Sasha Banks Teases Possible Match Outside of WWE

Sasha Banks’ future in pro wrestling remains a mystery. She still hasn’t wrestled in any capacity since May, and while there have been numerous reports of her and Naomi being granted their release after being infamously suspended, both are still listed on WWE.com’s official roster page. Banks has made a number of public appearances since then, usually alongside Naomi, but the two have remained silent about their status in the company. The closest thing fans got to an update was when Banks changed her Twitter handle to her real name, Mercedes Varnado. 

Fans have continued to monitor her social media accounts ever since in the hope that a clue about a possible return might drop. On Saturday she posted something that got the wrestling world buzzing — a fan-made graphic of Banks being booked to face Kairi Sane in Stardom for the IWGP Women’s Championship. The title was first introduced back in May and will crown its first champion at the Historic X-Over event on Nov. 20 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Sane quickly responded to the post on Twitter.

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Could Sasha Banks ever challenge Kairi Sane?

If Banks is still under contract with WWE, could she theoretically wind up competing at a Stardom event in Japan? Under the Vince McMahon regime, it likely wouldn’t have happened. McMahon famously gave the thumbs up on Chris Jericho facing Kenny Omega for the IWGP United States Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 12, but that eventually got the ball rolling on All Elite Wrestling launching with Jericho as one of its top stars.

That policy could be different now that Triple H is overseeing WWE Creative. The company recently brought back Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows despite the fact that Gallows is still New Japan’s NEVER Openweight Champion and is booked for upcoming New Japan events.

Have Sasha Banks and Kairi Sane ever wrestled?

Banks and Sane’s time together in WWE overlapped quite a bit, but their match history is pretty sparse. The two only ever shared the ring eight times in WWE, and most of those were multi-women matches. Banks and Bayley briefly feuded with The Kabuki Warriors over the Women’s Tag Team Championships in 2020, which saw a Banks vs. Sane singles match on the July 3, 2020, episode of Raw. That match ended after 10 minutes via DQ. 

Do you think this matchup could happen in Stardom regardless of Banks’ status with WWE? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments!