After weeks of rumors, Sasha Banks finally made those true by showing up on Wrestle Kingdom 17 in Japan under the name Mercedes Mone. She appeared on the show after KAIRI’s successful title defense. KAIRI was planted in the ring with the Gory Special after which it was announced that the former WWE Superstar is coming after the title in a match set for next month.
Sasha Banks and Naomi walked out of WWE together as they were tired of Vince McMahon’s booking back in May. Many believed that Triple H taking over the company would help her to make the way back to the WWE which wasn’t the case. Now that the WWE exit has been confirmed there are speculations that an AEW debut is right around the corner.
Sasha Banks Officially Moved To WWE’s Alumni Section
During the latest episode of AEW Dynamite, a sit-down interview featuring Saraya, Toni Storm, and Hikaru Shida was shown with Renee Paquette being the host. In the interview, Saraya stated that she had the best women’s wrestler in the world sitting next to her, Toni Storm and she also proceeded to choose Storm as her partner for next week’s tag team match.
Conflicts over Sasha Banks’ AEW arrival on AEW Dynamite
Shida wasn’t happy with the decision and neither seemed Renee but Storm has since been officially advertised to be Saraya’s tag partner. There are still discussions going on over whether Sasha Banks is still scheduled to appear on the January 11 episode of AEW Dynamite. Per the reports of Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer, there’s no way that the mega debut will happen.
In his report, Meltzer stated that Sasha Banks won’t be in Los Angeles. To work with the AEW, she needs more commitment much similar to what WWE might have asked for. But the multi-time champion wants to be involved in limited dates which is the reason she signed with the NJPW promotion.
“It was very clear on the show tonight, she is not in Los Angeles,” Meltzer said. “She’s not coming to AEW. I don’t think she wants to make that commitment, because if she goes to AEW it’s a long commitment.”
However, Meltzer’s co-host, Bryan Alvarez still believes that the former WWE Superstar is a strong possibility for the January 11 show since he wasn’t informed, accurately in this regard.
Shida’s frustration on TV over Saraya choosing Storm over her, along with The Boss reference from Dr. Britt Baker in a promo still makes some people believe that the now Mercedes Moné is still a possibility. We have to wait until next Wednesday night to know whether AEW is able to grab another top WWE talent under their banner.