First, I don't think wrestling fans would like that. They love her for her in-ring work. I don't think these fans would appreciate the WWE pushing Sasha Banks like a Lita or an AJ Lee. These women were pushed as stars. But I still think some fans would be dumb enough to think Sasha was being buried or the WWE didn't want to push her if she got that kind of career. They want to see her wrestle and see her get the Women's Championship.
Second, I don't know how Sasha Banks would feel about this kind of career. She seems pretty one-dimensional. Fans respect her for her wrestling passion and she seems driven on that. I don't know how she would feel about big angles alongside the men. There is nothing wrong with not wanting to do Total Divas, but when it comes to how you are actually being pushed, you cannot be one-dimensional. You just will not go far in the WWE.
Last reason Sasha Banks would not be one of my top choices to push in the periphery, I personally just do not see her being that amazing in the periphery. The periphery is for unique characters, like Chyna, Lita, and AJ Lee had. Sasha has a gimmick, but it seems like more of a typical diva-like gimmick. That is rather ironic. The periphery is for women interacting with men. Sasha Banks sometimes sounds like she wouldn't mind wrestling the men, but the WWE obviously would not do that kind of thing on a regular basis today. And the periphery is for eye-candy women. Fans would probably be enraged if the WWE treated Sasha Banks like that. Yes, you can plug any woman in a periphery position, but I do not think Sasha's talents would make her a great periphery diva. She should be wrestling in the ring.
Of course, wrestling in the ring has its dangers. Sasha was injured recently. Even more of a reason for Sasha, her fans, and the WWE to want her pushed in the periphery? Injuries helped to add to Lita's mystique. But there is nothing too glamorous about getting banged up the way Sasha Banks has. It just keeps you out of the ring, gives the WWE an excuse not to push you, and takes time off your career.
There was a report recently that Vince McMahon does not want to push Sasha because of injury worries. And I would say that report is dumb. Can you call it dumb speculation on the part of certain writers and fans? Yes. Even if Vince McMahon is saying it, it is more of an excuse than a reason. The real reason they don't want to push Sasha Banks? How about because she's not a priority and is just there to be a credible jobber? You know, like the majority of women like her for almost two decades now? The WWE has never been too eager to push Sasha Banks since she debuted. A win streak without any direction is nothing. Her push a few months ago was more about putting over Charlotte for Wrestlemania. After that, Sasha became irrelevant. Compare her treatment to how other women are treated on the roster currently. Compare it to how women like her were pushed in the past. There is nothing strange going on here with Sasha. Were all these other women injured to warrant the inconsistent treatment they got? You mean to say centerpieces like Trish Stratus and Michelle McCool never got injured? And I already brought up Lita and injuries. It is an excuse, not a legitimate reason.
Nevertheless, some people might say you don't want to give the WWE an excuse not to push you. Some injuries just happen. They cannot be avoided. Some injuries happen because the person the wrestler is working with botches her end of the spot. And some injuries happen because the wrestler wrestles a style that just takes a toll on their body. They aren't necessarily botch masters, but they wrestle a style that leads to injuries. It happened to Daniel Bryan. Should Sasha Banks change her style up to eliminate the injury excuse? Maybe. In the end, if the WWE doesn't want to push her, they just won't. They'll come up with another excuse.
It would be wise for the WWE to just push her. The longer they avoid it, the more this cult following Sasha has will strengthen. They are making her look more like a hero to women's wrestling by not pushing her. Just push her as the typical jobber to the centerpiece. The ball will then be in her court to keep those fans interested. The WWE has recently become a little lazy again when it comes to maintaining respectable women's wrestling on the main roster. How will Sasha Banks handle this environment? Can she take this career to become very over like Mickie James did? Will the WWE succeed in killing her overness? Or will she just continue to ride the name she made for herself in NXT, with the occasional great match here and there on the main roster to keep fans believing? Whatever it may be, the WWE should just give Sasha Banks the push before they reach a point where they will never be able to shut her off. They will just end up screwing themselves.
Of course, the brand split is coming up. How about some kind of compromise? Send Sasha Banks to Smackdown and let her be the top star there. They don't need to make a second title for her. They don't even need to let the Women's Champion work both shows, if they don't want to. It is possible to be the top star of a show or division without a title. Gail Kim was the top woman in TNA before they had a title for her to win. Torrie Wilson was the top diva on Smackdown without ever winning the Women's Championship. The WWE can have Sasha feud with women in non-title feuds. They can have her interact with men in angles. If a periphery push is going to work for Sasha Banks, this might be the best way for it to work out. And she can eventually win the Women's Championship in an inter-brand match. The Smackdown women's division will then become the show where the title is defended, while the Raw divas get the periphery treatment. One reason this might be refreshing, there just needs to be more feuds and angles outside of the title picture. Develop some better creative depth. And featuring Sasha Banks as a top star in this system might please fans.
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