Appearing on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio to give his thoughts on the situation, James explained why this may be all for show.
“When I see them publically put it all out there like that, it just makes me feel like it’s a work, you know what I mean? It just makes me feel like, if that really happened, in my mind, they would just change the main event, and probably not even say anything.
“I think it is a publicity stunt to try and add some heat to the tag titles. But again, that’s just me, and I’m a cynical worker who’s been around the business my whole life, so I think everything’s a work.”
“I think it is a publicity stunt to try and add some heat to the tag titles.”
‘Road Dogg’ Jesse James
Road Dogg was with WWE until January 2022 when he was released from his role at the Performance Center.
James was released alongside his brother Scott Armstrong, William Regal, and others.
Many people questioned the reports suggesting that Sasha Banks and Naomi walked out of Raw because the latter was supposed to win the six-pack challenge main event at the show. PWinsider has provided some more updates and shed some light on how things unfolded on Monday before the Raw episode.
Per the site, the original plans were for Naomi to beat Sasha Banks to win the main event. This confrontation would have been built with multiple segments throughout the show. The Raw episode then would have gone off air with the duo celebrating Naomi becoming the #1 contender for the Raw women’s championship.
There are some who believe that Banks was also going to get a shot at the SmackDown women’s title. A segment on Friday’s SmackDown would have set a match between her and Ronda Rousey, presumably for Hell In A Cell. Though both the tag team partners were expected to lose their respective title matches. This would effectively mean that the women’s tag team champions would have been used to put over the champions of Raw and SmackDown.
An alternative idea for a women’s championship feud was pitched after some concerns were raised over the original plans. The idea was for the tag team champions to have a short match and then get attacked to set up a championship feud with Doudrop and Nikki A.S.H. However, Sasha Banks and Naomi were informed by WWE producer Molly Holly not long before the show went on air that the officials had decided to go in the direction of the six-pack challenge instead.
When Mr McMahon Found Out About Sasha Banks and Naomi
Shortly after learning about this change, Banks and Naomi walked into the office of John Laurinaitis. They informed him of their decision to leave and left the championship belts behind. Vince McMahon was informed of the events right after Raw went on air.
The Becky Lynch – Adam Pearce segment that took place during the show was then pitched on the spot. One source has credited Lynch for the idea. Mr McMahon ordered for the segment to be shot and placed on the show to explain the change in the main event which had already been announced by that point.
The belief among some is that the creative issues weren’t about the finish of the show but how the duo would have been portrayed over the coming weeks, leading to the upcoming PPV. Nobody knew what would happen to their team after the show. This was especially problematic because Mr McMahon himself had ordered Banks and Naomi to team up for WrestleMania 38 and they worked hard to build their team.
Sasha Banks has since unfollowed Vince McMahon and other WWE accounts on Twitter. Meanwhile, report suggest that the locker room is not sympathetic towards the boss for her actions on Monday. How this story will evolve is anyone’s guess. We will keep you updated on any further development.
Former WWE star Ariane Andrew believes her close friend Naomi was manipulated, which led to her decision to exit while Raw was on the air.
Naomi and Sasha Banks are the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. The two were scheduled to be a part of a six-pack challenge on the May 16 episode of Raw.
The match was to feature Naomi, Sasha, Asuka, Becky Lynch, Nikki A.S.H., and Doudrop. The winner was to get a shot at Bianca Belair’s Raw Women’s Championship.
Ariane Andrew, formerly known as Cameron in WWE, spoke to SEScoops’ Steve Fall in an exclusive interview. During the chat, she expressed her belief that Naomi was influenced by someone to ditch Raw mid-show. She heavily implied that “someone” is Sasha Banks.
“What happened I think — I’m just gonna remove Sasha because Sasha’s done this before. Sasha’s a great athlete, let me not get this twisted cause I don’t want fans coming for me. She’s definitely deserved — like she’s a great wrestler, she’s a great character, she does what she has to do.
“My girl Naomi, she wouldn’t do this and I feel like she wouldn’t do this unless she had someone manipulating and telling her how to do this. Let’s best believe if I was here, coming as a Funkadactyl we wouldn’t have this happening at all.”
Reunion?
(via WWE)
Ariane used to team with Naomi as part of The Funkadactyls. She offered assistance to her good friend if she wants to stay in a tag team.
