Bianca Belair Discusses WrestleMania Moment With Sasha Banks, On Facing Bayley At Backlash, Calls Beth Phoenix Dream Opponent

WWE SmackDown women’s champion Bianca Belair recently spoke with TalkSport to hype this evening’s WrestleMania Backlash pay per view, where the EST defends her title against Bayley. During the interview Belair looks back on her big moment with Sasha Banks from Mania 37, and names Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix as an all time dream opponent. Highlights can be found below.

Says the matchup was so much bigger than the both of them:

For me, me going into that match, I knew it was my time to showcase myself, but this is also Sasha Banks’ legacy. She’s done so much up to this moment and I just want to contribute to this legacy and leave a good stamp on this legacy as well. This is the beginning of my legacy. But that moment is so much bigger than the both of us.

On Sasha smiling after their Mania match and how no one really lost:

It think she was able to smile and be happy at the end of the match because at the end of the day, I walked out SmackDown Women’s champion, but no one lost that night. That night was so much bigger than me, bigger than Sasha – it was even bigger than becoming champion because we were the main event. We made history. So no one really lost that night when you really think about it and I think that’s why she was really able to just be happy, be fulfilled and accomplished a huge goal by main eventing WrestleMania. But also, she did it by making history. You couldn’t ask for a better moment and a better stamp on your legacy than that moment that we shared in the ring. We were both just happy about being the two women that were in the ring to main event and make history because it could have been anybody, so we were just blessed that it was us and we showed up and we showed up! For women, for black women, for women of colour and anyone that sees inspiration in us. We were just super happy about that.

How Bayley is a great first defense of her title:

I’m very excited to get back in the ring with Bayley. I actually pinned Bayley right before the Royal Rumble, so I feel like she gave me my momentum that carried me through towards the Royal Rumble and then into the feud with Sasha.That pin over Bayley gave me the confidence to pick Sasha Banks for WrestleMania. I had confidence to say ‘I want to face Sasha Banks who is the best!’ It carried me through to WrestleMania. So to come full circle and come back to Bayley I think is an amazing first defence. We have history and she was the longest reigning SmackDown Women’s champion. So I would love for it to be my first stepping stone to becoming the new longest reigning SmackDown Women’s champion, I want to take that title from her. You know, it’s the long-est… I’m the EST! I want everything that ends in EST to belong to me! [laughs]. Like I said with WrestleMania, no one really lost that night. So I would love to get back around to Sasha where it’s just about me, Sasha and the title. Really see who is going to come out on top since no one really lost at WrestleMania.

Calls Beth Phoenix a dream match for her:

Whenever I’m asked about dream matches, the person always at the top of my list is Beth Phoenix. She’s one of the first women I related to and got me into watching WWE.She was so captivating like her muscles, her beauty, her strength; she was picking up two girls at the same time and slamming them down! There’s so much inspiration in Beth Phoenix. When I picked up two girls at NXT TakeOver: New York, I just remembered Beth Phoenix picking up two girls. I would love to get in the ring with her.