Sasha Banks & Naomi WWE Futures In Limbo As Creative Has Nothing For Them
Fans of Sasha Banks and Naomi have been on a wild ride over the last week, and it's likely not coming to an end anytime soon as reports indicate that WWE creative has nothing in the works for the former women's tag-team champions. Banks and Naomi walked out on Monday Night Raw on May 16th, and they have since been stripped of their tag-team titles. This comes after their historic and emotional victory during WrestleMania 38, which has apparently led to a run that has generated a lot of frustration for The Boss and Glow.
It has been reported that Naomi and Banks left Raw due to issues with creative surrounding the six-pack challenge that was the advertised main event for the evening. Naomi was scheduled to win that bout and then subsequently go on to lose to WWE Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair at the upcoming Hell In A Cell premium live event. Meanwhile, Banks supposedly would have been positioned to wrestle (and lose to) Ronda Rousey, leaving the tag-team titles and presumably the division as a whole on hold for several weeks. That didn't sit well with Banks and Naomi, and when Vince McMahon shot down the duo's pitch to work with Nikki A.S.H. and Doudrop at Hell In A Cell, they left Raw in protest.
Any hope for a quick resolution seemingly went up in smoke on Friday Night SmackDown last week when it was revealed that the pair had been stripped of their tag-team titles and suspended indefinitely. That lack of a real path forward became even more evident when Bryan Alvarez, during the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Live, stated that "(t)here are at this point zero plans for them to return, there is zero talk whatsoever about the two of them as it pertains to creative.” (h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
The situation continues to worsen for the tag team, at least based on what is known at this time. After the walkout, it became apparent that both Naomi and Banks were on WWE contracts set to expire soon. It hasn't been reported that their deals have been frozen due to the walkout, but it seems safe to assume that the company wouldn't risk losing either performer to "free agency" by letting their contracts simply run their course.
It's worth noting that neither Banks nor Naomi has spoken up about what transpired to date, so fans are still missing two very important points of view in this situation. WWE has been in complete control of the narrative and used strong wording during both Raw and SmackDown that more or less buries the former women's tag-team champions. Pat McAfee learned of the suspensions at the same time as the rest of the WWE Universe, and his gobsmacked response caught the attention of viewers at home. More details will trickle out concerning Banks and Naomi's future in the coming weeks, but at this juncture, they're pretty much the only ones who haven't spoken their piece on the walkout and subsequent drama.
Sources: Wrestling Observer Live, WrestlingNews.co
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