The Boss came back one year ago today, in theory, the day after Summerslam 2019. Fans at the time did not know whether or not she would ever come back, and she was pretty much counted out. I myself had said she’s done, go to AEW, ROH or TNA, so you can imagine my surprise hearing her entrance music.
Upon her return, she ditched her lackluster face character and changed up her attitude and her look by snatching off her own wig and debuting a new blue one instead. She asserted herself straight away by beating the brakes off Natalya and then giving Becky Lynch a thrashing with a chair we won’t ever forget, neither did fans, either. The video of her return scored the most views the night it came out.
It was Boss Time, but she didn’t come back as watered down Sasha. She came back as The Boss.
She had a new lease on life. She had swagger, she had attitude, she was as impressive and aggressive as we’d seen her. She delivered in an outstanding match at Hell In A Cell with Becky Lynch, and her teaming up with Bayley has given us some of the best mic and ring work we’ve seen on RAW and Smackdown. She was appointment television.
As months went on, she gathered meaningful wins, and became one half of the Women’s Tag Champions, again breaking her streak of unsuccessful first defenses. She and Bayley ruled the Women’s Division in the absence of Charlotte and Becky Lynch. She turned in good mic work, good commentary and in-ring work, and barring Bayley herself and Asuka, no woman since Summerslam last year has consistently had the goods.
While I didn’t necessarily agree with her taking the RAW Women’s Title, it also helped move her in the story we are all hoping leads to great matches and a huge payoff. Even though she lost her match last night, it was easily the best of the night, and there’s no denying that Sasha has had her personal best year, rolling that is since she came back.
I look forward to seeing how The Boss closes out the year. A feud literally years in the making with Bayley is imminent, but will we see the other women, who admittedly have been largely given the short end of a long stick, mix it up? Will, we beseeing her mix it up more with Asuka? Bayley? A returning Charlotte? Will we be seeing her go at it with Naomi? Alexa? Shayna? With The Boss, the sky is the limit.
