Should WWE Pay Sasha Banks?

By
Jim LaMotta
-
(Photo Credit: WWE)

The story of Sasha Bank’s next move in professional wrestling continues to develop, as she was trending again earlier today on social media (I’m still waiting to hear back from Twitter support after Elon’s new algorithms mistakenly flagged my account for being a robot, and I will continue to mention that in this column until I at least get a response) after The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reported that money talks between the two sides fell a part. The real-life Mercedes Varnado reportedly wanted a contract on the same level as her co-workers, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair.

Meltzer claims that WWE management didn’t want to offer her that kind of cash and thus it appears she will be on her way to Japan to work big money bouts for Bushiroad with New Japan and Stardom. On the surface, it seems like a very reasonable request, but was the WWE office right in their assessment of Sasha Banks?

First, it should be noted that Sasha Banks is as talented as Becky and Charlotte. She’s just as marketable, if not more so than either of them and brings the same level of star power to the table. The women’s division has such depth right now that to attempt to truly rank the top performers ahead is moot in most cases. In theory, there’s no reason Varnado isn’t worth that type of contract to the WWE. However, when you take into account the rocky history between the two sides, the outside of the ring disputes, not the on-screen talent, might’ve been the determining factor.

As I wrote previously, Sasha Banks walked out of a scheduled main event right before a live broadcast went on the air. She wanted to prove a point and she certainly did, but at the same time, she also made it very difficult for the office to invest both time and money into her again. Keep in mind, she took a four-month hiatus from the company in 2019 because she was unhappy with the creative direction. At this point, she has a track record of leaving the building if she doesn’t like the script she’s given so what happens if she’s booked in the main event of a pay-per-view and decides she doesn’t want to drop the title? Don’t get me wrong, there are times where a talent should speak up for themselves or leave if they aren’t happy with their position in the company, but you always do business because that’s the level of trust the office has to have with its performers. Back in July, Sasha could’ve worked the main event of Raw and still left to make her point. She reportedly put her tag team belt on the desk in front of management before she left the building. It would’ve been better business to notify management she was done after that night, worked the match, and left. That would’ve given the writing team a week or so before the next pay-per-view to script a reason Banks wouldn’t be on the shows going forward, and the office didn’t have to scramble before a live broadcast.

Don’t get me wrong, Sasha is one of the most talented of her generation and undoubtedly a big star, she’s going to draw major numbers in Japan, but again, the bottom line is, after she walked out on Raw, there’s a risk that WWE management must take into account if they are going to invest TV time and money into her character.


That said, does Varnado have a legitimate gripe toward how she was booked in the WWE? Absolutely, she was rarely spotlighted to her fullest potential and often played second fiddle to Charlotte. That’s why despite multiple reigns as Women’s champion, Banks didn’t have a definitive run as champion because her short stints with the title were ultimately designed to get Charlotte closer to her dad’s number of championship reigns. It’s not fair, but politics and nepotism aren’t anything new in pro wrestling. It’s an ego-driven business and it’s a harsh reality, but those politics, not just ability, can determine the direction of a storyline. Remember, Charlotte was at odds with the promotion at one point, including the rift with Nia Jax when legitimate punches seemed to be thrown in the ring, and the infamous belt swap segment with Becky Lynch on Smackdown. Eventually, things settled down and everyone was able to do business again, which is the entire point of the industry because that’s how you draw money.


Finally, while some fans will jump on the anti-WWE bandwagon because that’s usually the trendy thing to do on social media, I have to say, I think the office made the right call. Between the hiatus in 2019, the walk out on Raw, and the ridiculous C2E2 photo-ops that surfaced, I’d guess that Mercedes Varnado thinks she’s a bigger star than she actually is in the industry. Considering the depth of the women’s division in WWE, they don’t need her on the roster to solidify the division, and prehaps, she doesn’t need the WWE. The difference between the hiatus in 2019 and her most recent dispute with the company is that a few years ago, the options for talent, at least in the United States, were limited. Even after All Elite Wrestling started, there wasn’t a guarantee that the project was going to get off the ground so it wasn’t until the past two years that talent could realistically expect comparable money to WWE in America. Right now, everyone wins, Varnado will go to Japan to make some hefty cash, and the WWE will continue to generate record-setting profits with its television deals. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if she eventually returns to WWE in a few years, which might be best for everyone since it allows for a fresh start.

That being said, regardless of the amount of cash Tony Khan could offer her, I seriously doubt that she would sign with All Elite Wrestling, and if she does, it won’t end well. If Varnado was unsatisfied with the booking in WWE, there’s no way she would want to work with the inconsistent booking that Khan often uses for the product. Sasha Banks’ ability is worth as much as Becky or Charlotte’s contract, but the difficulty to work with Mercedes Varnado simply isn’t worth the hassle. Love him or hate him, Jim Cornette had a saying that could summarize this situation, “how can we miss you if you won’t go away?” Varnado’s work in Japan will allow her to make major money, work with stellar talent, and could ultimately set the stage for her to be a bigger star when she returns to the company.

However, the biggest takeaway from this entire story should be that the willingness to do business is what establishes the trust for the company to invest in a character to draw money for everyone involved.

What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.

Until next week
-Jim LaMotta

E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram & Facebook @jimlamotta89

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