The past 24 hours have been confusing, fascinating, and strange if you're a fan of WWE. They've also been emotional and concerning if you're a fan of Sasha Banks and Naomi, who apparently walked off the set of Monday Night Raw over differences in the creative direction of the team and a scheduled Six-Pack Challenge match that was supposed to main event the show. The development now leaves the team in limbo with many fans wondering what consequences will come from their actions.

For fans who don't know exactly what happened, the following review is meant to provide a guide as to where things went sideways, why the team walked out, and what the next steps might be for both the company and the talent. As mentioned, it's an odd story and there are likely a lot more details coming that will present themselves as more statements are made.

The Background Story Between Banks, Naomi And WWE

From the information that has been collected thus far, it sounds like this was not an issue that simply popped up on Monday. Reports suggest something has been brewing behind the scenes for a while and it all came to a head as Raw was being put together and the tag team was given their assignments for the show. WWE released a statement suggesting the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions felt they were being disrespected as champions and that's potentially one of the truer parts of that statement.

WWE has not done much with their women's tag team division. A set of belts that were introduced because the company had too many competitors vying for the brand's respective singles titles, since the introduction of the tag belts, the division has been decimated and the titles treated as an afterthought. Banks and Naomi were apparently tired of it but were working hard to change the narrative.

What Happened On Monday

A report from Fightul Select offers a bit more detail as to how the issue on Monday unfolded. The plan proposed by WWE for the main event would have seen Naomi win the six-pack challenge, but there are mixed reports about who she would have pinned for the victory. Some report it was Banks. However, Fightful is reporting that Banks and Naomi weren't even going to interact with each other during the bout. The report then notes that Naomi would move on to face Bianca Belair at Hell in a Cell, putting over Belair to further elevate her run as a singles champion. It was the fact that Naomi and Banks were expected to practically ignore each other during the match that made little sense to the tag team champions.

Banks was then also booked to move on and be the No. 1 contender to Ronda Rousey's SmackDown Title, but lose to Rousey. It's not being reported that Banks had an issue doing the job to Rousey, but what seems to have bothered the champions is that neither would have worked as a team during their build-up to their respective singles matches and not defended the tag team titles for weeks. They felt that completely disrespected the tag team division and what they were trying to do for the tag title scene, one that had already been mishandled.

Banks and Naomi Offered An Alternative

Vince McMahon himself has said in interviews that he doesn't mind if talent disagrees with the creative direction of something, as long as they offer an alternative. Reports are that's exactly what Banks and Naomi tried to do.

The champs wanted to face Nikki ASH and Doudrop for the titles at Hell in a Cell. They felt that the new team needed a push and that the titles should be defended on the pay-per-view. Their pitches involved getting Doudrop and ASH involved, including one pitch that would see ASH and Doudrop cost Naomi her title shot at HIAC. When the original idea of a tag match was simply shot down by creative, and after Banks and Naomi felt they had offered alternatives that made sense but were also shot down, they started to get frustrated and wanted another meeting with Vince McMahon. It was then they were allegedly told by a producer multiple times that they were acting entitled and to change their attitude and grow up. By this time, they felt their only option was not to do the match as scheduled by creative, walked into the office of the WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis with their suitcases in hand, placed their tag team championship belts on his desk, and walk out.

What Now For Banks And Naomi?

WWE has clearly gone on the offensive, releasing a statement about the "unprofessional conduct" of the champions and making it seem like they were unwilling to work with a couple of the talents involved in the six-pack challenge. The company is trying to shape the narrative around what reports suggest actually went down and that's not good news for Banks or Naomi. The one thing that doesn't tend to go over well in WWE is when talent walks out on the company, their fellow WWE Superstars, and the audience who WWE is claiming paid to see an advertised match but wasn't able to deliver.

In this case, it appears WWE is trying to make it look like Banks and Naomi bailed on the show; which, in a way they did. This could lead to fines, suspensions, or even either or both of the WWE Superstars being released. What we do know is that Jimmy Uso (Naomi's husband) was not punished for the actions of Naomi as he worked Raw and had a singles match with Riddle and was part of a backstage promo later in the show. We also know that WWE has pivoted from their original plans and now Asuka will go on to Hell in a Cell to face Bianca Belair for the Raw Women's Championship. As for the women's tag team titles, they could be vacated or simply done away with.

Can This Be Fixed?

The good news is that nothing is irreversible. Mustafa Ali went public with his distaste for WWE a few months ago and after asking to be released, but is back with the company working a program on Raw. We also know that Banks is viewed as an important piece of the women's division and Naomi is in tight with Roman Reigns, who yields an incredible amount of power backstage. What we don’t know is if Naomi consulted Roman before joining Banks on her walkout or if Reigns will go to bat for the tag team champions. If he's upset, this becomes a bigger issue for WWE. Then again, if he felt the two women didn't act professionally, it's unlikely he gets involved.

If cooler heads prevail, this can always be worked into a storyline and there doesn't seem to be friction between the women actually scheduled to be involved in the match. This is simply an issue between Banks, Naomi and the producers who booked the angle. Neither side was willing to budge from their stance but that's bound to change at some point. That could take some time though as reports are Banks is pretty upset. She unfollowed Vince McMahon and several WWE Superstar accounts.