“This is where we’re at, so it’s unfortunate what happened but I’m gonna say it right here: Naomi, I’ve always been your girl, I’ve always been by your side. Do you need a tag team partner to come help you out?
“Cause I’m here because I got you and we ain’t gonna do this foolishness. We can still make a dream team happen, we can make history happen, and we ain’t gotta do all this stuff. Just play the game, girl. I’ll play it with you.”
Sasha Banks A Manipulator?
Sasha Banks
When pushed on whether or not she believes Sasha is indeed the manipulator, Ariane had the following to say:
“Again, Sasha is Sasha. You have Snoop Dogg as your cousin. You’re a top athlete, you can do whatever the f*ck you wanna do. You can literally say what you wanna say, do what you wanna do with no repercussion.
“And if you’re a star athlete, I feel like she can back it up. The one thing that she can do is she can back it up. It’s not like, ‘oh she can have all these people who can back her up without having the talent to do so or the beauty.’
“She’s a f*cking top f*cking b*tch, she can f*cking back it up in the ring but if you have the top agent, you have a top celebrity backing you up, a thousand percent you’re gonna have the extra boost.
“But someone like Naomi, where’s your extra boost?”
Reports have claimed that Sasha had been unhappy with Vince McMahon over creative plans. In a statement issued by WWE, the company said the two left their tag team titles on the desk of John Laurinaitis’ desk and said they felt they weren’t appreciated.
PWInsider reported that Naomi was supposed to win the six-pack challenge and challenge Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Championship at Hell in a Cell. It’s also been reported that Sasha was set to challenge Ronda Rousey for the SmackDown Women’s Title.
Both Naomi and Sasha were expected to lose those matches.
Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline noted on Wrestling Observer Live that sources told him there is zero sympathy for Sasha Banks backstage at WWE. As far as Naomi goes, it appears no one backstage has badmouthed her over the situation.
Please give proper credit to SEScoops if you use our interview for your story
The hot topic of the day remains Sasha Banks and Naomi walking out during Monday’s WWE Raw broadcast due to unhappiness with the creative direction of their characters.
As details emerge about what transpired behind the scenes at Raw, fans and wrestlers alike are sounding off about who they feel is right and wrong.
On Tuesday afternoon, former Matt Cardona (former WWE Superstar Zack Ryder) posted a tweet mocking Sasha Banks and Naomi’s decision to forfeit their tag titles at Raw.
Cardona referenced his infamous 2012 WWE storyline that saw Kane push him (and his wheelchair) off the Raw stage. He wrote, “If I could go back in time…the night I was pushed off the stage in a wheelchair on Raw, I should have walked into Johnny Ace’s office…placed my neck brace on the table and walked out because I wasn’t being respected enough as Internet champion.
Talent Supports Sasha Banks
AEW stars CM Punk and Dax Harwood of FTR expressed their support for Sasha Banks and Naomi.
CM Punk replied to Matt Cardona and told him, “If you’d go back in time to stand up for yourself, you should stand up [for] the workers now.”
If you’d go back in time to stand up for yourself, you should stand up the workers now. https://t.co/Hh0zA7nsid
Sasha Banks has unfollowed several prominent WWE accounts over the past few days, ahead of her and Naomi’s walk-out during this week’s Raw.
During the show, Banks and Naomi left the Scope Arena, forcing WWE to change their announced six-pack challenge main event into a singles match between Becky Lynch and Asuka.
On Twitter, Banks has unfollowed the accounts of WWE, Vince McMahon, Bayley, Becky Lynch, SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos, Seth Rollins, and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
Now, “The Boss” is following only six accounts: Naomi, John Cena, Tamina Snuka, her cousin Snoop Dogg, and two fan accounts.
During Raw, Corey Graves said the pair had acted “unprofessionally” by walking out.
In a statement, WWE said that the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions placed the titles on the desk of John Laurinaitis before leaving.
Why did Banks and Naomi leave?
Fans have compared this incident to Banks requesting her WWE release in 2019 after losing the Women’s Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania 35.
The duo left Raw after Sasha Banks expressed her frustration with creative and had a meeting with Vince McMahon to discuss changes.
When McMahon refused to budge, Banks left and Naomi sided with her tag-team partner.
Fans have compared this to a 2019 incident, where Banks requested her release after losing the Women’s Tag Titles (then held with Bayley) to The IIconics at WrestleMania 35.
WWE has responded to the actions of Sasha Banks and Naomi.
The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions were scheduled to compete on the May 16 episode of Monday Night Raw. They were to participate in a six-pack challenge to determine the number one contender for the Raw Women’s Championship.
Sasha Banks made her exit after Vince wouldn’t budge on her suggestion for a change in plans. Naomi ended up leaving the arena as well, which confused many as PWInsider reported that she was scheduled to win the six-pack challenge.
The match ended up being changed to singles action between Asuka and Becky Lynch. The two competed for a title shot against Bianca Belair at Hell in a Cell on June 5.
WWE has issued the following statement on what transpired on Raw:
“When Sasha Banks and Naomi arrived at the arena this afternoon, they were informed of their participation in the main event of tonight’s Monday Night Raw.
“During the broadcast, they walked into WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis’ office with their suitcases in hand, placed their tag team championship belts on his desk and walked out.
“They claimed they weren’t respected enough as tag team champions. And even though they had eight hours to rehearse and construct their match, they claimed they were uncomfortable in the ring with two of their opponents —even though they’d had matches with those individuals in the past with no consequence.
“Monday Night Raw is a scripted live TV show, whose characters are expected to perform the requirements of their contract.
“We regret we were unable to deliver, as advertised, tonight’s main event.”
It appears the initial plans for Sasha Banks and Naomi have been revealed and it’s left more questions than answers.
During the May 16 episode of WWE Raw, it was announced that Sasha and Naomi would be featured in a six-pack challenge. The match was to also feature Asuka, Becky Lynch, Nikki A.S.H., and Doudrop.
The winner was to challenge Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Championship at the Hell in a Cell premium live event.
Sasha Banks & Naomi Exit Midshow
The problem is, the match never took place. The commentary team revealed that the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions left the building. As a result, WWE booked Asuka vs. Becky Lynch in a number one contender match.
PWInsider reported that Sasha Banks and Naomi legitimately left the arena. Sasha had creative differences with Vince McMahon and decided to leave once the WWE Chairman didn’t budge on her suggestion for a tweak in plans.
Naomi left with her, which is puzzling given this latest update.
Initial Plans
PWInsider is now reporting that Naomi was scheduled to win the six-pack challenge. This has left many confused as to why she would leave with Banks if she was going to be getting a big spot at the upcoming June event.
We’ll keep you updated as more information rolls along.
WWE Raw is going on without Sasha Banks and Naomi.
Banks and Naomi were scheduled to compete on the May 16 episode of Raw. They were going to be in a six-pack challenge involving Asuka, Becky Lynch, Nikki A.S.H., and Doudrop. The winner was set to challenge Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at the Hell in a Cell premium live event.
The commentary team later announced that Sasha and Naomi left the building.
PWInsider is reporting that this is NOT part of the act and Sasha Banks was frustrated over the creative with Vince McMahon. Naomi is apparently on her tag team partner’s side and left with her.
Per PWInsider, #WWERaw main event was changed mid-show when Sasha Banks walked out of the taping over creative differences with Vince McMahon. She wanted changes made and he wouldn't budge, so she left the building. Naomi then left with Sasha.
Sasha’s exit left WWE in a last-minute pickle, and the company was forced to pivot. The scheduled match has now been changed to singles action between Asuka and Becky.
It’ll be interesting to see what consequences Sasha and Naomi will face after leaving the building. The two currently hold the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.
Fans have already compared the situation to CM Punk, who left WWE before Raw went on the air back in 2014. The difference here is, Punk didn’t leave midshow with a match advertised.
When Corey Graves discussed the situation on-air, he did take a shot at Sasha and Naomi. Graves said the two are usually professional but not tonight.
Perhaps fans asking for Naomi to join The Bloodline will get their wish.
Naomi is currently one-half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions with Sasha Banks. Naomi has been making fans feel “The Glow” but could a change of direction be on the horizon?
After all, she is the wife of Jimmy Uso.
New Member For The Bloodline?
Speaking to Corey Graves on WWE After The Bell, Jimmy Uso said fans might just be seeing his wife join the hottest faction in WWE (via Fightful).
“It’s very likely. She talks about it a lot. She talks about like, ‘I got an idea. I’m ready to go. I can just snap.’ She can snap. She’s snapped on my ass plenty of times.
