Original subtitles

I've always liked when the bad guys won in the movies.

I

think

there's something just more intriguing about being a bad guy.

Maybe that's just me. Maybe I just like the bad guys. Maybe it's my personality.

I don't know.

She has that look in her eyes where you're just like, all right, this chick

dangerous.

Any time you see Sasha, you're just going to see what's going to

happen. What's she going to say this time?

You're the daughter of Rick Slater.

If it wasn't for a one night stand, you probably wouldn't be standing here.

What makes Sasha such an evil character?

That she goes to any extreme and all extremes to win.

It is celebration time for Belair and Sasha Banks.

Wait a minute!

Backed over by Banks to the champion!

There is a little villain within all of us.

But some choose to cultivate their villainous side to get what they want.

In WWE, that's Sasha Banks.

I grew up on a farm in Iowa.

It was so rough. I didn't have a dad. My mom didn't have a steady job.

I was the only colored person in that town.

I used to have a huge chip on my shoulder.

I went to online school at the age of 12.

No friends, no social life.

For a very long time, I felt like I had no hope.

I was just sitting in my room one day in Iowa, scrolling through the channels.

I'll be stepping out in comfort in eight.

The more you live, the more...

And WWE just popped up on the screen, and I was like, what is this?

It

was like

being a superhero, being a bad guy.

I was obsessed with wrestling.

It was my game.

This place is going crazy for Eddie Guerrero.

When I first saw Eddie Guerrero, there was just this instant connection.

He was one of the few Latinos, you know. He was one of the few colored people in

the WWE.

Eddie Guerrero used to come out in a low rider.

A classic low rider for the WWE champion, Eddie Guerrero.

Like, come on, you don't get flashier than that.

It was great being the villain.

And

I

loved the frog splash.

Oh, my God.

To like him or to hate him. Can you believe this?

Now call the spoken gun.

Eddie Guerrero pulled him over there on that party.

He knew how to tap into that inner soul of each fan sitting in the arena.

When I watched Eddie Guerrero, I felt so alive.

I saw myself in him.

I knew that was my only dream.

I always pictured myself walking down that WWE ramp, in the ring, on the top

turnbuckle, having a pose and just all eyes on me.

Wrestling was my addiction and my escape.

I had journals upon journals upon journals writing ideas.

I would watch Raw and Smackdown every single week and write down and take

and just study nonstop.

I used to sit and write all the results of every

wrestling show.

I believe Mercedes was...

Maybe 9 or 10 when I discovered that she was truly into WWE and wrestling.

I begged for Snoop Dogg to take me to WrestleMania.

I believe it was 24.

Ric Flair's retirement match.

Tonight we celebrate nature boy Ric Flair.

She was real young, but I was taking her around, meeting all of our favorite

wrestlers and just watching how she reacted to them and how she was.

infatuated in how she was professional at the same time. It was, like,

fascinating to me.

There was no plan B, B, D, E, or F.

It was only, only one, and that was to become a WWE superstar.

At 18,

Mercedes and her family moved to Boston.

That's where she got her first opportunity to pursue her dream.

Chaotic Wrestling is the place that I started training when I was 18 years

They had their own professional wrestling school.

Hey, Alexis.

Remember me?

Mercedes? The one that broke up your correlation.

Coordination.

My first character, I wouldn't even say was a character.

It was just Mercedes KV.

which was Testner Bernardo was my last name.

My

upbringing

was very, very, very hard. The chip on my shoulder came from a very young age

and it gave me a whole different drive than a lot of people.

I remember when Sasha was wrestling in this independent league and she was

trying her hardest to get to the WWE, just doing good and having great fights.

Oh, look at her pulling back.

She quit. We've got a new champion.

I was not shy when I went out and performed because I couldn't be. I had

fans like me. I had to give them energy so they can give it right back.

Mercedes proved that she had the skills to move beyond the independent circuit.

In

2012,

she was invited to join WWE's developmental system.

