Levin: Sasha Banks Highlights WWE’s Biggest Problem With Booking

Sasha Banks is being screwed by WWE.

So is Becky Lynch. So is Paige.

The company that helped put these three Superstars on the map is the very one who has shoved them in a room and locked the door from the outside. While the state of the women’s division in the company has never been stronger, the fact Banks, Lynch, and Paige were not part of yet another pay-per-view is perplexing to say the least. I’m not advocating that the match and feud between Charlotte and Natalya wasn’t warranted. What I am saying is there has to be a better way to promote and showcase the talent in the division.

WWE still doesn’t get it and may never see the light at the end of a long dark tunnel.

If WWE’s plan for Banks is to defeat Dana Brooke at SummerSlam (who may capture Charlotte’s throne prior) and win her WWE Women’s Championship, there had better be a better plan than this. “The Boss” hasn’t been on screen, presumably so she is not so far over with the fans that the current champion is booed out of the building like her male counterpart.

Even with the events of Raw, where Charlotte all but kicked her father to curb (along with Brooke), there is still the stigma of a good thing gone bad as far as where the women’s division was at WrestleMania 32 and where it is now.

By ignoring Banks and working “around” her on Raw and the most recent Extreme Rules pay-per-view, WWE has spoken volumes without having to say a word. When Banks, Lynch, and Charlotte set foot on the main roster of the company, the “Divas” division was saved from further spiral into an abyss. Now, it would appear Banks (and Lynch for that matter) are in their own free fall that is being spun by the very company that wanted them to help “revolutionize” the business and bring back a fan base that it was lacking.

Once again, in this “New Era,” WWE drops the ball. The Bella Twins aren’t around to blame this one on and Stephanie McMahon seems to all but have forgotten about the evolution she tried to create 10 months ago. As we all know, one of the keys to this business is amnesia or selective memory.

I come from an era where women’s wrestling was certainly a second thought, maybe a third. The era of Lita and Trish Stratus was a time when women could main event on Raw or tear the house down at live events. Then, with dollar signs and thoughts of debauchery in his head, Vince McMahon made it a “T&A” show and the notion of “real” women performing in a ring lost momentum.

TNA proved time and time again it could book its Knockouts to bring down the house. Maybe the voices in management finally caught on and the revolution was born. It was by necessity rather than a passing fancy.

Now, fans have become disgruntled with the progress of its main stars on a roster that is deeper than it has ever been with female talent. What the Attitude Era would have given to have these performers alongside Trish, Lita, and Mickie James.

Now that Charlotte stands on her own and there are three months until SummerSlam, how will WWE solve the problem and book the “return” of Banks to not only take her place as the top female on the roster, but to appease the fans? The company has been in this situation before and managed to get itself out of quicksand. This time, it might be a bit tougher.

In order for this to work, does it mean Brooke beats Charlotte and becomes a transitional champion? That’s awful booking.

Fans want to see the best versus the best. Charlotte and Banks give them that. We can only hope the creative team realizes that and does the right thing instead of giving us the kind of ending we saw at Extreme Rules. Banks should be the champion at SummerSlam. But her opponent should be the one who helps her showcase how great she is. Not a cheap knockoff to put the title around her waist for the sake of business.