“She can bring that promo. She’s so ready to try something new. She’s always been adapting and she gets it. She’s been around. Sometimes, I forget she’s been here ten years too.
“She’s been right there from when NXT first started, she was on the road. When we debuted, the girls had the first NXT show. She was on the road when we were on the road. I forget too, ‘You’ve been on the road too.’
“She’s like, ‘It’s about time I jump in the Bloodline and I need to start snapping.’ I’d like to have it, she talks about it a lot. Even Heyman touched on it too.”
Naomi recently told Inside The Ropes that she finds it to be “a little weird” that she hasn’t been aligned with Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, and The Usos yet.
The current WWE women’s tag team champions Sasha Banks and Naomi have the privilege of appearing on both Raw and SmackDown. Though if that’s not enough, they are not hesitant about going back to NXT and working with some of the development stars as well.
The current champions spoke to Give Me Sport in UK. Among other things, they were asked about the possibility of competing on NXT 2.0.
Naomi mentioned how she has history with Mandy Rose and said that she is ready to face Toxic Attraction anytime. Banks, on the other hand, named two stars she thinks have been working very hard:
“I really like Kayden and Kacy down there. They’ve been working really hard. I’ve trained with both of them at D-Von’s school. I love girls that want to do more.”
Sasha Banks continued by noting how she has seen the duo work hard for long. The Boss claimed that she ‘would love the opportunity’ to work with them:
“I’ve seen them work so hard for so long and would love the opportunity to go down there and tangle with them,”
Sasha Banks and Naomi are currently feuding with Shayna Baszler and Natalya. Banks is currently scheduled to face Baszler in a one-on-one match on this Friday’s SmackDown.
Naomi has responded to those who think she should be in The Bloodline.
Roman Reigns has been dominating the world of WWE. Ever since starting the “Tribal Chief” gimmick, the general consensus is that Reigns has finally found his character. He along with Jimmy and Jey Uso play a key role on SmackDown.
(via WWE)
Naomi & The Bloodline
Naomi is married to Jimmy Uso, leading many to question why WWE hasn’t used her in Roman’s faction. It’s something that even Naomi has thought about.
During an interview with Inside The Ropes, Naomi admitted that she finds it a bit odd that she hasn’t joined The Bloodline (h/t POST Wrestling).
“I do [get the Paul Heyman wisdom] and it is a little weird that I’m not in it [The Bloodline] because I’m always there with them. I’m always there, I’m always around, I’m always, you know, annoying them so, maybe later down the road or maybe there’s somewhere for me to come in with the boys, with Jon and Josh [Jimmy & Jey Uso], who knows? But definitely something I would look forward to. I would want it to be the right time, you know? And done properly.”
Naomi currently holds tag team gold with Sasha Banks. The two won the championship on night two of WrestleMania 38 back in April.
Naomi had been assigned to RAW ever since last October’s WWE Draft. According to a report from PW Insider, however, Naomi has officially been moved back to Smackdown. She joins her husband Jimmy Uso on the brand.
Smackdown is the brand where Naomi has arguably had her most success. The 34-year-old is a 2x Smackdown Women’s Champion. Naomi won the title for the first time at Elimination Chamber on February 12th, 2017 after defeating then-champion, Alexa Bliss. She would suffer a knee injury shortly after and be forced to vacate the title, however.
Naomi would win the Smackdown Women’s Championship for the 2nd time a couple of months later at WrestleMania 33. The event that year was held in her hometown of Orlando, Florida. Her victory at WM33 was in a 6-way match that also included Becky Lynch, Carmella, Mickie James, Natalya, and Alexa Bliss who was once again champion come then.
With the recent injury to Bayley, WWE has added several names to the Smackdown women’s division as of late. Shotzi and Nox debuted on the brand recently and Toni Storm is scheduled to this week. Other wrestlers in the division include Liv Morgan, Carmella, Sasha Banks, Zelina Vega, champion Bianca Belair, and tag champs Natalya & Tamina.
SmackDown Superstar Naomi has opened up about her return at Royal Rumble and what sort of plans WWE had for her going forward. In an interview with TalkSport.com, Naomi revealed how the promotion has spoken to her about plans they have in store since fans caused #NaomiDeservesBetter to trend online. She noted that it’s “difficult” right now because of the current coronavirus pandemic.
