From the WWE Rumor Mill: Update on Sasha Banks turning heel soon

What’s the story?

Not for the first time in recent months, talk of a Sasha Banks heel turn is once doing the rounds.

Cageside Seats are rather tentatively reporting that “there's more talk of Sasha Banks turning heel soon,” echoing the sentiments of Dave Meltzer in this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Meltzer noted that Banks’ recent defeat to Bayley on RAW “felt like the start of a Banks heel turn.”

In case you didn’t know…

A Sasha Banks heel turn has been a frequent topic of conversation in 2017. The idea was initially entertained at the start of the year and originally planned for the spring, though that obviously never materialised.

Instead, Banks spent much of the early part of the year feuding with Nia Jax, before going on to make up the numbers in various multi-woman title bouts. Those seven-and-a-half championship-less months suggest it could be high time to shake things up.

Going in depth

This latest talk stems largely from the outcomes of Banks’ last two singles matches. After beating the RAW Women’s Champion, Alexa Bliss, via count-out at the Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view, Banks then had to face Bayley in a number one contender’s match on RAW a fortnight later.

Banks lost that match, despite appearing to get her shoulder off the mat during the decisive pinfall, and she didn’t look best pleased off the back of it.

All of this supports the idea that a heel turn could be right around the corner, and with definite intrigue in a possible Bayley vs. Banks feud on the main roster, now looks like the most opportune time to pull the trigger on this one.

What's next?

With Bayley set to face Bliss for the title at SummerSlam, the smart money seems to be on Banks interfering in that one to cost Bayley her championship shot.

From there, the feud pretty much writes itself, with all of their history from NXT adding further layers to a rivalry that could quite easily span the rest of the year.

Author’s take

Though we’ve heard it said before, now seems to be as good a time as any to go all in on a Sasha Banks heel turn. Not only would her character benefit from the shake-up, but the situation with Bayley means there’s a decent programme to be had off the back of that turn.

And besides, Banks is better-suited as a heel anyway—it’s a much better fit for her “Boss” gimmick. Here’s hoping we see the turn sooner rather later.