Report: WWE to Attempt to Reconcile With Sasha Banks, Naomi After McMahon Retirement

The retirement of longtime WWE chairman Vince McMahon reportedly could open the door for the return of a pair of superstars.

Former WWE women's tag team champions Sasha Banks and Naomi have not been seen since they walked out of the May 16 episode of Monday Night Raw. Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer recently said on an episode of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast that the company is now open to the possibility of the popular pair making a comeback.

"It's kind of up in the air. I mean, they're gone. The last I heard was that there would be attempts to be made to reconcile, especially with Vince gone," Meltzer said (h/t F4Wonline.com). "So, it's up in the air. I don't think there's anything definite just yet."

Banks and Naomi left the show reportedly over creative differences. WWE issued a statement saying the two of them "claimed they weren't respected enough as tag team champions." The company suspended them indefinitely, and earlier this month it was reported that both of them were removed from the internal active roster but neither was officially released.

McMahon's retirement shocked many when it was announced Friday. The 76-year-old faced scrutiny after the Wall Street Journal reported he was under investigation for allegedly spending millions of dollars to keep his improper sexual relationships with former employees quiet.

His daughter, Stephanie McMahon, will serve as chairwoman and was named co-CEO alongside WWE president Nick Khan. Earlier this week, Stephanie's husband and WWE legend Paul "Triple H" Levesque was announced as the company's head of creative in addition to his duties as the head of talent relations.

Levesque is known to have a strong relationship with wrestlers, stemming from his time as the lead executive of WWE NXT. Prior to the rebranding to NXT 2.0 earlier this year, the black-and-gold era of NXT was widely popular among fans for its intriguing storylines and excellent matches.

While it remains unclear whether Banks and Naomi will be open to returning, having Levesque at the helm will surely ease the mending of fences. However, both superstars likely have opportunities outside of wrestling that they may look to pursue, particularly Banks, who is already a crossover star.

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