“The show is constantly changing and evolving, there’s just so much going on so I don’t know what the solutions are,” Naomi admitted. “All I can do is keep doing my part, keep showing up and giving it my all. Ignoring the haters and continuing to do what I love. I’m happy to still be here, be present and be a player.”
Naomi stressed how her role in WWE isn’t something she takes for granted, “especially after the big releases we had this year.” She acknowledged how stressful wrestling can be, but reminds herself to be thankful to be able to wake up and have a “dream job” to go to.
Reflecting on her return to in-ring action at this year’s Royal Rumble, Naomi revealed how it was a “nerve wracking” experience.
Naomi talked about how she had been gone for a while and was nervous about coming out to near silence. When she did make her entrance, she was thrilled at the reaction she received, adding how “I think because I got such a good response we kind of tried to go somewhere after that, but I don’t know.”
WWE officials have allegedly heard the vocal online support for Naomi “loud and clear. ” She is reportedly set for a big push on SmackDown.
Posted September 8th, 2020 in WWE, News. Tagged: Naomi.
WWE Superstar Naomi recently appeared on WWE’s The New Day: Feel The Power podcast. The tenured Superstar discussed a number of topics from her career with the company, from FCW, to Team B.A.D and her current run with her ‘Glow’ gimmick.
The WWE Superstar would also talk about her time as a dancer for Orlando Magic. Naomi performed for Magic from 2007 to 2009, when she would sign for WWE.
Naomi would describe how she felt her tryout with WWE and (then) FCW didn’t leave her feeling she would get a job with the company. “‘I won’t be a wrestler, and I’ll keep dancing'” Naomi began on the podcast.
Naomi on Orlando Magic
“Then like literally the week before tryout FCW called and I was like ‘we want to sign you to developmental'” Naomi would continue. “I was so happy because, [Orlando] Magic was fun, but I was also at that point to where like ‘alright I gotta figure out what the hell I’m gonna do with my life.'”
Naomi would then reveal the absolutely tiny amount of money she received from performing for Orlando Magic. “Magic wasn’t paying the bills. It’s fun, it’s exciting and you get to experience so much. I got to travel, I just got to meet so many different, unique people and be in so many cool environments. But at the same time? It was a hustle, it was a grind. We got $50 per game.”
“You didn’t get to perform every game, because there was a roster of 20 girls” Naomi would elaborate further.”So we were rotating games, and there was only like during the season, maybe two to three games a week? And you’re lucky if you were on the game.”
Naomi would also reveal that while she got paid such a small amount she still had to keep a strict regime of workouts and dieting. “It’s a full time schedule, like we had rehearsals every week, several days a week. You still had to work out, you still had to train, you still had to look the part. You still you couldn’t gain a certain amount of weight while you were on the team.”
It’s worth noting if you aren’t a basketball fan that Orlando Magic are an NBA (National Basketball League) team. This would essentially be the equivalent of a company the size of WWE paying their peripheral talent $50 per appearance.
WWE Superstar Naomi recently appeared on WWE’s The New Day: Feel The Power podcast. The tenured Superstar discussed a number of topics from her career with the company, from FCW, to Team B.A.D and her current run with her ‘Glow’ gimmick.
When discussing her run with Team B.A.D, Naomi would say how it was the perfect point in hers, Tamina Snuka’s and Sasha Banks’ career to team up. “I just think at that time? We were just in a point in our careers with Sasha and Tamina where we just wanted more and wanting to grow and get better.”
Naomi on Sasha Banks
Naomi elaborated further, saying “there was so much changing and happening in the [Women’s] division. And just knowing what a superstar Sasha was and what she was going to be? Without a doubt, it was as always a pleasure to work with her to have insight from her for me.”
The WWE Superstar would then have huge praise for her former partner, saying “to me, Sasha is like the best we have in WWE, in my opinion. I got to work with Sasha in NXT, way before she became The Boss and really kicked off. I just thought she was always like an amazing person, and really admired her.”
Do you agree with Naomi about Sasha Banks? Let us know in the comments
WWE Superstar Naomi recently appeared on WWE’s The New Day: Feel The Power podcast. The tenured Superstar discussed a number of topics from her career with the company, from FCW, to Team Bad and her current run with her ‘Glow’ gimmick.
New Day member Kofi Kingston discussed the ‘glow’ styling that Naomi has in her entrance, saying how it is possibly the “best entrance in the company.”
