Daily DDT Mailbag #5: Sasha Banks’ WWE return and best female athletes

JAM: Tough call. Aside from Sasha Banks of course, I don’t think anyone on the main roster (certainly not on Raw’s women’s division at least) is over enough near Becky’s level to justify a title change.

If not Sasha, it’d be best if they called up an NXT or NXT UK Superstar and build them up respectably to take the title off of Becky. I’d love for Toni Storm to be in that spot. Or, if you want a monster heel to play a believable threat, Jazzy Gabert or Shayna Baszler could be in that role.

BG: I think the ideal person to dethrone Becky Lynch is someone new, or someone who hasn’t experienced much main roster success. I know that’s kind of a vague answer, so let me explain.

Right now, I don’t think someone like Charlotte Flair or Bayley would benefit from being the one to beat Lynch. They just don’t really gain much from it aside from a big rivalry.

The person who beats Lynch needs to be someone who would fully capitalize from the massive exposure that taking the title off one of WWE’s biggest stars would entail. Some names that come to mind that are already on the main roster would be someone like Dana Brooke, Sarah Logan, or Liv Morgan.

I think call-ups from NXT would fit the requirements too, making Shayna Baszler and Bianca Belair two viable contenders as well.

Ultimately, if I kept it to that list, I think that would mean Baszler should dethrone Lynch, just because she has such a high ceiling and the story could play into Lynch’s feud with Ronda Rousey. Really though, any of those women would be great picks in my opinion.

PC: Sasha Banks seems poised to be that person. No one is going to get more over than Becky Lynch is right now, so the best thing is to have a huge monster heel be the one to take her out. It’ll be heel heat like no tomorrow. Banks is in the best position to do that, but Shayna Baszler or an unhinged Io Shirai both have the chops to do it.

Of course, there’s a glaring omission here. The woman who we already know can dethrone Becky Lynch is Asuka. Despite her horrendous booking since then, Asuka made Becky Lynch tap out to a modified Asuka Lock this year at the Royal Rumble. Right as she was on her rise, Asuka had her number. If WWE actually knew how to book Asuka, she would be the one to take out Becky Lynch.

JAM: I’m not smart enough to book challengers for Rollins for the rest of 2019, but as far as the next PPV, the way storylines are developing, I say it has to be a triple threat where Rollins defends against Braun Strowman and AJ Styles. Hell, I think an argument could be made justifying putting Ricochet in there for a Four Way.

BG: I doubt it’s a secret that I’m a huge Braun Strowman fan, so I think the route they could be going down now for “The Monster Among Men” would be an ideal storyline.

Rollins would have a popular star capable of generating big reactions to feud with, and Strowman would get his time to shine once again. It’s a win-win in the best possible way if you ask me.

PC: Ideally, Seth Rollins won’t have just one challenger for the rest of 2019. I think Braun Strowman looks to be one of his next challengers, which will be a good test following Rollins’ clean defeat of Lesnar. I’d also be game for Samoa Joe, The Fiend, and several others. Rollins is at the top of his game right now, and the list of people he could have an amazing feud with is as lengthy as WWE’s roster.

JAM: After this past Raw, Sasha Banks 100%. But in an alternate reality where I answered this question before Sasha returned, I would’ve said call up Shayna Baszler, just because it makes sense story wise. Going from Becky beefing with Natalya for befriending Ronda Rousey to feuding with Ronda’s BFF just makes sense.

And I LOVE Shibata! Worship the ground that man walks on. Was devastated when he went down with that injury, but if this new angle with KENTA really signals a comeback, I’m all into it.

BG: I think the obvious answer now, since Monday Night Raw sort of spoiled this question, is Sasha Banks. She looks every bit as ready to recapture her role as one of the most talked about superstars on the roster already, and she hasn’t even been in a match yet.

Also, I love everything about the Shibata angle in New Japan. Whenever I would get a chance to catch up on some NJPW, Shibata was one of those people I sought out to watch.

I know he had a very severe injury, but I just hope he gets a chance to take on KENTA in an actual match one of these days. That would be absolutely amazing.

PC: Yeah, the clear answer is Sasha Banks. Other options like Shayna Baszler or a newcomer like Sarah Logan would have been interesting, but that’s not where they’re headed now.

As for Shibata, he is AMAZING. I am so freaking happy he’s healthy and back. I’ve been a huge fan of his since he won the tag titles with Goto at Wrestle Kingdom 9 against Anderson and Gallows. It sucked to see him get injured, but I am so glad he’s doing better and can do what he loves.

