Tag: Naomi

Instead of a tournament, WWE should just get rid of the Women’s Tag Team Championship

Focusing on more women’s singles titles seems smarter for WWE.

When WWE champions are unavailable for an indeterminate or extended period of time, it’s pretty common for the company to have a tournament to crown new titleholders. In that respect, the announcement that WWE would hold a tourney for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship after Sasha Banks and Naomi abandoned their titles is standard operating procedure.

(Of course the reason for a vacant championship is usually injury, not acute workplace dissatisfaction, but we’ll circle back to that in a bit.)

That would be all well and good if there was a thriving women’s tag team scene in WWE, but the truth is that it’s pretty barren. There are basically two tag teams on both Raw and SmackDown right now: Shayna Baszler and Natalya, who recently failed to win the titles but would be considered by most the No. 1 contenders by default, and Doudrop and Nikki A.S.H., who only recently joined forces and have been portrayed as not quite being on the same page. That’s seriously it.

To fill out a bracket, Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live has reported (h/t to WrestlingNews.co) that WWE plans to bring teams from NXT into the mix. That’s good for them, and additional opportunities for up and coming talent are always welcome.

The necessity of this move, however, proves one of Sasha and Naomi’s points, if behind the scenes sources are on the money: WWE has done a terrible job making the Women’s Tag Team Championship meaningful, leaving it up to the titleholders to elevate the belts instead of the other way around. That’s fine when stars like Banks and Naomi are holding them, but problematic when a championship tournament is being held — because in this case, the prize is supposed to be the thing.

WWE hasn’t always been great about promoting or caring about men’s tag team wrestling either, as evidenced by the steady stream of teams that got over in NXT only to die on the vine on the main roster (with a few notable exceptions, like the Street Profits). But the tag team title unification saga between RK-Bro and The Usos had been the main storyline running through Raw and SmackDown for weeks until it paid off this past Monday, so it’s possible, at least, for men’s teams to be in the spotlight.

That simply hasn’t been the case in the women’s division. Without looking, can you even name who are the longest reigning women’s tag team champs? Did you know that Baszler and Nia Jax held the titles for the most combined days? It’s easy to argue that WWE hasn’t had even one championship team that will be remembered forever like legendary men’s tag teams through the years.

What WWE has shown the ability and desire to do is weave compelling narratives around its women’s singles champions. So that leads us to an obvious solution: Ditch the Women’s Tag Team Championship and create more women’s singles titles instead. Give them the equivalent of the Intercontinental and United States Championships to chase, and spend time and energy on them instead of paying lip service to tag team wrestling without giving the fans a reason to care about it.

That sounds better than scrambling to flesh out a tournament bracket to find champions who will have a hard time filling the shoes of the ones who just left.

Pat McAfee found out about Sasha Banks, Naomi suspensions the same time the rest of us did

Pat McAfee said his look of surprise when suspensions for Sasha Banks and Naomi were announced was due to his not knowing ahead of time.

Just because he’s the excitable color commentator on SmackDown doesn’t mean Pat McAfee knows any more about the Sasha Banks-Naomi situation in WWE than everyone watching at home.

McAfee’s look of surprise when Michael Cole addressed Banks and Naomi’s now famous Raw walkout live on the air on the most recent episode of SmackDown has been the topic of extensive online discussion. As it turns out, there was a good reason for it: McAfee didn’t know the former tag team champions were being suspended until he heard Cole say it.

He admitted as much during his own SiriusXM and YouTube show, The Pat McAfee Show, earlier today.

“The Sasha and Naomi thing? That was my first time hearing what Cole was saying live there,” McAfee said on the show. “I have no idea what to think there. I have no clue.

“I honestly have no idea what to believe in this whole thing. They keep me out of the loop with everything. I have no f—ing idea. While Cole was doing his thing, I was very fascinated. Like, what is going on? I wish I had more answers for people, but it’s like I feel like you (fans) know more than I do.”

While it might be surprising to hear McAfee sound so in the dark about one of the biggest WWE stories in recent memory, even Cole, the voice of the company, has stated that he doesn’t know every single thing that goes down ahead of time during a live show. For something as fluid as the Banks-Naomi walkout, it’s easy to imagine that something like the public declaration of their suspensions would be kept on a “need to know” basis.

McAfee is also in a tough spot when it comes to situations like this, as he is the enthusiastic everyman during WWE broadcasts, and as someone still relatively new to the wrestling business, hasn’t been through anything like this in the past. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to future developments, because he’s almost certain to give his honest take on them, even if it’s not on TV on Friday nights.

Sasha Banks, Naomi suspended, merch removed from WWE Shop

Sasha Banks and Naomi were suspended by WWE, as stated live by Michael Cole on SmackDown, and their merch has been removed from WWE Shop.

WWE didn’t let SmackDown pass without mentioning Sasha Banks and Naomi walking out on Raw this past Monday.

Michael Cole spoke right before the night’s main event, a heavily promoted tag team unification bout between RK-Bro and The Usos, saying that Banks and Naomi had disappointed fans and their fellow Superstars by leaving the show instead of participating in the advertised main event: a six-person match for a women’s title shot.

