Tag: Naomi

Naomi Announces Pregnancy, Steps Away from WWE Women’s World Championship on RAW

This week’s episode of WWE RAW delivered one of the most emotional and surprising moments of the year when Raw GM Adam Pearce introduced Women’s World Champion Naomi to the ring.

Naomi didn’t waste any time addressing the WWE Universe, turning everyone’s attention to the big screen for a special reveal. A clip from Stephanie McMahon’s What’s Your Story? podcast aired, featuring Naomi alongside her husband Jimmy Uso. In the video, Jimmy proudly announced that the couple is expecting their first child together.

The live crowd erupted with cheers, and Pearce congratulated Naomi on the huge life update. But the champion made it clear she wasn’t about to quietly hand over her gold. With her usual fire, Naomi told Pearce she wasn’t “giving him the title back” before demanding he leave the ring. Pearce wisely obliged, allowing Naomi to address the women’s division directly.

Naomi reminded the locker room that they should be grateful to Jimmy Uso—because without him, she would still be running through the competition week after week. She then turned her focus to the future, saying The Bloodline legacy would continue, and placed her custom Women’s World Championship in the center of the ring.

With a confident smile, Naomi announced that she’s giving the division “nine months to do what you want with it”—but promised she’ll be back to reclaim her spot at the top. Her parting words were a warning to whoever rises to champion in her absence: proceed with caution.

Naomi’s announcement now leaves the Women’s World Championship picture wide open. Will Pearce declare the title vacant and crown a new champion through a tournament, or will someone step up immediately to claim it? One thing is certain—when Naomi returns, the entire division better be ready.

Back in April during a heartfelt conversation with The Bella Twins, Naomi revealed that she’s preparing for life after wrestling as she hopes to start a family soon.

Backstage Update: Naomi’s Absence Forces WWE to Fast-Track Asuka Heel Turn on Raw

WWE had to pull a last-minute audible on this week’s Monday Night Raw after Women’s World Champion Naomi was unexpectedly ruled out of her scheduled title defense against IYO SKY. The company announced just hours before the show that Naomi wasn’t medically cleared to compete, though no reason has been publicly revealed for her absence.

The change didn’t just affect that night’s lineup — it also reshaped a major storyline. According to PWInsider Elite, WWE had been building toward a slow-burn heel turn for Asuka against her Damage CTRL partner SKY. That confrontation was originally planned to happen further down the road, but with Naomi out, WWE decided to move up the split. Fans saw the seeds planted after SKY’s loss to Roxanne Perez, when Asuka walked out on her partner in frustration.

Interestingly, the Perez vs. SKY match itself wasn’t the original plan either. WWE reportedly considered booking Perez and Raquel Rodriguez against SKY and Rhea Ripley in tag action. It’s unclear why the singles match was chosen instead, or whether Asuka’s heel turn would’ve still happened in a tag scenario.

The accelerated breakup angle could hint that Naomi will be out of action for at least a short while longer. She is, however, scheduled to appear alongside her husband, Jimmy Uso, on Stephanie McMahon’s What’s Your Story? podcast this Thursday. That appearance might provide some answers about her status — and the fate of the Women’s World Championship picture.

Backstage Report On Future Of Trinity Fatu (Naomi In WWE)

Ever since joining Impact Wrestling/TNA Wrestling in April 2022, it’s been all sunshine and roses for Trinity, who is currently entering her sixth month as Knockouts Champion. It may also be her last month as champion, however, as Trinity appears to be contemplating a career move back to her old stomping grounds.

Fightful Select reports that Trinity’s contract with Impact/TNA is set to expire in the not-so-distant future and that the Knockouts Champion will be finishing up with the promotion. It’s unclear if Trinity’s last date will be the upcoming Hard to Kill PPV, where the promotion will officially rebrand back to TNA, or if she will continue to work through the end of the month.

As for what Trinity’s next move will be, those within WWE expect that she will return to the company, where she worked for over a decade under the name Naomi. One person within WWE believes a deal is so close that something drastic would have to occur to prevent Trinity from re-signing, though they pointed out that anything could happen in the current free agency market. WWE had previously sought to bring Trinity back last year but was prevented due to an unofficial hiring freeze. The move isn’t a surprise to those in TNA, who have long thought Trinity would return to WWE when her contract expired.

