For much of the history of women’s championships in WWE, it’s only women involved in one title picture or another who find themselves on PPV or getting significant TV time devoted to their storyline. Historically, this dynamic makes sense, given the relatively small size of the women’s roster and the female wrestlers not being set up a draws. However, in the modern era there is plenty of noteworthy women’s talent and it has been a pleasure to see a rivalry like Sasha Banks vs. Shotzi take shape without a title at stake.

Sasha Banks Is Credible Enough Not To Need A Title In Her Feud

Sasha Banks

On a deeper, better established women’s roster, WWE has reached a point when it has credible female talent who don’t need championships attached to them to feel like stars. Sasha Banks, in particular, stands out as one of those stars.

Banks has a resume that includes feuding with a who's who of women's talent in WWE, including Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Bayley, Asuka, Alexa Bliss, and Bianca Belair. She worked the first women’s NXT TakeOver main event, as well as the first women’s main roster PPV main event. She worked the first WrestleMania main event that featured two women of color (not to mention the first one-on-one women’s match to close a night of WrestleMania). She worked each of the first three women’s Hell in a Cell matches.

For all of the firsts Banks has accomplished, she has consistently delivered with solid matches and promos that make her feel like she belongs in a top spot. In the tradition of major stars like Roddy Piper and Ted Dibiase, The Boss has arrived as the kind of talent who doesn’t feel out of place in the title mix, but also doesn’t need a title to feel like top-level talent.

Shotzi Is A Fresh Face On The Main Roster

WWE Shotzi

There are so many talented women to have wrestled in WWE, and not least of all on the current roster. It can be difficult to get excited for someone like Natalya now in a non-title scenario, though, because of her longevity—the sense we’ve seen it all before from her. Someone like Shotzi represents the opposite dynamic. She’s still a relatively recent call up from NXT. Moreover, she drives a tank into the arena, wrestles with a wild style in and out of the ring, and has a shock of green hair that means she never blends into the background.

Related: Shotzi Blackheart: Age, Height, Relationship Status & Other Things To Know About Her

On top of Shotzi, herself, being a new and relatively distinctive character on the WWE landscape, there’s also the matter of her heel turn. Even fans who did follow her in NXT only saw her work babyface. When Shotzi attacked Sasha Banks on the October 29 edition of SmackDown, it marked a change in character. Moreover, devoting the energy to shift her persona and book her opposite Banks demonstrated that WWE was putting some real effort into Shotzi, in contrast to the high volume of talents whom the company seems to forget about en route to an eventual release.

Shotzi Vs. Sasha Banks Is Off To A Good Start

Shotzi Wrestles Sasha Banks

There’s not telling how far WWE will go with Shotzi vs. Sasha Banks, particularly given the company’s tendency to shift gears and drop storylines without clear reason. Nonetheless this rivalry has had sound beginnings, highlighted by Shotzi’s heel turn and a competitive SmackDown match between them. From there, they didn’t magically forget their hostilities because they were teammates at Survivor Series, but rather the match included the two of them briefly brawling with each other.

Another reason for optimism is that Banks has a growing track record of putting over less established stars. It’s easy to forget now, but Banks did play a significant role in getting over Alexa Bliss as a top tier women’s star years back. More recently, The Boss did wonders making Bianca Belair look her very best at WrestleMania 37. While The EST is quite talented in her own right, it was clear Banks took satisfaction in plotting and delivering a match that shored up Belair’s positioning as one of the biggest stars in WWE.

Titles are a cornerstone of wrestling booking, and there’s little question Sasha Banks will find herself with title around her waist again. Her feud with Shotzi doesn’t need a championship yet, though, and better yet stands a chance of positioning Shotzi so that she, too, can enter the title picture on one brand or another before long.