Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks: The Good, Bad and Ugly of Current WWE Feud

Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks has the potential to be a special, superb feud, but right now it is incomplete and unpolished.

Charlotte, the heel champion who has cheated her way to a lengthy reign, is suddenly up against a challenger poised to snatch the Women's Championship from her grip. The rivals share a history that goes back long before they met at this year's WrestleMania, before either woman had made it to the main roster. 

That rivalry can be powerful, and the performers are capable of producing classics.

WWE just has to invest in this narrative. It has to move beyond the surface-level storytelling that we have seen in the early stages of Banks and Charlotte's latest battles. 

Fans of The Boss, The Nature Girl and women's wrestling in general have to be hoping the company does just that by taking full advantage of this opportunity.

The Good

The women's division needed Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks to happen. It's a money feud between two women with great chemistry, two emerging stars who fit perfectly together.

The Boss has already made such a strong connection to the fans that when she is not around audiences often chant, "We want Sasha!" Brandon Howard of Voices of Wrestling tweeted a graph displaying how much Google interest Banks has drawn even when out of action.

Now that Banks' chase for the title is finally underway, WWE has fans teeming with anticipation. This is the matchup fans have been pining for.

WWE has smartly made Banks look dominant recently.

As seen on her CageMatch.net profile, Banks has gone 6-0 since WrestleMania. She won in tag team action on Monday's Raw and knocked off Summer Rae in singles competition on Thursday's SmackDown.

Charlotte, meanwhile, is the typical cowardly heel. It feels as if her grip on the Women's Championship is tenuous and that she is poised to finally get her comeuppance. 

That's a strong foundation for WWE to build on, but it can't be the entirety of the narrative's construction.

The Bad

WWE should be selling Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks as a collision of mortal enemies. The two wrestlers have been at each other's throats for years. In the latest round of their rivalry, though, it hasn't felt like that.

The company hasn't touched on their history nearly enough. Instead, WWE has relied on the energy generated by Banks' return to TV after weeks of inactivity.

Why not remind the audience that Banks came within inches of dethroning Charlotte at WrestleMania? Why not bring up their NXT battles, their now-splintered alliance?

The feud needs a video recapping their rivalry in a hurry.

Fans know WWE is fully capable of building on the past and portraying rivals as archenemies. It is doing exactly that with Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn. Banks and Charlotte need to mirror the raw intensity that those men share.

The Ugly

While Charlotte clashed with Natalya and Becky Lynch over the past few months, WWE sat Sasha Banks on the bench. The Boss didn't appear on Raw for so long that it became a running joke among fans.

This should have been when WWE built Banks up as a formidable contender. She could have destroyed Summer Rae and outlasted Paige. She could have been dripping with momentum at this point.

WWE's plan to neglect her until now and just throw her back on TV was a mistake.

And there has since been no explanation for Banks' absence. When Michael Cole asked her about it in a recent interview (video above), The Boss simply said, "Don't worry about where I've been."

What a copout.

Former WWE Creative Kevin Eck criticized the lack of storytelling here. He wrote on The Eck Factor, "It reminds me of the times I've seen a babyface make an illogical heel turn and then say, "I don't owe anyone an explanation." 

Hopefully this isn't the kind of lazy approach WWE takes with this rivalry moving forward. The more logical, deep and realistic it is, the better it will be. 

Projections

WWE is intensifying things between Charlotte and Banks already, but they won't meet in singles action until SummerSlam. Expect the company to delay their meeting and save the long-awaited bout for the summer's marquee pay-per-view.

Battleground is bound to feature a tag team match instead, a stopgap until Banks and Charlotte take center stage in August.

Their past history suggest that they will tear the house down. Banks vs. Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch was WrestleMania's best match. The Boss and the champ have thrived against each other dating back to their days at NXT.

Count on at least one classic bout as this feud rolls on. And as the women flourish and the buzz around them builds, WWE will look to capitalize in historic fashion.

Charlotte and Banks will headline a PPV by year's end.