Is The WWE Dropping The Ball On Sasha Banks?

By @TrueGodImmortal

Sasha Banks has been my favorite female wrestler for the last 2 years just about and that likely won't change anytime soon. From the moment that I saw her, I knew instantly there was something special about her. Granted, I was just speaking from a physical perspective, as she's naturally gorgeous, but she had a sort of charm to her that you could see just off a glance. Sasha walked into the NXT ring and began showcasing her improving skill, though her gimmick was a bit corny at first.

Wearing the old Kanye shades from like 2008, Sasha would come down to the ring, call herself a legit boss, and give off a ton of sassy banter and attitude. Of course, this seemed to attract fans who hadn't seen a woman in WWE with this much personality since AJ Lee during her initial rise in 2012. Fast forward a few years and Sasha possesses even more talent than AJ did. Sasha can talk, she can wrestle, she can captivate an audience, she can do it all essentially.

Her NXT days truly put her on the map and managed to give fans a glimpse into her ability, so when she got the NXT Women's Title, I was super excited to see what she did with it. When the time came for her and Bayley to feud, I knew something special was going to happen. Sure enough, as Sasha ended up dropping the title, she would put on my favorite match of 2015 with Bayley at NXT Takeover Brooklyn, which is a true classic, before doing what we hadn't seen before and going 30 minutes in the first ever Ironman/Ironwoman match at the following NXT Takeover event. She was treated well during her NXT tenure and managed to keep her popularity rising, so one would hope when she got to the main roster, she would be treated the same. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

When Sasha got to the main roster, she unfortunately was lost in the shuffle. It wasn't due to her lack of talent or not being ready, but more so had to do with WWE and their lackluster booking or opportunity. After we saw Nikki Bella finally lose her title to Charlotte, it seemed like a matter of time before Sasha was the next in line to win the belt, because she was the most over woman on the roster. Charlotte was a decent choice for the champion, but we all figured Sasha would get her rightful shot soon enough, hopefully Wrestlemania 32. It only made sense that the most popular and the most wanted woman on the roster heads into the biggest show of the year and garners a victory for the biggest woman's prize in the game.

Well, when Sasha ended up returning to WWE TV at the Royal Rumble this year, the ovation was massive and it hinted at her likely going to fight Charlotte soon for the title. They prolonged it, inserting Becky Lynch into the title picture and Brie Bella briefly, but eventually Sasha worked her way into the title picture and was set for the triple threat at Mania with Charlotte and Becky, and it seemed to be obvious that Sasha should win the title and garner a big victory. I mean, here's your biggest star in the women's division, on the biggest stage, why wouldn't you give her the title?

Well, this is where the issue comes in. WWE has seemingly let the popularity and power of Sasha fall to the wayside for some reason. Instead of pushing her to the moon, they put over Charlotte at Mania after giving Sasha a huge entrance and the fans were all on her side. Right after Mania, they regulated Sasha to sit on the sidelines and just watch as Natalya, someone who hasn't been relevant in the women's division the last year, swept by her and picked up a two month feud with Charlotte that will likely culminate at Extreme Rules. But what about Sasha?

There are rumors that she's not happy with her place in the company and who can blame her? She's the best wrestler in WWE overall from the women's division, and she's only getting better. While she isn't as technically sound as Asuka, she makes up for that in personality, charisma, charm, promo skill, and her very good in ring ability also. Why wouldn't WWE put her as the face of the company from a women's perspective? Is it because she's a black woman? Is it because she doesn't have a Hall of Fame father to manage her and help her get pushes? Regardless, there are some who feel Sasha will get her just due by Summerslam, but could it be too late? You have to strike while the iron is hot, and by keeping her off TV and not involved, they might think they are making fans want her more, which it sort of does, but it also highlights the lack of perspective and common sense the WWE possesses. Sasha should be carrying the championship. Instead, we have this painstaking Charlotte and Ric Flair reign, while Sasha sits on the sidelines. Hell, even Dana Brooke is in a storyline right now. Can Sasha get some love, WWE? She's only the most over woman on your roster.

-True