Sasha Banks Retrospective #1: The Boss kicks off a New Era

Sasha Banks is one of the greatest wrestlers of this generation, and as a tribute to her in her absence from WWE programming, we’re starting a series that analyzes her most important matches.

Raise your hand if you miss Sasha Banks.

Everyone reading that sentence, even if you are in a public space surrounded by the most judgmental of the bourgeoisie, should have their hands proudly raised.

“The Legit Boss” hasn’t wrestled in WWE since WrestleMania 35, and whatever the reason, we support her and miss watching one of the greatest artists in professional wrestling at her best.

But instead of moping about how much we miss watching Banks, I decided to start a little feature where I look at, say, 10 of her most important matches and break them down a little.

Background

And the best place to start is with the July 25, 2016 episode of Raw when Banks defeated Charlotte Flair to end The Queen’s 300-plus day reign as the champion. This victory was Banks’s first main roster title win and set in motion a legendary rivalry between Banks and Flair that elevated the Raw Women’s Championship to great heights.

On the previous night at Battleground, Charlotte’s Raw Women’s Title wasn’t on the line. But she did submit to Banks in a tag team match to Banks and Bayley. Yes, the Boss’N’Hug Connection was indeed a powerful tandem even in 2016, softening up The Queen to foreshadow Banks’s first championship victory.

But even though Banks was victorious on Pay-Per-View just one night earlier, she was the one with the chip on her shoulder. Charlotte was still the dominant champion, and a wounded Queen can be a dangerous one.

A Chip On Her Shoulder

That said, Banks is more deadly than anyone else in WWE when she’s determined, and the look on her face before the bell rang was one of resolute determination.

Some people love being underestimated and proving the doubters wrong. The Legit Boss, despite anointing herself in this manner, is one of them.

How many of you have been in fights where you were smaller and, thus, the underdog? In those situations, you want to prove that you are as strong as the bigger opponent, because even if you aren’t, at least you can earn the respect of everyone else. Because in fighting, as in wrestling, the only thing that trumps winning is respect. There’s also the matter that an explosive attack increases power, thus bridging the gap in strength for a smaller opponent.

So instead of immediately brawling with a familiar opponent whom she shared the ring with at WrestleMania 32, Banks wanted to match Charlotte’s strength.

And she won the test of strength.

Though Charlotte initially threw Banks off of her, a persistent Banks was the first woman to gain a hold on her opponent in the match, controlling The Queen. She did this by using her technical savvy, and it was interesting hearing Corey Graves emphasize that Banks would need to wrestle a “perfect match” against Charlotte.

Don’t Sweat The Technique

What set Banks apart from Charlotte in this match was her gameplanning and intelligence. Those traits made her nearly unstoppable as NXT Women’s Champion, and she was usually two steps ahead of Flair in this match. Charlotte went for an obvious charge into the corner, which Banks ducked and rolled into the first pinfall attempt of the match after a wonderful takedown. While Charlotte showed aggression as a striker, Banks was more interested in aggressively pursuing an actual victory.

On cue, Banks stared down Charlotte as The Queen retreated, and this was the first sign that this match was going to go Banks’s way. Charlotte was visibly thrown off by Sasha’s anticipation and technique. As an established champion, Charlotte thought that she could get away with simply using her strength and athletic tools to win, but this exchange briefly showed that she’d have to work a little bit harder strategically against Banks.

Charlotte went for a rather obvious single-leg takedown that Banks had scouted all the way, and The Legit Boss seamlessly turned this into a backslide. Seriously, go watch this back. Nobody has a cleaner backslide crucifix pin than Banks, whose wrestling ability once again caused Flair issues.

Of course, it didn’t take long for a certain Dana Brooke, who was a part of the losing tag team on Sunday at Battleground, to make an impact on this match. She grabbed Banks’s leg from the apron, allowing Charlotte to finally turn the tide of the match by slamming Sasha to the canvas. For the first time, Charlotte was in control of the match, and she could now seize on an opportunity to build a real advantage.

The problem is that hubris got in the way. Instead of wearing out a grounded Sasha and wearing away at the resilient babyface, Charlotte went for a huge throw. Banks countered, attempted a running headscissors, and then hit a backstabber into an attempted Bank Statement.

Sasha Continues To Dominate

Yes, she did all of that in the span of seconds. The dexterity, athletic ability, control, and pro wrestling knowledge it takes to complete that sequence of moves is incredible, and, from a story-telling perspective, it was yet another case of an arrogant Charlotte underestimating her challenger. Banks is capable of turning a match on its head in mere seconds because of her brilliance, so why would Charlotte ever risk going for such a big move early without having dealt any damage to Sasha?

Notice how I was careful to describe the submission as an “attempted” Bank Statement. Because it was so early in the match and Charlotte is too talented to put into a finishing submission at that stage, it was, as the announce team described it, a “straight jacket hold”. But the torque on this was NASTY and it damn near looked like finisher-level stuff.

