After a 2016 recording of AEW’s Sammy Guevara making an ugly comment about Sasha Banks surfaced last week, Guevara reached out to Banks to apologize.
Sasha tweeted a statement confirming they’d talked. It didn’t absolve Sammy for what he said. Instead, it focused on calling on everyone to be mindful of the power of their words.
Guevara’s since been suspended without pay and ordered to take sensitivity classes by AEW (signs are he’ll be back before too long), and The Boss has kept herself busy working all of WWE’s shows. As she was getting herself ready for her next big match tonight (July 1) against NXT Women’s champion Io Shirai, Banks spoke to Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso about the situation with Guevara.
“For me, being a role model and a leader is what I have to give back to the universe.
“It’s not easy to be so exposed and so open and so raw, but I’m here to show people that I’m a real person, too. I am just lucky and fortunate enough to be living my dream in front of millions of people. If that connects with people, if that resonates, all I can do is be myself and hopefully show people that no matter what they go through – whether it’s good, bad, or hard – we’re all in this together.
“As you can see on social media, I left my comment out there, I made my statement. I don’t feel like I need to touch upon it any more than I did, but as a role model, I have to lead by example. I can’t show hate with hate. I only can show through education, dignity, and integrity.
“We all have a journey and a story, and we’re able to tell people what we’ve overcome. No one’s perfect, no one’s had an easy road or an easy life, but overcoming difficulty makes us who we are. I’m so thankful for everything that I’ve ever been through since I was a kid. If I didn’t go through those things, I wouldn’t be the strongest person I’ve ever been in my whole life.”
Whether you look up to or follow Banks - or anyone - is up to you. But it’s hard to find fault with her approach here, or the value she places on things like personal growth, honesty, and respect.
Check out Barrasso’s full piece on The Boss, which also includes a little about her recently taking the “Three Shows” mantle from Charlotte Flair, here.