It Takes Time But All Wounds Will Heal

One of the most famous paintings in the world depicts Dante's imagining of Hell (Inferno) where there are 9 circles, each designed for specific crimes and sinners. However, if we look closely at the patterns in our lives and apply the same distance Dante had to create his work, chances are that each and every one of us will notice that we, too, have been living in circles. Sometimes they overlap, sometimes one begins where another ends. By realizing this, that we've all been going around in circles, we can also understand why it seems as though history keeps repeating ourselves. And unlike hell, this isn't meant as punishment. Instead, whenever a circle re-stars, we're being offered an opportunity to make it right, change the outcome, heal a wound. That being said, I invite you to sit down and follow me through the circles that lead us to Sasha Banks and Naomi winning the tag team titles at Wrestlemania in what, to me, is a triumph story that touches me deeper than I'll ever be able to explain.

THE FIRST CIRCLE - Foundation and growing pains

It all began in 2016, on the very same stadium Wrestlemania emanated from this weekend. Sasha Banks, a young star who knew the sky was never her limit, entered a match where the Diva's championship would be reborn into the RAW women's championship. At the end of it, Sasha sat by the barricade crying about what could've been if only she'd won what many still consider to be one of the best women's matches on the showcase of immortals. That same Wrestlemania, Naomi, a magnificently talented athlete who'd been Sasha's partner up until a couple months prior, participated in one of the kick off matches. On that day, the sun didn't shine bright over them but hope wasn't lost.

With stories that often left them feeling drained and questioning if their dream was worth the pain, their journeys were tumultuous at times. While Naomi dealt with injuries that forced the relinquishing of her first title, Sasha collected marquee matches where victory never tasted as sweet as it should. In fact, Wrestlemania 32 began a streak of losses in the grandest stage of them all and one of them, the one I personally refuse to speak about, almost cost everything.

THE SECOND CIRCLE - Breaking point and isolation

While Wrestlemania 35 offered us a priceless gift that is, within itself, another overlapping of circles until the glorious coronation of Kofi Kingston as the highest champion in the WWE, it also gave us the lowest of lows. Once again in the kick off, participating in yet another Battle Royale after never having had her previous victory transform into the title opportunity she'd been rewarded it, Naomi did the work she was supposed to and that was it. But later that night, Bayley and Sasha Banks - the inaugural tag team champions in the women's division and "mothers" of the beautiful double titles the champions hold - lost their match. To many, that was it. But those who were watching closely, something didn't feel right... And it wasn't.

After that night, Sasha Banks disappeared in what we'd later find out, through her re-telling of the story and brave openness about the truth, was a mental health break. This, for many fans, was a hard lesson to learn and it was a tough realization that what you see isn't always what you get because everyone has a battle they're working through that very few know about. That night, Sasha reached her breaking point and this is the part where it gets too hard for me to write or even speak about.

THE THIRD CIRCLE - Again, foundation and growing pains

Upon her return, in a moment no one will ever forget and that is celebrated yearly as if it was the anniversary of a friend, Sasha was different. The spark of her passion for wrestling had been ignited again but this time, rather than cover it with a dome and concentrating all her power in keeping it alive, she let it burn freely. Openly. And the fact that she was having fun doing so showed. Meanwhile, Naomi had to take some time off for personal reasons as well and 2019, for of these women, was the overlapping of circles. The moment where nothing seems to go right, no matter what you do or what you try to do.

At the Royal Rumble in 2020, Naomi returned to a massive fan reaction that propelled her to go viral and even acknowledged by other celebrities that have no connection to wrestling. But that wasn't enough to change the world. In fact, the world changed for all of us and declared that everyone had to isolate in order to survive a pandemic that was spreading rapidly through the world. Confined into the Performance Centre, Sasha Banks - paired up with Bayley - received the opportunity to rewrite history for the first time in this journey and regained the tag team championships for the second time. Their reign of infectious evil laughter, that brought me immense joy during a time where everything was collapsing, was a sight to behold - just as was Naomi's signing Dusty Rhodes theme in a segment that makes the rounds on social media every now and then.

