WWE Addresses Naomi and Sasha Banks' Shocking Absence From Match

[Liz]

The WWE is speaking out after Naomi and Sasha Banks were noticeably absent from Monday Night Raw.

In a statement released May 17, the organization confirmed, "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."

According to the organization, Sasha, real name Mercedes Varnado, and Naomi, née Trinity Fau, felt "they weren't respected enough as tag team champions" and claimed they had safety concerns. "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," the statement continued. "Monday Night Raw is a scripted live TV show, whose characters are expected to perform the requirements of their contract."

The statement concluded, "We regret we were unable to deliver, as advertised, tonight's main event."

The women were set to face off against Doudrop, Nikki A.S.H, Asuka and Lynch. In Naomi and Sasha's absence, Asuka and Lynch went head-to-head, with the victor going on to fight Bianca Belair in the Hell in a Cell.

Banks and Naomi have not publicly addressed their walkout.

According to Wrestling Inc., Banks asked to leave the WWE in February 2021, telling the Broken Skull Sessions podcast that mental health struggles motivated her decision. "I wanted to make sure that I didn't lose myself," she explained. "So I said, 'You know what? I got to take a step away and find myself again and I gotta be brave about that.' And that was probably one of the hardest things I had to do—ask to leave the WWE."

But when she approached WWE CEO Vince McMahon, Sasha claimed, "He said I'm gonna give you 30 days to think about it. And I took more than 30 days."

She ultimately took a four-month break from the WWE, making her return in August  2019.