Because of their actions, Cole said that the two women were suspended indefinitely, and that a tournament would be held to crown new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.

(Insert your joke about whether WWE has enough women to fill a tournament bracket here.)

As another sign of the persona non grata status of Banks and Naomi, Daniel Yanofsky of The Sporting News noted that both have had their merchandise pulled from WWE Shop.

It’s been reported by numerous outlets citing sources within WWE that Banks and Naomi aren’t expected to be fired, and Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful confirmed again tonight that they haven’t been released.

 

If there’s one industry where actions that would normally torch bridges to the ground can be overcome, it’s pro wrestling. That said, while there has been plenty of support for their right to express displeasure with the way they are being booked, opinion has been more split on the timing — a question of whether departing in the middle of a show left their fellow talent in the lurch.

In its initial statement and tonight’s comments on the air from Cole, WWE has kept that part of the situation in sharp focus. But by keeping the walkout a talking point and continuing to blame the women for what happened Monday, the company is running the risk of losing the battle of public perception, if that hasn’t happened already.

Sasha Banks reportedly met with Vince McMahon before walking out on Raw

Before The Boss, Sasha Banks, walked out on Raw, she reportedly met with the boss of WWE.

Before The Boss, Sasha Banks, walked out on Raw, she reportedly met with the boss of WWE.

That tidbit comes from Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, who cites sources close to the situation while saying that “Banks met with Vince McMahon before returning her title” on Monday night. While Banks was undoubtedly aware of the impact and potential repercussions of her actions, this additional bit of context implies she made the WWE’s ultimate decision maker fully and directly aware of what she was doing.

Banks and Naomi have been the talk of the pro wrestling world this week for refusing to participate in the scheduled main event of Raw in Norfolk, choosing to leave their tag team titles behind and walk out. Instead of the six-person match advertised as the night’s main event, WWE hastily reworked it into a singles match between Becky Lynch and Asuka while mentioning that Banks and Naomi had left the arena several times on the air.

WWE later released a statement explaining its side of the situation, including the curious assertion that the tag team champs were “uncomfortable in the ring with two of their opponents — even though they’d had matches with those individuals in the past with no consequence.”

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The question now is what the fallout will be from a move that, while not unprecedented, has always had some consequences for others who have done it. The prevailing thought is that Banks, who has already branched out beyond WWE and could have a future in TV and movies, has more leverage than Naomi —whose situation is further complicated because her husband is fellow WWE Superstar Jimmy Uso.

That suggests that while they may have walked out in solidarity, what happens next may not be the same for both women. Nevertheless, Banks meeting with McMahon implies that she laid all her cards on the table before departing, and was fully prepared to live with a decision that has sent shockwaves through the industry.

How WWE’s statement on Sasha Banks, Naomi walkout pulls the curtain back more than before

The WWE’s official statement on the Sasha Banks and Naomi Raw walkout provided more insight into the creative process than ever before.

“Is this for real?”

That’s a question that gets asked often by pro wrestling fans, such is the nature of this particular form of entertainment. But it rarely gets repeated with as much speed and intensity as it did the night of May 16, when Sasha Banks and Naomi walked out of Raw, despite being advertised while the show was already underway as part of a six-person match that would serve as the main event.

Thanks to well connected industry insiders like Mike Johnson of Pro Wrestling Illustrated and Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, the broad strokes of what took place came into view pretty quickly. Banks and Naomi were unhappy with the creative direction of what was planned — even though it reportedly included Naomi winning the match, and thus getting a solo title shot against Bianca Belair at Hell in a Cell — and instead of participating, they left their titles at the arena and departed.

What happened next, including a hastily reworked main event and WWE talent making reference to the champs leaving the show on the air, shouldn’t have been surprising to anyone well versed in WWE history. When Stone Cold Steve Austin walked out in June 2002, the on-camera reactions included Vince McMahon drinking a beer to his memory and The Rock cutting a “get the ‘f’ out” promo. When these things happen, WWE doesn’t hide from them, it works them into the shows and moves on.

That’s why the “Is it a work?” question, while a natural one to ask, is moot in the end. Even if the issue at hand is very real, which was the case with Austin 20 years ago and seems to be with Banks and Naomi, WWE will incorporate it into what it’s doing. Then if cooler heads prevail, even if it takes some time, it has the same effect as if it was a story the company had written the entire time, at least in terms of how it’s presented on TV.

But what made this night different from similar situations in the past was the statement that WWE posted addressing Banks and Naomi leaving. On the surface, it confirms the earlier source reports, acknowledging that the tag team champs were unhappy with what was in store for them and decided they didn’t want to be part of it. There are natural elements of damage control too, some of which seem suspect. The line about the women feeling “uncomfortable in the ring with two of their opponents” is hard to swallow, since the other scheduled main event participants — Becky Lynch, Asuka, Nikki A.S.H. and Doudrop — are all competitors they’ve faced before.

What stands out more than anything, however, is this part:

And even though they had eight hours to rehearse and construct their match …

It’s no secret, and hasn’t been for years, that WWE matches are scripted in advance. Performers have talked about the creative process on numerous WWE programs in the past, often while speaking about memorable moments in company history and how they came together.