I was so happy.

It's the only thing that I ever wanted to chase. It's the only thing that I

dreamt of.

I wanted to make it to the WWE.

and prove that I was better than everybody.

I learned right away when I first walked in the doors of the WWE Performance

Center.

I knew absolutely nothing.

It takes so much to be a character on national television.

It's so unique.

They broke me down so fast.

When Sasha debuted on NXT, she was kind of just a generic character, really had

no persona. People just said she kind of seemed like... a girl next door

character, if you want to call it a character at all.

Did you see Raw on Monday?

Of course.

What'd you think? I mean, it was okay.

I had no character whatsoever.

I felt like I was not going to last long in NXT.

I was so shy as Mercedes and so scared to even put myself out there.

I had to build myself up to prove that I could belong here and transform myself

into someone else.

I started out watching hours of different types of movies and

Tell me one athlete right now has been dominating the game.

For 16 years straight without a loss. I saw Floyd Mayweather. I was like, man, I

like how this guy speaks.

I'm the best. I'm the best.

Kanye West was really arrogant, going up on stage, interrupting people.

Thank you so much for giving me a chance to win a VMA award.

I'm really happy for you. I'm going to let you finish.

But Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.

So I stole some of that.

I really love Nicki Minaj.

The hair, the nails, the outfit.

And I really like the Bratz doll.

Let me take a little bit of that.

And then I was like, Mercedes, hello.

Snoop Dogg is your cousin.

People used to call him the boss. I don't want people to treat me like that.

me take that.

I'll call myself the boss.

I was going to be the bad guy.

She took advantage of that moment, and she honed it in, and she created her

character, and she became Sasha Banks.

Three, two... Are you tired of looking like a chick?

Are you sick of being basic? Did you think that you can boss me around?

Oh, no.

No! I was like, how long did she have to work on this to find this?

Character and this personality that I don't even recognize.

And you just wanted to, like, slap her.

I am Sasha Banks, the boss of NXT.

Characters have to learn how to feel, not think. Because if you're thinking,

it's not real.

But you have to put it in front of an audience.

Sasha's first big opportunity at NXT came against Paige.

We've seen the metamorphosis here of Sasha Banks.

In a moment of rage, we got our first glimpse of the boss.

And there was no turning back.

The matchup's over, but Sasha Banks is not done competing.

Young ladies.

We've never seen this before.

It was one of the greatest feelings when I found something

that clicked for me.

Here comes the boss!

I was just like, I think this is working. The fans are booing.

Upon making the boss persona, things clicked into place. You had this

unrepentant...

unapologetically black female character who wasn't afraid to tell everyone that

she knew she was the best, wasn't afraid to be vicious, and

she backed it up.

Mercedes was so shy, not outgoing, didn't want adventure.

Sasha Banks is everything I want Mercedes to be.

Larger than life.

a know -it -all, have all the eyes on her.

When you see somebody that is really insecure, and when they step onto the

stage, and they morph so dramatically, it's that pendulum swinging. They go so

far the other way because it's escapism.

This is their vengeance.

Sasha, she likes to lie. She likes to steal. She likes to cheat.

Like her hero, Eddie Guerrero.

You lie, you cheat, you steal. It's a family tradition.

She just likes to do things a little bit dirtier than most of the women.

The bank statement, Sasha Banks' submission is

very painful.

It puts pressure on your back, puts pressure on your neck.

She's supervision.

I really love keeping a hold of the crossface a little bit longer after they

out, just to let the fans know that I'm the bad guy.

Sasha doesn't want to let the hold go.

Come on!

She's sending a message.

This is too much. Let it go already.

You honestly think that you're going to be the next NXT Women's Champion before

me?

Before me.

By 2014.

Sasha earned her reputation as the most vicious female on a star -studded

roster.

But then came Charlotte Flair, the daughter of wrestling nobility.

Blessed with the genes of the greatest champion of all time and the confidence

and athleticism that comes with it.

