Tag: Sasha Banks

The Latest On Sasha Banks’ Status With WWE

It was reported yesterday by Raj Giri that Sasha Banks had been released by WWE. Now, further details about Banks’ WWE status are coming out.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reports that he spoke with Giri earlier in the afternoon before the report was made and reached out to WWE. The representative he spoke to heard nothing about Banks’ release either way but did note that they saw Giri’s tweet. Regarding Banks’ status, nothing has been confirmed, but nothing has been refuted either. Contacts close to the public relations team in WWE had heard nothing of Banks’ reported departure as of 8 PM ET last night.

As of this writing, no memos or emails have apparently been sent out by the company internally regarding anything related to the reported release of Banks. There was reportedly an email sent urgently requesting her removal from an advertised live event, but nothing surrounding the current situation.

Along with her co-Tag Team Champion Naomi, Banks walked out on WWE  on May 16 before an episode of “WWE Raw.” Since then, Banks and Naomi were publicly outed on-air for staging the walkout and they were suspended indefinitely without pay. Corey Graves stated on the air that the walkout “disappointed the WWE Universe in the process” and that their actions caused them to relinquish their Tag Titles. All their merchandise has been removed from the WWE Shop and their likenesses have been scrubbed from any video advertisements or introductions.

It’s been reported that Banks’ contract was set to expire with WWE in two months’ time, and Naomi was reportedly in talks of renegotiating a contract at the time of the walkout.

Earlier this week, photos and videos were posted of Banks following a PRK eye surgery she underwent. That, along with her being seen at a Steve Aoki concert have been the only moments we’ve seen of Banks since she and Naomi staged the walkout.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Possible WWE Contract Ramifications For Sasha Banks And Naomi

WWE reportedly has the option of freezing both Sasha Banks and Naomi’s contracts while they are suspended by the company.

According to Dave Meltzer on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, this is due to the wording of the contracts both wrestlers signed. Because the former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions were suspended for failing to perform when they walked out of the building prior to last week’s “Raw,” WWE has the option to freeze their deals. This would mean that the time frame of their contracts would be paused, and they would be stopped from progressing rather than continuing to roll towards expiration. This is normally done when talent is unable to perform, as WWE doesn’t want to lose out on potential dates.

Right now it is unknown whether or not WWE will actually be freezing Banks’ or Naomi’s contracts, but the company has done this in the past when it comes to talent going out with injuries, including cases like Bryan Danielson and Rey Mysterio. Both women’s deals are reportedly set to expire in the near future, though Naomi, at least, was supposedly working on a contract extension prior to the walk-out.

As for Banks, she was spotted this weekend at a Steve Aoki concert, and she has received support online from her cousin, Snoop Dogg. But on Sunday, the WrestleVotes Twitter account, which has provided reliable information in the past, claimed this situation “is going to get worse before it gets any better.”

On WWE “SmackDown” last week, Michael Cole officially announced that Banks and Naomi had been stripped of their Women’s Tag Team Championship and were suspended and that a tournament will be held to crown new ones. No tag teams have been officially announced for the tournament, and no date has been set for it, nor is there any indication as to how long Banks’ and Naomi’s suspension will go on.

Neither Banks nor Naomi has made a public comment since they chose to walk out during WWE “Raw” last week, for what is currently believed to be creative issues. The company had reportedly been planning on Naomi challenging for the “Raw” Women’s Championship at WWE Hell In A Cell, while Banks would get a shot for the “SmackDown” Women’s Title. Both women were set to lose their respective matches.

WWE has also removed both ladies from the, ‘Then. Now. Forever.’ graphic that the company uses before the shows, with Cody Rhodes taking their place. On top of that, online merchandise for them has been removed from WWE Shop, but they were still available physically at live events over the weekend.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Some Current WWE Stars ‘Wish They Had The Guts To’ Walk Out Like Naomi And Sasha Banks [Reports]

The WWE locker room is divided after the Women’s Tag Champs upped and left – but some are thinking of following suit.

While Naomi and Sasha Banks are getting trashed by commentary on RAW and SmackDown for walking out of the company following a booking dispute, reports suggest that there are those who wish they could do the same.

The Women’s Tag-Team Champions weren’t happy with the creative direction for their titles exacerbated by the booking of a Six Pack Challenge to main event Monday Night RAW, that would see the tag-team used more as singles wrestlers going forward – something neither Naomi, nor Banks approved of.

Although they have received the backing of many fans online, the duo have been slated by the company. Since it happened Corey Graves and Michael Cole have criticized the pair for their actions. WWE even released a statement completely breaking kayfabe which labeled the women unprofessional for not wanting to work with other Superstars.

Despite the slating they’ve received from Vince McMahon’s business, Wade Keller made a recent PWTorch.com audio update and indicated that the locker room is divided on how it feels about the situation and how it was handled.

I can say there are people who in that locker room – colleagues of theirs [including] active wrestlers, and otherwise, who are disappointed and not sympathetic to the way Sasha and Naomi handled this,” Wade Keller said. (h/t Sportskeeda)

Clearly some current stars are aggrieved at their colleagues for walking out, but Keller would go on to say that others are supportive and some even wish they could do the same thing.

