The future of Sasha Banks has been up in the air ever since she and tag-team partner Naomi dramatically walked out of WWE back in May. But after huge developments this week, fans are asking if Sasha Banks is going to AEW.
In case you have somehow missed it, Sasha Banks, now going by the name Mercedes Moné, made her New Japan Pro-Wrestling debut at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on 4 January.
Her first appearance in NJPW had been heavily rumoured for weeks. However, fans were still shocked to see Banks, previously a WWE mainstay, walk out and confront IWGP Women’s Champion Kairi after her successful title defence.
After she attacked Kairi, Sasha Banks, under her new moniker as Mercedes Moné, cut a promo on the IWGP Women’s Champ. Moné announced that she would challenge Kairi for the belt at NJPW Battle in the Valley in San Jose on 18 February.
What’s more, Mercedes Moné also announced that she would be appearing for NJPW sister company and women’s-only promotion Stardom. But the questions don’t stop there.
Also at Wrestle Kingdom 17, AEW EVP Kenny Omega defeated Will Ospreay for the NJPW US Championship. The two companies worked closely together in 2022 with June’s AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door show. And with Omega’s win, this is clearly something that’s continuing into 2023.
As a result, many fans expect that Mercedes Moné is going to AEW. But what are rumours and industry insiders saying?
Is Sasha Banks going to AEW? Let’s go over everything we know…
Sasha Banks WWE Exit
Despite her contentious exit from WWE, many fans expected Sasha Banks to return to the company when the regime changed after Vince McMahon’s surprise retirement. After all, her gripes with WWE stemmed from conflict with McMahon and John Laurinaitis.
When Triple H took over back in the summer, many outlets reported that Banks would indeed be back in the company for the conclusion of the Women’s Tag Team Championship tournament at Cardiff’s Clash at the Castle. But that didn’t happen.
Clearly, Sasha Banks’ issues with WWE went deeper than just a disagreement with McMahon and Laurinaitis. And whatever it was led to her debut for NJPW as Mercedes Moné. But can we expect to see her appear for WWE’s biggest competitor anytime soon?
Is Sasha Banks Going To AEW?
Following her not-so surprising debut in NJPW, fans want to know what’s next for Sasha Banks in North America.
Is Sasha Banks going to AEW? Industry insiders are reporting that Sasha Banks (Mecedes Moné) is going to AEW. Her first appearance will apparently take place on the 11 January Dynamite show as Saraya’s mystery tag-team partner.
Pro-wrestling reporter Steve Muehlhausen of DAZN wrote on Twitter: “Sources: Mercedes Varnado will be Saraya’s partner next week in #AEWDynamite in LA against Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter. Couldn’t announce or make a major hint due to her being still under contract to WWE until the beginning of 2023.”
Since her AEW debut, Saraya (formerly Paige in WWE) has been in a feud with Britt Baker and Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter. For the past few weeks, she’s been touting a mystery partner for a tag team match against the pair on the 11 January Dynamite show.
Sasha Banks’ WWE contract has obviously caused promotional issues for AEW, with the company unable to advertise her for the match.
Still, fans might be asking why Saraya announced on this week’s Dynamite that Toni Storm will be her partner if it’s actually the rebranded Mercedes Moné.
Well, we don’t know for certain. But Hikaru Shida’s negative reaction to Saraya’s announcement implies that she could take out Storm before the tag team match to make way for Mercedes Moné’s surprise debut.
Do you think Sasah Banks is going to AEW? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other film & TV articles…