You think you're special because your last name is Flair.

Well, guess what? After I beat you, Charlotte.

You're going to end up a loser just like your pathetic old man.

Charlotte, take one. Mark.

By 2014,

Sasha Banks was the boss at NXT.

But a new rival.

who the legendary pedigree posed a threat to Sasha's status.

Ladies and gentlemen, my daughter, Charlotte.

Being Ric Flair's daughter, I'm going to chip off the old block.

When I walk in the arena, they don't boo, they woo.

She was an incredible athlete.

So freaking good, and she got it so easily.

I'm 5 '10", I'm blonde, and I'm super athletic.

What is there not to like?

Oh, yeah, but my last name's Blair.

Everything's handed to me. Yeah, you heard me.

Call your little daddy to put you on the main roster.

How about you call Snoop to buy you a win?

Oh, so that's how it's going to be. That's how it's going to be.

Charlotte was the number one girl. So fast that it would make me so jealous,

I wanted to outdo her.

The two titans came from different worlds.

Claire from the top, Sasha from the bottom.

And their battles spoke to the fight between the privileged and the

underprivileged.

Charlotte and Sasha really gives you a feeling that you are watching an

classic in the making.

It's like two bulls just going head to head. She wants to be the best.

I want to be the best.

When you have two out.

colliding with one another, there is going to be magic that unfolds.

I think the Sasha Banks -Charlotte Flair rivalry made Sasha Banks a lot meaner

and a lot harder. They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

In defeat, Sasha was even more motivated.

But now...

It wasn't just Charlotte Flair making a name at NXT.

Becky Lynch and Bayley were also making noise.

Sky's the limit for Becky Lynch.

All four were destined for great.

But only one could be the real boss of NXT.

These four women were having, you know, classic matches in NXT.

They'd be stealing the show, but they wouldn't be the main event.

We were so competitive.

We wanted to show everybody that the women can do it just like the men.

In 2015, a championship fatal four -way would settle which of these rising

superstars was the baddest of all.

Fatal four -way matchup for the NXT Women's Championship.

That Fatal 408, I wanted that to be like my WrestleMania match.

All the stars aligned, and it was such a special

match.

Bayley was a split second away from the charge.

Sasha snuck in from behind and stole it for herself.

You saw that vindictive side of her that she takes from Eddie.

I'm going to lie, cheat, steal.

Look at this.

Crossface, crossface.

Submission maneuver applied.

Charlotte.

Trolling. Flying.

Cover.

And that's it. She did it.

I was so in shock.

I felt like.

Everything that I ever fought for since I was 10 years old was just in that

moment.

We have a new women's champion!

What a moment for Sasha Banks.

I've always known I was the best from day one.

This right here, it just proves it.

It shows every single person who's ever doubted me.

I think what drives the Sasha Banks character truly is that she knows she's

best. Who's above the boss? There is no one above the boss.

And the boss proceeded to defend her championship and her status by any means

necessary. Oh, my goodness!

Ladies and gentlemen.

This Saturday, NXT takes over Brooklyn, New York.

I am now pleased to preside over the official contract signing for the NXT

Women's Championship.

First of all, Mr. Regal, I just want to thank you and the NXT fans

because if it wasn't for you guys...

The Sasha -Bailey rivalry was a ticking time bomb.

And at NXT TakeOver Brooklyn, they were set to blow the roof off the Barclays

Center.

Tonight's first main event, NXT Women's Champion, The Boss,

Sasha Banks.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is how you do it like a boss.

She said she's not going to put this opportunity to a fire. And the boss was

quick to reply with, I'm sorry, Bailey, this isn't a fairy tale. This isn't a

feel -good story.

It starts with, you know, Bailey coming back from a real -life wrist or hand

injury. What do they do?

Immediately, Sasha is targeting that hand.

Bailey's still with that hand brace on. She broke her hand without a match. No,

no, no, no.

She decided to put it in between the stairs and the ring.

