Sasha Banks and Naomi have been suspended indefinitely from the WWE following their decision to walk out of last week’s Monday Night Raw over booking disputes. The suspension was officially announced during last week’s SmackDown when the pair were promptly stripped of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. And while they have yet to officially comment on the situation, WWE continued to paint the pair in a negative light by once again having the commentary team mention them during this week’s Raw, with Corey Graves saying they had “disappointed” fans.
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As for their futures with the company, Bryan Alvarez noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that (h/t Cultaholic), “There 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.” There have also been reports that the pair will soon be negotiating new contracts, which this suspension will undoubtedly play a role in.
WWE’s official statement regarding the pair read, “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.” Reports have since come out denying the idea the two felt “unsafe” working with the other wrestlers and that their dispute had to do with WWE’s lack of booking for the Women’s Tag Team Division.
Having scrapped their original plan to have Naomi challenge Bianca Belair at Hell in a Cell, Becky Lynch and Asuka have both been added to the Raw Women’s Championship match at the upcoming event in Chicago. The full card (so far) reads as follows:
- Cody Rhodes vs Seth Rollins (Hell in a Cell)
- Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair vs. Asuka vs. Becky Lynch
- Kevin Owens vs. Ezekiel
- Bobby Lashley vs. Omos & MVP
