Since Sasha-Banks.com is currently doing a tribute for Sasha for her five year anniversary in professional wrestling, I figured it would only be right to write a sort of tribute to my current favorite wrestler, that of course being The BO$$ herself, Sasha Banks.
For as long as I've been a fan of wrestling, I've typically just been complacent with what WWE has decided to do with their roster, whether it be booking decisions or just who they push. I suppose that separates me from other fans on twitter in that I don't usually get angry about things like John Cena winning the World Title for the six millionth time. I prefer to simply roll with the punches and try to take positives out of the product. That's why it was uncharacteristic of me to jump so heavily on the #GiveDivasAChance bandwagon earlier this year, despite the fact that I wasn't a huge fan of the main roster divas division at the time, nor had I ever been a fan of women's wrestling within the WWE to that point. But while I wasn't necessarily "upset" with Nikki Bella and Paige wrestling thirty second matches on RAW, I realized how I would feel if some of my favorites from NXT had been given such little to work with every week. Among these favorites are Charlotte, Bayley, Carmella and Becky Lynch, but I'm not sure I would have been so adamant about #GiveDivasAChance had they been the only divas at NXT. The real deciding factor in my support was Sasha Banks, and there are multiple reasons for this.
First and foremost, she's simply the best wrestler out of the bunch to me. Her matches have been consistently amazing, and she has an uncanny ability to get me emotionally invested in a wrestling match in a way that I'm typically not. Her match with Bayley at Takeover: Brooklyn evoked an emotional response from me that has been matched only by matches such as Sami Zayn vs Neville, Shawn Michaels vs Ric Flair from WrestleMania 24, and Eddie Guerrero vs Brock Lesnar from No Way Out 2004. I find that my emotional attachment to the match itself and Sasha as a wrestler stems from my knowledge of her journey and how much she overcame and conquered to get to where she is today. Although she's certainly not the first wrestler or first person in general to achieve success through an uphill battle against unfavorable odds, for whatever reason her story was one of the only that has actually connected with me in a way that makes me believe that it could happen to me. The hard work she puts in for herself and for the fans is evident every time she steps into the ring and puts it all on the line to put on a show for us, and it certainly does not go unappreciated. She is widely recognized as the best female wrestler on the roster, and rightfully so.
But even more so than her in-ring talents, her strong character and ability to perfectly portray this character in and beyond the ring is what draws so many to her. The BO$$ persona has become more than a persona to her, as evidenced by her social media accounts. She uses these platforms to further storylines and boost her character better than anyone not named Kevin Owens or Rusev. This includes everything from telling Paige that she's going to rip out her weave on twitter, or telling angry tumblr users to shut up when they question her use of a stamp to give autographs. It's a fantastic example of how social media should be utilized in wrestling, as a tool to advance stories away from the screen, and something we're definitely seeing more often, with New Day's #SaveTheTables campaign, among other things. But despite the occasional snappy response to a fan or another wrestler, you can plainly see her appreciation for those who support her. She's constantly retweeting or helping to promote something going on with the site I mentioned earlier, Sasha-Banks.com. She also is constantly tweeting or posting fanart on Tumblr. She managed to find a great balance between kayfabe and reality on social media platforms, just adding on to the reasons she's so widely adored by fans.
On October 7th, Sasha Banks and Bayley will make history by being the first women's match to headline and main event a WWE-branded PPV-esque event. This not only marks a historic achievement, but it is a sort of culmination to the hard work that not only Sasha but all the women at NXT have put in to get themselves to where they're at, but also to get WWE to the point that they're willing to put thirty-five minutes worth of women's wrestling and segments on RAW on a weekly basis. The faith that the company has shown in them is well-deserved, and to this point, they have yet to let me down in these big matches. For that, I thank them. And I thank both Sasha and Bayley in advance for the incredible match they're sure to have at Takeover.
