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Amid rumors of her WWE release, Sasha Banks reportedly isn’t accepting pro wrestling-related bookings and appearances until 2023.
According to Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc’s Sai Mohan), wrestling promoters who have reached out to Banks have been told that she can’t make appearances until January 1, while organizers of non-wrestling conventions have said they “were quoted a firm, specific rate.”
Fightful inquired about Banks potentially making appearances after the C2E2 convention, which will be held in Chicago in August, began advertising her Wednesday.
C2E2 @c2e2
Please join us in welcoming our next <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/C2E2?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#C2E2</a> guest, Mercedes Varnado (Sasha Banks)! Whether you’ve seen her in the ring or as Koska Reeves in The Mandalorian, you are not going to want to miss out on this Photo and Autograph opportunity! Buy yours now: <a href=”https://t.co/i3BeALlo7k”>https://t.co/i3BeALlo7k</a> <a href=”https://t.co/UFpdSIEGYP”>pic.twitter.com/UFpdSIEGYP</a>
It was also noted by Fightful that it is unclear if Banks not making wrestling-related appearances is due to contractual reasons or simply based on personal preference.
WWE suspended both Banks and Naomi after they walked out during an episode of Raw in May, and neither of them have appeared on WWE programming since then. It was then reported in June by WrestlingInc’s Raj Giri that Banks had been released from the company.
While WWE has not confirmed Banks’ departure, a wrestling promoter Fightful spoke to said they “can’t imagine her not being released at this point.”
Multiple WWE Superstars have reportedly told Fightful that they believe Banks has been released as well.
If that is indeed the case, it would represent a huge loss for WWE, since Banks is one of the greatest and most-accomplished women’s wrestlers in the history of the company.
Along with fellow Four Horsewomen Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Bayley, Banks is often credited with changing the perception of women’s wrestling in WWE and putting it on the same level as men’s wrestling.
She was in the first-ever Iron Woman match and women’s Hell in a Cell match in WWE history, plus she was part of the first one-on-one women’s match to main-event WrestleMania when she and Bianca Belair closed out Night 1 of WrestleMania 37.
Additionally, Banks is a five-time Raw women’s champion, one-time SmackDown women’s champion, one-time NXT women’s champion and three-time WWE women’s tag team champion.
On top of that, Banks has some crossover mainstream appeal after playing the role of Koska Reeves in the Star Wars Mandalorian series.
Given everything Banks brings to the table and the fact that she is still just 30 years of age, she would be a massive addition to another wrestling company if she is in fact gone from WWE and wants to continue wrestling elsewhere.
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