“You embraced the whole ‘feel the glow thing’ and like reinvented yourself in that respect” Kofi Kingston began on the podcast. “And your entrance was/is amazing.”
Kofi would then reveal that the ‘Glow’ gimmick may have actually been his way back in 2010…if he took it. “Funny story about that” Kofi began. “That was, I think back in like 2010? I was with the merch team, they were trying to come up with like different shirts. They have all these terrible designs, and one of them was like this weird, like silhouette of me? There was like this weird body paint.”
Kofi Kingston as the ‘Black’ Jeff Hardy?
Kingston would elaborate further, saying “and the dude at merch was like pitching me this idea. And he’s like, ‘oh, you could maybe you come out and you have black light body paints on? You can kind of be like the Black version of Jeff Hardy?’ And I said ‘what are you talking about!? Coming out painting myself glowed in the dark!? THAT’S STUPID!? Why would anyone ever do that!?”
Kofi Kingston would then reveal that he might’ve made a mistake when he saw how great Naomi’s entrance actually was. “I’m like ‘this could be the best entrance on the roster’ right? I look back at it now and I think like maybe I should have embraced it! What you (Naomi) are doing is probably what they were talking about.”
“But if they described it to me in a better way than being the ‘black version of Jeff Hardy?’ I might have like got into it!” Kofi would finish.
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T recently addressed the hashtag #NaomiDeservesBetter trending on Twitter. The hashtag gained momentum as disgruntled fans who believe WWE has been mishandling the Superstar rallied in support of Naomi.
“They can go to hell with all these hashtags,” Booker T stated. “I’m tired of hearing about them. Don’t nobody ‘deserve’ a chance. You have to earn a chance and your spot on the roster, this is not some kind of movement just to pull somebody up just because. I hate to say this because I like Naomi, but as far as the business goes, you get it on your merit alone. There is no buddy system.”
Booker T noted how, although some people may have benefited from help, ultimately “life is not fair.”
He added how people have to make their own breaks and rise to the occasion. Acknowledging how this kind of shift doesn’t happen overnight, he pointed to himself as an example:
“No one expected me to become a six-time champ, but my persistence of going out there and performing better than all of those suckas in the locker room, and they knew it, and the fans saw something different.”
#NaomiDeservesBetter
Booker T argued how the hashtag doesn’t serve a purpose and doesn’t benefit Naomi. Instead, he believes she should be advocating for herself and consistently performing at a high level. Booker T believes if a Superstar can achieve that, then they “cannot be denied” and “No one will ever say you were given anything.”
He explained how, if someone gave Naomi a championship tomorrow it wouldn’t feel earned or as though she “did it on her own.”
Booker T stressed how he would never have wanted to have the championship simply given to him. He then praised Naomi as the most athletic female Superstar in the WWE locker room.
However, he added how “psychology and working are two different things.” Booker T then suggested that if he could guide her for a month, she would look at the pro wrestling business in a totally different way.
Naomi Reacts To Booker T’s Thoughts
Naomi saw Booker T’s comments on the situation. She responded with a succinct reply, writing “Will do @BookerT5x.” She accompanied her answer with a Gif of Jim Carrey wrapped in tape, waving.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Sasha Banks also commented on Booker T’s observations. She wrote in support of Naomi, telling her not to “feed into useless opinions, no matter who they come from.” She encouraged Naomi to keep glowing and how she has nothing to prove to anybody. Sasha Banks recently irked Booker T after claiming she and Bayley were a better tag team than Harlem Heat.
The Saudi Arabia shows of WWE have always been controversial and a number of WWE stars have refused to work events in the country in the past.
Though we have also seen some progress in the situation and after the first-ever Women’s match in the country last year, this year’s edition of Super Showdown saw Naomi battling Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s title at the show.
During her recent appearance on Lilian Garcia’s Chasing Glory podcast, the former Women’s Champion talked about the show and revealed why she chose to work the event, despite having reservations about it:
“I was really happy that I got to talk to Natalya about going, because I had my own perceptions and reservations about going, like personal reasons,” Naomi stated. “Like, who I am as a woman and a person, especially with what I stand for and believe in.
I had some reservations about it. I talked to Nattie, and after hearing about her experience, I realized that me going was a way bigger impact than me not going… I knew I needed to go, and I’m so happy that I went.”
Naomi continued by saying that the fan reaction she got in
the country opened her perception and she claimed that it was way bigger than a
wrestling match.