Trinity’s departure from WWE came under controversial circumstances, after she and then WWE Women’s Tag Team Title partner Mercedes Mone, then Sasha Banks, walked out of the promotion in May 2022 after disagreements with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. While Trinity’s return to WWE is expected, the same cannot be said for Mone, who has broken off talks with WWE and is expected to sign with AEW.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Trinity Fatu, FKA Naomi In WWE, Reportedly Set To Make Impact Debut

With Mercedes Moné making waves in Japan with STARDOM and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, many have wondered what the future holds for her former WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship-winning partner Trinity Fatu (formerly known as Naomi in WWE).

PWInsider Elite is reporting that Trinity Fatu will debut for Impact Wrestling during this weekend’s taping in Cicero, Illinois, just across the border from Chicago. Impact had been teasing a big surprise for the tapings at Cicero Stadium, and it appears that surprise is Fatu. Not set to be just a one-off surprise appearance, the report states that this will mark the start of the former “SmackDown” Women’s Champion’s tenure with the promotion. There is no information on the length of her deal with the promotion.

The debut will mark her first appearance on a wrestling program since she and Moné walked out of WWE in May 2022, abandoning their women’s tag team titles out of frustration over the creative direction of the women’s tag division. There had been talk of Fatu joining her husband Jimmy Uso in the popular Bloodline faction, but nothing has come of those rumors. Fatu confirmed late last month on Instagram that she was completely finished with WWE.

Fatu’s partner Mercedes Moné debuted for New Japan Pro-Wrestling in January, also wrestling for NJPW’s sister promotion STARDOM as the IWGP Women’s Champion. Moné recently lost her title and has demanded a rematch in Long Beach, California at NJPW Resurgence. She recently signed an extension with the companies, which are both owned by Bushiroad.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Official ‘Confident’ About Naomi’s Return

Naomi and Mercedes Mone walked out of the May 16th, 2022 episode of Monday Night RAW over a creative dispute with Vince McMahon. Naomi and Mone were suspended indefinitely and WWE hasn’t advertised or mentioned them ever since.

According to a report from Fightful Select, a particular higher-up in WWE is of the opinion that there have been discussions between Naomi and WWE, and the company is “confident” about The Glow returning to WWE although no timetable has been listed as of yet.

Naomi’s WWE contract was on the verge of expiration at the time she walked out of RAW. Both parties were reportedly interested in extending the deal.

The report further suggests that Naomi was in line to receive the biggest money contract of her career before things went downhill. In September, Naomi was reported to have maintained positive contact with WWE.

Source: eWrestlingNews

Trinity Fatu (Naomi) Is In Japan

In anticipation of Wednesday’s NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 event from the Tokyo Dome, Naomi, real name Trinity Fatu, has confirmed through her Instagram Stories that she is in Tokyo, Japan.

As Mercedes Varnado, formerly known as Sasha Banks, is believed to be appearing at the Wrestle Kingdom 17 event, Naomi was expected to be in Japan, as reported by PWinsider.com.

It’s still unknown whether Naomi will appear at the event or is merely there to support her friend. After Banks negotiated her WWE release, Naomi’s WWE status is uncertain.

Source: ewrestlingnews

The Latest On WWE And Naomi’s Reported Contract Negotiations

It has now been nearly five months since fans last saw Sasha Banks and Naomi, after the then WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions walked out prior to an episode of “WWE Raw” following a disagreement with former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. Since then, both have been reported to be out of WWE, then likely to return following McMahon’s retirement, followed by uncertainty. And while things still seem uncertain about Banks, there is at least an update on Naomi.

According to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there has been nothing new on Naomi returning due to unresolved deal points in negotiations between the two sides over a new contract. Many will recall that Naomi’s original WWE contract was set to expire prior to her and Banks walking out, and that the two sides had been negotiating a new deal at the time. Meltzer notes that a potential hold up could be that Naomi is still bound by her original contract, which could have been frozen due to her missing time after her and Banks walked out. As such, Meltzer stated she would not be able to negotiate to go somewhere else under hat circumstance, meaning she would have to work out the rest of the time on her old WWE contract in order to complete the deal. Meltzer was sure to reiterate, however, that talks between the two sides were ongoing.

