During a recent interview with Bleacher Report’s Graham GSM Matthews, WWE Superstar Sasha Banks commented on the SmackDown Women’s Championship match at tomorrow’s WWE Crown Jewel pay-per-view event, her role on the Mandalorian, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On her status for The Mandalorian Season 3: “First of all, thanks for trying to get that out, but I’m not on the next season, but it was incredible being on The Mandalorian on Star Wars. To be on a franchise that is so huge and so loved, just look at the reception from fans outside of the WWE Universe. It was the best feeling of all time. The projection of that show was overwhelming. I legit felt like I was in a galaxy so far, far away. I felt like I was on a different planet.”
On what she took from the experience working on a Star Wars show: “It was something I will always take with me and I took so much of what I learned from acting with them and being with so many great stars to WWE. It really helped my confidence as well when I came back from doing The Mandalorian two years ago. It was such a learning curve and something I wasn’t expecting, but now I’m in this whole new Hollywood world and it’s going amazingly. I’m so excited for the fans, and I can’t wait for my fans to see what’s next.”
On the surprise reveal for the end of Season 2: “I was in the scene as well, so I had to know a little bit, I read the script, but it was so cool watching it as well because every time The Mandalorian came on, it was always on a Friday so it was right before I went to work at SmackDown. I was watching as a fan with everybody else and freaking out even though I’m on the show and then I walked to work. Everybody backstage was freaking out, and it’s just so cool to see your co-workers freak out about something that’s not just wrestling. It’s usually, ‘Great match!’ or ‘Great segment!’ Instead it’s, ‘You’re on freaking Star Wars, The Mandalorian.’ That episode was so cool and I was like, ‘Yep, of course I am.’”
On the pressure of helping carry the Women’s Evolution: “I would say yes and no. Yes just because I want to keep the momentum going because I wanted to make sure that if I’m not in the title picture, there are more women in the title picture and there’s two women’s storylines going on at once. I just want more, more, more for the women, and I feel like we’ve been doing that. For me, it’s nothing new. I feel the pressure less and less because they believe in me so much that I don’t have to put pressure on myself anymore.”
On the progression of the division: “I feel like we’ve been knocking down every door that’s been closed in front of us. If they keep making more doors, we’re going to keep knocking them down. The WWE women’s division is the best it’s ever been. I think it’s the greatest of any era from top to bottom and I can’t wait to see what more the future brings, even from NXT 2.0. To see how many women are down there from when I first started—there was only a group of eight and now there’s maybe a group of 30—just to see the growth from then to now is so beautiful.”
On WrestleMania: “I see myself main-eventing WrestleMania either against Nicki Minaj, Charlotte Flair or Bayley. Those are my top three picks. If I predicted that one last year, I feel like any of those are a WrestleMania-caliber match.”
