When the NXT women were promoted to the main roster last year, fans almost immediately gravitated to Sasha Banks over her fellow Four Horsewomen Charlotte and Becky Lynch. However, it was Charlotte who got the first chance to take the title off the face of the Divas, Nikki Bella, and then it was Becky Lynch who got to challenge for the title for the rest of the year. The fans never stopped believing and chanted for Sasha through the entire process and last week Banks finally won the WWE Women’s Championship.
PWMania reported that Animal, one-half of the WWE Hall of Fame tag team The Road Warriors, is not impressed . As a matter of fact, Animal went to Facebook and showed that he apparently hasn’t been watching wrestling or listening to the fans over the last year. After Sasha Banks scored the cover of Muscle and Fitness magazine, Animal went on a rant.
“How much does WWE pay Muscle and Fitness to put there own on the cover. Common Sasha Banks another attempt to shove someone down people’s throats. Let them get over themselves how bout that. Get real.”
After a year of many fans accusing the WWE of pushing Roman Reigns down their throats, it seems very strange that Animal has targeted Sasha Banks of all people. After a concussion took Banks out of action last year, there were worries that the WWE would hold her back, much like they did Daniel Bryan. However, fans had little to worry about when the WWE chose to listen to them and put the WWE Women’s Championship around Banks’ waist.
Road Warrior Animal says Sasha Banks is being shoved down fan’s throats – https://t.co/JEPiufUGF3 – AND HE WASN’T FOR DECADES?
— Ringside News (@ringsidenews_) July 30, 2016
Charlotte held the WWE Women’s title for much of the year, and Sasha Banks seems ready to step up and prove the same thing that she proved in NXT – she is talented enough to carry the load. While it is true that Sasha has connections, basically being related to Snoop Dogg, she has worked hard to earn her spot. After she won the title, the fans all started chanting “you deserve it,” which was something Animal either didn’t hear and chose to ignore.
Part of the reason for Animal’s animosity might come from the current lawsuit that he and a number of other wrestlers have leveled against the WWE due to concussions, ironically a condition that held Sasha Banks back for most of the last year. CNN reported that over 50 wrestlers have joined this class action lawsuit against the WWE including Road Warrior Animal, Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff, and Superfly Jimmy Snuka.
The Road Warriors were my favorite tag team #GrowingUpWatchingWWE pic.twitter.com/tZHmuywI8w
— Cardinal Crazy (@cardinal_crazy3) July 5, 2016
Whatever the reason that Road Warrior Animal has targeted Sasha Banks and accusing her of getting shoved down the fans throats, he is wrong. Even Charlotte smiled a huge smile when she left the ring after losing the title, knowing herself how much Sasha has done to reach this point. Triple H also took a photo with the new champion after the win, showing how proud he is of Banks’ journey. Plus, the fans easily voiced their happiness at the crowning of a new champion.
At the end of the day, it seems like Road Warrior Animal is delivering sour apples here. He has the lawsuit he has leveled against the WWE, he is part of a rival start-up promotion led by Shane Douglas that is promising health benefits for wrestlers, and he really never got over the death of his partner and long-time friend, Hawk, especially since one of the last angles Hawk was involved in took advantage of his real life addiction problems.
https://youtu.be/9geNPA9zQPA
One very memorable angle had Hawk trying to jump off the Titan-Tron in a drunken stupor while Animal stood by and watched. It was a tough angle for Hawk, who was suffering from very real alcohol and drug addictions, something that would kill him a short time later. Animal talked about that angle last year to Wrestle Talk TV and still blamed the WWE for poor taste.
“I thought it was low… I thought it was out of bad taste. That’s the thing with WWE, they think they can do whatever they want, and everyone’s going to like it. I thought it was disrespectful.
“I’m not a big believer in touching on things that are too close to home. There’s some things you have to have respect for and leave them aside. There’s a big respect backstage. It’s the office that causes friction. It was in bad taste.”
Sasha Banks just might have caught herself in the middle of Animal’s distaste for the WWE. As much as Animal hates the WWE for what they have done in the past, it is not the new WWE Women’s Champion who deserves his scorn. Sasha Banks will wrestle Charlotte at SummerSlam in August with the WWE Women’s title on the line.
[Image via WWE ]