There is no one more highly scrutinized by a large sect of public consciousness than a confident black woman. If you need tangible proof of that, consider the way Sasha Banks has had the wrestling world in the palm of her hands for the last few months.

Fans and insiders alike have been waiting with bated breath for the WWE superstar to answer a slew of questions since she went on hiatus following WrestleMania 35.

Everyone scrambled to figure out her next move and she was consistently vague or jocular. She was away living her best life while fans got angry at her for things she never said or confirmed.

“The Boss” sat back and watched for months while people spread rumors about her or overanalyzed everything she posted on social media. In response, she continued to be aloof and unbothered in a way that had to be calculated.

The fact that fans have responded so strongly to her, positively or negatively, proves she accomplished what all wrestlers set out to do. She has fans all over the world invested, and that is no easy feat. If you think she isn’t embracing it, then you’re not paying close attention.

Banks knew we all wanted to know what happened, and she reveled in it. She effectively created more buzz than many of her peers without saying a word about any of the speculation.

There was something so endearing and amusing about her approach to the whole thing. She came off as whimsical and coy as Alanis Morissette’s portrayal of God in Dogma. If god was a woman, as she put it on Twitter.

Sasha Banks has us all wrapped around her finger, and she knows it. Even people, who claim to hate her, can’t stop talking about her.

When she finally returned to Raw three weeks ago, she made an immediate impact. “The Boss” interrupted and viciously beat down her one-time friend, Natalya. Then she laid out the Raw Women’s Champion, Becky Lynch, who has been calling Banks out for months.

It would seem Sasha heard Lynch loud and clear. On the following episode of Raw, “The Man” declared Sasha “is the greatest woman on the roster to never be great.” It was a piercing line from a phenomenal promo, but it’s still flawed, isn’t it?

See, Lynch understands Banks’ greatness better than most. In fact, her absence cast a huge shadow over her tenure as champion and undisputed face of the division.

Frankly, Becky knows she hasn’t really beat anyone noteworthy since WrestleMania. Natalya was her first real test.

Even more, Sasha Banks’ legacy, both with NXT and on the main roster, eats at her because she arguably accomplished everything Lynch wanted to first. That’s why she kept goading her while she was gone.

Lynch needs to prove she’s better than her once and for all. For all of Becky’s bravado, even she can’t escape conversation around “The Boss.”

Banks fittingly said “you’re welcome” a week after she returned because she undeniably made the Raw women’s division and the title picture relevant again.

That isn’t to say “The Man” has been a bad champion but you’re only as good as your last success, as the saying goes. She has been in search of a real challenge since Ronda Rousey left.

As for Sasha Banks, there are still so many questions surrounding her departure and she’s still giving us breadcrumbs. Her promo last week was just as polarizing as her behavior while she was away.

Of course, we all know she cares about the Women’s Tag Team Championship. It’s well known how much she and Bayley pushed for them.

She could brazenly say she didn’t because she knows we will all hang on to every word she says. Banks could even half-heartedly admit she threw a tantrum on the locker room floor because she knows she will still be the topic of discussion.

The proof is in the pudding because her fans and critics are still just as interested in what she’s going to do next. In short, Sasha Banks is living rent-free in our heads, and she is loving every second of it.