Professional Wrestling

While Sasha Banks is expected back in a wrestling ring soon, STARDOM co-founder Rossy Ogawa was initially hesitant to use the former WWE superstar due to money.

Per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Ogawa originally rejected bringing in Banks because "it wasn't cost-effective."

Meltzer added it's unclear how much Banks will be earning, but it's a "huge per-event deal" with New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Earlier this week, Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Mukherjee) that Voices of Wrestling Banks said is being paid more than the $100,000 per show total Chris Jericho got when he worked with New Japan from 2017-20.

Jericho denied on Twitter he had a per-appearance deal with New Japan, but he did make more per-event with the promotion than for most of his WrestleMania matches:

Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com reported last week that Banks will be appearing at New Japan's Wrestle Kingdom 17 event on Jan. 4.

It's unclear exactly what role Banks will have on the show. She could challenge the winner of the Kairi-Tam Nakano match for the IWGP women's championship.

Banks teased a match against Kairi on Instagram earlier this year that Kairi posted on Twitter:

Banks and Kairi worked together in WWE from 2016-21. Kairi, who was known as Kairi Sane in WWE, left the promotion when her contract expired in December 2021. She returned to Japan with STARDOM in February.

Kairi defeated Mayu Iwatani in the main event of Historic X-Over on Nov. 20 to become the first IWGP women's champion.

STARDOM and New Japan are both owned by the same parent company (Bushiroad), and Meltzer noted the Legit Boss' deal includes a date for one STARDOM show to help build up the brand for the all-women's promotion.

"Their belief is that with 5.6 million Instagram followers and 2.4 million Twitter followers, far more than any of their talent, that she has gigantic mainstream appeal," Meltzer wrote.

Banks hasn't wrestled on television since she and Naomi defeated Natalya and Shayna Baszler to retain the WWE women's tag team championships on the May 13 episode of Friday Night SmackDown.

Both Banks and Naomi walked out of WWE during the May 16 edition of Raw because of creative differences.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (some language NSFW).

Despite her rumored move to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, WWE officials reportedly believe Sasha Banks will return to WWE at some point.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), WWE officials do expect Banks back in the future, although it is unclear when since the two sides are far apart on money in negotiations.

Meltzer (h/t James Holder of Inside The Ropes) previously reported this week that Banks had talks with WWE about a return, but they could not come to an agreement because Banks wanted pay comparable to Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, while WWE didn't offer anything close to those numbers.

Per PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson, Banks is expected to appear at NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 17 event on Jan. 4, which would be her first appearance outside WWE.

Meltzer (h/t Ian Carey of F4WOnline) confirmed Johnson's report and noted that Banks' deal is with NJPW and not something that was negotiated through WWE.

He added that Banks negotiated her release from WWE over the summer, but it was agreed upon that she wouldn't do anything in wrestling until the start of 2023.

Banks and Naomi walked out of WWE prior to an episode of Raw in May because of dissatisfaction over how they were being booked as WWE women's tag team champions.

WWE stripped Banks and Naomi of their titles and suspended them, and they haven't been seen on WWE programming since then.

The issue with Banks and Naomi occurred under the leadership of Vince McMahon, but he retired in July, and a new power structure came into existence. Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan share the CEO role, while Stephanie is also chairwoman, and Triple H is head of creative.

There was some thought that Banks would be able to work things out with Triple H since he signed her and helped build her into a star in NXT, although the two sides apparently have yet to come to an agreement.

For now, it looks like Banks is destined for NJPW and a potential feud with IWGP women's champion Kairi, but the door is seemingly open for her to return to WWE.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

The Roman Reigns era ending at WWE WrestleMania 39 isn't just fitting—it's set up perfectly to be a grand finale.

First, the format: WrestleMania is a two-night event now. Reigns is the unified champion. His defending on both nights feels like a no-brainer at this point. This is the culmination of an 830-plus-day reign and counting coming to a close. It's only fitting he should close both shows.

Logic says the opponents will be The Rock and Cody Rhodes. The former because it's the organic end to the "head of the table" familiar angle. It's in Hollywood of all places, too. And the latter because he's positioned as the next top babyface of the company after that triumphant return.

The creativity of this grand finale is where things get interesting. Reigns is the heel and could easily be goaded into defending titles on both nights, especially if he wants to defy Paul Heyman's counsel that suggests otherwise.

He's also got the family dynamic to sort out. If he's finally turning on Sami Zayn and likely Jey Uso, too, it's going to get a ton of backlash from fans and be a rather brutal, unforgettable scene. That sets up perfectly for The Rock, a guy with a serious claim as the head of the table, to return and set up a must-see feud.

As for Rhodes, he doesn't need much explanation, either. He had the big return after establishing and working in All Elite Wrestling, put on some massive matches while hugely over with fans, then suffered the serious injury. He's a no-brainer as a Royal Rumble winner to get that momentum back with interest.

WWE can't really do it any bigger than that for the Reigns era. This is the 'Mania that will be remembered for Reigns exclusively. Everyone anticipates an ending. If one doesn't arrive, that's going to be a letdown. The storyline was already flirting with losing fans out of sheer boredom before Sami Zayn hopped in and provided a spark.

There simply isn't any bigger stage or set of opponents for Reigns at this point. We're talking about The Rock in L.A. and Rhodes' first major title feud since his big return. WWE trying to drag this out until another landmark like the next SummerSlam or 'Mania would ruin pretty much everything.

But alas, a few things to remember.

We'd be remiss not to mention attractive alternatives. Maybe WWE uses this as a way to only get one title off Reigns, finally restoring the balance to both weekly programs. Or maybe he retains both over two nights—the most unexpected outcome that would garner the biggest reaction. Then, if he's really going part-time, he could relinquish the titles and set himself up for a Brock Lesnar-ish role down the road.

WWE could also just go with other opponents. There's no guarantee they can pull The Rock. And when it comes to injuries, it's impossible to say with 100 percent certainty that Rhodes will be able to go.

But it's not like there aren't good substitutes. Jey is a natural fit in the family storyline and more than deserves a spotlight for his great showings as a singles act. And Zayn, handled well once betrayed, could have Daniel Bryan-esque "Yes Movement" momentum behind him. Don't forget the deep sleeper, either—Seth Rollins, formerly the Architect, has quite a history with Reigns.

Yes, none of these guys boast the drawing power of The Rock to the non-wrestling fans that WWE craves so much. But the company has changed dramatically with Triple H as head of creative, and striving for that crossover appeal is pretty silly when massive international names like Logan Paul and even Bad Bunny have near-equal drawing power, if not more—there's no need to ham-fist a main event in pursuit of transcendent star power when the midcard can do it so well.

There is a little versatility here in the way of opponents, should WWE need to use it. Either way, this is the natural endpoint to the Reigns saga. This is what it has all been built for.

WrestleMania 39 is about the end of an era, and it just needs some savvy booking to take this thing home in a way that will take it from just another storyline to an outright epic of pro wrestling.