Sasha Banks appears to be done with WWE after she and Naomi walked out in the middle of RAW in May.
Banks is scheduled to appear at the Wrestle Kingdom 17 event in Tokyo Dome on January 4th, 2023, as PWMania.com previously reported. The talks between Banks and WWE to bring her back had slowed due to financial constraints.
Dave Meltzer revealed on Wrestling Observer Radio that “The Boss” is done with WWE.
“Okay, there’s a lot to this one. I had talked with WWE about it and they basically had nothing to say as far as the situation. Obviously, we’d talked about this before, they [WWE] had been talking to both of them, but they had been talking to her [Banks] about a return and they were very far apart on money. That was the last that I had heard….What she was asking for was a very high number for a WWE woman wrestler, but if you look at the amount of money that WWE takes in, she would still be underpaid. Everyone from Roman Reigns to Brock Lesnar is underpaid…That was the last that I had heard. Now, her contract was set to expire at the end of the year. However, as we’ve seen with so many people, they could freeze the deal.”
“She’s not going back to WWE, but you cannot always rule that out. Maybe they’ll just say ‘She’s more trouble than she’s worth. She’s asking for so much money.’ Which is, of course, the attitude a month ago of ‘Oh my god how can she ask for so much money?’ January 4th Tokyo Dome and other dates, and Mercedes Vernado or whatever name she will go with, but as of right now – she’s done with WWE. It can change at any moment, but that’s the situation right now.”
Meltzer discussed WWE making talent wait out time they missed despite being at the end of their contracts.
“She is going to the show, she will be on the show, she will not be wrestling on the show. She has dates booked with NJPW. In her deal, which I believe is not signed, she could still sign with WWE and this could all fall apart, but she has pretty much agreed to their terms. As far as they’re [NJPW] concerned, they have a deal.”
Meltzer stated that he has no idea how AEW fits in or whether she will be Saraya’s mystery partner on AEW Dynamite on January 11th.
“She is going to be making appearances for NJPW in 2023. Barring a last-minute change and her backing out on what she has agreed to, she’s not going back to WWE, but you cannot always rule that out.”
Meltzer went on to say that WWE might give her the money she wants to keep her from going to NJPW or AEW.
“That’s where it kind of all stands….but as of right now, she’s done with WWE. Like I said, it could change at any moment.”
WOR: Dave Meltzer gives an update on the Sasha Banks situation as of this moment. https://t.co/mYdKSjV7fm pic.twitter.com/4UATejAMnu
— Wrestling Observer (@WONF4W) December 11, 2022
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
