#It’s time for WWE to go all-in with Sasha Banks’ star push

The company has a unique opportunity — one it appears to be seizing — with Sasha Banks. The Boss and tag partner Bayley have been pushed to the forefront of the women’s division, along with Asuka, with Becky Lynch stepping away to have a baby and Charlotte Flair taking some well-deserved time off.

While Bayley has matured into a superb heel, and Asuka is one of the best overall performers on the roster, it’s Banks that ultimately needs to get the biggest push. Her match against Io Shirai at NXT’s Great American Bash and facing Asuka for the Raw women’s championship at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view next Sunday is an excellent start.

Banks checks a lot of boxes. Her in-ring work and promos have always been well received. Don’t forget that it was Banks tearing down houses with Flair and Bayley long before Lynch or Asuka rose to prominence. She has a strong following and an engaged, loyal fan base. Banks leads all of the wrestling Four Horsewomen with two million Twitter followers, and her 4.7 million Instagram followers are only behind Lynch’s 4.9 million. Her relation to Snoop Dogg and her corgi Ryu Maivia — who appeared at Great American Bash — can help her connect to a larger audience.

There is also some proof she can be a ratings draw. Her match against Shirai last week brought a huge boost for NXT, beating All Elite Wrestling’s tag team title main event 900,000 to 645,000 in viewers in their quarter-hour. People want to watch her.. NXT topped AEW overall that night, a rare occurrence in the Wednesday Night Wars.

The best thing Banks has going for her is she is not overexposed the way Bayley, Flair and Lynch — to an extent – were. After WrestleMania 35, Banks took time off. She didn’t wrestle again on WWE TV until the Aug. 26 edition of “Monday Night Raw.” The last time she won a singles title was Sept. 15, 2019, when she beat Lynch for the Raw women’s championship at Clash of Champions. She lost the belt less than a month later. All of it means that nearly anyone you put across from Banks in the ring feels like a fresh matchup.

Banks has never successfully defended a singles title on the main roster, making for an easy story to tell when it’s time. Thankfully, WWE hasn’t rushed to break up her and Bayley, actually strengthening their bond with the women’s tag team championships.

Banks should lose to Asuka at Extreme Rules to keep the Raw title on the red brand. It’s hard to build new stars if Bayley and Banks hold all four main-roster women’s belts. (On a side note, would WWE consider teaming up Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan and having them take the titles from Banks and Bayley after they finish a feud with the IIconics?)

The slow deterioration of the Banks-Bayley friendship should follow, with them reversing roles from their famous NXT TakeOver Brooklyn match. Banks winning the championship and successfully defending it should feel like a big deal.

The mistake WWE can’t make is to overexpose her and Bayley — a line they are dangerous walking right now. As WWE tries to improve ratings during the coronavirus pandemic, Banks and Bayley — like Flair before them — have been working on all three brands since the middle of June. It’s a trend that hopefully ends after Extreme Rules.

Having them wrestle often as a tag team is fine, but Sasha Banks singles matches need to be kept feeling special and must-see. Banks looks like a star, carries herself like a star and performs like a star. Now it’s time for WWE to make her the star.