Sasha Banks has been virtually invisible from WWE programming ever since she (and Becky Lynch and Charlotte) stole the show at WrestleMania 32. The accepted consensus was that Banks was being put on ice so she could come back and challenge Charlotte in time for SummerSlam. Now there are reports that Banks was injured at a house show when a referee kneed her in the head. This has not only led to speculation over concussions symptoms, but it has apparently left Vince McMahon to wonder if Banks is “fragile,” reminiscent of an undersized Daniel Bryan whose wrestling style and injuries eventually caught up to him.
The Wrestling Observer had this to say about the situation:
The bad part of this is Vince McMahon has on several occasions said he believes Banks knows only one speed and that’s all out, and even months ago was comparing her to Daniel Bryan, feeling she’s injury-prone. That label isn’t the kiss of death, but there does come a point where if there are too many injuries they can get leery and you never know when that point is since Vince has put the two in the same category.
We’ve seen McMahon pump the breaks on stars who suffer from concussions before, especially in light of the CTE controversies all over the news. Most notably in recent years, Vince moved on from Dolph Ziggler as a main eventer ever since he started getting concussions in the ring.
Banks is a relatively diminutive wrestler compared to her peers. And she’s had a history of injuries and being banged up. But she’s also had these injuries coming off of classic, legendary matches. And a freak knee to the head from a referee could happen to anyone. I’m not sure what the dilemma is here. Banks has been able to tone down her style for TV and turn it up a notch for Network events, so I’m not sure if she “only has one speed.”
I really hope this is just a short-lived mood Vince is in because we deserve Banks vs. Charlotte at SummerSlam, and a dedicated title run for the best wrestler in the world.
