Tag: Sasha Banks

Sasha Banks hints she’ll be a free agent as of January 1

Promoters inquiring about Sasha Banks have been told she won’t accept wrestling bookings until Jan. 1, possibly setting a date for her free agency.

Whether Sasha Banks has been officially released or not is still a matter of speculation. But as time passes, a breakup with WWE feels more like a question of “when” than “if,” and a new report this week hints at a date when Banks will be free to wrestle elsewhere.

Fightful Select has been on top of the Banks situation from the start, and its latest update was spurred by the announcement that she would be a guest at this year’s C2E2 pop culture convention in Chicago (billed under her real name, Mercedes Varnado, though the listing also includes “Sasha Banks”).

The report said promoters have reached out to Banks but were told “she was only taking non-wrestling related bookings until January 1.” Fightful Select added that it’s unclear if that date is “a personal preference or tied to something contractual.” In other words, Banks simply may not be interested in a return to the ring in 2022, or she may be unable to as a condition of her still unconfirmed WWE release.

Regardless, if Banks were to show up in another wrestling promotion in early 2023, it would finalize a stunning exit in what has felt like a surreal saga from the time she and Naomi walked out during the May 16 episode of Raw. Talent comes and goes all the time, but the acrimonious departure of the most decorated black woman in company history ⁠— still in her prime at age 30 ⁠— is a bad look for WWE no matter how one feels about the way Banks handled her displeasure.

To see her walk out to another promotion’s ring (particularly if it was on national TV, like it would be if she signed with AEW) would be thrilling for wrestling fans but have to be a bitter pool for WWE to swallow. Yet it seems increasingly likely that’s where things are headed, possibly as soon as January.

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The WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship has been mostly forgotten

Despite announcing a tournament to crown new holders of the Women’s Tag Team Championship, WWE has essentially forgotten about the titles.

When Sasha Banks and Naomi walked out on Raw back in mid-May and left behind their WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship titles, they probably didn’t think no one would follow after them as champions. Nor did WWE, which announced that new titleholders would be coming thanks to a tournament of some sort.

Fast-forward nearly two months and that hasn’t been the case, nor have the titles so much as been mentioned on WWE programming for weeks. Fightful Select offered an update to that end this week, saying that talent has confirmed that “they’ve received no word of when or if the tag team title tournament will actually happen,” and that even behind the scenes, there’s been no discussion of the Women’s Tag Team Championship at all.

One of the issues, of course, is that WWE barely has any women’s tag teams to compete for the titles. Doudrop and Nikki A.S.H. are a notable exception, having teamed together on the July 11 episode of Raw, but their partnership has seemed tenuous from the start, and the duos they face are generally two singles wrestlers paired together for a one-off match — as was the case with Liv Morgan and Asuka this week.

Almost every other notable name in the women’s division is embroiled in a chase for one of the two singles titles, including the likes of Natalya and Carmella, who were both part of tag teams not long ago. The company could call up teams from NXT, of course, but even there, tag teams don’t seem to be a priority considering one of the women’s champs just turned on the other on July 12.

It’s possible WWE simply doesn’t want to call attention to the Women’s Tag Team Championship considering how everything went down with Banks and Naomi, who also currently exist in an “out of sight, out of mind” limbo until they are officially released or return to the fold somehow. But until something changes, the titles they left behind have been pretty much forgotten, which is strange but may also be for the best.

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The saga that began with Sasha Banks walking out on Raw may have just ended with her release

A report from WrestlingInc. suggests that Sasha Banks has been released, bringing an abrupt end to her star-making stint with WWE.

On an already turbulent day for WWE news, it seems only fitting that the Sasha Banks situation may have reached its conclusion.

Raj Giri, founder of WrestlingInc., tweeted tonight that “I’m hearing Sasha Banks has been released,” adding that it wasn’t clear if it was by her request.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, one of the best connected wrestling journalists in the industry, followed up with his take shortly thereafter.

Banks and Naomi made waves throughout the pro wrestling industry by walking out on the May 15 episode of Raw, refusing to participate in the scheduled main event and leaving their tag team titles behind. WWE subsequently released a statement giving its side of the story, and had commentators mention the situation several times on the air, expressing “disappointment” with the wrestlers’ actions.

A suspension was later announced for both Banks and Naomi, who have essentially been persona not grata within WWE for about a month. There was some thought that Banks, in particular, was a big enough star to warrant reconciliation, but it appears that may not be the case.

The natural question is where and when Banks may show up next. WWE talents typically have 90-day non-compete clauses in the event of their release; if that’s the case for Banks, it would prevent her from showing up on, say, AEW Dynamite until early fall. Other reports have suggested she may be close to the end of her contract, which could mean she is free to sign elsewhere sooner.

But Banks has also seen her career in TV and movies blossom over the past few years, appearing in projects like the Star Wars series “The Mandalorian” on Disney+. She’s a marketable personality who doesn’t necessarily have to jump right back into pro wrestling.

Until officially confirmed by WWE, Banks’ status remains in flux, but if she really is gone from the company, it’s a stunning end to this phase of her career, one that not many would have seen coming even a few months ago.

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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.