He added: “And there are others who, yes, think this is a cool thing that they did. And they sort of wished that they had the guts to do something like that and take a stance.”

The situation between Naomi and Sasha Banks and WWE is ongoing.

Source: TheSportster

Sasha Banks & Naomi Suspended Indefinitely, Women’s Tag Team Titles Now Vacant

Last night’s edition of “Smackdown” included a huge announcement regarding Sasha Banks, Naomi, and the future of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.

At the announce desk, Michael Cole stated that Banks and Naomi had “let us all down”. He recounted the statement WWE had put out on social media earlier this week. He says the pair have both been suspended indefinitely and a tournament will be held in the coming weeks to crown new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.

Banks and Naomi had walked out of “Raw” on Monday night. The pair were reportedly not pleased about the creative plans for them. A “6 Pack Challenge” match was announced at the beginning of “Raw”, which included Banks and Naomi.

WWE said Banks and Naomi walked out during the broadcast. According to WWE’s statement, they went into Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis’ office, gave him the women’s tag team titles, and left the arena.

The main event match was hastily changed to a one-on-one match between Asuka and Becky Lynch. Asuka won the match to earn a title shot against “Raw” Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at the upcoming “Hell In A Cell” event.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage Details On Why WWE Won’t Fire Sasha Banks Or Naomi [Report]

A new report explains why we shouldn’t expect WWE to fire Sasha Banks or Naomi. Both talents walked out of this week’s episode of Raw.

WWE reportedly isn’t planning to fire Sasha Banks or Naomi despite their decision to walk out of Monday Night Raw together this week.

As previously noted, Banks and Naomi walked out of this week’s Raw taping due to unhappiness over the show’s main event plans.. WWE posted a statement on the matter, claiming that the two placed the Women’s Tag Team Championships on the desk in John Laurinaitis’ office. The statement added that Banks and Naomi “claimed they weren’t respected enough as tag team champions” before departing with suitcases in hand.

It’s easy to speculate that WWE will simply release one or both talents from their current contracts, but that apparently won’t be the case.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Ringside News), Dave Meltzer explained that WWE won’t release Banks and/or Naomi with the obvious reason that they don’t want AEW landing either star. Meltzer also brought up the infamous title exchange incident between Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch, noting that The Queen wasn’t fired despite her actions

“If it was another time and another place, it’s very possible that they would have been fired, but it’s this time and this place,” Meltzer explained. “I remember when the Charlotte Flair thing happened with Becky Lynch and I was talking to people there and it was kind of, like, if it was another time and another place, yeah, they would have fired Charlotte Flair for what she did on live TV screwing up the angle on purpose. But it’s, like, do you want to send her to AEW? No. And essentially nothing happened and they don’t want to send either of them to AEW. Then you’ve got the whole Naomi married to Jimmy Uso…It’s just a waiting game to see what happens next.”

Source: TheSportster

The Latest On Why Naomi And Sasha Banks Walked Out Of WWE RAW

 A new report is providing insight as to why the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions made their decision to walk out of WWE Monday Night RAW.

Early yesterday morning, PWInsider revealed that several sources had told them that the original plan for Banks and Naomi on RAW, a six-pack challenge for the right to face Bianca Belair for the WWE RAW Women’s Championship at Hell in a Cell, would have seen Naomi pin Sasha Banks to win the match and receive the title shot.

Furthermore, Banks and Naomi were to have been featured in several segments building to them facing off in the match. Post-main-event, the partners would have celebrated Naomi’s victory.

Sources say Naomi would go on to lose to Belair at Hell in a Cell. Though not confirmed, it was also noted that some sources believed that Sasha Banks would go on to face WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey at the same event, with Banks also losing.

It was also noted that this led to concerns from Banks and Naomi regarding creativity over the WWE Women’s Tag Titles, and later in the afternoon, an alternative idea was pitched that would have seen Banks and Naomi lose a short tag match to set up their next challenges. While PWInsider couldn’t confirm it 100%, they noted one source told them the planned opponents were Doudrop and Nikki A.S.H., who were at one point also scheduled for the six-pack challenge.

The report goes on to say that Sasha Banks and Naomi were told before RAW by producer Molly Holly that WWE was going forward with plans for the six-pack challenge. This then led to Banks and Naomi informing WWE Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis that they were leaving, giving him the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships in the process. The report echos WWE’s statement regarding the matter during Monday Night RAW last night.

From there, it was said that Vince McMahon was informed of Banks and Naomi’s departure either shortly before or shortly after RAW began. A backstage vignette between Becky Lynch and Adam Pearce setting up Asuka and Lynch as the main event was pitched on the spot, with McMahon approving of it. One source suggested it was Lynch that came up with the idea for the segment.

Finally, those backstage at WWE apparently did not believe Naomi or Sasha Banks took issue with the finish to the six-pack challenge, but rather the duo’s creative going forward as the Women’s Tag Team Champions.

It should be noted that PWInsider’s report seems to confirm a Twitter thread from user @Addidas_Head88 from last night regarding the situation. The thread stated that Banks and Naomi had been upset with WWE for some time due to the promotion’s handling of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, which the duo won at WrestleMania 38.

