WWE: Sasha Banks is at her best when she is ruthless

WWE fans often ask if Sasha Banks should be a heel or a babyface, but the reality is that she’s at her best when she’s carefully tip-toeing the line between easily defined alignments.

Sasha Banks made a thunderous return to WWE television on the episode of Raw after SummerSlam, targeting Raw Women’s Championship opponents Becky Lynch and Natalya. In her first full night back on Monday nights, Sasha completely ignored Becky’s biting words, Michael Cole’s curious questions, and told Natalya to “go to hell” and say “hi” to her late father.

So yeah, it was all a night’s work from WWE’s most-discussed performer this month.

Before Banks invoked Jim Neidhart’s real-life death for heat to entrench herself as a heel, fans were wondering if Banks should be a heel or a face. The arguments for babyface are simple. Banks is well-liked, many fans will cheer her no matter what, and she could follow a path similar to Becky’s.

And the arguments for her being heel are equally easy to understand. She’s cool as a heel, we haven’t seen her play the role of the villain in a long time, and people don’t want her to steal Becky’s babyface thunder.

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I like to refer back to Sasha’s rivalry with Ronda Rousey at the WWE Royal Rumble earlier this year. Not only was this match one of the top three on the main roster so far this year, but the build to it was fascinating. Banks stood her ground, openly disrespected Rousey, and played mind games with the champion by using her sharp wit.

On the microphone, Banks holds no prisoners, which is why wrestling fans fell in love with her character work in NXT. It’s also why fans were frustrated by those unfamiliar with her work criticizing Banks’ promo chops in 2017 and 2018. They knew that Banks would be more than capable of delivering highlight-worthy, GIF-able reactions and soundbites on a more consistent basis if given something more to work with.

So when Sasha pulled a wig reveal heel turn straight out of the drag playbook, diehard women’s wrestling fans rejoiced. They could see that Banks was finally about to get the character and major storyline they’d been waiting for, and her follow-up on Raw this week was definitely strong. Say what you want about using Natalya’s father’s death for heat, but the brutal beatdown and the flippant interview with Cole were masterfully done by Banks.

WWE fans should keep an open mind about the direction of Banks’ character, because the similarities between her situation and Becky Lynch’s post-SummerSlam situation in 2018 are indeed there. But in this case, Banks’ character more closely resembles the confident, borderline narcissistic, and ruthless character she already portrayed in NXT. It’s a throwback with a twist, and it’s the twist that has ensured wrestling fans stay glued to Sasha’s every move.

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Sasha Banks has long been one of WWE’s most interesting – and searched! – superstars, and her best main roster moments have come when tip-toeing the line between babyface and heel. Wherever Banks’ character ends up going, hopefully it continues to cross the line in unique ways that keep the audience guessing and more focused on her character as an individual. Yes, she’s a heel by the proverbial textbook’s definition, but only because it makes it easier for her character’s sharpness to puncture the audience’s often scattered attention.

Like Becky Lynch and Daniel Bryan, Sasha is ready to mold a captivating character that transcends labels and becomes synonymous with greatness. To put a spin on Becky’s promo, Sasha was the greatest wrestler to never be great, but now she’s right on the edge of glory.

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