pleased with the way Ronda was given the spotlight over the historic Women’s Royal Rumble.
Rousey has reportedly signed a full-time contract with WWE and is expected to be part of a Mixed Tag Match at WrestleMania this year. Below is a video of her talking about her WWE debut following the Royal Rumble PPV:
If there is one person to listen to about something being dangerous or not, it’s Mick Foley. Whether it’s as Mankind, Cactus Jack, or Dude Love, the WWE legend is known for putting his body on the line and sacrificing everything in, and out of the ring.
After seeing what happened on the latest episode of RAW, where Sasha Banks took on Asuka, Mick Foley took to twitter to discourage The Boss from using a move that didn’t quite go to plan during the match.
Earlier in the evening, Asuka was set to choose her WrestleMania opponent, however Sasha Banks interrupted and claimed that she was ready to face the first winner of the women’s Royal Rumble. Being undefeated in WWE, The Empress of Tomorrow gladly accepted the challenge which was to feature later in the night.
During the showdown, which could only have one winner, Banks appeared to try everything in the book to defeat Asuka, including a suicide dive that didn’t go to plan. The dive itself can be seen at 1:33 in the clip below.
It appeared as though Banks didn’t get the momentum required to launch herself to the outside of the ring, with her legs being caught by the middle rope, forcing her head to take a sharp and sudden diversion directly to the apron before she fell to the floor. It was clear at the time that this wasn’t planned, but thankfully there were no immediate injuries following the mistake.
With Asuka being such a dominant competitor, I am slightly concerned over the likes of Sasha Banks, Bayley, Nia Jax, and Alexa Bliss to a certain extent, who won’t be able to justify a win against some as good as Asuka. So who is in a position to legitimately challenge The Empress of Tomorrow?
Sasha Banks was recently interviewed by SkySports. The always out-spoken Banks had plenty to say regarding where she feels WWE should be headed with their women’s divisions.
Banks has played a key role in WWE’s “women’s revolution/evolution”. She was in the 1st ever women’s match to main event a PPV and wrestled in the 1st women’s match in Abu Dhabi. Banks will also be involved in the 1st ever women’s Royal Rumble match on Sunday.
According to her, the next step for WWE is women’s tag-team titles.
Sasha Banks on WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships
“I would love that,” Banks told Sky Sports. “I think we have enough women on the roster now to actually have a women’s tag division.
“We’ve been given multiple storylines but at the same time, it’s very hard to accomplish something if you’re not actually fighting for anything. Only one woman can go after the women’s championship and I think if we had tag team championships we’d be able to create way more interesting storylines.”
“We have tag matches all the time, every single week, so I say why not get a championship involved in that?”
Banks also referred to herself as “the greatest women’s wrestler ever” during the interview, something she did 2 days earlier in an interview with TalkSport.
RAW Superstar Sasha Banks recently spoke with TalkSPORT to promote Monday’s big RAW 25th Anniversary special and the upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
During the discussion, Sasha spoke about Bayley being one of her favorite rivals. In talking about their feud in NXT, she modestly stated that she is the greatest women’s wrestler of all time – adding, “it’s not arrogance, it’s confidence,”
“Over the past year I’ve been told if I was going to be heel or face and we kept going back and fourth on it. But that rivalry with Bayley is something I’d love to pick right back up because she actually has my number, which pisses me off because in my heart I know I’m the greatest women’s wrestler ever,”
She continued, “It’s about showing her and the world that I’m the best and it would be great to pick up that rivalry again with her. I’m in no rush; I plan to be with WWE for a very long time so we can tell that story anytime. Sasha Banks is all about being me and it’s not arrogance it’s confidence, I am the very best at what I do.”
With the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match taking place next weekend, there’s been a lot of buzz about which legends from the past will show up in the event. Sasha Banks has a few ideas about who she’d like to see turn up in the Women’s Rumble.
“I would love to see Trish [Stratus] and Lita, of course. Beth Phoenix, Molly Holly, Jazz, Jacqueline. Just all the women I grew up watching – Medusa, that would be amazing. Even girls from NXT would be amazing too. But the potential to see who’s going to be in it is endless because we only have about thirty girls across the brands, so we do need those little extra for the Rumble.”
