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Women's Champion Sasha Banks on NXT's Growing Popularity and Her Own Success

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The Boss on the popularity of the women’s division in NXT, her influences and more.

By Eric Goldman

With the city filled with wrestling fans from across the world, in town for WrestleMania, over 5000 people packed the Event Center at San Jose University on Friday night to see a special NXT live show – and to say the response was positive would be a huge understatement. Despite the late hour (the show began at 10pm and ended at 1am), the crowd was incredibly excited and engaged through the entire event and one of many chants throughout the night was “Better than Mania!” But arguably the match with the best and most enthusiastic feedback was the one between NXT women’s champion Sasha Banks and her current rival, Charlotte, as the two delivered a terrific performance, filled with exciting and impressive spots.

Born Mercedes Kaestner-Varnado, Sasha Banks is getting more and more attention in NXT, winning the title at the conclusion of an incredibly well received Fatal 4-Way match recently, against Charlotte, Bayley and Becky Lynch. The day after that NXT show in San Jose, Matt Fowler and I sat down with Sasha backstage at the Axxess fan event to discuss NXT’s growing popularity, the love fans have for the women’s division and what it’s like achieving her lifelong dream of success as a pro wrestler.

NXT women’s champion Sasha Banks.

Eric Goldman: Your show last night really came together pretty much at the last minute, right?

Sasha Banks: So quick. We found out the day after our show in Columbus or maybe Cleveland and they said maybe. And then we finally got an email that said, “We’re doing it” two weeks after. It was just mind blowing. Amazing.

Goldman: You already have great crowds, but this was a late night show and kind of a different vibe. What was it like experiencing all that?

Banks: Well, I’m still on Florida time so I really wrestled at like four in the morning. How do I explain it? Because I’ve been able to do live events with WWE and the crowds are like eight thousand, ten thousand. But last night, there was nothing that compared to the feeling that every single fan came out because they were an NXT fan. Every single fan out there… They didn’t have a John Cena shirt. They didn’t have a Batista shirt. They had NXT shirts. They knew everybody and last night it just felt like everyone was a star. Everyone was John Cena. Everyone was an Undertaker. I can’t describe it. When I walked out there, I was just blown away. It was amazing.

Sasha Banks and Charlotte face each other on NXT.

Matt Fowler: Can you talk about your chemistry in the ring with Charlotte? You guys are incredible when you go face to face. It just sort of clicks.

Banks: Hmm, it’s weird because I started out with Charlotte. We trained together and we worked together since day one, before we were even anything, before we even had a name and I was just Mercedes and she was just Ashley. We started in this little warehouse where it felt like nobody gave us a chance at that time. We had to build each other and work with each other to make ourselves better and to get that spot. And to see where we are now, it’s truly incredible and every time I wrestle her, I just go “How are we going to frickin’ out do ourselves again?” I don’t know how I pull some of this stuff out, but with her, something does click, where we just trust each other and we just go out there and let it happen and it’s been such an amazing feud where it does feel like a Trish and Lita [situation]. It’s unbelievable… if you can see my chest, I’ve got the warrior wound.

[Editor’s note: Sasha opened her jacket -- she was dressed in her ring gear underneath for an upcoming match -- to show us the notable bruises and welts from her match the night before.]

It’s been incredible but I feel like I have those moments with Bayley too and I’m excited to work with Becky and so many girls and to have the opportunity to see what I can bring to the table and what we can bring to these matches.

Fowler: There were great matches all night long last night, but a lot of people were saying the women’s matches were the best.

Banks: I don’t… I’m so “Ah!” from it because backstage was DX, was the Kliq! We had Scott Hall, X-Pac, Shawn Frickin’ Michaels… and Vince McMahon watched! Like, screw the match. [Laughs] Those people watched me and I came back and Shawn Michaels was like, “Oh my god!” That’s the best feeling ever. I don’t know. It’s always my goal to have the best match, but for people to say it and for legends to say it… I’m just so humbled by it.

Goldman: In general, NXT’s success keeps escalating, the fanbase keeps escalating. With that, there’s this really big respect for the womens’ division and what you all are accomplishing. Has that been amazing to see, for all of you, that the work you’re doing is getting so appreciated?

Banks: It really is, because I never was a big fan of the Divas growing up because I didn’t have the role models. I never thought I could possibly make it here, because I didn’t feel like I fit the role of a Diva at the time. Just to see how diverse our group is and how hard we work… We work so hard to have that respect. Not for people to be like, ‘That was a good Divas match,” but “That was a good match” in general. We always want to steal the show and make a name where people go, “Wow, those NXT Divas, that’s something to watch.” Every time I do autograph signings, people want to talk about our Fatal 4-Way match. I’ve never had such a big response for a match before and knowing that I got to do it with those three girls and I know, ten years from now, we’re going to be looking back and being like, “Oh my god, we did it.” We started this journey. We’re the start of changing the women’s division and it’s just going to get bigger and better. I guarantee, years from now, people are going to be like, “Holy s**t.”

 Continue to Page 2 for more with Sasha Banks, as she discusses NXT vs. RAW, interacting with fans, her influences and more.