Report: Sasha Banks Eyed Contract Comparable to Becky Lynch, Charlotte; WWE Declined

Sasha Banks' rumored departure from WWE reportedly came after the company refused to make her one of the highest-paid female Superstars on the roster.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t James Holder of Inside The Ropes), Banks wanted pay similar to Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, but people with knowledge of the situation said WWE never made her close to that type of offer.

Sources also told Meltzer that Banks is not viewed internally as "somebody who would be on top for the next five years," but rather as a wrestler who has already "peaked as a star."

Banks and Naomi walked out prior to an episode of Raw in May because of apparent unhappiness over how they were being booked. WWE subsequently stripped them of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships and suspended them.

Neither of them has done anything in a wrestling capacity since then, but PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson reported this month that Banks is expected to make an appearance at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom 17 event on Jan. 4.

Meltzer (h/t Ian Carey of F4WOnline) followed up by reporting that Banks negotiated the Wrestle Kingdom appearance and other appearances with NJPW rather than through WWE.

It was noted that Banks negotiated her release from her WWE contract over the summer, but she agreed to not have any involvement in wrestling until the start of 2023.

Meltzer added that while Banks and WWE had contract talks after Vince McMahon retired in July and was replaced by Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan, they were far apart on money.

If Banks did indeed request to be paid the same as Lynch and Flair, it is understandable why, as she played a huge role along with them and Bayley in the advancement of women's wrestling in WWE.

Known as the Four Horsewomen, Banks, Lynch, Flair and Bayley changed the perception of WWE women's wrestling in NXT and enjoyed massive success on the main roster as well.

Lynch and Charlotte were part of the first-ever WrestleMania women's main event at WrestleMania 35 when they faced Ronda Rousey in a Triple Threat, but Banks also repeated the feat two years later, headlining Night 1 of WrestleMania 37 with Bianca Belair.

The 30-year-old Banks also racked up a ton of other accolades in WWE, including being a five-time Raw women's champion, three-time WWE women's tag team champion, one-time Raw women's champion and one-time NXT women's champion.

On top of that, Banks has a huge social media presence and rabid fanbase, plus she has crossover appeal based on her appearance in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian as the character Koska Reeves.

Given her importance to the growth of women's wrestling and how popular she is, WWE could come to regret its reported decision to not pay her a top rate, especially if she moves the needle for New Japan.

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