Reported update on the Sasha Banks and Naomi situation
It was reported a while back that Sasha Banks was released from WWE. Although there was no confirmation, a recent update seems to squash that rumor.
Banks and Naomi won the Women's Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania 38. On the March 16th episode of RAW, the two left their belts on the table of the then VP of Talent Relations, John Laurinaitis, and walked out on the company. WWE has since stripped the duo of their tag titles and suspended them indefinitely.
As a result, the fate of the tag team championship hangs in the balance. A tournament to crown new champions was announced on the episode of SmackDown right after the walk-out. However, the company has not offered any new information about it.
Mike Johnson of PWInsider reports that Sasha and Naomi are still listed on WWE's internal roster listings and have not been released.
"For those who continue to ask, as of this morning, Sasha Banks and Naomi remain listed on the active WWE roster internally. There has been no change in their status made internally since they walked out on that Raw taping several weeks ago. Neither have been officially released," Johnson wrote.
As of this morning, Sasha Banks and Naomi still remain listed on the active WWE roster internally.
- PWInsider
The two being part of internal roster listings seemingly indicates that they are still part of WWE, as the company may not have completely given up on the prospect of them returning.
Sasha Banks and Naomi's contracts are reportedly set to expire "soon"
After Sasha Banks and Naomi walked out of WWE, many started wondering whether the two would leave the company. Now, it doesn't seem that the duo will be released, so the question shifts to when their contracts will expire.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported in March that Naomi's WWE contract was to expire "soon, and she was negotiating for a new one in the lead-up to the walk-out. Her negotiations might have been one of the reasons for the incident.
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As for The Boss, former WWE writer Kazeem Famuyide claimed on The Masked Men Show that Banks was also in the process of negotiations. According to Kazeem, her current deal was set to expire "in a few weeks." This was said over a month ago.
Even if the two seem to be leaving the company, it would not be a stretch to say that they might come back to TV in the upcoming months on days. As the commentators often remind us, "Never say never in WWE."