There has been a lot of talk lately about how WWE’s plans for WrestleMania are pretty clear. That is, in my opinion, both true and misleading. We know Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns will go title versus title in one long-building main event and Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey will fight for the belt in the other. We also know Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair will continue their feud in another huge title match. All of that has been stated very clearly, but there are also a ton of major superstars on the WWE roster who still need an opponent or a clear direction including Sasha Banks.
The Boss made an appearance at Royal Rumble back in January and strangely only lasted a little less than ten minutes (probably so she wouldn't get in the way of Rousey). She was also kept off television in the weeks afterward, leading many fans to speculate on what the long-term plans with her character are and if she’d even appear at WrestleMania. Was she injured? Was this a creative decision so that when she returned it would be even more exciting? Well, we still don’t know what her exact trajectory will be, but after last night, it now seems pretty clear it’ll be as a duo.
Sasha Banks made an appearance last night on Smackdown, defeating Shotzi in a pretty easy match. Afterwards, Naomi, who has looked very good in recent weeks in both singles and doubles competition, came into the ring and said the crowd was looking at WWE’s next tag team champions. I’ll admit to letting out a little bit of a “what?” as I was watching by myself, but I’ve actually gotten more on board the more I’ve thought about it.
There is an embarrassment of riches right now in the WWE women’s division. Flair, Belair, Lynch and Rousey will all be fighting in main events or near main events at WrestleMania for the most prestigious titles. Beyond that initial group, there are also a ton of other great women who are capable of stealing the show on any given night including Rhea Ripley and the recently returned Alexa Bliss. I also really like Liv Morgan, Naomi and Shayna Baszler. Throw in Xia Li, who looked great in her debut, plus the injured Asuka and Bayley (who might be my favorite woman on the whole roster), and there is suddenly a serious airtime and numbers problem.
One of the best ways to fix that is by adding some life and energy into the women’s tag team division which is rarely featured. The current champions Carmella and Queen Zelina won the belts more than three months ago. There’s no reason, with all of the women I mentioned above and more I didn’t, that those belts shouldn’t mean anything. So, injecting Banks into the fray is an immediate way to change that.
I don’t know what the next several weeks are going to look like, but it seems obvious Banks and Naomi will face a team of women in a splashy match at ‘Mania. Personally, I’d love to see the two win the belts off Carmella and Zelina in the next few weeks and then fight a really compelling other twosome on the biggest stage in April. I mean how pumped would we all be for Banks and Naomi against Asuka, who has had a lot of success in the tag team division, and Liv Morgan or something along those lines? There are a lot of potential twosomes. You could even throw Natalya and Tamina back into the tag team division, which would be a good fit for them.
I don’t know exactly how it’s going to play out, but at this point, it would be a shock not to see Sasha Banks and Naomi wrestling for the tag titles at ‘Mania, either as champions or challengers. Initially, I was a little taken aback given I think Banks is one of the strongest wrestlers and personalities on the entire WWE roster, but if this is what the women’s tag division needs to get some energy and life, then let’s go!