JAM: Good question. My colleague, Brett, is gonna express a similar sentiment, but to support women’s wrestling, just be a loud and proud fan. Cheer as loud as you can for the women, buy their merch, push the hashtags, buy the women’s PPVs, etc. Do all of that, because the higher-ups are always watching. The more they see fans invest in their women (especially if they make a profit), they are going to push and highlight their women in bigger spaces.

Then, of course, when it comes to the indies, I’d say support the women wrestlers directly whenever possible (i.e. support their patreons, donate to whatever they say need donations, buy their shirts, etc).

BG: It might be a lame answer, but I think the best way is to just continue being a vocal fan. Cheer at the shows, buy the merch, and make your thoughts known on social media. Even though it might be obvious, that stuff really does matter quite a bit in the long term.

You could also find a place to write about women’s wrestling too, but I’m sort of biased towards favoring that sort of answer, so I went with the other advice first.

PC: I think you’re already doing what you need to be doing. The fact that you are making the effort and trying to get the word out there is already supporting women’s wrestling. Going to women’s shows like The Summit, and supporting women’s promotions like Shimmer, Rise, Shine, Stardom, etc. are all good things.

As the others have said, put your money where your mouth is. If you can afford it, buy merch from independent stars and subscribe if they have Pateron or things like that. If you want to write, that’s definitely an option, but if not you can simply continue to be a fan and make sure others hear your support.

JAM: I think it’s a smart move. Bring in older audiences with nostalgia and bring in current viewers with their modern favorites on a new network. As long as WWE find a balance between showcasing new and old stars on the same nice, a balance that Raw Reunion lacked, should be a good show.

BG: I have mixed feelings on that. On one hand, I can see why they would want a chance to showcase some of the people that casual fans will always have a connection with for their first episode on Fox.

At the same time, I can’t help but think it’s really unnecessary. We literally just saw this kind of thing on Raw, and nothing much came of it. Sure, it was a fun time, but it wasn’t really making a statement.

At the end of the day, I guess I’m ok with it though as long as WWE doesn’t let it dominate the show. I feel like something like a big WWE Championship match should headline the episode, not a nostalgia segment.

PC: Eh, to me it’s sorta whatever. It’s a very clear one-night ploy to increase viewership. Bringing in classic names will help them get good ratings for the debut on Fox, and considering the viewership of a major broadcast network compared to cable, there’s the chance of luring back in casual fans who haven’t watched in a while.

That being said, it has the potential to be all flash and no substance. In order for it to actually help them, they’ll need to use the legends and their celebration of the past to highlight today’s stars and give fans a reason to tune back in the next week. It could be done right, but I don’t yet have faith in them getting it right.

JAM: The only network I can think of is AXS TV. Between already having NJPW and WOW and being rumored to acquiring Impact, they’ve got a whole wrestling block over there. NWA would fit right in.

I can’t think of anybody I’d even want to see buy ROH and Impact except WWE, yet alone who I can imagine. ROH and Impact footage would fit mighty nicely on WWE’s video library. If I had to choose someone else, maybe AEW(?) They could benefit from owning someone’s library, I suppose, looking at the ROH alumni on their roster.

BG: I have absolutely no idea what network would be interested, so all I can do is guess. With that being said, I wonder if a place like WGN would be interested. They carried ALL IN’s pre show, and have been tied to these kinds of rumors in the past. Again though, I really just don’t know at this point.

Also, if Impact and ROH do ever go up for sale, then that’s a tough choice if you’re ruling out WWE. Impact doesn’t really have an obvious buyer then in this hypothetical scenario. ROH does have one still though, because I think a merger with NJPW would likely be beneficial for both companies.

PC: As JAM said, AXS TV is certainly an option. The cable television landscape is very different today than it once was, and because of that there are several stations that could be potential homes. Of course, the more well known the station is, the better it would be for NWA, but they’ll also have to prove they can produce a consistently quality product.

As for the potential of Impact or ROH being bought by someone else, WWE is the obvious pick just because of footage. I don’t honestly see either going anywhere, though. Impact Wrestling is in a better place than they’ve been in years thanks to the structure and support of Anthem. ROH might actually get my attention if they were controlled by someone other than Sinclair Broadcasting, but there isn’t really a clear buyer in place as of now.

Let us know in the comments if you have questions for the next Mailbag.