Sasha added that if she was the first entrant in the Women’s Royal Rumble, the surprise appearance she would most want to see is Trish Stratus.
“Not only would I mark out as a fan, but also it would be something really cool. Her music is so iconic, she’s such a legend in this business that would be an amazing way to start off the Rumble.”
Other topics discuss include taking part in the first-ever Women’s wrestling match in the Middle East, her favorite career moment thus far and her cousin Snoop Dogg. Head over to TalkSPORT.com to check out the full interview.
– WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash announced today that he will be unable to appear at Raw 25 this Monday night due to issues he would have with air travel following recent knee replacement surgery.
Was so looking forward to being a part of RAW 25. It's nearly impossible to travel on our down sized airlines healthy. With a total knee replacement it would be self inflicted torture. See ya everyone at Mania
Nash is also no longer listed as appearing by WWE.com.
– WWE has posted this cinematic video of Braun Strowman’s Raw rampage on Monday night.
– Sasha Banks appears on Complex x Fuse tonight at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Fuse.
Promotional material for the episode says, “WWE’s Sasha Banks chows down on spicy wings on “Hot Ones” and discusses the evolution of female sports and the top highlights of her wrestling career.”
The WWE’s Mixed Match Challenge will kick off in two weeks on January 16th on Facebook Watch, and Monday Night RAW’s second team for the tournament has just been announced. The team of Finn Balor and Sasha Banks has now been announced for the tournament; joining teams such as Bobby Roode and Charlotte Flair from SmackDown Live, and Braun Strowman & Alexa Bliss from RAW as well.
Above is a video in which Sasha Banks and Finn Balor find out they’ll be teaming together, and below is WWE’s official announcement of the team:
Finn Bálor & Sasha Banks to join forces at WWE Mixed Match Challenge
Raw General Manager Kurt Angle has revealed that Finn Bálor will team with Sasha Banks at WWE Mixed Match Challenge, a bold dream team that could definitely make the difference for Team Raw in the unprecedented tournament on Facebook Watch.
Whether competing in the history-making WWE Iron Man Match against Bayley in NXT or inside Hell in a Cell against Charlotte Flair, the innovative Banks is the very definition of a trailblazer. With the distinction of being the first-ever Universal Champion and the longest-reigning NXT Champion in history, Bálor is definitely cut from the same cloth as the four-time Raw Women’s Champion.
Add to the mix their larger-than-life personas and you have a fierce combination capable of taking any team to task in the Mixed Match Challenge.
Together, Bálor and Banks will compete in an innovative Facebook Watch exclusive tournament, where unlikely male-female WWE Superstar pairings will attempt to win $100,000 for their charity.
Check back with WWE.com to learn other #WWEMMC combinations as they become available. Follow WWE Mixed Match Challenge on Facebook for updates, and find out how you can impact the show’s matchups, stipulations and more along the way. WWE Mixed Match Challenge begins Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 10 ET/7 PT, exclusively on Facebook Watch.
Tonight’s WWE RAW saw several Superstars confirmed for the women’s and the men’s Royal Rumble matches that will take place later this month.
Bayley, Sasha Banks, Paige, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville were confirmed for the first-ever women’s match while Finn Balor was confirmed for the men’s Rumble match.
Below is the updated card for the Royal Rumble, which takes place on January 28th from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, coming out of tonight’s RAW:
30-Man Royal Rumble Match
John Cena, Elias, Finn Balor, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, TBA
30-Woman Royal Rumble Match
Asuka, Naomi, Ruby Riott, Natalya, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Paige, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, TBA
Triple Threat for the WWE Universal Title
Kane vs. Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar
WWE United States Title Tournament Finals
Bobby Roode or Zack Ryder or Mojo Rawley vs. Jinder Mahal or Xavier Woods or Aiden English
– Sasha Banks’ hair ended up for sale on Ebay after a fan purchased a Conor’s Cure shirt she wore and found two strands of purple hair on it. The fan said that after discovering the hairs he decided to put them up for sale on Ebay and ended up getting $39.99. Here’s the description of the item and the posting can be found at this link:
“*This auction is for the Sasha Banks 2 hair strands only, does not include signed tshirt these hair pieces were found enbedded in.
