Sasha Banks has ‘nothing nice to say’ about Ronda Rousey

We mentioned it while covering Triple H’s prediction the WWE Women’s roster would be “thrilled” to have Ronda Rousey in the company, but Sirius XM’s Busted Open has released a full clip of Dave LaGreca, Bully Ray and Mark Henry asking Sasha Banks about Rousey.

Here that is, along with our transcription:

LaGreca: The big talk on today’s show, the big talk yesterday - and a lot of it on The Rumble, but most of it on Ronda Rousey. What’s it like for you to have that type of Rumble match on Sunday, you in the ring for 54 minutes and 46 seconds - which is crazy - and then, you know, everyone talking about Ronda Rousey... are you happy about it? Does it feel good, uh, you know, listen... Nia Jax tweeted about it, Nikki Bella tweeted about it, they’re not exactly happy about sharing the spotlight with somebody like Ronda Rousey, I mean, what are your feelings on it?

Banks: My feelings, and sorry to do it to you guys, but you know - I have nothing nice to say so I can’t say anything at all. So that’s it.

Bully: Time out, time out, time out...

Henry: Breaking news!

Bully: There’s legitimately nothing positive about it?

Banks: I have nothing to say about it, nope.

Bully: Okay.

Henry: Well, I respect that. I was always told if you don’t have nothing good to say, don’t say nothing at all.

LaGreca: I know you said you don’t have a lot of nice things to say, but I mean, I just have to ask you this. Do you think, with her MMA background, that she can hang as a pro wrestler?

Banks: I’ve got nothing nice to say, I’m gonna keep at that. You’re not gonna get nothing out of me.

LaGreca: Alright, well, I tried.

Henry: Nothing. Nothing. Give them nothing and make them want more.

Banks: [with Bully trying to ask a question while she talks] ... go call Nia Jax, so...

Bully: Okay, so I have to ask... Sasha, I have to ask this question then on a professional level. I don’t want to know about personal. What happens if you show to Raw, or a SmackDown, and you look at the line-up and your name is next to hers. Then what?

Banks: It’s like I do every single week. I do my job.

Bully: Okay, okay...

Henry: Professionalism.

LaGreca: That’s why they call her ‘The Boss’.

Bully: Okay, fair enough.

Henry: That’s why she’s The Boss.

A lot to unpack here in a two minute clip (and as a satellite radio show, Busted Open isn’t available to non-Sirius subscribers - so for the sake of full disclosure, I have not heard the whole interview and can provide no further context).

As we discussed in the Cageside offices, this sounds like “shoot Sasha” as opposed to “kayfabe Boss”. There’s no guarantees she’s not in character here, or delivering a storyline answer in her normal cadence, but it’s not her promo delivery voice. Could be because she’s just getting up after a rough night at the office, could be because in the past Bully Ray’s been critical of some of her comments about fans...

We’ve got a WWE contracted guy and a WWE affiliated guy who also host a radio show interviewing a current wrestler about a talent acquisition and booking decision - we’re neck deep in ‘Reality’ Era stuff with this.

So throw this in the conversation with tweets from other Superstars and legends upset with how Rousey’s been promoted in her two short days as a “full time” wrestler, and WWE’s glowing presentation of Ronda as a superfan living her dream.

Work or shoot, with Rousey back in Colombia finishing a movie shoot and probably not quite ready to debut, they’ve got fans talking about her arrival and debating the roster’s reaction in a way we wouldn’t be without this perceived “heat” from Banks, Bella, Jax and others.

At some point in Tuesday’s Busted Open broadcast, Henry bottom-lined it for all of us - whether this is a storyline or real animosity:

Will business be good? It might be better now that we think many of her future opponents generally resent Ronda.

Time will tell. For now, WWE is glad we care.