WrestleMania: This was the perfect year for Sasha Banks vs Trish Stratus

WrestleMania weekend is here. Starting Friday there is a wealth of professional wrestling action for fans to see, both within and outside of the WWE. WrestleMania 38 is filled with what the WWE may consider “marquee” matchups, but the excitement isn’t fully there. These may be once-in-a-lifetime contests, yet that doesn’t mean fans are crawling over each other to see them. There is one match that WWE could have made that has drawing appeal without titles or stakes. This was the perfect year to book Sasha Banks versus Trish Stratus.

Sasha Banks is one of the biggest stars on the WWE roster. Roman Reigns is perhaps the only individual that can match both her fan appeal in the ring and the doors she’s opened outside of it. Many of her fans will argue, and with a lot of evidence, that her booking doesn’t match that of her colleagues in the Four Horsewomen. Still, Banks continues to shine with every opportunity that is thrown her way.

And then there is Trish Stratus. In some ways, Stratus walked so Banks could run. During the latter portion of her time in the WWE, Stratus really transformed from what the WWE saw as a “diva” into a foundation that would lead to women’s wrestling within the promotion today. She’s still a name that has star power within the industry. Look no further than her involvement in WWE Evolution or the Women’s Royal Rumble as examples. But a match with Banks this year would have been the biggest moment for her in recent memory.

Both ladies want this match. As recent as a few days ago Stratus made it clear that she is still interested in this match.

“I’ve heard that I’m running from her, which is absolutely untrue,” Stratus said while speaking with Shakiel Mahjouri of ET Canada. “When Sasha and I faced off, I felt it too. It was a good moment. Will we follow up on it? If there is an opportunity, perhaps. Did I wish this was a SmackDown tour? Yes, I did.”

“If there is an opportunity,” is the key part of that statement. WWE has grown a reputation for not giving fans what they want to see. Instead, the company continues to miss out on opportunities for inexplicable reasons.

Banks versus Stratus is a main-event level matchup, without the need for championships or stakes. Two women, with passionate fanbases, can build up to a major moment in professional wrestling history. This match should have occurred by this point, and as each year passes by it becomes less feasible. This isn’t a contest that WWE fans should be forced to miss but there isn’t much hope in the WWE’s track record when it comes to putting on the stories and matches that fans want to see.

You’d be hard-pressed to find an individual that is looking forward to every match during this two-night WrestleMania. Fans aren’t getting many of the matches that they wanted to see. One such match is Sasha Banks taking on Trish Status in a one-on-one battle. 2022 was the perfect year to put these two women in the ring together. Sadly, that will not be the case at this show. Enjoy Logan Paul, Ronda Rousey, and Johnny Knoxville though as they will have their “WrestleMania moments.”