“This auction includes two stands of purple hair from WWE superstar Sasha Banks. I found these strands weaved into the connors cure tshirt I purchased on WWE auction. I pulled them out and placed in a bag. These are from the 9/18/17 Raw episode when Sasha comes out to block Alexa Bliss from leaving the match against Nia Jacks.
“This auction is for the hair strands only, not the signed ring worn tshirt.
“I promise all pieces were pulled from shirt after inspection upon opening. I assure the strands belonged to Sasha Banks on raw 9/18 when she worn this shirt which can be proven by watching or viewing the authenticity of the ring worn tshirt by WWE.
“Any questions feel free to ask. ”
– Big E posted a video of himself and his fellow New Day members trying to recruit “Ms. Money In The Bank” Carmella for the Mixed Match Challenge. The trio ordered a referee over to Carmella to deliver some pancakes that read “Will you be our partner?” Carmella was flattered by the gesture but noted that it’s up to the WWE Universe to vote on the teams for the tournament:
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss was recently a guest on Sam Roberts’ Wrestling podcast to talk about her journey through the industry. During the interview, “Little Miss Bliss” discussed the comparisons she has received, as far as her in-ring ability goes, to women such as those in the Four Horsewomen stable. Oftentimes Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Charlotte Flair are referred to as better workers than Bliss, however, “Five Feet Of Fury” is statistically the most successful champion since the beginning of the Women’s Revolution.
During her interview with Roberts, Bliss explained that she believes this distinction is made due to the fact that she doesn’t use “flashy moves,” something she doesn’t like to do as a heel character:
“When I was in NXT, I was still training every day. I was still in the ring every day and working every live event. And just because I wasn’t on shows that were taped for NXT TV, I don’t think people knew what skills I could do. And being a bad guy, I try not to do a lot of flashy moves and a lot of, I guess, good guy skills because that’s not my character and I feel like people take that as, ‘oh, well, she’s not as skilled as Sasha [Banks] or Bayley, Charlotte [Flair], or Becky [Lynch].
“But, I take that as a challenge. I’m like, ‘well, I can do all these things. I chose not to because I don’t have to. My character isn’t supposed to be flashy and be over-the-top. I’m supposed to be dirty in the ring. I’m supposed to kick and punch and I’m supposed to cheat and find ways to win at all costs.”
You can listen to Bliss’ interview on the Sam Roberts’ Wrestling podcast by clicking this link here.
Sasha Banks was recently interviewed by NBC Sports. The interview covered her feelings on the upcoming Royal Rumble, the women’s revolution/evolution, and what may come next for the women’s divisions in WWE.
Sasha Banks Interview Highlights
On what number she wants to enter at:
“I don’t know if I would want to start off first. I would have to do extra cardio to prepare and with the holiday season I’ve been eating a lot, so I don’t know if I would be ready for that … just kidding (laughs).
Honestly, I would rather get that lucky number 30 and throw everyone out that’s left. I don’t want to sweat my makeup off. I want to look good! But no, I haven’t seriously thought about it or had a chance to because I’m still kind of in that shock moment and I’ve been more thinking about what legend could be in the match or if we’ll have girls from NXT be in the match because with [the] SmackDown and Raw [rosters] we don’t have enough to get to that 30 number yet.
On potential legends in the match:
The potential of what legend can I work has me more excited than which number I’ll be in the Royal Rumble match, but I think when I get closer to the actual Royal Rumble, that’s when I’ll get more of my nerves. I don’t want to say I’m in shock because I guessed that this would happen, but it’s still so crazy to kick off 2018 knowing that the women are going to have a Royal Rumble match at the Royal Rumble. It’s really cool.”
“I would love to hear Trish Stratus’ music. Of course Lita, Molly Holly, Jazz, Jacqueline, man even Victoria. It would be an honor to be in the ring with any of those girls.
On what comes next for her and the women’s divisions:
“Exactly and that’s the number one thing is. I don’t just want something to be given to us just to put that little stamp like ‘Oh look the women are doing it now it’s cool.’ No.
My goal is to main event WrestleMania and if we’re going to main event it, I need it to be the greatest storyline ever. I need the fans to be invested. I just don’t want to get handed something because they’re putting a first time ever [match] for women. I want it to be a good storyline and I want the crowd to care because those are the moments that …
I feel like the reason people talk about the Brooklyn match [I had] with Bayley so much is because of the history between me and Bayley. You know that she fought from the very beginning to get the women’s championship and for me, I fought to keep that and to show people that I’m the best.
