When will WWE deal with the elephant in the room?
For some time now, there have been rumors of a Sasha Banks heel turn that have never materialized. While “The Boss” is still wildly popular amongst the masses, her character is in a state of purgatory. Losing matches to Nia Jax and her failed attempt to capture gold at WrestleMania 33 didn’t help her, either.
Much Raw Women’s champion Bayley, who looked weak against Jax in singles matches, there hasn’t been much room for growth with unsuccessful booking within the division. Now that Charlotte has moved to Tuesday nights and Mickie James and Alexa Bliss have made the jump to Mondays, does this mean Banks’ character takes a turn for the dark side?
I and millions of WWE fans sure hope so. It’s the only way to book her as a strong opponent against Bayley, should it finally happen.
There is no doubt the feud with Charlotte that culminated in a Hell in a Cell match at Hell in a Cell was the best feud the company had to offer in 2016. But playing hot potato with the Raw Women’s Title did nothing to help Banks, Charlotte or anyone. Injuries played a role in booking the former champion, but WWE is not harmless and how it approached Sasha and her rise and fall as a performer. Having four major superstars playing round-robin did nothing to strengthen the division. And while I like her character, Jax is not ready for a title run.
There was no development of new characters, which meant repetition became boring. Add to the fact that the company would not pull the trigger on a feud with Banks’ BFF fans were left wondering when the inevitable would happen.
Now after the Superstar Shakeup, there is plenty of opportunity for new feuds and different storylines. The one that will grab the most attention would be a Banks-Bayley feud – however, the build for it is moving slower than expected. If SummerSlam is the place where this takes place, WWE had better do a better job of building the story. Slow playing this may be a good idea in foresight, but in hindsight, it may kill momentum. WWE is famous for that.
A Banks’ heel run is exactly what WWE needs. She’s brash. She’s bold. She identifies with the fanbase. But in the end or right now, she is standing in quicksand. The only way to save her from submersion is to force a feud with the current champion. If the company wants to build her as the leader of its women’s division for the foreseeable future, make the turn now, build the rivalry again, and give fans what they want.
They might also think of a Mickie James face turn to balance the division.
The evolution of Banks has become more a story of stagnation and depletion. She is the second most talented performer on WWE women’s roster aside from Charlotte. She should be booked as a strong performer. As of late fans are getting nothing but a whimper from her and that is hurting her character.