WWE have ‘indefinitely suspended’ Sasha Banks and Naomi after they left an ongoing episode of Monday Night Raw. The pair, who won the women’s tag team championships at WrestleMania just last month, are said to have left their belts in the office before their shock exit.
On the latest episode of Friday Night SmackDown, commentator Michael Cole provided an update on the pair. “Sasha Banks and Naomi let us all down,” he said. “Their actions disappointed millions of WWE fans, and their fellow superstars.
“So because of what Sasha and Naomi did this past Monday night, they have been suspended indefinitely. They were supposed to take part in this, the Six Pack Challenge where the winner would be next in line to face Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Championship.
“However, Sasha and Naomi took the tag team champions into the office of our Head of Talent Relations, left them there and then promptly walked out of the arena. Their actions disappointed millions of WWE fans and their fellow superstars. So, because of what Sasha and Naomi did this past Monday night, they have been suspended indefinitely and we will have a future tournament to crowd the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.”
WWE went a step further, as fans are now unable to purchase any of the pair’s merchandise on WWE Shop. When searching for Sasha Banks, the page says ‘Sorry, nothing found’, and doing the same for Naomi leads to a page which reads: ‘You’ve taken a wrong turn and are in Parts Unknown.’
The duo, who are two of the greatest talents in the company, are believed to have been frustrated with future plans which did not involve them defending their tag titles at the next premium live event. Reports suggest Naomi would have won the proposed six-pk challenge and gone on to face Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s championship at Hell in a Cell next month.
Banks meanwhile, would have clashed with Ronda Rousey for her SmackDown women’s title at the same event. If these matches had taken place, the women’s tag team championships would not have been defended, a move the pair are said to have disagreed with.
Since claiming the championships, Banks and Naomi have made it clear how much they valued being at the top of the tag division and stressed their desire to elevate the belts and place them at the forefront of WWE programming. If reports are to be believed, this was not the immediate plan, hence why a WWE statement released on the night they left Raw, stated they felt ‘disrespected’ as champions.
It read: "When Sasha Banks and Naomi arrived at the arena this afternoon, they were informed of their participation in the main event of tonight’s Monday Night Raw. During the broadcast, they walked into WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis’ office with their suitcases in hand, placed their tag team championship belts on his desk and walked out.
"They claimed they weren’t respected enough as tag team champions. And even though they had eight hours to rehearse and construct their match, they claimed they were uncomfortable in the ring with two of their opponents – even though they’d had matches with those individuals in the past with no consequence. Monday Night Raw is a scripted live TV show, whose characters are expected to perform the requirements of their contract.
"We regret we were unable to deliver, as advertised, tonight’s main event." According to reports from Fightful Select and PWInsider, Banks met with boss Vince McMahon in his office to discuss issues she had with creative plans, but both sides refused to back down.
Various outlets have suggested there were no issues about being ‘uncomfortable’ with opponents as the statement suggested. We have yet to hear any statement from Banks and Naomi themselves regarding the incident and there is no word on how long they have been suspended for, amid reports suggesting their current contracts are soon to expire.
