Sasha Banks

Sasha Banks is reportedly coming to New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Dave Melzer of Wrestling Observer Radio confirmed Banks will be attending NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom event next month, signaling the end of her run in WWE.

"She's not going back to WWE, but you cannot always rule that out," Melzer said. "Maybe they'll just say 'She's more trouble than she's worth. She's asking for so much money.' Which is, of course, the attitude a month ago of 'Oh my god how can she ask for so much money?' January 4th Tokyo Dome and other dates, and Mercedes Vernado or whatever name she will go with, but as of right now—she's done with WWE. It can change at any moment, but that's the situation right now."

Banks has not appeared on WWE programming since she and Naomi walked out on the company in May amid frustration with booking. The departure of Vince McMahon over the summer created hope of reconciliation between the parties, as Banks and Triple H have a close relationship dating back to her days in NXT.

There has been speculation about her return for months, but it appears negotiations fell apart.

It's unclear if Banks will be setting up an in-ring program during her New Japan appearance or merely just be in attendance at Wrestle Kingdom.

Regardless, the appearance will undoubtedly spark rumors of Banks joining AEW. New Japan and AEW have a strong working relationship, and Banks has long expressed admiration for Joshi-style wrestling.

With AEW teasing a mystery tag team partner for Saraya for Jan. 11's Dynamite, the speculation will be rampant until proven otherwise.

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Sasha Banks Reportedly Expected to Attend NJPW Wrestle Kingdom

Sasha Banks will reportedly be present next month at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom event.

According to PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson, NJPW is bringing her in for Wrestle Kingdom 17, which will emanate from the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 4.

The second day of Wrestle Kingdom will take place over two weeks later on Jan. 21 at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan.

Women's wrestling in Japan was previously relegated to all-female companies such as Stardom, but since Stardom and NJPW are sister companies, a working relationship was forged, and the IWGP Women's Championship was recently created.

Former WWE Superstar Kairi holds the title, and she is putting it on the line against Tam Nakano on Jan. 4. That has led to speculation that Banks may confront Kairi after the match, leading to a bout between them on Jan. 21.

Johnson noted that it hasn't been confirmed if Banks will appear in front of the crowd at Wrestle Kingdom or if she will merely be in attendance.

Banks has not appeared on WWE programming since May when she and tag team partner Naomi walked out prior to an episode of Raw. WWE condemned their actions by suspending them and stripping them of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.

Multiple reports suggested that the walkout was because of unhappiness on the part of Banks and Naomi for how WWE was handling their title reign.

While there has been plenty of speculation since then, there has been no concrete proof regarding whether Banks and Naomi are still under contract with the company or if they were released or allowed to have their contracts lapse.

Banks potentially appearing at Wrestle Kingdom could be a sign that she is no longer with WWE and is free to work anywhere, or it could merely be a working arrangement between WWE and NJPW.

WWE leadership has changed significantly since Banks and Naomi were suspended by Vince McMahon, as he retired and was replaced by the combination of Stephanie McMahon, Nick Khan and Triple H.

They have already shown more of a willingness to work with other companies, as Shinsuke Nakamura is being permitted to wrestle Great Muta for Pro Wrestling Noah on New Year's Day, and WWE roster member Karl Anderson is still a champion for NJPW.

If Banks is still under a WWE contract, Wrestle Kingdom could be a precursor to her WWE return, especially since the Royal Rumble is on Jan. 28.

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Regal Reportedly Returning to WWE in January

William Regal's official return to WWE is reportedly only a few weeks away from happening.

According to Johnson, Regal is set to start again with WWE during the first week of January following his departure from AEW.

AEW president Tony Khan discussed the Regal situation during a media call on Wednesday. Per Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp, Khan said Regal requested that his AEW contract not be renewed so he could return to WWE.

Khan said Regal had "a lot of good reasons" for wanting to return to WWE, including the desire to coach his son, who wrestles under the name Charlie Dempsey in NXT.

It was also noted by Khan (h/t Marc Middleton of WrestlingHeadlines.com) that it was a conditional release, meaning Regal will be permitted to work backstage for WWE once 2022 ends, but he won't be allowed to appear on television until 2024.

Regal was a longtime wrestler in WWE before transitioning into a backstage role in 2014. He had a lengthy run as the general manager of NXT, but much of his work involved coaching up-and-coming wrestlers and recruiting new talent to WWE.

He was surprisingly released from the company in January amid a firestorm of releases, especially in relation to the NXT brand.

Regal arrived in AEW in March and formed the Blackpool Combat Club with Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson. Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli eventually joined as well.

He shockingly turned on Moxley at Full Gear last month, allowing MJF to become the AEW world champion. MJF then double-crossed Regal on the Nov. 30 episode of Dynamite by hitting him with brass knuckles, thus spelling the end of Regal's AEW tenure.

Regal has long been close to Triple H, and his rise to power following the retirement of Vince McMahon in July undoubtedly has plenty to do with Regal's desire to return to WWE.