Moments later, Banks would briefly lock in the Bank Statement as yet another warning shot at Charlotte. And as Charlotte tried to collect herself on the outside, gasping for air, Banks followed up immediately with a baseball slide to the outside. She wasn’t going to give Flair a millisecond of rest in this one, once again showing her sheer will power and focus on obtaining championship gold.

It got even better. Everyone knows that Sasha will put it all on the line for a chance to prove that she’s the best, and she hit Charlotte with a sickening Meteora to the outside. She got EVERY BIT of it, smashing Charlotte into the floor on the outside to underscore her advantage.

One of the best aspects of any Sasha Banks match is the trash talk. Unlike a lot of other wrestlers who are either silent or repeat the same nonsense words (“AsK hIM!”), Banks’s trash talk is actually sensible and entertaining.

Charlotte was completely sapped of her energy and tried to tamely kick Banks in the midsection while propped on the ropes. Sasha countered with ease, tossing Charlotte’s legs to the ropes while yelling, “Don’t think so sweetheart!” The confidence in her voice and the sting of the way she said “sweetheart” were perfect.

Charlotte Gets Back In It

But she went for too much, trying to stomp Charlotte into the canvas. Charlotte countered and hit a devastating neckbreaker.

She’s a damn good pro wrestler, too, and this was another great exchange in this match that served the purpose of putting doubt in the audience’s mind. Would Charlotte simply win again after outlasting a tough challenge from Banks?

Now, it was Charlotte’s turn to send Banks reeling to the outside, viciously dropkicking her into the barricade. That was seriously BRUTAL. But instead of wisely following up on her opponent as Banks did, Charlotte wasted time showboating by rubbing the title in Sasha’s face. That’s exactly what arrogant heels defending a 300-day reign do, so it was a perfect way to tell the story of this match while also giving Sasha an opening to get back in it.

“You don’t deserve this! This is mine! This is mine!”

It was as if Charlotte was motivating her opponent and egging her on for a comeback, instead of demoralizing her. These words played right into Sasha’s hands, because that’s exactly what she needed to hear as she lay on the floor.

With a burst of energy, Banks kicked the Raw Women’s Championship out of Charlotte’s hands, and buried her kidneys into the apron.

The apron is the hardest part of the ring, right? Everyone knows that. Michael Cole has taught us well enough over the years. But have you ever bumped your kidneys somewhere? Like really bumped them? It hurts like a mother—–r. So imagine being hit kidney-first into the apron. Yeah.

The Eddie Tribute

Now we get to the best part. Sasha Banks grew up idolizing Eddie Guerrero, who is probably one of the top five wrestlers in WWE history. So it was only fitting for the quick-thinking Banks to take a page out of wrestling’s most lovable “cheater” by outsmarting Charlotte, using Dana Brooke’s tendency to interfere in title matches against her.

Charlotte’s use of the title to gloat played into her demise. Not only did it galvanize Sasha, but the quick-thinking challenger took the title, tossed it up in the air perfectly to Brooke, and lay on the ground for the official to come to his own conclusion.

It’s a moment that has been replayed on WWE highlights for years and will continue to be played for years. It was an ingenious piece of story-telling and a heart-warming tribute to a legend who quite literally inspired a legend. And this was Sasha’s first title win and superstar-making performance on Monday Night Raw.

Brooke was tossed, Charlotte’s final lifeline was taken away, and Banks’s lone barrier to defeating the woman she submitted the night before was removed. The Raw Women’s Championship was now hers for the taking.

Knowing all of this quite well, Banks smiled as the apron hid her face from the referee and playfully waved goodbye to Brooke, providing fans with yet another iconic image/GIF from this title match.

The Match’s Second Act

Though WWE had Charlotte reassume the advantage following the commercial break, Brooke’s removal from the match signified the beginning of the end for Charlotte. Like, how could Sasha NOT win after channeling Eddie Guerrero?

More double-knees from Banks signified a final change in momentum for The Legit Boss as a “Double Down” occurred, but both women got up before the 10 count. They then started trading forearms, and there are few more satisfying sights in pro wrestling than hearing the crowd serenade cheers and boos during one of these exchanges. And you could multiply this by a 100 for this match, because the crowd was fired up with all the emotions these two women were leaving in the ring that night.

Banks hit a flurry of forearms, nailed her comeback sequence with fervor, and atoned for an earlier “mistake”. Remember when Sasha tossed Charlotte’s legs into the ropes and went for the double knees on Charlotte’s midsection? Well, she finally hit that move here, and you could just smell the match coming to a conclusion.

I mean, of course Charlotte kicked out at two from that move. But her movement and breathing were far more labored after that one. Sensing this, Sasha slowly got up with a facial expression that went from “desperate” to “determined”, setting up for another big move.

