WWE Chronicle offers the duality of Sasha Banks and Mercedes

WWE Chronicle promised an exposé on Sasha Banks, but in offering us Mercedes instead, we’re reminded that there are real people behind these characters.

Last night, millions of viewers tuned in to the WWE Network to see “the real” Sasha Banks revealed in front of the company’s Chronicle documentary series. Many wanted to find out what could have led to the former Raw Women’s Champion to lay on the floor of the locker room and cry in front of hotel rooms over losing tag titles at WrestleMania.

As if it wasn’t painfully obvious already, that never happened. What also should be painfully obvious is that like those rumors, Sasha Banks isn’t real. She exists within the scope of the WWE Universe, yes, but Sasha Banks is nothing more than a fictional character. Therefore, WWE Chronicle did not showcase Sasha Banks. Instead, we got a glimpse of the real person behind that character: Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado.

In a time where the lines between kayfabe and fiction remain as blurred as ever, it’s easy for some of us to forget that the characters we see on WWE TV do not exist offscreen. That the wrestlers we see step out from behind the curtain stop being these larger than life Superstars as soon as they leave the arena. Once they leave, they are just people who are no different from you or I. People who have the same feelings that we do and rather than body slam their emotions through a table, they pour them out.

When some of us approach a wrestler we recognize in real life or address them in an online forum, we treat them as if they are still the muscle flexing, eyebrow raising, kiss stealing, wheeling dealing sons of guns we see on television. As if anyone could possibly remain in that stasis 24/7. In doing so, we may talk to or about them in a not so respectful manner, perhaps expecting a tough as nails vet to just brush off our comments or, better yet, retort a confident promo in return.

The truth is the person behind that character is hurting inside. They always are.

Stuff like this gets to them, as it got to Mercedes. Hence, why she took her much-needed hiatus to begin with.

In her WWE Chronicle, she recollects that it all began when she accidentally injured Paige (real name Saraya-Jade Bevis) during a house show in what would turn out to be Paige’s final match before being forced into retirement. Mercedes recalls being horribly criticized on social media after the incident.

"“And having fans destroy me and destroy my work when I pride myself on my work so much … I would never intentionally try to hurt somebody … it made me question myself as a wrestler.”"

The latest WWE Chronicle serves as a bittersweet reminder that not only are WWE Superstars real people at the end of the day, but we need to treat them as such. So many fans forget that fact. Mercedes is not always Sasha Banks, yet she admits during the doc that prior to her hiatus, it was the first time in years people actually called her by her name. Her real name. “It felt good again,” she said. “Made me feel like a person.”

Just to be called Mercedes, her legal given name, felt refreshing when it should be a common courtesy. The weight of being Sasha Banks was a heavy load on Mercedes’ shoulders that she felt forced to carry with her every day.

We never sit back and think about what WWE Superstars have to deal with on a daily basis and the stress that comes with it. In Mercedes’ case, she was expected to be Sasha Banks 24/7, whether she was at work, the airport, the gas station, etc. It all left her with an immense depression until she was literally needed to take a break. A break that she never received in the seven years of being employed by WWE.

Mercedes did not simply walk away from WWE. She walked away from being destroyed by the very environment she fell in love with. It was vital for her to take a step back, reassess her situation, and work towards a rebirth.

The documentary opens with Mercedes being asked the daunting question of “What was it like … to have something that you love so much be the thing that, ultimately, was one of your downfalls?”

“It really broke me,” she answers. “It broke my spirit and I really questioned my mind and I really questioned who I was as a person and it scared me; the path that I was going, so I’m very proud of myself that I took that step to walk away from something that I love very much.”

There comes a point in life where we all need to walk away from what we love in order to find love for ourselves. Self love and self care is a difficult thing to invest in, but both are absolutely vital to abide by in order to survive in life. Whether we need to take a break from a job, family, friends, romantic partners, or what have you, a break is necessary every once in a while. The only other option is overwhelming self-destruction.

It won’t be easy to recover after reaching that point. For Mercedes, it took meditation, it took crystal healing, it took saging negative energy from her space, it took therapy, but most of all, as she made sure to point out to viewers who may be suffering from similar struggles, it takes time.

"“Don’t ever give up on yourself, because it takes time.”"

In piercing through the veil of Sasha Banks, Mercedes was finally able to rediscover Mercedes. in doing so, she rediscovered her passion for wrestling and in her mind, is back better than ever.

Let this WWE Chronicle be a reminder that WWE Superstars are real people with internal struggles. They deserve their privacy and most importantly, they deserve their peace of mind.