On an appearance on the Sports Illustrated Media podcast, Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer gave the following response to a question about whether the retirement of Vince McMahon could inspire the WWE to bring back disgruntled Women's Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks and Naomi, as dictated by Ian Carey.
“It's kind of up in the air. I mean, they're gone. The last I heard was that there would be attempts to be made to reconcile, especially with Vince (McMahon) gone. So, it's up in the air. I don't think there's anything definite just yet.”
Interesting stuff; interesting stuff indeed.
Now, as you may or may not know, Sasha Banks and Naomi, the most recent holders of the belts before they were vacated two months ago, have been awol from the WWE Universe since all the way back in May after walking out of a May 16th edition of RAW a few hours before their scheduled “Six Pack Challange” bout that was set to main event the show and decide on a number one contender for Bianca Belair's RAW Women's Championships. The company had Michael Cole issue an update on the situation a few days later on SmackDown, calling out the two women for “letting us all down” and then promised to hold a tournament to decide on the new belt holders in the not-too-distant future – a tournament that didn't happen.
From there, various outlets reported that Banks and Naomi were either outright released or removed from the company's internal roster, and after reportedly telling outlets that she wouldn't be able to take any in-ring bookings for the remainder of the year, it felt like that, as they say, was that – Sasha and Naomi were going to sit out the remainder of their deals and then move on in the not-too-distant future.
… except, that doesn't appear to be the case. No, based on Meltzer's comments, it would appear that Naomi and Banks remain employed by the company and that they very well may be convinced to return to the company if offered the right role.
Triple H, if you want to really re-ingratiate yourself to the WWE Universe, you might want to do everything in your power to get the duo back into a RAW, SmackDown, and even NXT ring ASAP.
Triple H needs to get the WWE Woman's Tag Team Champs back no matter what.
Without wrestling a match in over two months, Sasha Banks and Naomi remain incredibly popular in the WWE Universe. The former is both asking for and garnering $30,000 for signing opportunities, as fans attending the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo will surely tell you, and the latter? Well, she's in the headlines just about any time she posts something on social media, especially when it comes to WWE-turned-MLW wrestler Lince Dorado asking her when she wants to do some Lucha things.
And yet, outside of social media and an August signing at CCEE, there really hasn't been much going on in the world of the former WWE Women's Tag Team Champions – they can't wrestle, at least not professionally for another organization, and outside of, like, starting a podcast, there really isn't enough time to get much else up and off the ground, as it usually takes months or even years for any sort of film/TV opportunity to materialize, that is, if the duo are even allowed to take such bookings under the conditions of their current contracts.
No, the best possible situation for either performer to elevate their current standing and roll into free agency from a position of power would be to return to the WWE with the promise of being booked as true tag team champions instead of an afterthought – which is why they walked out in the first place – and go on another fantastic, brand-spanning romp through the company like Naomi's Uso husband Jimmy has been since his Bloodline team became the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions back in May. Such a reunion would put the duo back on weekly television with the white hottest heat of their careers, give the WWE a massive buzz that would dominate the media landscape inside and out of the sports world, and would ultimately make Triple H look like a master negotiator, as he could say he was able to bring back two of the wrestling world's top performers where his father-in-law never could.
Will it happen? Will Triple H be able to bury the tension, mend a few bridges, and roll forward into the future with a proper WWE Women's Tag Team scene? Only time will tell, but if Dave Meltzer's reporting holds true and the company does plan on reaching out to the former champs, it would do a lot for the present and future of all parties involved.
Follow Us
Subscribe