'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Sasha Banks story seems to have flipped its final page after her reported release from WWE. This comes on the heels of a few tough weeks after she and tag team partner Naomi walked out of RAW, citing creative differences and frustrations over the women's tag team championships.
Throughout her time, Sasha Banks has been a mainstay of the company. She has won almost everything there is to win and is one of the most popular superstars on the roster. This makes her release shocking, with fans failing to come to terms with how both parties couldn't come to an understanding. No one has any idea what her next step will be.
Among her many achievements, The Boss is a six-time women's champion, having held the RAW Women's Championship five times and the SmackDown Women's Championship once. The former Women's Tag Team Champion will leave the place where she became a global superstar, having undoubtedly changed women's wrestling for the better.
On that note, we take a trip down memory lane and bring you five of Sasha Banks' most memorable moments. Feel free to share your best Sasha moments in the comments as well.
#5 on our list of the most memorable Sasha Banks moments: Her NXT Takeover: Brooklyn classic alongside Bayley
Who can forget the spectacular match between Sasha Banks and Bayley at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn? Many believe this contest started the Women's Revolution in full force, not Stephanie McMahon introducing some stars to RAW.
Banks walked into the show as a cocky and arrogant champion who dismissed the notion of lovable babyface Bayley being on her level. The crowd wanted nothing more than their favorite to win the championship, and after an intense classic, that is exactly what they got.
The two women waged nothing short of war in the ring, with extreme near-falls, high-risk moves, and stellar storytelling. Credit must be given to The Boss for her stupendous heel work, making the audience support The Hugger even more. It paid dividends the minute Bayley planted her opponent with the Bayley to Belly for the pin and the win.
This is truly one of the best women's matches of all time and one that ushered in a new dawn for talented female superstars in WWE. The champion and challenger tore the house down and created a moment that will live long in wrestling folklore.
#4. Beating Charlotte Flair to win her first women's championship
Rewind to 2016, and Charlotte Flair was ruling the women's division with an iron fist. Having ended Nikki Bella's record-breaking Divas Title reign, Flair embarked on a championship run that saw her overcome every challenge. That was until she ran into Sasha Banks on the July 25, 2016, episode of RAW.
A one-on-one match between Flair and Banks was scheduled for the show, with the former's women's championship on the line. Given how dominant the champion had been, nobody expected a new one to be crowned.
However, The Boss defied the odds and trapped The Queen in her patented submission hold, forcing her to tap out and lose her title. It was the former's first world championship on the main roster and wouldn't be the last.
#3. Becoming the first woman to compete inside Hell in a Cell and main-event a WWE pay-per-view
Sasha Banks' aforementioned championship reign didn't last long, as she dropped the title to Charlotte Flair a month later. She regained it in a few weeks and increased the stakes when she challenged Flair to a Hell in a Cell match. The bout then became the main event of the titular pay-per-view, making it a historic moment for multiple reasons.
By contesting inside Satan's Structure, Banks and Flair became the first women to wrestle a Hell in a Cell match. The main event status of the contest made it the first time women closed out a pay-per-view in WWE history. The Boss and The Queen lived up to expectations and wrestled another great match that saw the latter win the title once again.
#2. Defeating Bayley and winning the SmackDown Women's Championship
The Sasha Banks-Bayley partnership during the pandemic was one of the best things. Both women excelled as cocky and entitled competitors who backed up their attitudes with results. Their peak saw them hold both the Women's Championships and the Women's Tag Team Championships.
For most of the association, however, it was Bayley who was the champion and always getting crucial assists from Banks. The same couldn't be said for the opposite scenario, which was the first bit of dispute between them. After the two women lost their tag team titles, The Role Model turned on her partner and ended their alliance.
The feud culminated in a SmackDown Women's Championship match at Hell in a Cell 2020. There, Banks made her rival tap out to win the title. It was the biggest win of her career and came through months of great storytelling.
#1. Becoming the first woman of color to main-event WrestleMania
Diversity is of paramount importance today. Representation is the need of the hour, and WWE has been at the forefront of this situation.
The company did something historic when it announced that the match between Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair would be the main event on Night One of WrestleMania 37. This marked the first time in WWE history that two African-American women faced each other in a high-profile bout. It was also the first time that two African-American women main-evented the illustrious WrestleMania.
The Boss ultimately fall short to The EST of WWE, losing her SmackDown Women's Championship despite a valiant effort. It was a great contest and made even better history as it became a significant feather in both women's caps.
