The Untold Truth Of Sasha Banks

The following article includes mentions of domestic abuse allegations.

Mercedes "Sasha Banks" Kaestner-Varnado hustled her way into the world of wrestling by making a name for herself on the independent circuit. She eventually finessed her way into the World Wrestling Federation (WWE) and transformed into a superstar headlining her own pay-per-view main event.

She has broken barriers as one of the most thrilling performers to take the ring, becoming a five-time WWE Raw Women's Champion, and we aren't the only ones who are mesmerized by her onstage presence. She's attracted legions of adoring fans, thanks to her electric dyed hair, her blinged-out costumes, and her high-flying finishing moves, such as The Bankrupt, the Bank Statement, and the Frog Splash — an homage to her wrestling idol, the late Eddie Guerrero.

By now, most of her fans know the basics about her, including the fact that rapper Snoop Dogg is her cousin, but there's much more to learn. From her secretive love life to how she turned her wrestling aspirations into her dream job, this is the untold truth of Sasha Banks.

The family of three eventually left Oregon and proceeded to bounce around in search of a school suitable for Sasha Banks' autistic brother. The pro wrestler told the "Making Their Way to the Ring" podcast that her brother had experienced abuse in some of his previous educational settings, but upon arriving in Minnesota, things unfortunately didn't get much better for their family. 

Her mother was unemployed, they lived in a hotel room for years, and Banks said she was relentlessly teased at school about her appearance. To make matter worse, her brother's behavior worsened due to the alleged abuse he was suffering. When her mom finally landed a job, Banks made a bold decision at the age of 13 to quit school and take online courses so she could become her brother's full-time caregiver. 

"I don't know what a childhood is," she said. "I never had my teenage years. I never went to prom. I never really had a boyfriend. I knew nothing." Because she was willing to make such a huge sacrifice, Banks asked her mom for one thing in return: "I'll do anything for this family," the sports star recalled. "Just give me wrestling."

Some of the best wrestlers made a name for themselves with their catchy ring names or slogans, and Sasha Banks wanted to add a memorable nickname to her moniker, too. She found inspiration in popular hip-hop artists. Since her wrestling persona is centered around bragging, boasting, and showing off massive amounts of confidence, Banks told the Orlando Sentinel, "I was looking at people like [Snoop], Kanye [West], and Nicki Minaj, then somehow the idea 'I'm the boss' clicked with me."

She told BET that being around her cousin, Snoop Dogg, convinced her to run with her powerful calling card. Banks noticed "all his security guards and his friends call him Boss," and decided she deserved the same respect. She then began calling herself "The Boss," and everyone else soon followed suit. "I told myself, 'Once I get my opportunity, I want to show people why I'm here to be the best women's wrestler of all time' and that's why I made my name," Banks explained.

Sasha Banks wasn't always making the big bucks for her show-stopping performances in the ring. There was once a time when she was forced to take whatever scraps she was offered. During a 2018 interview with "First We Feast's Hot Ones," Banks answered a series of questions about her life and career, and she had a thing or two to say about "scummy promoters." When asked what she doesn't miss the most about the independent wrestling circuit, she answered, "I don't miss getting paid $25 or getting paid by just getting a slice of pizza. Banks added, "It was legit. Either you get pizza or a hot dog, or you get $25. That was it."

Those days are thankfully now in her rear-view mirror. At that point in Banks' wrestling career, this boss was no longer trading pizza for suplexes, reportedly raking in a salary of $225,000 a year. Cha-ching!

To be a professional wrestler means being on point at all times. Not only do wrestlers need to build up their stamina and endurance so they don't conk out in the middle of a match, but they also have to make sure their bodies look flawless when they're piledriving their opponents. To keep a toned physique, Banks told Muscle and Fitness that she does 90-minute gym sessions, which consist of a mixture of cardio and strength training. "It's hard to get to the gym when we're on the road so much," she said. "But it's so important that I make the time to keep up with it."

Hitting the gym hard is only half the battle. What she consumes also plays a huge role in helping maintain her washboard abs. During an episode of "First We Feast's Hot Ones," Banks described the type of food that's generally served backstage at the WWE: "There is a little salad bar and we have our plain chicken, and that's what I pretty much have every week on 'Monday Night Raw,'" she said. "I just stare at the dessert and just hope one day that I can have a bite."

The WWE's Women's Tag Team Championship was established in December 2018, and Sasha Banks and Bayley — better known as the Boss 'n' Hug Connection — became the inaugural champions by winning an Elimination Chamber match in February 2019, according to Prowrestling.net.

But this title might not have happened if it weren't Banks. She told Sky Sports that Vince McMahon had to be convinced that bringing women's tag-team titles to the WWE was a good idea. So she and Bayley went to work. "It felt like the whole of last year we were asking, like we would be knocking on the door of Vince's office every week," Banks said, before adding that McMahon would frequently flip-flop on his answer and change his mind from one week to the next. 

In the end, he gave the title the green-light, of course. And the whole ordeal taught Banks a valuable lesson. "If you're annoying enough you can make things happen and that's probably what happened, he just got annoyed with us," she said. Being annoying isn't such a bad thing after all!

Walkouts in the WWE aren't totally uncommon, but the blowback from Sasha Banks' walkout has been unusually fierce. It also raised a lot of questions about her role in the organization. So, what actually happened? Rumors have been swirling ever since she stormed out of a "Monday Night Raw" taping in May 2022.

In a statement, the WWE claimed Banks and Naomi — the reigning women's tag-team champions — "walked into WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis office with their suitcases in hand, placed their tag team championship belts on his desk and walked out," refusing to participate in the main event. The pair reportedly claimed they weren't comfortable with their opponents and "weren't respected enough as tag team champions." As Vulture pointed out, this all but confirmed the rumors of behind-the-scenes tensions within the WWE. Banks and Naomi were allegedly unhappy with a new storyline that transformed them from teammates into opponents, with Naomi defeating Banks before each moved on to individual fights. Other online rumors alleged the women's grievances escalated to screaming matches prior to the walkout, with the WWE claiming the pair were "spoiled" and needed to "fix their attitudes." 

Banks has since unfollowed the organization, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, and some of her other colleagues on social media. Meanwhile, according to the New York Post, the WWE stripped the champions of their titles and also indefinitely suspended both Banks and Naomi. So, where does Banks stand now?

Even if Sasha Banks didn't renew her WWE contract, she can still rely on her impressive net worth until she finds a new gig. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the star is worth an estimated $4 million — though other reports place her riches somewhere between $3 million and $5 million. Most of her success has to do with her 12-year career as a wrestler.

Per Sportskeeda, the WWE gave Banks an annual salary of $250,000. That's about average compared to other WWE earnings, but you also have to factor in additional revenue streams. According to Forbes, it's difficult to calculate pro wrestler earnings because they could earn up to 65% of their salary through bonuses that include live events, royalties, merchandise sales, and video sales. For example, according to Sportlister, Becky Lynch — the highest-paid female wrestler — makes $3.1 million annually. This includes her base salary, a $50,000 payout per pay-per-view match, and 1.5% of merchandise sales. Meanwhile, Ronda Rousey earns 2.5% of merchandise sales. Considering her buzz, Banks' merchandise royalties likely fall somewhere in the middle, and a report from US Bookies claims that she grossed nearly $240,000 in merch sales alone in 2021.

As it stands, Banks is one of the highest-paid women in the WWE, but she could take a significant hit now that the organization removed her products from their official shop. If all else fails, she could always hack it as an Instagram influencer.