Apart from this, Naomi talked about things like taking time away from WWE, facing a sand storm while entering Saudi Arabia and more. You can check out her full interview below:
Naomi has taken the brunt of criticism by fans many times in the past. The internet allows people to say whatever they want without repercussions, and people often forget that the person on the other side of the screen can read their hateful comments, and be affected by it.
Naomi is one of those WWE stars which gets a lot of racist and disrespectful comments online regularly from fans. Naomi talked about this negativity thrown at her way online while appearing on Women’s Wrestling Weekly.
Naomi said that the unfiltered negative comments are just part of the deal of being in the public eye, but the type of stuff she gets from people online is crazy. She expressed frustration over the fact that she is expected to sit back and not say anything about the hate thrown her way and take the high road. She feels that one can defend themselves and still not be disrespectful.
“That’s something on the regular that we deal with all the time, every day. It’s crazy the type of negativity I get,” revealed Naomi. “One of the things that bothered me is that people feel like they can say whatever they want, be as disrespectful as they want; and talent has no right or room to respond back or should just be quiet or take the higher road. I feel like you can state your opinion and still take the high road. You can still check people without being disrespectful.”
Naomi also talked about being off WWE TV for around six months, and how she usually finds out about her plans with the company online than through communication from the company. Naomi revealed that it was a surprise when she finally got the call from WWE about her return.
Quotes used in this article courtesy of WrestlingInc.
Posted February 29th, 2020 in News, WWE. Tagged: Naomi.
SmackDown Superstar Naomi recently returned to in-ring action at WWE’s January event, Royal Rumble. She recently joined the Women’s Weekly Wrestling podcast to discuss a range of subjects. During their conversation, she revealed how she had pitched for WWE to send her to their black-and-gold brand NXT.
“I asked about a year ago to go down to NXT to work,” Naomi revealed. “I just think NXT is awesome. I love NXT and also, the time I wasn’t being used much on the main roster so, I was like, ‘Dang, can I go down there and just see what I can get into, what could happen, and the talent down there is just so good.’”
Naomi had one NXT Superstar in mind if she had been granted her request: Bianca Belair. For her, it didn’t matter if they were feeding or teaming together. She revealed she had a dream of them making history as the first-ever African-American WWE Women’s Tag Team champions.
“I love Bianca, and her personality and her spirit is even more beautiful so, that was one idea I had,” she explained. “I either wanted to go work against her or to be with her or to do this story but it wasn’t the right time and also, ‘B’ is a star all on her own and I think they want her to be that and come into her own but, it’s just a dream of mine because we’ve never officially had two African-American tag team champions.”
Despite Naomi’s interest in becoming a part of NXT, WWE obviously didn’t allow her to move brands as they have for other Superstars. Following her Rumble appearance, Naomi has since returned to action on Friday nights for SmackDown.
WWE is going to return to Saudi Arabia for its second Super ShowDown event in less than two weeks’ time. The last event of the series took place on June 7, 2019.
The company will then have to prepare for their next event, the Elimination Chamber, which will take place just nine days later.
The WWE women’s division will have their second-ever match in Saudi Arabia as the company revealed that the SmackDown Women’s Championship will be defended at the event.
On last night’s WWE SmackDown, we saw SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley announcing that she’ll be defending her title at Super ShowDown. The announcement was made after Bayley successfully defended her title against Carmella on the show.
In the next week’s episode, Carmella will face Naomi in a number one contender’s match. The winner will then face Bayley for the Women’s Championship at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia.
Prior to last week’s SmackDown, another number one contender’s match had taken place. It was a fatal four-way match between Naomi, Alexa Bliss, Carmella, and Dana Brooke. WWE had advertised that the winner of this bout will face Bayley on Super ShowDown. Carmella won the match, but the company pulled down the advertising and announced that Carmella would instead face Bayley for the title on the next SmackDown, with the Super ShowDown match seemingly nixed.
Looks like plans changed, and Carmella has another opportunity at getting the title shot on next week’s SmackDown from Phoenix.
The Super ShowDown match will the first time that a Women’s title will be defended in Saudi Arabia. This is coming just months after the first-ever women’s match in Saudi Arabia was held at Crown Jewel in October 2019.
WWE Super ShowDown will take place at the Mohammed Abdu Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 27.
