When you recognize the names Sasha Banks and Naomi you are probably a wrestling fan. You might now even call yourself a wrestling fan and know the names due to the popularity of these two women. They have become some of the biggest names in women’s professional wrestling in the last decade. Later, I will try to list their accomplishments, and it is defiantly going to take some time.
If you have been keeping up with professional wrestling in the last 6 months, you would know that has been suspended by the WWE indefinitely. WWE announcers Corey Graves and Michael Cole made public statements saying they left the live taping of Monday Night Raw and that their actions are “disappointing.” No one truly knows what happened in that situation but there have been many rumors. Some people say that Sasha and Naomi felt like the WWE was “burying” the women’s tag division and they felt disrespected. That title has not been used consistently as other titles in the WWE. Rumors also say that the plan was for Naomi to face the RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair. Simultaneously Sasha was supposed to face the then Smackdown Women’s champion, Ronda Rousey. I know personally, a Naomi vs Bianca match feud sounds amazing, but we all know how it will end. We all know the feuds during that time were due to the women champions not having challengers. I can understand why Sasha Banks and Naomi are frustrated about being champions and having a WrestleMania victory and then losing in a program that does not promote your championships legacy.
Speaking of legacy both women have many accomplishments that very few women can compete with. I will start by listing Naomi’s achievements.
- Number 30 in WWE 50 Greatest Women Superstars of ALL Time
- Inaugural FCW Divas Champion
- Ranked No. 7 in the PWI Female 50 in 2015
- Most Welcome Heel Turn (2015) by Rolling Stone
- WWE Smackdowns Women’s Champion (2 times)
- First Black WWE SmackDown Champions
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion
- A part of the first Black Woman to win the Women Tag Team Champion’s
- First ever WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
- Most Underrated Superstar of the Year (2018)
- Numerous Main Event Matches
- Numerous WrestleMania matches and 3 wins
- Cast member Total Diva reality show
I’m not sure how much I missed but I feel like I covered most of it. Besides all the history she made being a part of Total Divas was very groundbreaking as well. Total Divas was very successful and are a reason more women have watched WWE in the past decade. Also, some current WWE Superstars credit Total Divas for joining the WWE such as Bianca Belair. Naomi was a main cast member from Seasons 1-4 and 6-9. She ties with Nikki and Brie Bella on being on the most seasons. Right underneath Natalya who was a main cast member every season.
Now on to the legit Boss, The Standard, The Blueprint Sasha Banks. She has accomplished things that every woman in the industry wants to have. Let me start.
- Number 6 in WWE 50 Greatest Women Superstars of ALL Time
- CBS Tag Team of the Year (2020) with Bayley
- ESPY Awards Best WWE Moment (2021) – Banks and Bianca Belair make history as the first Black women to main-event WrestleMania
- Independent Wrestling Entertainment Women’s Championship
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
o Match of the Year (2015) vs. Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Respect
o Woman of the Year (2015)
o Feud of the Year (2016) vs. Charlotte Flair
o Feud of the Year (2020) vs. Bayley
o Tag Team of the Year (2020) – with Bayley
o Ranked No. 2 of the top 50 female wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2016
o Ranked No. 3 of the top 50 tag teams in the PWI Tag Team 50 in 2020 – with Bayley
- Rolling Stone
o Future Diva of the Year (2015)
o Ranked No. 4 of the 10 best WWE wrestlers of 2016
o NXT Match of the Year (2015) vs. Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn
o Title Feud of the Year, NXT (2015) vs. Bayley for the NXT Women’s Championship
- Sirius XM Busted Open Radio
o Wrestler of the Year (2020)
o Tag Team of the Year (2020) – with Bayley
- Sports Illustrated
o Ranked No. 8 of the top 10 female wrestlers in 2019 – tied with Bayley
o Wrestler of the Year (2020)
- WWE
o NXT Women’s Championship (1 time)
o WWE Raw Women’s Championship (5 times)
o WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship (1 time)
o WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Bayley (2), and Naomi (1)
o Fourth WWE Women’s Triple Crown Champion
o Third WWE Women’s Grand Slam Champion
o NXT Year-End Award (1 time)
- Match of the Year (2015) vs. Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn
- Slammy Award (2 times)
- Female Superstar of the Year (2020)
- Double-Cross of the Year (2020) – Bayley attacks Sasha Banks on SmackDown (September 4)
- Bumpy Award (1 time)
- Tag Team of the Half-Year (2020) – with Bayley
- Best Match of the Half-Year (2021) – vs. Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 37
This woman has been the face of WWE for some parts of her career, and it is easy to know why. Look at what she has accomplished.
Hopefully in the next few months, these women can come back to WWE and show what the world has been missing. They are missed and they are special. The wrestling community has been missing out, but I know the WWE Universe will rejoice when they come back.