People are invested in the storylines more than just putting a name on something and bam! First time ever, you know what I mean?
Former WWE RAW Women’s Champion Sasha Banks was recently a guest on WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin’s podcast, The Steve Austin Show, to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. “The Legit Boss” talked about realizing she was over in NXT, not being happy with her performance at Survivor Series last month, the Women’s Revolution, feeling like she belonged in Japan during WWE’s overseas tour, and so much more. Here are the highlights:
Not being able to go back and watch her previous matches, and not being happy with her 2017 Survivor Series performance:
“If I go back, which is so hard for me to do sometimes because I’m my biggest critic, like I cringe, argh. Recently, I watched back Survivor Series and I hated everything I did because I don’t know if I didn’t believe what I was doing or if I was unsure. Do know what I mean? Because, sometimes, your time gets cut and you’re like, ‘okay, how do I communicate to this person what I want to do? Will they know if I say this?’ I hate that. I hate that. I hate watching myself back.”
When she realized she was over:
“I did notice a difference when I was wrestling… I had a match against Emma and they were chanting ‘ratchet’ and I thought they were saying ‘rat s–t’ and it was really the first chant I ever got at NXT because before that I got nothing.”
“The following month they kept chanting and chanting and I’m like, ‘this is cool! This is wrestling! Yay!'”
The Women’s Revolution:
“It’s very hard,” Banks said. “It was much harder when we were doing both RAW and SmackDown. I feel like now that the brands split, you kind of know who has the spot right now and I recently learned that you’re not always going to be number one, and especially with the women’s division. We’re so small. It’s going to cycle and you’re going to have the opportunity to be number one again and go back down. It’s legit like a ferris wheel. And it’s not even a matter of like who is going to be number one.
“It’s who’s the champion right now? And right now, it’s Alexa Bliss, she’s number one. And whoever she’s in a storyline with, that’s how it is. That’s all they really right for, is that championship match. Hopefully we get some tag team championships coming up so we have more of a story right now. But with Paige and the new girls right now, it’s not as much about the championship and I’m very interested to know where we’re going next. I have no idea.”
Feeling like she belonged in Japan:
“I only did one tour and it was amazing. Yeah, it was everything that I hoped for. I love the culture. I love the food. And even the fans, I think it was only one night where they were kind of quiet, just watching. But other than that, they were like [western crowds]. They didn’t really mess with me because I’ve watched it so many times. I’ve heard just the quietness of the [clapping], ‘yay!’ But I enjoyed it. I was like, ‘I kind of feel like I belong here!'”
Wanting to be a producer:
“Sometimes I’m like, ‘I just want to retire and be a producer’. I really love creating matches, but then I see what they go through and I’m like, ‘I do not want to do that! I do not want to be yelled at or the stress of it all, but I really, really enjoy helping putting matches together. But I think Bayley wants to be a trainer. She’s so good and patient, like, really good at explaining stuff and I like explaining what I think makes moments, so maybe we’d be a good team like that. But that’s a goal maybe. Or maybe I’ll just retire and sit on the couch the rest of my life and do nothing! Is that bad?”
How much longer she plans on wrestling:
“I don’t want to put a number on it. It’s whenever God tells me to, but, at the same time, I don’t want to be one of those people who went past their time, which scares me because I love this so much. But I don’t know. I’ve done a lot at 25 [years of age] and I wonder how much more I could do, so I don’t know. I’ll leave it in God’s hands.”
You can listen to Banks’ interview on The Steve Austin Show by clicking this link here.
Sasha Banks spoke to Times Of India while visiting India for the recent WWE Live Event. Below are some highlights from her interview with them:
Her favorite match on main roster:
“I would definitely have to say it would be my Wrestlemania match against them (Charlotte and Becky Lynch). Just because of what it meant. We were introducing the Raw Women’s Championship and to find out that we wouldn’t be called Divas anymore and we’re going to be called superstars meant something so special to me. I always dreamt of changing the Divas title to the RAW women’s title because I didn’t want to have the butterfly championship anymore. To change the whole division, what it meant and represents, that is so huge and I remember crying when Triple H and Stephanie told us that we’re going to be superstars now.”
