As seen on last week’s Monday Night Raw, Stephanie McMahon announced that the WWE’S Women division will compete in the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble match at the annual Royal Rumble PPV event.
Since the official announcement, there has been a wave of overwhelming emotions from the wrestling world and speculations as to whether any surprise entrants will take place.
Raw Superstar Sasha Banks recently spoke USA Today’s For the Win to discuss which legends she would like to see make an appearance at the PPV, her reaction to the news and reveals which Superstar she’d like to team up with for WWE’s upcoming Mixed Match Challenge. Highlights of the interview below.
On the Women’s Royal Rumble announcement: Yeah they didn’t tell us, they just said that Stephanie would be coming out… but I kind of figured. I don’t know, I just had that assumption that it was going to be something big, just because we were in the main event. I’m pretty smart, I like to think, so I assumed that it was going to be this huge announcement, and it was really cool because in the front row was my mom and my brother. It just made it all worth it. It made everything come full circle, how incredible this women’s division is taking off and that we just keep on breaking these barriers.
Thoughts on the women represented in such a major show: It’s huge, and incredible to see. Just in the past two years, like Stephanie said, this women’s evolution has just been taking off. I feel like every pay-per-view, the women just keep on getting opportunities and breaking down those doors and showing the world that we can do it just like the guys, you know? It’s so cool to see, and what makes me really excited is we could potentially see a singles match at WrestleMania for the women’s championship, which is my dream. I just want to have that one-on-one match at WrestleMania. So I’m praying to God that I win the Royal Rumble, but I know that the competition is going to be so hard. Hopefully we get to bring women from the past and women from NXT, because with just Raw and SmackDown we don’t have enough.
Which legends she wants to see in the first women’s Royal Rumble: Gosh, of course Trish and Lita. Beth Phoenix, Molly Holly, Jacqueline, Jazz… I mean, bring ’em all. Just to even think of the potential legends that could be in that ring with me, that’s what I’m really excited about. It’s crazy to even think. I’ve gotten to meet Trish and Lita already, and Beth Phoenix, but to be in the ring with them would be such a huge honor. I would just be like a little kid again. I feel like the guys get the opportunity to wrestle legends so much more than we do, so to have that potential is so cool.
Which Superstar she’d like to team up for the Mixed Match Challenge: That’s so hard because before I’ve had a lot of mixed challenges. I’ve had Enzo as a partner, I’ve had Roman Reigns as a partner, in NXT I had Bo Dallas as a partner. I don’t know… I love Samoa Joe, I think he’s incredible. Braun Strowman’s unstoppable. To be in the ring with a legend like Goldust… the potential is endless. I’m not sure how they’re going to pick out who’s going to be paired with who, so I’m really interested to see who I’m actually going to team up with, or even if I have a say. I might have to pick Samoa Joe, just because I like that theme song and I want to come out to that.
Resolution for 2018: Keep on breaking down the doors. I just want to wrestle and just be happy, that’s the No. 1. I want to wrestle and have fun. I want to steal the show. I want to be the face of the company. I want to main-event WrestleMania, if not this year then next year. I want to keep on striving to be the best I possibly can. I want to go down in the history books as the greatest women’s wrestler ever, but not just women’s wrestler, I just want to be the greatest superstar this company has ever seen.
Banks also discusses her historic match in Abu Dhabi, Paige‘s return to the WWE and what she does to pass the time on long flights.
You can read the full interview here.
What did you think of the interview? Would you like to see some legendary names as entrants to Women’s Royal Rumble? Who would you like to Sasha Banks team up with for WWE’s Mixed Match Challenge? Let us know in the comments below!
