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Sasha Banks left WWE in May of last year due to serious creative differences. In the following months, a myriad of rumors regarding his future circulated and many were hoping for his return to WWE after Vince Mcmahon's retirement.
The latter made way for his daughter Stephanie and Nick Khan, while Triple H became the new head of the creative team. The 14-time world champion made numerous changes to the shows and convinced several superstars who had been released to return to Stamford.
Fans wanted The Game to bring Sasha back as well, but things turned out differently. On January 4, 2023, Mercedes attended NJPW's 'Wrestle Kingdom 17' event and challenged KAIRI for the IWGP Women's Championship. In the latest edition of 'Busted Open Radio', Tommy Dreamer drew a parallel between the parable of Sasha Banks and that of Brock Lesnar.
On top of that, FOX has replaced Banks on their SmackDown website with the recently returned Tegan Nox.
Tommy Dreamer defends the choice of Sasha Banks
“Sasha Banks changed the trajectory of her career and her life.
You have the right to follow the path you want and no one can tell you anything. It is said that leaving the WWE is not always a bad thing. If we think of athletes like Chris Jericho or Brock Lesnar, we realize how much good it has been for them to move away from the Stamford federation.
They made a further leap in quality by going elsewhere and are still on the crest of the wave today” – analyzed Tommy Dreamer. “Sasha is still young and has many years ahead of him. He could very well return to WWE in the future, as long as he wants it” - added Tommy.
Banks, who made her WWE debut in August 2008, quickly established herself as a staple within the women's division. Sasha was the only woman able to win the 'Pro Wrestling Award' for feud of the year. According to Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer, however, for Naomi the situation would be decidedly different, with Jimmy Uso's wife who is ever closer to returning to WWE, rather than landing in Japan or in another world reality.
Varnado took to social media to express her gratitude following her Wrestle Kingdom 17 appearance. Posting pictures with her friends at the event and tweeting out: "I've never felt more loved! I can't thank my family enough for being here for me. *Japan flag emoji* *blue heart emoji*," Mercedes Varnado said in a tweet.