Women’s wrestling has been part of sports entertainment since its inception and has covered a glorious amount of generations. The history dates as far back as The Fabulous Moolah, continued with Trish Stratus and now focused on Sasha Banks. Obviously there has been many flops along the way, but this time WWE may have stumbled upon something special.
Today is a New Day (Pardon the Pun) and female wrestlers are starting to demand attention. For the first time, a select group of women have been picked out specifically to compete on a high level. The state of female wrestling has finally stopped being the part of the show where you order your popcorn and instead has tuned into the segment you make sure it’s full.
WWE took the initiative in 2012 to start building a new generation and direction of women’s wrestling. Their first order of business was to hire one of the top independent female wrestlers on the scene to head up their vision. They found that person in Sara Del Rey. Del Rey wrestled all across the globe and was heavily respected by her peers inside of the ring. She was singled out by WWE officials and decided to sign on as their first female trainer.
This was the first big step in turning the Diva Division around. Fast forward a few years later and we have a talented female roster who all have the ability to put on a tremendous show (at least 75% of them anyway). We began with #GiveDivasaChance and now have continued to #DivasRevolution. Whatever hashtag you decide is catchier makes no difference, this revolt took a chance and nailed it.
A big part of this development is the younger generation of Charlotte, Bayley, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks. However, there is no bigger part than “The Boss.” Sasha Banks is and will continue to be the cornerstone of the Divas Division. Charlotte may have the pedigree, but Sasha has the IT Factor (No Disrespect intended Bobby Roode). Her in-ring technique and turnaround ability is impeccable at the young age of 23. With her hardcore training regime and the influence she absorbs, which now includes former TNA X-Division Champion Amazing Red, will only make her prove the WWE right in their conquest to find the jewel they so desperately seek.
Sasha Banks is a lifelong wrestling fan who says she once skipped her grandfather’s funeral to watch an episode of “SmackDown.” She already had a diverse background before coming to NXT. Formerly known as New England’s Mercedes KV, she built a reputation on the American independent scene as a fierce competitor and an extremely dedicated worker. Banks says she feeds off the hard-hitting style that Coach Sara brings to the ring. Growing up, Banks idolized male dominators such as Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle and Dean Malenko, so the strength and endurance of the sport was a given.
Her charisma wasn’t easy to transform as she was always a particularly a shy person. So creating the true “Legit Boss” was a work in progress. Sasha learned how to do that at the Orlando Performance Center, where the late Dusty Rhodes, aka “American Dream,” helped turn Mercedes into the “Legit Boss” through promo classes and character training.
Last night at #TakeOver may have been the Banks’ most symbolic match yet. In front of the biggest crowd in NXT history, Banks poured her heart out in a match for the ages against Bayley. She showed the ruthless aggression and lethal attacks we could compare to that of the late Crippler, Chris Benoit. We all knew that the title was going to change hands, but her character made us believe for weeks that there may have been a chance she would retain. However, Bayley did win the NXT title last night, which was well deserved. The bigger story is how that loss has now symbolized the start of the Sasha Banks Era.
She now can set her sights on the real prize, the WWE Women’s Championship. Yes, I called it that because “The Boss” will bring back the respect to women’s wrestling making the days of the Diva’s Championship just being a reference and not an Era!
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