I probably put paid to one of the things I want most in the world because of my history of putting the kibosh on things. Wrestling media and social media were alight last night with reports that Sasha Banks had been let go from the company. No one has denied that it is true. The timing is a little too much like a dog.
It was difficult to not notice that the Banks story broke just hours after it was leaked that Vince McMahon is in his latest windfall, one he will almost certainly escape by sacrificing his lieutenant John Laurinaitis, who also apparently paid off female employees with improper relationships. The main concern for World Wrestling Entertainment was clear this morning when their stock price took a dive. McMahon could be in serious trouble if he used company funds to pay off this woman to keep her quiet about their relationship and how many other women the board finds in their investigation. It is a big deal, and it is the kind of big deal that WWE wouldn't want to be the main story. If you buy into the buzz, Nick Khan will try to raise the sale price of the company as much as he can before an actual sale. Another escape route is possible for McMahon.
How do you pull the ultimate? You leak the smoke bomb of a big star leaving the company. Suddenly, very few people were talking about what McMahon does in his office, and everyone was more focused on Banks's future.
It is as ambiguous of a situation as it is currently. The website still lists banks. There is no notification of any release for talent. No one has said it is not true. The buzz grows louder with speculation, which is likely what the company wants at the moment.
The rare wrestler who can go to the mat with the company is Banks. She can afford the kind of lawyers who can find a way to get her out of her contract, and that is not a fight she would want to have. There was always an out for her if she was so determined. She was suspended for "unprofessional conduct" and thrown under the bus on the broadcast.
Fans are in a frenzy about what will happen if Banks gets her freedom. There is a debate going on about whether or not AEW is worthy of her. Tony Khan is said to be willing to remake and rebuild the women's division around her, and there hasn't been a woman wrestler with anywhere near her power on the roster before. Banks would look at the way Khan has booked the women's division of AEW and anticipate that she would run into the same kinds of creative problems that she did with New York. She was making more with the company than that.
We don't know if Banks still wants to wrestle. She has been a stay at home mom. It is assumed that a career in Hollywood awaits Banks whenever she wants it after her role in the second season of The Mandalorian. It is possible that she is after that.
She doesn't have a lot of options if she wants to stay in the ring for a short time. Impact can't pay her as much as she'd like. She would be a draw on the independents, but who would pay to see her? She has been to Japan before and it is the same thing. That is an awful lot of hustling for someone who doesn't need it.
If Khan really cares about what happens with the women's division, this is the moment. CM Punk is out for a while due to an injury. Even the dog won't lick up in the title scene of the show. Bryan Danielson is also injured. What is the show's main focus right now? If ever there was a time to put the women's division more, it would be after the Forbidden Door pay per view. Banks showing up refocuses the company. It would be worth it if Tony paid her to do it. It is lined up in a way that may never happen again.
There is still a long way to go in this story. Losing one of your biggest stars due to your own stupidity can't be good for business. Hopefully that is the least of what Vince McMahon is going to lose. A Banks defection would be considered aseismic. The Boss knows how to use opportunities when they present themselves.
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