I feel like we touch on the Sasha Banks saga at least once a month anymore with June being the same story. As we sit back watching Charlotte demoralize her father in the ring, Natalya trying to reinvent the Hart dynasty, Dana Brook doing her best version of Jazz, Becky Lynch still trying to gain a crowd reaction, Paige clicking selfies at waterparks, and Lana still trying to figure out if she wants to be a ravishing Russian or the new Kelly Kelly, it begs the question, “Where is Sasha?”
During a panel at Wizard World Comic Con in Philadelphia, Sasha Banks confirmed she suffered a concussion when a referee accidentally kneed her in the head two weeks ago leaving open the notion that Vince McMahon is starting to be concerned about Banks’ durability. We have heard this story before as this isn’t the first time the Boss has been hit with a head injury of some sorts.
Banks’ revelation wasn’t a shock to many, but it expelled all the theories and further explained why she has had such little presence on WWE programming since losing the Women’s Championship Triple Threat match at WrestleMania 32 on April 3. After performing in one of the greatest matches of WM history, Sasha was then fed an extremely challenging opponent in Summer Rae, who she quickly made a mockery of in the ring. Pardon the sarcasm, but tell me again why Sasha doesn’t command a better direction on one of the most important RAW shows of the year.
All jokes aside, that was the Boss’ last appearance on Raw beyond her involvement in an eight-woman tag team match during the company’s European tour. If my mind is correct, Banks’ last televised match came during a taping of Main Event that aired May 31.
The unfortunate part of this entire situation is that Vince McMahon has stated on several occasions that he believes Banks knows only one speed and even months ago was comparing her to Daniel Bryan, feeling she’s injury-prone. Daniel Bryan was one of the most, if not the most electric superstars to grace us with their presence within the confines of a wrestling ring. I think it would be tough to find an argument against Sasha Banks being held in the same regard, as she too commands the same presence on the other side of the hierarchy chart.
Being labeled as injury prone is by no means is the kiss of death, but there does come a point where if there are too many injuries the WWE can get leery, leaving us to wonder when that point will be since Vince has put the two in the same category. Let’s not forget how long it finally took for DB to be shown the road to stardom. He captured the eyes of the world on a weekly basis, but seemed to face many creative obstacles on his way to being the man.
In regards to head injuries, Banks wouldn’t be the first wrestler to see her career impacted because of these freak situations. Dolph Ziggler’s World Heavyweight Championship run ended abruptly in 2013 shortly after he recovered from a concussion. In the same facet, Christian’s time as an in-ring performer ended in March 2014 after he suffered a concussion. Regardless of whether WWE is or isn’t having reservations about her long-term durability, the above stories have to be looked upon as an important reason why Banks must make a speedy recovery.
Let’s be honest, ever since the epic crowd reaction Sasha received at this year’s Royal Rumble, we have been waiting for her to strap that belt around her waist. We should be witnessing the best feud in the Women’s division since the days of Lita and Trish. Instead we a left with a parody of broken promos and pathetic segments that leave the fans either scratching their heads or chanting the infamous word “Boring.”
Still, as of the first week of June, WWE has yet to pit her and Charlotte against one another in a singles match at a major pay-per-view since they both made the move full time from NXT. SummerSlam has been constantly mentioned as the moment, but seems to be getting further away with each pressing week. Also, we are still looking at the entire brand split angle and how it will impact the Women’s Division as well. Will they take the two biggest female superstars and displace them on each show respectively? Will the possible inclusion of NXT in the mix hurt the momentum as well?
Head injuries are tricky and the new protocols for the WWE have made it extremely difficult for any wrestler to get cleared. However, if the Boss is good to go and still caught up in a mockery of stale commentary, I’d have to speculate that something behind the scenes could be holding her back. One thing is for sure, as long as Banks is healthy, there’s no reason for her not to be involved in a major storyline going forward. In the coming weeks, the company would have more than enough time to build a standalone Banks/Charlotte feud ahead of SummerSlam and help cement the Boss as the legit, prime time player in the woman’s division.
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