WATCH: Current champion avoids mentioning Sasha Banks' name in awkward interview moment
Things still aren't in a good place between WWE and Sasha Banks. WWE has made sure to avoid mentioning her, and it seems they've asked superstars to follow suit. In an awkward interview moment with Sports Illustrated, a current champion from RAW nearly mentioned The Boss.
Sasha Banks is rumored to still be internally listed on the WWE roster, with Raj Giri of WrestlingInc (who originally broke the release story) revealing that the decision to cut her came from the Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs for Talent Relations and not John Laurinaitis. He also stated that WWE management is trying to "smooth over" the situation.
The superstar in question is RAW Women's Champion Bianca Belair, who was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated. While talking about wanting WWE stars to be viewed like real athletes, Belair fumbled by almost mentioning Banks' name, something she seemingly isn't supposed to do:
"When I had the main event of WrestleMania with (...) with (...) at WrestleMania 37. I was the first black woman to main event WrestleMania that night. It was recongized and I wanted to be a part of it because we're not just WWE Superstars, we're wrestlers, actors, we're icons." (from 4:13 to 4:41)
You can watch the video below to see the exact moment Belair fumbled:
Will Sasha Banks ever return to WWE?
Sasha Banks has a WWE Hall of Fame career and is arguably the best in-ring female talent in sports entertainment history. She's among the best in the world, so it's unlikely she will find trouble returning to wrestling.
As mentioned above, WWE is reportedly trying to smooth things out with The Boss. Less than two weeks ago, Andrew Zarain stated that Banks' lawyers are working on her release.
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Unfortunately, Bianca Belair was put on the spot while trying to remain professional as a WWE representative.