Sasha Banks' time with WWE has come to an end, but the former Women's Champion may not be gone for good.
This week, it was reported that Banks reached an agreement in June to leave WWE, on the basis that she would not do anything wrestling-related for the rest of the year.
Banks will be a free agent come January 1, and has reportedly signed a lucrative per-appearance deal with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Return to WWE
Banks' first appearance for New Japan will come at the Wrestle Kingdom 17 event on January 4.
During the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that some in WWE are confident she will be back.
There's no reason at all that she can't go back to WWE if she wants to. That door is not shut at all. People in WWE think she'll be back, but who knows when? whereas with Mandy, she might. She might not, who knows? There's a lot of questions because of the content, whether they would want her back with the sponsors."
Dave Meltzer.
Mandy Rose's departure from WWE was also confirmed this week, after the promotion learned of the content shared on her fan website.
Money
For now, Sasha Banks is out of WWE, a decision that comes down to money.
On his show, Meltzer explained how despite being a "given" at one time that she would be returning to WWE, the two sides were never close to a financial agreement
"It wasn't close on money, but there were points when it was a given that she would be back. It was a question of when not even if. Their feeling from the WWE side is that she was asking too high of a price. From her side [she was not asking too high of a price.] That was the thing. She had how much she thought she was worth. And they were not close.
"She's making a lot of money per date, and she's got a lot of things she can do. Between the acting and things like that. She can market herself in many different ways. She has a better long-term than Mandy Rose, in the sense that she's a really outstanding wrestler, and can go to Japan and wrestle. She's in a good spot with the partial schedule."
While it is unconfirmed how much Banks will be earning, it is believed she will earn more per appearance in Japan than with WWE.
Banks will reportedly be the highest-paid name under a contract with Bushiroad, the parent company of NJPW and STARDOM.