Sasha Banks is no stranger to making wrestling headlines, but in 2019 after WrestleMania 35 it was widely reported that she wanted to leave WWE.
The reports speculated Banks was unhappy with the decision to have her and Bayley lose the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship to the IIconics.
Banks was a guest on the recent episode of Ariel Helwani Meets, where she spoke candidly about her hiatus from the company in 2019.
“It was at that WrestleMania when I was just like, ‘Woah, I’m not nervous. I don’t feel anything and this is Wrestle – freaking – Mania. I couldn’t believe it! The biggest fangirl that wanted this her entire life didn’t feel anything at the biggest show ever?
I mean, this is every wrestler’s dream to be here, and at the very moment, I knew that I needed to take a break. And I was like, alright, I’ve got to go find myself and I did, and it’s the best decision I ever made and I’m so thankful that I did.
Wrestling has been the only thing I have ever known; I never had a plan B, C, or D, it’s just always been wrestling, wrestling, wrestling.
So when I realized I didn’t know anything else but it, it kind of scared me for a second. And I just had to kind of figure out deep within, like, what do you like on a Sunday if you didn’t have wrestling?
What if you didn’t have TV? What if there’s no cable? Just, what if? Can’t you just figure it out one time, for one day?
And I’m like, ‘Woah, okay, actually I can because I can take a break to figure out who I am.'”
During the interview, Banks confirmed the reports of her request release were true, but Vince McMahon denied it asking her to take more time to recover.
“I felt like I wasn’t giving my highest good. So if I’m not giving my highest good, if I’m not being the best, if I’m not being used as the best, then I’ve got to go find that. I’m always that performer wanting to be #1 and I felt in my heart that I just wasn’t feeling good.
I wasn’t feeling good, so I felt like I did all that I could and I needed that break, I needed that release. And then Vince told me, no and that was a great decision on both ends because he knew what he saw. He’s so smart, he’s so kind, he’s so gentle. He actually knew what I needed which was time. At the end of the point, all of us just need a little bit of time.
The former SmackDown Women’s Champion is currently involved in a feud with Shotzi on the blue brand.
h/t to Wrestling Inc for the transcript.
What do you make of Sasha Banks requesting her release in 2019? Let us know in the comments below.