Unable to perform in front of a crowd until Wrestlemania 37, we watched these two women go through stories that allowed them to grow, becoming better and stronger. Even if on the first match with a crowd, Sasha Banks lost the SmackDown women's title she'd taken from Bayley at Hell In A Cell. Even if on the first match with a crowd, Naomi didn't capture the women's tag team titles with Lana.

THE FINAL CIRCLE - Breaking point and growth

If we've learned anything from the story I've been trying to tell through tear filled eyes, since I haven't been able to stop crying since that bell rang, is that when we're confronted with a potential breaking point, there's only two options. Picture a flower, a patch of grass, a tree. Anything that is deeply rooted in soil but, for whatever reason, faces an obstacle when trying to grow. The first option, even if the soil has been properly taken cared of and the plant receive all nutrients to grow, is to break. If the obstacle seems impenetrable, and there's no light on the outside to inspire the push through, chances are that the plant will remain inside. Broken.

But when there's enough light, when there's enough power in the soil to support the plant, it will push through any obstacle to grow. And the same happens with us. What seems like an unbreakable barrier in our path, and that before has sent us five steps back to recalculate our approach, sometimes has a small breach that we can go through and come out on the other side.

On the road to Wrestlemania 38, that was advertised as the most STUPENDOUS of all time - and quite frankly delivered exactly that -, the possibilities for both women were endless. Naomi had matches with Charlotte Flair, the current SmackDown women's champion, and could've been a title contender. But so could've Sasha Banks. And maybe we could've had a repeat of the 5 way Bayley had to endure during Wrestlemania 36, where both Sasha Banks and Naomi participated. But let's be real, everything has a way of working out so that you can finally level up from the circles you've been running around on.

Once Sasha Banks and Naomi announced that they'd be entering Wrestlemania 38 together with the sole objective of walking out of it as tag team champions, the fans - and wrestling media - made themselves heard. And to put it mildly, it wasn't nice. But they don't see what we see. They don't know what we know. And where they saw a disservice to their favourite superstar, I saw it as a chance to, in one single blow, heal several open wounds - or at the very least, sooth them.

Winning matches on the build to the grandest stage of them all, Naomi and Sasha Banks injected novelty into that division whenever they were together in the ring. Same old chemistry but a bag full of new tricks they'd learned along the way. And joined by Liv Morgan, Rhea Ripley, Natalya, Shayna Baszler, Zelina Vega and Carmella, they delivered what has to be, so far in history, the best women's tag team match in Wrestlemania. The bar they set was very high and it happened thanks to the combined effort of every person involved in creating the match, the performers and the producers. To all of them, I take a bow of respect and send my deepest appreciation.

But then the bell rang and now? Now the world changed, for good.

After going around in circles for so long, Naomi was able to heal the wounds of not being a champion for almost six years despite the fact that she's beyond talented and gifted. She was able to achieve the dream of being in the first black women's tag team to become champions and continue to trailblaze the path she's been opening for the future behind her. She was able to honour team B.A.D, a team beloved by many and that had titles already existed when they were together, they would've rotated amongst each other like the New Day.

After going around in circles for so long, Sasha Banks was able to heal the open wound from her losing Wrestlemania streak. She was able to sooth the wound, that will never fully close, from her breaking point at Wrestlemania 35. She was able to achieve the same dream Naomi shared and together, they will continue to create opportunities for all those who walk the path to glory. She was able to honour team B.A.D as well as the woman who, earlier in the day, cried seeing Bianca Belair's face on the front of the stadium, on the same place hers was for the first time six years ago.

And now you ask me, with reason, how do I know that this was the closing chapter of their overlapping circles and from here on out, another journey will begin, full of healing and continued growth? Because once enough time has passed and you are able to correct the trajectory, learn from your previous faults and elevate to another realm, there's always something extra. A cherry on top of the cake, if you will. And in my humble opinion, from a woman who isn't black but who is deeply moved about what this means to so many inner child's and young black girls watching, it really can't get any sweeter than seeing this.

With all my love, 

and heart so filled with joy, its pouring over through my eyes,

S.