Sasha Banks Talks Cousin Snoop Dogg's Influence On Her Character, Snoop Taking Her To WrestleMania

Recently, Chris Jericho spoke with current NXT Women's Champion, Sasha Banks, on his Talk Is Jericho podcast. The two discussed many topics including Banks's cousin, rapper Snoop Dogg, and his influence on the creation of 'the Boss' gimmick.

Banks said she started out in NXT with no character, that she was just herself, and "just so happy to be there". While she was frustrated that the fans were not connecting with her, she wondered what she was missing. Tyler Breeze suggested that she compile a list of characters, come up with background stories for each, and further develop the gimmick with which she felt the most comfortable. Ultimately, Banks picked 'the Boss' because that is what her cousin Snoop Dogg calls himself.

"I was just like, 'this works, I can call him for one-liners and all that stuff' and that's what I did," Banks said. "And it just kind of kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I just kept watching things on the TV and it was all like Nicki Minaj and all this at the time and here I am, I'm 'the Boss' of NXT."

In addition to being the inspiration behind 'the Boss' gimmick, Snoop Dogg, who is Banks's first cousin, would take Banks to professional wrestling events when she was younger, including two WrestleManias and a RAW.

Banks recalled, "he took me to WrestleMania when I was 16 and I swear to God I thought I was going to get signed just because I was like, 'can I meet Vince [McMahon]? Can I?' and, of course, nothing happened."

According to Banks, Snoop Dogg is a huge fan of professional wrestling and the two bonded over their passion for wrestling, saying "that was our connection." Banks added, "it's awesome to see that he can see me from when I was 8 and I always told him that I was going to be a wrestler and everyone was like, 'yeah right!' And now I'm here doing it!"

Also during the podcast, Jericho and Banks discussed the Divas Revolution, training under the tutelage of Dusty Rhodes, and much more. To listen to the whole podcast, click here.

Source: Talk Is Jericho