The May 16 episode of WWE Raw kicked off with several new matches being announced, including a six-pack challenge. This multi-woman matchup was set up to determine the number-one contender for the RAW Women’s Championship.
The originally pitched match was supposed to feature the former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Naomi and Sasha Banks going up against four different names Asuka, Becky Lynch, Doudrop, and Nikki A.S.H to decide the new challenger to WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair.
But then WWE Official Adam Pearce switched it to a singles match between Becky Lynch and Asuka to determine the number-one contender. Eventually, Asuka won that match and secure her spot at Hell in a Cell as the new challenger for WWE Raw Women’s Championship.
Reports have already confirmed that the change came after Sasha Banks and Naomi decided to walk out of WWE Raw that took place at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Apparently, both claimed to have a change made to the creative plan of WWE for the six-pack challenge which was denied by Vince McMahon. Additionally, they also felt disrespected about their current positions on the roster.
Details Surface On Sasha Banks And Naomi Walking Out Of WWE Raw
Naomi was booked to challenge for WWE Raw Women’s Title
While Sasha Banks did have the history of having fallouts with Vince in the past, her tag team partner and fellow Women’s Tag Team Champion, Naomi’s walkout from WWE Raw came as a surprise. The situation seemed weird considering that Naomi was actually booked to win the match and become Bianca Belair’s new number-one contender for Hell In A Cell, according to the reports of Fightful.
WWE could have booked the match as another encounter between two black women in a headliner match of the premium live event but that plan had to be scrapped. Instead, they had to book Asuka vs. WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair in a battle between two babyface superstars.
WWE’s statement also insisted that Sasha Banks and Naomi relinquished their belts after not being respected as champions,
“They claimed they weren’t respected enough as tag team champions. And 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.”
Sasha Banks and Naomi have been the tag team champions since Wrestlemania 38 and they have had quite a few successful title defenses over on both WWE Raw and Smackdown after the Show of Shows. Hence, their abrupt walkout did cause a stir within the WWE Universe.