And she kicked the stairs, which

I tell her that she rebroke my hand.

If she sees a weakness, she will exploit that weakness.

in the most gruesome ways, if necessary.

Sasha doesn't care.

I don't think until that point anybody's ever seen a female wrestler really

dissect her opponent like she did to me that night.

Look how much the boss didn't join us.

I was doing everything I can just to give her that extra punishment.

When I finally put my bank statement on Bailey and she is reaching out for those

ropes with that broken hand, I stick my foot out and I stomp that hand.

Over and over and over again.

That was a reaction that I have never heard in the WWE.

I loved being that bad guy taking her dreams away.

I hope she's proud of herself.

She's evil.

Emboldened by her disgraceful behavior that night.

Oh, but here comes the boss.

Banks went on a rampage of terror.

And no one was off limits.

Izzy is one of our number one fans down in NXT.

Bayley was everything to her.

And I knew that.

She

was

taunting me the whole entire match. And I was just getting angrier and angrier.

She threw Bayley into the screen.

And she walked right over to me and took my headband.

Did you see Sasha Banks?

What is wrong with her? Sasha Banks running around with Izzy's, with that

headband on. Did you see Izzy?

I feel like Sasha kind of plays the everyday bully, and I hate that. I

do.

You see the tears rolling down Izzy's face, and Sasha Banks is just in there

continuing to murder Bailey.

She's embarrassing Bailey. She's enjoying herself.

She just did that off the top of her head.

That's one more thing that puts her on that next level of being one of the best

villains ever.

You don't make children cry.

Period.

Sasha Banks does, though.

The boss swaggered her way onto the main roster in 2015.

It's boss time.

When she's walking out to the ring, you see a bit of that Eddie.

Sasha Banks is here!

Because you can see her swag, you can see her drip.

Eddie was the same way.

Sasha Banks!

my dad used to say, there's something about that old boy that I don't like

me.

And what he meant was we can't see in others what we don't at least

possess a little bit in ourselves.

A part of us is like, wow, that's what it would look like if I let that beast

loose. And that's a guilty pleasure.

Her work as a villain has, you know, really, really stuck out.

She's been one of the most consistently talented people I've seen, man or woman,

in WWE.

Look at this heinous act.

By 2019, despite her dastardly deeds, Sasha had proven herself as a worthy

champion to the WWE Universe.

But living like it's boss time all the time took an unforeseen toll on

I think I exhausted myself working 24 -7.

We travel 350 days out of the year, performing five days out of the week,

not having the social life.

I never got to see my real hair. I never got to hear my real name for such a

long time.

I was just Sasha Banks.

24 -7.

When I did have that one day off to take out my wig, I was just like, who the

heck are you without Sasha Banks?

I was like, you know what? I can't do it anymore.

By 2019, Sasha's lifelong dreams had come true.

But... It came with a price.

I was exhausted as a kid. I had dreams of making it to the WWE.

Everything that little girl Mercedes always dreamt of having.

But once I got here, it was completely different than what I kind of had in my

mind.

The travel, no sleep, getting into character,

just the overall sacrifice.

It's a huge toll on the mental state, on the physical state.

No

one

who's on the outside really understands the level of commitment and hard work

and effort that it takes to be a WWE superstar.

My frustrations just grew and grew and grew and grew and grew until I was like,

you know what?

I can't take this anymore.

The desire that propelled Mercedes into becoming the boss was fading fast.

Sasha needed a reboot.

When I went to Vince McMahon and asked for my release, he told me right away,

no.

He told me to take a little bit of time for myself.

She made the best decision for herself.

It was a really tough time, and it was something that was bigger than wrestling

at the moment.

I was so ready to leave because I just didn't want this to be my everything.

I wanted to know who I was without Sasha Banks.

Once Sasha was able to rebalance her life, she sought to regain the passion

she felt from her days as a youth.

So I took myself to Japan.

I just wanted to find myself and to make sure that I was good mentally and

physically.