The difference this time around is WWE itself discussing how matches are constructed, and specifically how much time the people involved with a main event on Raw had to discuss and rehearse what would take place that night. It’s a rare, official behind the scenes peek at the process, and while it’s probably exaggerating to call it unprecedented, it’s definitely out of the ordinary.

While the eyes of the pro wrestling world will undoubtedly be on how the situation with Banks and Naomi plays out, this is another aspect of a fascinating night that bears watching in the long term. It could be WWE simply reacting in the moment to an extraordinary set of circumstances, but it may be a signal that the company is willing to take another step toward officially providing its fans with a full understanding of the time and effort it takes to lay out what unfolds on Raw and SmackDown every week.

WWE releases statement on Sasha Banks, Naomi walking out on Raw

WWE released a statement telling it side of why Sasha Banks and Naomi walked out of Raw, causing the main event to be rebooked on the fly.

Monday night’s episode of Raw from Norfolk had a bit more drama than normal and necessitated a rebooking of the main event on the fly.

Originally, WWE promoted a 6-Pack Challenge for the main event, with the winner getting a title shot against Bianca Belair at Hell in a Cell. Partway through the show, a segment was aired that showed Adam Pearce telling Becky Lynch she would instead be in a singles match against Asuka for that title shot. Both Pearce and (later) Corey Graves noted that Sasha Banks and Naomi, who were two of the six Superstars scheduled for the original main event, had left the arena.

Was it for real? Pro Wrestling Illustrated was first to report that Banks and Naomi had indeed walked out on the show.

Fightful Select confirmed that report with its own sources a short time later, adding that Naomi was scheduled to win the match as well, making the departures even more curious.

Before Raw got to its new main event, WWE released a statement telling its side of the story (as originally shared by Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp):

When Sasha Banks and Naomi arrived at the arena this afternoon, they were informed of their participation in the main event of tonight’s Monday Night Raw.

During the broadcast, they walked into WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis’ office with their suitcases in hand, placed their tag team championship belts on his desk and walked out.

They claimed they weren’t respected enough as tag team champions. And even though they had eight hours to rehearse and construct their match, they claimed they were uncomfortable in the ring with two of their opponents – even though they’d had matches with those individuals in the past with no consequence.

Monday Night Raw is a scripted live TV show, whose characters are expected to perform the requirements of their contract.

We regret we were unable to deliver, as advertised, tonight’s main event.

There’s bound to be more to a story as big as the women’s tag team champions being so displeased that they decide to go home, but it’s possible Banks and Naomi were upset that pushing one of them for a singles run was doing a disservice to the work they’ve done to elevate the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. Certainly, Naomi facing Belair at Hell in a Cell would mean no tag team title match at the event, and the champs didn’t have a spot on the WrestleMania Backlash card either.

Wrestling Junkie will share more details as they come to light, but suffice it to say that “card subject to change” has rarely been as applicable as this memorable episode of Raw.

Opening Bell: WrestleMania Backlash … er, backlash, Owen Hart tourneys kick off

Check out previews for Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage, including the fallout from WrestleMania Backlash and the kickoff of the Owen Hart Foundation tournaments.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week ahead.

WWE Raw – XL Center, Hartford, CT (live)

WWE hasn’t released its official Raw preview yet, perhaps allowing WrestleMania Backlash to soak in just a bit more. But the fallout from the event should be front and center, particularly what’s next for the Raw Tag Team Champions, RK-Bro. Is a tag team unification bout still on the horizon?

Seth Rollins won’t be happy following his second straight loss to Cody Rhodes, particularly the way it came about. The Visionary should have something to say about that Monday night, and could give us a hint as to whether he’s seeking a third match with Rhodes or moving on to something else.

And plenty of recent Raw storylines didn’t play a part in Backlash, so those are worth watching for as well. Particularly intriguing is the Kevin Owens situation, as he continues to turn what would otherwise be just another midcard subplot into gold with his quest to prove Ezekiel isn’t who he claims to be.

AEW Dynamite – UBS Arena, Long Island (live)

The Owen Hart Foundation tournaments get underway this Wednesday on TBS. The men’s tourney will see Darby Allin take on Jeff Hardy, as well as Dax Harwood vs. Adam Cole, while the women’s tourney features Jamie Hayter vs. Toni Storm. And since the “Most Magical Place in the World” is his hometown, MJF is sure to have something special cooked up for his contract signing with Wardlow.

Also announced for Dynamite this week:

WWE SmackDown – Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes Barre, PA (live)

The big match announced for SmackDown this week is one that fans may have rightfully expected to see at WrestleMania Backlash: the Women’s Tag Team Championship match. Sasha Banks and Naomi will look to retain their titles as they face Shayna Baszler and Natalya.

AEW Rampage – UBS Arena, Long Island (taped)

There’s a title on the line this week on Rampage, as Scorpio Sky lived up to his promise to give former SCU teammate Frankie Kazarian the first crack at his TNT Championship.

Also revealed for this Friday:

  • Ruby Soho battles Riho in another Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament quarterfinal bout