Charlotte, however, hit a neckbreaker after Sasha got a little overly anxious with her attack, and, for the first time, she started to crack a devious smile. She was ready to go for her own big move after never really hitting one during this title match.

The Queen ascended the top rope for a moonsault, but she did so too slowly as she basked in the moment. This gave Banks enough time to roll out of the way, though she wasn’t in the clear as Flair landed perfectly on her feet. Charlotte then showed off her insane athleticism again, going for a somersault that Banks barely countered.

Insane Spots

But the important thing is that Banks found a way to fend off Charlotte’s acrobatic moves, which enabled her to go for one of her own.

Banks’s suicide dive is truly a sight to behold in modern-day pro wrestling, because it looks so scary but is actually performed with a degree of skill that few keyboarders (of which I am a not-so-proud member) can comprehend.

The one Banks hit here on Charlotte was every bit deserving of being a pivotal moment in a career-defining title match, and I still pop when hearing the announce team react to this one.

After only getting a two count off the dive, Sasha went back to the top rope, where Charlotte nimbly met her. Flair is one of the best strikers in wrestling today, and you could audibly hear the “thuds” of her hammering fists onto Sasha’s back. Safe but tough, and they made Sasha’s position on the top rope seem even more precarious at the hands of the merciless Queen.

In case you weren’t already aware that Sasha and Charlotte are two absolute geniuses of the wrestling business, go back and watch what happens next. Charlotte goes for the superplex, Sasha counters in mid-air (!), and Charlotte then has to dump her perfectly mid-section first on the top rope. This is a sequence that can very easily go horribly wrong, but it was executed to absolute perfection by two of wrestling’s premier performers.

And the moonsault to the outside from Charlotte? Holy S–t indeed! The impact on this moonsault was INSANE. The “thud” you hear when Sasha hits the ground is a profound example of the chillingly beautiful violence that is pro wrestling, and, yes, the announce team had another priceless reaction to yet another brutal moment in this match.

After only getting a two count from the moonsault when both women were back in the ring, The Queen set up for a Figure Eight. Initially rebuffed by a small package that had the entire arena on the edge of their seats, Charlotte hit a Big Boot.

And then Natural Selection.

It seemed like it was over at that point. The most valiant babyface challenger to Charlotte’s reign, undone by a sudden flurry of offense at the end by arguably wrestling’s most dominant performer.

But this is Sasha Banks we’re talking about. If Charlotte is the most dominant physically, then Banks is the most intelligent and resourceful. She grabbed the bottom rope and kept the matchup alive, not to be denied the title after all she had gone through in this one.

Stunned by what happened, Charlotte had to recollect herself after her finisher couldn’t get the job done. She did this quickly, locking in the Figure Four on a vulnerable Banks, who was slapping her hardest at Charlotte in an effort to prevent what seemed like a likely loss.

Sasha was able to do this, sending Charlotte out of the ring as The Queen tried to lock in the undefeatable Figure Eight. The same move that made Asuka lose her undefeated streak at WrestleMania years later.

The Finish

I rewind and watch the finish of this match constantly in order to truly appreciate the technical work here. So Charlotte goes for another Figure Four/Eight, gets kicked away by an increasingly defiant Banks, and then dives at The Boss with a somersault. She grabs Sasha’s legs and Sasha lifts her legs in sink, and it seems like Charlotte is going for a bridging pin. The control it took from Charlotte to flip and grab Sasha’s legs was awesome, but what follows is even better.

Sasha rolls through and finally locks in the Bank Statement for more than just a warning shot! But Charlotte still has fight in her and won’t give up the title easily. She nearly fights out of it, forcing Sasha to roll through again. But Charlotte’s foot is in the ropes, forcing Banks to try again.

“You will never beat me. Ever.”

More fantastic trash talk from Charlotte, who is on par with Banks when using dialogue to add to her matches. Right after Charlotte utters these “prophetic” words, she charges at Banks.

Backstabber. Bank Statement. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Sasha Banks wins her first main roster title.

Final Thoughts

There are few matches in the history of Raw that are as good as this one, and it honestly holds up even better upon rewatch.

The story-telling, dialogue, references, technical work, passion, and athleticism are all off the charts from both competitors, and the match was laid out perfectly.

Although the early portions of the match favored Sasha, there were more than enough twists and turns during the match that made it seem like Charlotte would be the one to prevail.

Ultimately, Banks picked up the win, and there have been fewer better “first” crowning moments in terms of pure match quality than this one. The fact that she beat someone as dominant as Charlotte and got to use an Eddie Guerrero move only made it more memorable, but the match quality itself was befitting of “instant classic” status.

Hopefully, fans will continue to watch Sasha’s first Raw Women’s Championship victory over and over again throughout the years, because this was a special, brutal match.

Charlotte and Sasha have only gotten better since 2016, but it’s amazing how they looked like legends in this match so early into their respective main roster careers. The in-ring awareness and seamless transitions from Sasha still leave me in awe, more than three years later.