Sasha Banks and Naomi, as well as Becky Lynch, Asuka, Doudrop, and Nikki A.S.H., were slated to compete in Raw's main event on Monday night. The purpose of the challenge was to find the No. 1 contender for Bianca Belair's Raw Women's Championship.
The event was instead altered to a singles match between Lynch and Asuka, with Asuka winning to earn a fight against Belair at Hell in a Cell on June 5.
To say the least, Sasha Banks wasn't happy with what happened next.
The WWE released a lengthy statement over the past few days at explained what happened in this event.
"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."
Banks and Naomi are regarded as one of the most successful female tag teams in WWE history. At WrestleMania 38, they were crowned WWE women's tag team champions. They've defended the titles thrice since then.
It's difficult to believe that the WWE would let two of its top female athletes go. But Banks and Naomi may have to stay at home for a while. It's possible they will remain silent until their contracts expire and then go from there.
There hasn't been any word about if Naomi Banks is not going to participate in any WWE matches in the future. It would make sense if Vince McMahon can get her on board here and have things return to normal. Not only is this a bad look for Vince McMahon, but Banks is also one of the more entertaining wrestlers in the world and it's not going to be good for his company if they lose a wrestler like Banks.