While Banks and Naomi were reportedly added back to WWE’s internal roster in August, there have been no hints towards a return for either onscreen. The pair have continued to keep busy with outside projects, with Banks notably catching headlines in late September when she changed her Twitter handle from @SashaBanksWWE to @MercedesVernado, her real name.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

The latest on Sasha Banks and Naomi’s return to WWE

It looks like fans won’t be waiting much longer to see Sasha Banks and Naomi make a return to WWE.

Banks and Naomi reached an agreement to return, now with Triple H running creative. WWE has been waiting for the Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament to play out before bringing them back to television.

The finals of the tournament will take place on tonight’s episode of Raw when Dakota Kai & IYO SKY battle Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah.

During today’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that Banks and Naomi are expected back shortly, while Bryan Alvarez noted that both stars are back on the internal roster.

“Naomi and Sasha Banks should be back any week now,” Meltzer said.

Bryan Alvarez added, “they are back being listed on the roster, so they should be back at any time.”

Source: WrestlingNews.co

Sasha Banks And Naomi Attend Marvel’s She-Hulk Premiere

Three months have passed since Sasha Banks and Naomi handed over the Tag Team Titles and walked out of WWE. For the bulk of that time, the former champions have remained silent and hidden from the public. That has all changed in the last two weeks. The pair met with fans at C2E2, and this week they attended the She-Hulk premiere.

Naomi and Banks were pictured on the She-Hulk red carpet, which was actually purple, donned in plenty of green clothing to mark the occasion. Neither is actually going to be in the show, which debuts on Disney+ today, as far as we know, but Banks obviously has a connection to Disney having played Koska Reeves in The Mandalorian.

That doesn’t mean they won’t be, of course, so keep your eyes peeled if you plan on watching the latest MCU show over the coming weeks. As for whether the two of them were open to talking about their potential WWE futures, no one appeared to ask them about it during the official event. There is footage of someone chasing the two of them down in an attempt to get a scoop, but neither Banks nor Naomi mentions what they have planned, if anything.

https://twitter.com/SashaBanksWWE/status/1559394614196314112

As for the rumor mill, it does seem to be a question of when rather than if Banks and Naomi are back in WWE at this point. There have been countless reports claiming the two of them have either re-signed, returned, or are on the cusp of doing one or the other. Aside from the fact that nothing official has been confirmed, it’s hard to know what’s going on for sure when it was never revealed if the two were kept under contract during their hiatus.

A lot has changed in WWE since they walked out, of course. John Laurinaitis, the man they apparently handed the titles to, has gone, presumably due to the accusations made against him. The same goes for Vince McMahon, someone the two likely had a problem with since he was the one booking their runs. Now Triple H is in charge of that sort of thing, it seems likely they would be more open to a return.

Source: TheSportster

Major Update On Sasha Banks And Naomi’s Reported WWE Status

A significant update has developed regarding the WWE statuses of Sasha Banks and Naomi in WWE.

“Wrestling News Co.” reported yesterday that they were told an agreement has been reached for both Banks and Naomi to return to the company. Brian Alvarez of the “Wrestling Observer Live” podcast stated that a source confirmed the report to him. He said he believed the report was accurate but couldn’t say 100% definitively that it was true.

Banks and Naomi walked out of the May 16 edition of “Raw” after being unhappy about their creative plans for the show. The duo relinquished their Women’s Tag Team Titles soon after, stating that they didn’t feel respected as a team and felt unsafe working with specific colleagues in the ring. The two women had also been edited out of WWE content, removed from the internal roster, and changed their social media handles in the wake of the news. Dave Meltzer of the “Wrestling Observer” mentioned last week that he had been told that WWE would be attempting to reconcile with the two women while speaking on the “Sports Illustrated Media” podcast.

Wrestling INC.’s Raj Giri reported that Banks had been released from WWE in June after the two were given indefinite suspensions without pay. Banks’ contract was reportedly set to expire in July, and both women were said to be involved in ongoing contract negotiations with the company up until this point.

Banks and Naomi are slated to appear at the Chicago And Entertainment Expo Convention (C2E2) this weekend in their first fan signing experience outside WWE since the ordeal. AEW World Champion CM Punk, Danhausen, and Lita are also set to appear at the convention.

Source: Wrestling Inc.