Former Raw and SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley recently sounded off on the possibility of Sasha Banks and Naomi returning to WWE.
Naomi and Banks, then the Women's Tag Team Champions, walked out of WWE during the 5/16 Raw show due to reported unhappiness with the creative plans that night. In a statement, WWE confirmed that the two had walked out, adding that the duo "claimed they weren't respected enough as tag team champions."
On the ensuing episode of SmackDown, Michael Cole announced that Banks and Naomi had been suspended indefinitely, and that the Women's Tag Team title belts were vacated. Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez won a tournament to become the new champions, but they dropped the titles to Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky on this week's episode of Raw.
Many naturally assumed that the two stars were done with WWE. But over the past several weeks, several reports have indicated that the two former SmackDown Women's Champion will eventually return. Just last month, it was reported that both Banks and Naomi reached agreements to rejoin WWE.
Bayley commented on the possibility of Banks and Naomi returning during an appearance on "Inside The Kliq" (h/t WrestlingInc.com). Here's what she had to say:
"Even if I was there, no one's going to understand their mindset or understand whatever happened besides Sasha and Naomi. All I know is, what they're doing now is killing it. I've been able to spend some time with them, they're models, they're actresses, they're singers, they're amazing...no matter what they do, I support them. They're going to take over everywhere, take over the world...If they ever do return, I'm just gonna kick their (expletive). They might be scared to come back for me, they might want to stay on the runway."
Bayley missed more than a year of action recovering from an ACL tear. She made her long-awaited return at SummerSlam 2022 weekend, revealing Kai and Sky as her new allies. Bayley's stable defeated Asuka, Bianca Belair and Alexa Bliss in a six-woman tag team match at the Clash at the Castle pay-per-view.
Reported Plans For 5/16 Raw Show Before Banks & Naomi Walked Out
Apparently, the plan for the 5/16 Raw show was for both Banks and Naomi to compete in a Six-Pack Challenge to decide who would face Belair for the Raw Women's Championship. Naomi was reportedly scheduled to win the match, but WWE had to change things up after the walkout. Asuak went on to defeat Becky Lynch that night to become the No. 1 contender for the title.
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