The following is an update per PWInsider, as it pertains to Sasha Banks and Naomi walking out of Raw Monday night.
The main event of Monday’s WWE Raw was supposed to be a six-pack challenge, with Naomi beating Banks to end the match.
The original plan for would have seen Banks and Naomi featured in two or three segments building up with an angle that they would square off in the Six Pack Challenge. Raw was to have gone off the air with the pair celebrating that Naomi was going to face Belair at Hell in the Cell.
The conceived storyline idea was that Naomi would then go on to Hell In A Cell and lose to Bianca Belair. It was noted that there are some in WWE who believe this Friday night’s SmackDown was going to have an angle with Sasha Banks losing to Ronda Rousey, and also likely in a rematch at HIAC.
It is being said that some point during the day, likely after initial concerns were raised about the creative plans, it was noted that an alternative idea pitched would have seen Banks and Naomi have a short tag team match instead, followed by a beat down afterwards to set up a different program.
One source reportedly said that Banks’ and Naomi’s opponents would have been Nikki A.S.H. and Doudrop. However, this has not been 100 percent confirmed as of this report.
Shortly before Raw, Banks and Naomi were informed by WWE Producer Molly Holly that WWE was going with the Six Pack Challenge with Naomi going over. Shortly after that, both Banks and Naomi informed John Laurinaitis they were leaving, and also left the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship belts behind.
Vince McMahon, who was sitting at the gorilla position, was told about Banks and Naomi leaving just as or right after Raw went on the air.
The Becky Lynch-Adam Pearce segment was pitched on the spot, with one source giving Becky Lynch credit Lynch for the idea. Vince then was said to have ordered it to be shot and placed into the show to start explaining the change to the by-now announced Raw main event.
It is being said that the belief among some is the creative issue was not with Banks losing to Naomi but how the duo would have been portrayed over the next several weeks, especially after they put so much time into building their team, once Vince McMahon issued an edict that they would be teaming and winning the Women’s Tag Team titles at Wrestlemania 38 – and that after building themselves as a team, they were going to wrestle each other and go off to put over other talents, which apparently was the main part of the issue.
As of this report, both Sasha Banks and Naomi remain on the WWE roster.