If it was a ‘deja vu’ moment for her when Paige returned to WWE:
“You could say that because there were three of them. But before that, Paige was with Charlotte and Becky and I was with Team Bad so it felt more like someone was trying to steal my spotlight again. Because Paige was gone for a whole year while I was here breaking down doors, creating history. But welcome back, Paige.”
Meeting Kavita Devi:
“I just met her today and she was so sweet and incredible. It’s so amazing to see women all over the world and making it to the WWE and especially for her it’s huge because she’s the first ever Indian woman to sign. We got a little taste of her during the Mae Young Classic but you know, it’s going to be a long journey for her. I’m sure she’s going to inspire a lot of young women and show Indian fans that if you have a dream, you can accomplish anything. So I look forward to her journey and Best of Luck to her.”
Her matches with Charlotte Flair:
“There have been so many. We’ve gone at each other since our NXT days. It’s been non-stop and we’ve had this rivalry that just no one really can touch. From the Hell in a Cell match to multiple main-events on Monday Night Raw to a Falls Count Anywhere match, it were all was so crazy. I really got my revenge on her with that Kendo Stick. It felt so good. That’s for all those chops, Charlotte. And then I went on to win my second championship. So yes, it was one of my best matches.”
‘The Boss’ Sasha Banks recently joined Stone Cold Steve Austin for The Steve Austin Show. During the show, both these stars talked about Banks’ gimmick and more. Below are some highlights from the podcast:
Steve Austin on Banks’ gimmick:
“I love the ‘Legit Boss’ gimmick, It’s one of my favorite gimmicks going. She plays it to a T. She’s working babyface now. Quite frankly, I just love her as a heel because of that swagger that she has. I love Sasha Banks ‘The Legit Boss’ as a heel because that’s when I feel [she is] on full-on [her] persona, [her] character, [her] system.”
Sasha on feeling more like herself as a heel:
“I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately because usually I just say, ‘both’ just to give that bland answer. But I do enjoy working heel it’s I feel more comfortable. I feel more free. I feel like I’m being more myself because I can really be like, ‘yeah, I’m the s–t.’ Do you know what I mean? Which I feel like it’s hard to be as a babyface, but in today’s day and age, I feel like today’s babyfaces are really the heels in our heels are now the babyfaces because that’s what our fans are cheering now. The fans are cheering the heels and booing the babyfaces because they want to see people kick ass. They want to see them saying stuff and doing stuff in more of a gritty way than being all, ‘yeah, I’m going to kick your butt because I’m a good guy!’ Ugh! It drives me [insane]… Exactly, everyone plays by the rules! It drives me insane. I hate it.”
Banks on how it’s hard to be a babyface:
“It’s very hard [being a babyface] and I’m still learning to be a babyface every day and the only… I don’t want to say the ‘only’, but the number one reason I love it is the kids. I love seeing little kids dressed up as you. Yeah.”
Sasha on if Snoop Dogg helped her in development of her character:
“No, I stole his ‘boss’ persona. He’s my cousin, but we’re not very close. People always think we’re like best friends or cousins-cousins and grew up together and went to each other’s houses to hang out, but no. I didn’t meet this guy until maybe I was 12 [years old] and he came to Iowa for a concert and anytime he came around we would always go to the concert and this and that. And he told me he loved wrestling and I told him that I love wrestling and that was our bond. And anytime he went to [a WWE event], like one time he hosted RAW, or if I was he was hosting WrestleMania or doing the Divas match, I was like, ‘please bring me with you’ and every time he did. And that was our bond, the love of wrestling and we always talk about wrestling and I told him I wanted to be a wrestler when I grow up and he told me, ‘hey, if that’s your dream, go get it,’ so it’s so crazy that he did that, was it WrestleMania 32, he did that entrance and I was like, ‘how is this possible? It’s so cool! What a dream come true of having a legend in the rap game coming out and doing your entrance? That’s your family member too, so that’s awesome.’
– An in-ring face-off between WWE Champion AJ Styles and former champ Jinder Mahal has been announced for tomorrow’s episode of SmackDown Live. Styles and Mahal had the following Twitter exchange to hype the event:
– It was rumored for a while that WWE is looking to sign Indie Wrestler and Mae Young Classic competitor Tessa Blanchard, though it appears that these speculations are false.
