Sasha Banks and the Best WWE Mic Mastery for Week of September 14

Sasha Banks, known more for driving her knees into her opponents' guts and tearing at their limbs, did her damage on Wednesday's WWE NXT by wielding a microphone instead.

Brimming with intensity, Banks stared down the woman holding the championship that she so proudly wore just a month ago. Her confrontation with Bayley ahead of their main event title bout was a clinic in how to hype a match using realism, simplicity and raw emotion.

While her in-ring acumen has generated the majority of the talk about Banks, she has quietly grown into strong mic worker as well. Her interviews feel more genuine. She looks more comfortable relying on her verbal skills alone.

That was evident at Full Sail University, with the flashy, fierce grappler returning to the stage where she first burst onto the scene.

The tense moments that followed had critics gushing. Brandon Stroud of Uproxx called the confrontation "pitch-perfect." Pro Wrestling Torch's Justin James wrote, "That was red-hot. Amazing promo work from both Bayley and Banks."

Choked up, Banks talked about the stellar bout she and Bayley put on in Brooklyn, New York. It briefly felt like a babyface move, her playing to the crowd, creating a feel-good, women-united moment.

But Banks' expression shifted. Her focus changed. Hostility replaced mutual admiration.

"I didn't come here to put on good matches or steal the show. I came here to be the best," she said.

That's as simple a goal as there is, but a character with a clear objective is essential to good storytelling. It helped too, that she was so passionate about it. A mix of anger, frustration and a desire to win colored her voice.

Banks explained that the loss at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn was not an indication of Bayley being superior to her. It was instead a case of the babyface having a fleeting moment of greatness.

"For three seconds, you were better," she told Bayley.

The Boss of NXT did well to remind the audience of her greatness and her undiminished belief in that greatness, all without burying Bayley. There was plenty of respect thrown the new champ's way. She treated her like a worthy foe—just one not quite as good as her.

The heel is supposed to be this cocky. And she believed her words. This didn't feel like someone reading a memorized script but a peek into the fury and self-certainty that resides in her.

As WrestlingINC.com noted, Banks looked to be on the verge of crying in the ring:

And like with any good promo, it pointed toward the future. In this case, that future is the 30-minute Iron Man match that will headline the next live NXT special. Banks laid out how passionately she wanted that title back, and beyond that, what her other goal was in the clash with Bayley.

She wants to send a message and prove her dominance by beating the happy-go-lucky champ several times over:

In her mind, it's clear how things will play out. "Fairy tales don't have a happy ending," she said.

Bayley deserves credit for playing the foil well here. She juxtaposed Banks' blustering with quiet confidence excellently. She makes it easy to root for her, to want to see her story end in triumph.

But Banks was the star here. Her aggression and machete-sharp focus are the bigger takeaways. This is proof that Banks is the one who should be delivering the Divas revolution's hallmark promo, the "women's pipebomb" that Mick Foley talked about back in August.

Her excellence in the ring gives her cred among the diehard fans. Her clear, developed character helps her stand out in a division crowded with new faces.

And after seeing her vent so expertly on Wednesday night, it's clear she can handle the weight of being the voice of the Divas revolution.