WWE Releases Official Statement On Sasha Banks/Naomi Raw Walkout
WWE's statement appears calibrated to paint Banks & Naomi as being in the wrong.
As previously covered, Sasha Banks & Naomi walked out of last night's episode of WWE Raw, reportedly as a result of not feeling respected as the company's Women's Tag Team Champions.
The situation necessitated major rewrites on the day of the show. Per Fightful Select, who detailed the story, a meeting between Banks and Vince McMahon over creative concerns yielded no positive outcome, with neither party willing to budge on their stance. This led to Naomi and Banks handing John Laurinaitis their belts and walking out of the show.
WWE has now issued the following skewed statement on the matter, reading as it if was designed to paint Naomi and Banks as villainous parties:-
When Sasha Banks and Naomi arrived at the arena this afternoon, they were informed of their participation in the main event of tonight's Monday Night Raw.
During the broadcast, they walked into WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis office with their suitcases in hand, placed their tag team championship belts on his desk and walked out.
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. Monday Night Raw is a scripted live TV show, whose characters are expected to perform the requirements of their contract.
We regret we were unable to deliver, as advertised, tonight's main event.
Please see our previous writeup for a complete picture of the situation.