Sasha Banks has opened up about the inspiration for her rivalry with former best friend, Bayley. According to the star, both women delved into history for the foundations of their war.
Speaking with Digital Spy, the WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion revealed that the pair based their rivalry on Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James in 2006, one of the most famous women’s rivalries in wrestling history.
Explaining what they took from the classic feud, Banks revealed that it wasn’t the storyline in general – where James stalked Stratus, becoming more and more infatuated – but how the tale was structure over the span of a year:
“This whole storyline with Bayley, it was a long time coming and there were times in the past where we saw it stop and go, but in the long run we really had to have the fans see this long, long friendship which you don’t really get to see in the WWE too often. Five years of this journey, of this friendship growing and growing, and then Bayley turning on me… it’s been everything that I’ve ever wanted. I got really inspired from Trish Stratus and Mickie James – they had a year-long storyline when I was watching as a teenager. That’s what I wanted growing up, I wanted a year-long storyline where you just were on the ride the whole time. So for us, it’s kind of like a revamp of that. But it’s really cool to see just the investment and time WWE has given to, not only myself and Bayley, but all of the women in WWE. It’s just been non-stop of this incredible momentum of women just taking over the company.”
The rivalry between Sasha Banks and Bayley has simmered since ‘The Boss’ retained her championship seven days ago, but with the addition of Carmella looks to ignite yet again as both of her challengers will look for victory in the 2021 Royal Rumble Match.
For now though, the star who recently made her debut in The Mandalorian is on top of WWE’s mountain and looks to assert herself as on the greatest female stars in the history of the industry.
Credit for the interview: Digital Spy
h/t for the transcription: Fightful