The Biggest Pro Wrestling Stories of 2022, No. 3: Sasha Banks & Naomi Walk Out

The Sasha Banks and Naomi situation can be defined in so many ways by a single emotion — frustration. It was frustration over how the Women's Tag Team Division and its championships were being positioned within the company that led the two to drop their titles on John Laurinaitis' desk and walk out on the May 16 episode of Monday Night Raw. Fans were then left frustrated as WWE made Michael Cole and Corey Graves chastise the two for weeks on live TV.

The emotion only grows stronger now with the benefit of hindsight, knowing full well that if the two had stuck around for just a couple more months the situation would've been handled completely differently. And, admittedly, the lack of information surrounding the situation and the pair's status with the company (they're still on WWE.com's official roster page as of this writing) was pretty aggravating in the months that followed. 

However, the story has taken a noticeably different angle in the final weeks of the year thanks to a rush of newfound optimism. Based on every report we've received over the past few weeks, Banks will be present at New Japan's Wrestle Kingdom 17 next week and has agreed to a deal with NJPW's parent company that will see her work a number of dates in Japan and likely compete over the new IWGP Women's Championship with Kairi (Sane). And while her future with WWE (or perhaps even AEW) remains unknown, this does give "The Boss" the chance to blaze her own trail within the industry instead of being eternally compared to the rest of the Four Horsewomen within WWE. 

And while Sasha has deliberately kept from straight-up answering questions on social media, Dax Harwood's recent comments about her offer some much-needed perspective — "I feel that sometimes she gets a bad rep because of how passionate she is and how much she wants. You know, she wants it all, but she wants to work for it. That's the same with us. Like, I want everything this business, but I want to work for it and I want you to know that I'm going to work hard for you, and that's her, man. She knows what she deserves, and she knows what she's earned, and she works her ass off to get it, and if she doesn't get it, she feels slighted and she has a reason to feel that way."

And while Naomi's future in the wrestling business doesn't seem as immediately clear, it seems like the door is always open to return to WWE. And if and when she does, there's still an opportunity for her to become an addition to the ever-expanding Bloodline storyline. 

What happened to Sasha and Naomi was a shame, and for so many reasons it dominated the news cycle for so much of 2022. But the two knew their worth and stood their ground, and with any luck, they'll be rewarded for it in 2023.