Report Says WWE's Offer to Sasha Banks Wasn't 'Close' to Becky Lynch or Charlotte Flair Deals
It seems that Mercedes Varnado is indeed heading to New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Stardom at the top of 2023, and recent reports had stated that Varnado's release from WWE was final as of when she changed her social handles to her real name from Sasha Banks. A new report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter sheds more light on negotiations between Varnado and WWE, and it states that Varnado was seeking a deal on par with Charlotte Flair or Becky Lynch's, but sources say that "she wasn't offered numbers close to that". As for the reason, those sources say "she's not seen internally as somebody who would be on top for the next five years."
The report says that while Triple H and the team at WWE acknowledge Banks' return would be very well received initially, they don't seem to think she'd move the needle beyond that initial "honeymoon period". It is said that they see her getting Single or Tag Title runs moving forward in WWE, but probably not in the main event storylines, as they believe she's already "peaked as a star".
Despite not wrestling since earlier this year, Varnado is still very much on the radar and has garnered attention for walking the runway at New York Fashion Week, appearing at numerous movie premieres, and she just finished filming her first movie role. During a recent charity Livestream with Bayley, she also revealed that she was a makeup line in the works, and that's all on top of her upcoming appearance in NJPW.
"Insane how full circle that is, to get a first movie and to know that it's in Boston. It came at a weird point where I was right in the middle of training in Mexico, so I kind of had to choose what days I needed to give up for that. To go back and forth between Boston and Mexico was such an incredible experience that I can say that I did it, I accomplished that, and it's cool," Varnado said.
"I'm trying to slow down because I do too much. A makeup line is coming. A makeup brand is coming, tutorials are coming. I'm doing so much, especially the last [month] of 2022, December, I have a couple more weeks to get everything in order before the new year. I'm just working," Varnado said.
2023 should be interesting for the world of wrestling, and where Varnado ends up full-time is certainly going to be one of the biggest storylines of the year.
H/T Cageside Seats