Mercedes Kaestner-Varnado (born January 26, 1992) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Sasha Banks.
She previously wrestled on the independent circuit, most notably for Chaotic Wrestling, where she once held the Chaotic Wrestling Women's Championship. Between WWE and their developmental brand NXT, Banks has had four championship reigns – being a former NXT Women's Champion and a three-time Raw Women's Champion. Her match against Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Respect on October 7, 2015 was the first women's match to ever headline a WWE event, the first women's Iron Man match, and the longest women's match in WWE history at the time with a length of 30 minutes. Their match was voted by Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) as the "Match of the Year", with Banks being voted as the "Woman of the Year" as well, while their NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn in August 2015 won the NXT Year-End Award for "Match of the Year".