Fans hoping to see Sasha Banks (Mercedes Varnado) in AEW would have to wait at least a year if she decides to continue wrestling because it appears that her WWE non-compete might be much longer than 90 days.
Banks was confirmed at the C2E2 convention in Chicago, as was revealed on Wednesday. It’s a non-wrestling appearance, and Banks is billed using her real name.
Many wrestling conventions have contacted her, according to Fightful, but they have been told that she cannot appear until 2023. While wrestling-related promoters were informed that she wasn’t taking bookings for wrestling-related events until January 1, organizers of non-wrestling conventions were given a fixed pricing to book her.
There are contradictory stories regarding her status, and WWE has not officially confirmed her release. While some stories said that she had been let go weeks ago, other reports claim that even while she is no longer on the internal roster, her contract has not yet been terminated.
It’s unclear if she decided not to take wrestling bookings this year out of personal preference or because that’s what the two of them had agreed upon. Until one party talks on the matter, nothing can be proven, but it’s probable that the conditions of her release included that she would be prohibited from competing or working for any organizations associated with wrestling until January.
It’s also possible that Banks is technically released but not actually because she must complete the days or weeks left on her suspension, and once that’s through, a typical 90-day non-compete agreement is attached. Although nothing is definitive until one or both parties make a statement, it doesn’t appear like she intends to wrestle this year.
As we’ve already mentioned, Naomi and Banks both recently deleted WWE off their Twitter bios and from their Instagram pages. WWE removed the pair from the WWE TV intros and deleted both of their official Facebook pages. Additionally, Peacock removed Banks’ avatar. The WWE creative team is reportedly operating under the assumption that Banks and Naomi will never return after being taken from the internal roster last week. One creative source said that they had not heard of any backup ideas or plans in case things went wrong and Banks and Naomi returned. The tournament to determine the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions has also received no updates or internal discussion.
As of the time of writing, Banks and Naomi are still listed as SmackDown Superstars on the WWE website. Two sources claim that Banks’ release was granted in early June, but no other sources have verified that information, and WWE has not officially confirmed Banks’ departure either. Banks and Naomi left RAW on the May 16 episode because they were unhappy with creative. The WWE then announced the two were suspended and stripped them of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. It was later revealed that they had been suspended without pay. Their merchandise was also pulled for the duration of the suspension.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more.