The few months that she was gone, I was so prepared for her to never come back.

Even though I was on a break from the WWE, I always wanted to learn the

style of wrestling.

So I learned the Japanese strong styles.

They are just so fine -skilled in their detail in Japan.

While in Japan, Sasha rediscovered her passion for wrestling, and she picked up

a few new tricks along the way.

I learned more about strikes and the impacts, and I knew if I brought that

the WWE, it would be game over for this woman.

And just right then and there, something clicked for me.

Just the energy switched just like that. I felt like all the fire within myself

just erupted. I knew I was still so in love with wrestling. I was born to do

this.

I took a four -month break from the WWE, and I was truly, truly, truly searching

for myself.

The answer was just within me the whole time.

I know who I am as Mercedes, and I know who I am as Sasha Banks.

I remember coming back the day after SummerSlam in Toronto.

And I felt, I still love it. I still have that 10 -year -old kid inside.

Feel it, feel it, feel it, feel it, feel it.

Rested and rejuvenated, Sasha Banks returned to Raw.

It's been one year today since my dad died.

Just in time to support her grieving friend.

What? Oh my!

Could it be?

Or so we thought.

What a moment!

Oh my God!

What the hell? Surprise!

Sasha Banks is packing to tell you! That's your daddy, huh?

New blue hair, same blue colors. Sasha Banks is the worst.

Sasha, I really like being...

In control and in charge and unapologetically bitchy, rotten and

Sasha Banks has returned with a vengeance.

With an evil, evil vengeance.

I feel

like ever since I came back from my break, my wrestling style, my in the

performance.

It's just on a whole different level.

Banks just drove Lynch to the table.

I made fans freaking cry. I made little kids cry.

Banks trash talks and now continues to beat down Evans in front of her family.

Sasha Banks is gnarly. She does not care about anyone.

Sasha has studied the art form of WWE to such an extent that she's become a

master of it.

No! Wake up, Frankenstein!

I'm the movement.

I'm the standard.

I'm the boss.

I'm the greatest.

I'm the best. I'm everything.

Look at the confidence on the face of the SmackDown Women's Champion.

At WrestleMania 37, Banks intended to steal the spotlight from WWE's new star.

WrestleMania is the biggest night of the year for WWE.

It's the Super Bowl of wrestling.

This is an historic moment. For the first time ever, two black women have a

title match in the main event at WrestleMania.

Being the first two black females to ever main event WrestleMania, we knew

significance of that.

I remember being in

NXT and dreaming about main eventing a WrestleMania one day, but those dreams

were so far so big that I honestly never thought that would actually happen.

Sasha trying to lock it in, but it's thrown away.

My rule is don't touch my hair. I won't use it.

Sasha Banks grabbed my hair, I think, more than anybody has ever grabbed my

ever before.

It is part of being a bad guy, doing anything you can to

hurt your opponent.

It took a lot for me to finally decide that's it.

Ooh, that was probably the loudest hair whip that I've ever heard.

Oh, my God!

This is the name of the game. You have to deal with the pain.

A -O -D!

No way! It's a death!

No way! It's a death!

Even though I was beaten and bloody from

Bianca's braid, I really wanted to take that moment in.

A WrestleMania main event, whether you win or lose, it is the crowning

achievement of being in this business, being in WWE.

Even though she lost, it seems like a win to me.

Win or lose, when it's boss time, Sasha has found a way to embrace the villain

within.

Being a boss, sometimes you got to do what you got to do.

And that's what makes her who she is, is that she's willing to take that chance

and be different and be on the dark side.

She is the boss.

She is the blueprint.

She is the pinnacle of the division.

I enjoy watching Sasha every time.

She carries that Latino heat with her.

I always wanted to make everybody feel how Eddie Guerrero made me.

No, that's unstoppable.

Sasha Banks is unstoppable.

She'll do whatever it takes.

Whoever she wants, whenever she wants.

That's why she'll always be the boss.