WNS Podcast hosted an interview with WWE Superstar Sasha Banks in which she discussed a number of topics including her chemistry with Bayley, thoughts before going into the first ever women’s Hell In A Cell match and her desire to main event WrestleMania in the future. You can check out the entire interview at this link and in the video below, and the following are some highlights:
On her chemistry with Bayley:
It was a love/hate relationship. We have so much in common. We love this business so much and you know talking to her more, her dream was to be a wrestler when she was 10. My dream was to be a wrestler when I was 10. I wanted to change the definition of what it was to be a woman in WWE and she had the exact same feelings. So, it was just that mutual love for this knowing that we always wanted to steal the show. And getting the opportunity at NXT Brooklyn and just hearing that crowd. We tore the house down. Honestly, I can’t wait to do it again. I can’t wait to tie up with her again. But, that’s all in due time. Ever since then, from that very moment the women’s revolution has just been taking over. And from there I got to main event a WWE pay per view with Charlotte at Hell In A Cell. The first ever woman’s match in hell in a cell and it’s been just such a whirlwind of excitement. It’s so crazy.
How she felt minutes before Hell in a Cell match:
First of all, I came out in an SUV I wasn’t really walking because I’m The Boss you know what I’m saying? It was in my hometown and I remember being like “holy crap man! We are making history” It’s moments like that where you just have to stand still and look around. We’ve come such a long way for the women and the men. But even then, getting to be part of Wrestlemania and having these great matches. The Smackdown women are going to be competing in the first ever women’s Money In The Bank. Of course I’m really jealous but I’m so happy to see where this Women’s division has taken it and grown. It’s so incredible.
Advice for WWE hopefuls:
First of all it makes me feel super old. It’s so crazy seeing little girls and even guys come up to me and say “I want to be a wrestler because of you”. It makes my heart so happy and it gives me goosebumps. Because I know that feeling of when I was a little girl and I looked up to my favourite wrestlers knowing ai wanted to be in their footsteps. And now knowing little girls and guys want to be in my footsteps. It’s really surreal. It’s an honour. Being a role model is legit #1 for me. I just want to make little girls proud and know if they have a dream they can do it as long as they put their heart, their passion and everything into it they can accomplish anything.
On the transition from NXT to the main roster:
For me, we did TV at Full Sail in Orlando and it would almost be the same kind of fans coming every single month we would tape it. But Raw is live. We do this legit. Every single week it’s live from a different state and it’s a different crowd every week and you just don’t know what to expect. You just kind of have to change with the crowd. If they’re feeling one way, you have to try and make them fee another. It was definitely changing that and not having TV takings to being live every single week. And the travel schedule is intense. But if this is your passion, it’s easy. We have the greatest times and the greatest fans. They’re so passionate and loyal and it’s so much fun.
If anyone helped her with her transition:
Nope. Honestly, when I first got called up, I was so nervous and the people that really looked after me was The New Day. And I was fortunate enough to be paired up with two amazing, incredible women in Tamina and Naomi and they just took care of me so much. It was those girls and New Day that kept me going. They told me their struggles, their highs, their lows and we were all in it together. Those are my people right there. That’s my family. You have to create a bond with these people because we see these people more than we see our own family. I see my mom, legit, like twice a year. I see these guys every single week. Four times a week. You just have to create that bond. We fight, we argue but we love each other the most. They’ve become my siblings
On being an anime fan:
So, Sailor Moon is my number one. I’ve watched that since I was a little girl and because I didn’t understand time when I was really young, it used to be on at 6 in the morning so I would stay up all night thinking it would be on at night because it was still dark outside. So, I always watched Sailor Moon. I love Death Knell. That’s one of my favourite animes of all time. Monsters, Soul Rumble, I could just go on and on I love anime.
On fans dressing up like her:
It really makes me know that I’ve made it. The fact that people would take the time out to buy my stuff and make costumes to dress up like me. It’s the coolest thing I’ve seen. We come to these WWE shows I see it all the time. Or I go to autograph signings. Seeing little girls wear my jewelry it’s the best feeling in the world.
On the Mae Young Classic:
Going down to Brooklyn, New York and work with Amazing Red. His students are incredible. There’s this woman named Sonya Strong and she loves this so much and I love her passion for and so I really want to try and push her in this women’s classic. I think this is a great opportunity for women all over the world. And finding out we were going to have our own tournament after seeing these guys get it year after year. The women deserve it too. I think it’s going to be the best tournament out of all of them we’ve had so far and I can’t wait to go down and support them.
On being part of the Women’s Revolution:
Women are taking over the world right now and it’s such an honour to be part of it. I always knew I wanted to change the definition of what it was to be a diva and now we’re not divas anymore. We’re superstars because we are equal and can do it just like the men. We can main event like them, we can take over Pay per views. We can just chill out and show we are better than all of them. It’s a huge honour and we still have a lot more to do. A lot to overcome but we are in the right footsteps and we’re just going to keep on going up.
On her next big challenge in WWE:
I want to main event Wrestlemania. That’s the number one goal. It’s crazy knowing I’ve only been on the main roster for 2 years and I’ve done so much, accomplished so many things, done so many first time evers. It gives me goosebumps thinking I’ve done so much and everything I’ve ever dreamt up I’ve accomplished. But main eventing Wrestlemania is the number one goal right now.
On her favorite match:
Any Eddie Guerrero match is my favourite. I loved Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterious from Wrestlemania 21 and Halloween Havoc. Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker from Wrestlemania (their first one). Of course myself vs Bayley from NXT Takeover Brooklyn.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