Lynch Says Shoulder Still Isn't 100 Percent

Although she returned to action at Survivor Series WarGames last month, Becky Lynch suggested this week that she doesn't feel like she's all the way back from her shoulder injury.

Speaking to Matthew Connell of Verge, Lynch said the following about her health: "Truth be told, my shoulder still isn't feeling right. So to say I was nervous is probably a bit of an understatement. But once you get out there, once you get in front of the crowd and you feel that energy, then you forget everything else. There's not another feeling like it."

Lynch was out for about four months with a shoulder injury suffered during her Raw Women's Championship match against Bianca Belair at SummerSlam in July.

She returned on the go-home episode of SmackDown prior to Survivor Series WarGames to be announced as the final member of Belair's WarGames team.

The team of Lynch, Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka and Mia Yim was victorious, as they took down Bayley, Iyo Sky, Dakota Kai, Rhea Ripley and Nikki Cross.

Lynch was arguably the star of the show, as she won the match for her team with a leg drop off the top of the cage and through a table.

Despite perhaps not being 100 percent healthy, Lynch has been active since her return, as she also competed in a Triple Threat match against Bliss and Cross on Monday's Raw for a chance to challenge Belair for the Raw women's title.

Damage CTRL members Sky and Kai interfered and cost her the match, which suggests she is trending toward a rivalry with Damage CTRL leader Bayley.

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Sasha Banks does not appear close to a WWE return.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio said Banks and WWE have been at an impasse regarding money in a new contract for "a long time."

“You know, they’re in contract talks and the last I heard, you know, it’s a money situation and that was a long time ago, so I don’t know where it stands right now," Meltzer said (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News).

Banks and Naomi walked out of the company in May over frustration with how they were being booked as women's tag team champions. While several return rumors have popped up in the six months since their exit, their futures remain unknown.

Banks and Naomi have made public appearances together in the past few months, a seeming sign they're sticking together in the process. The Boss was recently seen training with Juventud Guerrera, which suggests she's at least keeping her in-ring skills sharp during her hiatus.

It does not appear either woman has given serious consideration to make the leap to AEW. While there were natural rumors that flew in the immediate aftermath of their departure from WWE, those quickly died down after Triple H took over WWE's creative direction from Vince McMahon. Banks, in particular, has a strong relationship with Triple H dating back to NXT, and most of the booking frustration has been aimed at McMahon.

It's overwhelmingly likely we'll eventually see them back in WWE, but there's no firm timetable at this point. If neither winds up being a surprise entrant in January's Royal Rumble, this situation could stretch out well into 2023.

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Contractual issues have reportedly played a role in holding up Sasha Banks' return to WWE programming.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), there have been "hang-ups" between WWE and Banks when it comes to negotiations for a new deal.

Along with Naomi, Banks walked out prior to the May 16 episode of Raw, which was scheduled to feature a Six-Pack Challenge involving both Banks and Naomi to determine the No. 1 contender for the Raw Women's Championship.

After Banks and Naomi walked out, WWE released a statement in which it condemned their actions. As part of the statement, WWE noted that Banks and Naomi left their WWE Women's Tag Team Championship belts on the desk of then-head of talent relations John Laurinaitis before leaving the arena:

Sasha Banks and Naomi walked out on tonight’s Raw after Banks had issues with “creative ideas pitched,” per @PWInsidercom

WWE issued a statement afterwards pic.twitter.com/c7PZc3K4KL

— B/R Wrestling (@BRWrestling) May 17, 2022

Later that week on SmackDown, it was announced that Banks and Naomi had both been stripped of the titles and suspended indefinitely for unprofessional conduct.

In the weeks that followed, rumors and speculation swirled regarding WWE releasing Banks from her contract; however, WWE never made any such announcement.

At the time, it seemed highly unlikely that Banks would return, but the dynamic changed significantly in July when Vince McMahon retired from his positions as chairman, CEO and head of creative, while Laurinaitis was also removed from his position.

Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan took over as executives, while Triple H became the new head of creative. It was assumed that those moved opened the door for a Banks return since Triple H was primarily responsible for signing Banks and helping develop her in NXT.

Meltzer (h/t Nitish Vashishtha of Ringside News) reported in August that Banks and Naomi had reached an agreement in principle to return to WWE, but neither has resurfaced on WWE programming yet.

While Meltzer's latest report suggests there is still work to be done in order to get Banks back in the fold, he is also reporting that she is still under contract with the company and always has been.

Despite being just 30 years of age, Banks is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most accomplished female Superstars in WWE history with five Raw Women's Championships, one SmackDown Women's Championship, one NXT Women's Championship and three WWE Women's Tag Team Championships on her resume.

Banks has also become a crossover star because of her role as Koska Reeves on the Star Wars series The Mandalorian, which likely makes WWE's desire to get her back at some point even greater.

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