Mercedes Varnado, better known as WWE Superstar Sasha Banks, hasn’t been seen in a WWE ring in quite a while. She and Naomi (real name Trinity Fatu) vacated their Women’s Tag Team Championships and walked out ahead of a taping of Monday Night Raw earlier this year, and fans have been waiting to see if and when they’ll make their triumphant return. Recently, however, the duo traded in the ring for a catwalk, appearing at New York Fashion Week.
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The former Tag Team Champions appeared during the Mister Triple X and Jessica Jade shows during New York Fashion Week, showing off their skills as models. Following the event, Varnado spoke to Page Six about her runway debut, and she likened it to her very first wrestling match.
“It felt chaotic. It felt like my first wrestling match all over again! I’m back to being the new girl,” Varnado said. “It felt like everyone was like, ‘Who’s this? Who’s taking my spot?’ But I just had to walk in with confidence like I knew what I was doing because this has been a dream of mine for such a long time, to be in the modeling space.”
Varnado went on to say that she gave herself a pep talk before going out on the runway, reminding herself that she does belong. She also mentioned several modeling influences, including Tyra Banks.
“I took a deep breath and told myself, ‘I belong,’” she continued. “Tyra, Adriana Lima, I grew up watching all of the Victoria’s Secret girls, so I always dreamt of being on a runway. Watching those girls, I was always like, ‘I want to have wings one day.’”
Ever since Triple H took over creative for WWE, fans have wondered if Sasha Banks and Naomi would be returning to the ring. They were never officially released by WWE so they are still part of the company, though to what capacity is unknown.ย
