Bianca Belair still has something to prove

SmackDown Women’s championship match

Their first encounter was literally award-winning. Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair will try to meet or exceed their WrestleMania 37 classic on Sat., Aug. 21 in Las Vegas.

The Road to SummerSlam

On the Road to ‘Mania, Banks and Belair’s relationship was different. They were partners for a while, and even when The Boss showed her stripes, she seemed to treat Bianca as a worthy challenger. The EST had won the Royal Rumble for the right to face her, after all.

But the loss in Tampa brought out an even more ruthless side of Sasha. Maybe it was the scar Bianca’s braid left on her. That’s the reason Banks is giving for her time off. Whatever the real explanation, since returning The Mandalorian star has done nothing but look down her nose at Belair. It was obvious in her first actions after showing back up at the end of last month...

... and it remained obvious all the way through their contract signing last week...

Banks wasn’t on the go home edition of SmackDown (her absence is more mysterious than her post-’Mania one, but hopefully won’t turn out to be any more serious than a braid-inflicting wound). Bianca was, and she made it clear in beating both Zelina Vega and Carmella in singles matches that she’s not playing around come SummerSlam.

The champ says she’s going to force Sasha to put some respect on her name.

What to watch for

It’s probably not fair to expect Banks & Belair to top their last singles match. Nor is it fair to judge Bianca’s title reign based on whether she can take down The Boss again. She has successfully defended her title against both Bayley and Carmella, the former in a Hell in a Cell match.

But those are the kinds of expectations that come from being on top of the scripted fight game. I’m confident The EST can live up to her nickname and prove any doubters wrong with another show-stealer at SummerSlam.

You?

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