Intergender wrestling has become a topic of discussion among
fans ever since Impact Wrestling decided to put their World Championship on
Tessa Blanchard.
While some WWE legends like Booker T seem to be against the idea of intergender wrestling, it appears that at least one WWE star is not opposed to the same.
WWE star Naomi recently talked to So Catch and while talking
about the possibility of intergender wrestling in WWE, the female star said
that it would be awesome as long as there are limitations and boundaries:
“I think it would be awesome, as long as there is
limitations and boundaries so stuff doesn’t get too crazy. At this point, with
the women being where they are and proving ourselves and wanting to be
considered as equals in the company, you can’t hold back in some areas and not
in others. It would really make things equal. I think we can handle ourselves
against the men.”
Naomi continued by saying that she understands why it’s not
done in WWE but claimed that interacting with the guys was her favorite thing
in Mixed Match Challenge.
WWE did tease the idea of an intergender feud last year when they built tension between Nia Jax and Dean Ambrose in early 2019 but the company dropped the storyline quickly.
Do you think the company should try to introduce intergender wrestling into their programming anytime soon? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Quotes via Fightful.com
Posted January 21st, 2020 in WWE, News. Tagged: Naomi.
While on the 2019 WWE European Tour, Becky Lynch spoke with all kinds of international media. Among her media obligations during the tour, “Becky 2 Belts” spoke with a couple of media members in a scrum while overseas.
The reigning RAW and SmackDown Women’s Champion was asked during the media scrum earlier this week if she feels she is the true “Face of WWE” now that she is the only Superstar on the roster to simultaneously hold two World Championships.
Never one to lack confidence, Lynch explained why she is, in fact, “The Man” in WWE right now, not her boyfriend and WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins.
“Absolutely, absolutely, I’m running two shows,” Lynch said during the interview. “Freakin’ A.J. Styles and Seth Rollins can argue about the house that A.J. built or this is freakin’ Monday Night Rollins. No, no, no,” she added. “There’s only one person in the company with two belts. I’m running the show.”
As she is currently sitting on top of the RAW and SmackDown women’s singles divisions, Lynch was asked who she would entertain joining forces with if she were to make a run for the WWE Women’s Tag-Team Championships.
While she acknowledged that one year ago her answer would have been an easy one, Charlotte Flair, the Irish WWE mega-star went on to name a different WWE Superstar.
“Oh! Good question,” said Lynch. “If you asked me a year ago, I would have said Charlotte, but I don’t know. Things have gone way too sour at this stage. Who would I want?”
Lynch continued, revealing that if she were to make a run in the WWE Women’s tag-team division, it would be alongside Naomi.
“I guess you gotta go with who you think you can trust the most and I think it’s gotta be Naomi,” said Lynch. “Yeah, I think it’s gotta be Naomi.”
She even offered a quick idea for a potential team name for the duo.
“Fire and Glow,” Lynch said. “Or something like that.”
WWE Money In The Bank 2019 goes down from the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut on Sunday, May 19th. The show airs live via the WWE Network and on pay-per-view. Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com on 5/19 for live WWE Money In The Bank results coverage.
Last Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live, saw Charlotte Flair claim the SmackDown Women’s Championship for an eight time. This impromptu matchup against Asuka would see a previously planned Fatal Four Way scrapped. Naomi, Carmella, Sonya Devilla, and Mandy Rose all lost an opportunity to become number one contender. The winner would have gone on to face Asuka on “The Grandest Stage Of Them All” at WrestleMania 35.
Understandably, the women involved in that decision weren’t particularly happy about this direction. Naomi, in particular, has been pretty vocal about her feelings.
Feel The Glow
Naomi has previously provided a sarcastic response to WWE’s announcement regarding the second annual Women’s Battle Royal at ‘Mania, writing:
“Y’all sure this ain’t going to get cancelled too? Btw thank you so much for the opportunity”
A recent exchange with a fan only highlights her frustrations. The fan, calling the Superstar “entitled” would be told that Naomi’s feelings refer to “the [SmackDown Women’s] division as a whole” and not just her.
“This isn’t about me this is about our division as a whole we all work to hard & have come to far to come THIS FAR! So go back to your cave bish this don’t concern you”
Given that the WrestleMania 35 event is scheduled for a staggering seven and a half hours, a Battle Royal at least gives the women from all brands an opportunity to feature on the show. So is her frustration justified?
