There has been renewed interest in Sasha Banks over the past few months, especially following Vince McMahon’s departure. Prior to that event, Banks was noted to have left WWE following an argument with company management over the booking of the Women’s Tag Team Titles and their holders.
This led to a statement from Michael Cole announcing on-air that Banks and her teammate Naomi “let everyone down”.
But once Vince left WWE and Triple H resumed control, things changed. Banks in particular was long considered one of Triple H’s favorites, and with him assuming full creative control, it was believed that she’d be back in WWE soon.
But Sasha Bank hasn’t returned. Instead, her attention appears to have shifted elsewhere; specifically, to New Japan Pro-Wrestling and its sister company STARDOM.
The dominant rumor at this time suggests that Sasha Banks will make an appearance at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4th, 2023. Exact details on what she would be doing on that show haven’t been confirmed.
STARDOM rejected Sasha Banks’ Deal, then reversed that decision
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, STARDOM initially rejected Sasha Banks’ deal. The initial reason for this, according to the WON, was a disagreement over pay between Banks’ side and Rossy Ogawa.
Ogawa is a famous name in joshi wrestling because he was the main promoter for All Japan Women (AJW) between 1978 and 1997, and also for another women’s promotion called ARSION before joining STARDOM.
Exact numbers aren’t known but speculation right now suggests that Banks’ deal would get her “Chris Jericho money” or thereabouts on a per-appearance basis. Because of this high price demand, Ogawa refused Banks, thinking it wasn’t “cost-effective”.
After Ogawa and STARDOM’s initial rejection, the matter was passed on to Takaaki Kidani, the CEO of Bushiroad which is the parent company of both STARDOM and NJPW. Kidani was adamant on getting Banks and so he allowed her to name her price.
And so, STARDOM rejected Banks’ offer initially under Rossy Ogawa’s order but then STARDOM’s parent swooped in and gave Banks’ side a different answer.
Because of her high price tag, Banks will only be used for NJPW’s and STARDOM’s biggest events. Furthermore, the WON also noted that the name ‘Sasha Banks’ won’t be used and WWE isn’t involved in these matters in any way.