The Latest On WWE And Naomi's Reported Contract Negotiations

It has now been nearly five months since fans last saw Sasha Banks and Naomi, after the then WWE Women's Tag Team Champions walked out prior to an episode of "WWE Raw" following a disagreement with former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. Since then, both have been reported to be out of WWE, then likely to return following McMahon's retirement, followed by uncertainty. And while things still seem uncertain about Banks, there is at least an update on Naomi.

According to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there has been nothing new on Naomi returning due to unresolved deal points in negotiations between the two sides over a new contract. Many will recall that Naomi's original WWE contract was set to expire prior to her and Banks walking out, and that the two sides had been negotiating a new deal at the time. Meltzer notes that a potential hold up could be that Naomi is still bound by her original contract, which could have been frozen due to her missing time after her and Banks walked out. As such, Meltzer stated she would not be able to negotiate to go somewhere else under that circumstance, meaning she would have to work out the rest of the time on her old WWE contract in order to complete the deal. Meltzer was sure to reiterate, however, that talks between the two sides were ongoing.

While Banks and Naomi were reportedly added back to WWE's internal roster in August, there have been no hints towards a return for either onscreen. The pair have continued to keep busy with outside projects, with Banks notably catching headlines in late September when she changed her Twitter handle from @SashaBanksWWE to @MercedesVernado, her real name.