As of this time, neither Naomi nor Sasha Banks has commented on their walkout or WWE’s statement regarding their walkout.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Shares Statement On Sasha Banks & Naomi Walking Out Of Raw, Sasha Reportedly Has Backstage Heat

Sasha Banks and Naomi made headlines this week by walking out of the Raw tapings. WWE has released a statement on the matter.

More details have emerged regarding the story of Sasha Banks and Naomi walking out of last night’s edition of WWE Raw.

As previously covered here, multiple reports stated that the Women’s Tag Team Champions walked out ahead of Raw because of creative frustration. Apparently, the initial planned main event was a Raw Six-Pack Challenge to decide the challenger for Bianca Belair’s Raw Women’s Championship.

Banks was reportedly unhappy with the plans for the match, which led to her leaving the taping. Naomi decided to walk out as well, and Raw commentator Corey Graves even acknowledged it during the show. In the main event, Asuka defeated Becky Lynch to become the new No. 1 contender for the Raw Women’s Championship.

During the show, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com shared a statement that he received from WWE. The statement claims that the Women’s Tag Team Champions were carrying suitcases when they entered the office of John Laurinaitis.

Banks and Naomi placed their title belts on his desk and “walked out”. According to the statement, that and Naomi “claimed they weren’t respected enough as tag team champions.” WWE offered “regret” for not being able to perform the planned main event. You can read the full statement below:

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.

After walking out during WWE RAW this week, Sasha Banks has backstage heat, according to Dave Meltzer on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.

These feelings were passed on from people not in WWE management, but they also weren’t aware of the full situation going on. Naomi’s name was not mentioned, so it is unknown whether or not there are the same feelings towards her right now.

Since then, Sasha Banks has unfollowed all WWE-related social media accounts, including Vince McMahon. Meanwhile, a friend of Naomi’s has tweeted at length about the issue, citing creative as the problem here. Naomi was set to win the match that last night and face Belair at Hell In A Cell.

She was going to pin Nikki A.S.H. to achieve that goal, not Sasha, as had been speculated. It is believed that they wanted to focus on improving the tag team division instead. Neither woman reportedly had any safety concerns about their opponents, despite what WWE claimed.

There has yet to be a confirmed reason for why they left the show, and the exact issues that have taken place. Neither Sasha Banks nor Naomi has made a comment on the matter at the time of writing.

Sources: TheSportster and Wrestling Inc.

WWE’s Medical Update On Sasha Banks Says She Will Miss The Royal Rumble

WWE provided an update on former Women’s Champion Sasha Banks earlier today, confirming reports that she is dealing with a foot injury. The full announcement can be seen below:

“Sasha Banks injury update

Sasha Banks suffered a foot injury Sunday evening at a WWE Live! event in Fayetteville, NC. After seeking emergency medical attention, it was determined nothing was broken. Sasha underwent an MRI and it was discovered she has a bruised calcaneus bone. She is at home recovering and undergoing physical therapy. She is expected to be out of action for 6-8 weeks. Stay locked in to WWE Digital for the latest updates.”

With the timeline provided, Banks is expected to miss the upcoming premium live event, WWE Royal Rumble 2022, taking place on Saturday, January 29. Stay tuned for updates on Banks’s status.

Banks wrestled SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair at last Sunday’s WWE live event in Fayetteville, NC, and appeared to hurt her leg or knee while taking an over-the-knee backbreaker. She kicked out of a pinfall but stayed on the mat while the referee checked her out, before they went to the finish with Flair getting the win after a Natural Selection. Banks was then helped to the back.

Banks posted an update for fans later that night, writing, “I’m good [fist emoji] Thank you for the love always. [heart emoji]”

It looked as though WWE may have been building towards Banks vs. Flair at Royal Rumble, as the two have been wrestling both on television in tag matches and at live events. However, if WWE’s report holds true, Banks will miss the Rumble and as noted, Flair will be appearing as the SmackDown Women’s Champion in the rumble. If she wins, Charlotte claims she will choose her own challenger for WrestlerMania this year.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Sasha Banks Reportedly Was Not Cleared To Wrestle At SummerSlam

Bianca Belair was originally supposed to face Sasha Banks at last night’s WWE SummerSlam.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported this morning that Banks wasn’t cleared for action at the PPV, “but they’re hopeful she will be back soon.”

Filling in for Banks was Becky Lynch, making her big return to WWE and winning the SmackDown Women’s Championship in very quick fashion.

Source: Wrestling Inc,

Sasha Banks Reportedly Injured At WWE Hell In A Cell

Sasha Banks suffered an injury at Sunday’s WWE Hell In a Cell pay-per-view.

Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE is keeping quiet about her injury, and it’s not known when she will return to action. Banks reportedly does not want the injury to become public, however she has been saying that it’s not a concussion.

Banks has been pulled from the ring, according to PWInsider. Word going around is that Banks suffered a back injury during the Cell match with Lynch on Sunday.

There’s no word yet on the severity of Banks’ injury or when she will be back in action.

Source: Wrestling Inc.