Tessa noted on Twitter recently that she is now taking bookings for 2018, meaning that not only the Indie Star has not reached an agreement with WWE but she is also not expecting to be signed anytime soon:
Blanchard had wrestled several matches for NXT last year. She also took part in the Mae Young Classic earlier this year where she was defeated by Kairi Sane in the first round of the tournament.
– As noted before, Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss made history during the recent WWE Live Event in UAE by becoming the first female WWE Superstars to compete in the Middle East.
After the match, MVP commented on Banks’ outfit for the event, which was similar to the ring gear of the former WWE Star via the following Instagram post:
RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks made history on Thursday when they became the first female WWE Superstars to wrestle in the Middle East.
During previous WWE tours of the Middle East, women have not competed. Both Alexa and Sasha “covered up” their usual skimpy ring gear and wore body suits to comply with local societal requirements.
Alexa Bliss retained the RAW Women’s Championship in a hard fought match. Afterwards, Sasha Banks got emotional talking about the experience. She said she got emotional several times throughout the match and is beyond proud to be part of the historic occasion.
WWE Superstars Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss are set to make history this Thursday. The two women will be facing each other as part of WWE’s upcoming show in Abu Dhabi, this is the first ever WWE Women’s match to take place in the UAE and it will be for the RAW Women’s Championship.
Other matches set to take place over the tour include:
Finn Balor vs Bray Wyatt
Braun Strowman vs Kane
WWE Cruiserweight Champion – Enzo Amore vs Kalisto. Finally
RAW Tag Team Championship Steel Cage Match – Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins vs The Bar Cesaro and Sheamus
– As noted, Bayley earned the fifth spot on the women’s Team RAW Survivor Series team by defeating Dana Brooke and Mickie James in a Triple Threat on tonight’s show. Below is video of Bayley talking to Mike Rome about the win until partner Sasha Banks interrupts to congratulate her. They discuss the match and Bayley has no doubt that Team RAW will beat Team SmackDown for the second year in a row. As noted, the women’s 5-on-5 Traditional Elimination Match on Sunday will feature Captain Alicia Fox, Banks, Bayley, Nia Jax and Asuka vs. Captain Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Naomi, Tamina Snuka and Carmella.
– A birthday celebration for Kalisto has been announced for this week’s WWE 205 Live episode. It’s believed that WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore will crash the party as the two prepare to face off for the title on the Survivor Series Kickoff pre-show.
– Braun Strowman is responsible for another destroyed ring as he sent Kane through the mat with a running powerslam during the closing segment of tonight’s RAW in Atlanta. The two were to have a singles match as the main event but the match never officially began. Below are videos from tonight’s big angle:
Sasha Banks recently had an interview with India Today where she talked about working as a babyface and more. Below are some of the highlights of her interview:
Being part of the Raw team for the Survivor Series PPV:
“I plan to win the Survivor Series and show that Raw is the better division. I think all the women are great, but right now at Raw we are killing it. We have such incredible women we have in the company at the moment. We have Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, myself and Bayley, Alicia Fox, even though she is a crazy captain. I don’t think SmackDown has seen a team quite as dominant as us. So, come Survivor Series we plan to take on all, not only the women’s division but the whole Raw brand.”
Working as a babyface on Main Roster for the majority of the time while she spent most of her time in NXT as a heel:
“I just feel that I am just being myself. Even if I am a ‘baby face’ or a ‘heel,’ I am still Sasha Banks. I go out there and do my best like I always do. I don’t need to put a title on it, if am being a bad guy or a good guy, I am just going to be Sasha Banks. I am going to put on great matches, I am going to make history, and I am going to be the face of the company. That’s what I was doing down in NXT, that’s what I am doing on the main roster.”
Her advice for aspiring women wrestlers:
“My advice to all women who want to be in the WWE, would be never give up, keep following your dreams . We have shown here that anything is possible, we are making history and we making people care about women’s wrestling. We used to see a lot of little boys in the audience, but now we can see a lot of women and little girls come out and see them dressed up as their favorite wrestlers. They come dressed as Bailey or like me. It is crazy to see the growth of how many little girls to WWE shows and how excited they are every time we make our entrance.”