WWE ‘erase’ Sasha Banks sign from SmackDown image

WWE appear to have ‘erased’ a custom-made fan sign for Sasha Banks out of an image of the recent SmackDown broadcast on Friday.

It was the first edition of Raw or SmackDown since reports broke, via WrestlingInc‘s Raj Giri, that Banks had been released by the company.

While neither Banks nor WWE have publicly commented on whether or not she has left the company, multiple sources have since said that Giri’s initial report is accurate.

Fightful Select, meanwhile, have reported that Banks’ lawyers are involved. It adds that they have eyes on “a physical WWE release”.

If these claims do turn out to be officially accurate, the 30-year-old will be a significant loss for WWE. Banks is one of the most talented in-ring performers in the women’s division. In addition, she is a seven-time women’s world champion.

Her influence, though, goes far beyond wrestling. Banks and Bianca Belair became the first black women to main event WrestleMania when they battled for the SmackDown Women’s Championship in 2021.

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She also featured in two episodes of the hit American TV series ‘The Mandalorian‘. In addition, Banks was the honorary starter for NASCAR’s Daytona 500 in 2021.

WWE ‘erase’ Sasha Banks sign

‘The Boss’ hasn’t featured on WWE programming since she, along with Naomi, were suspended by the company in May. This came after the pair legitimately walked out of the May 16 edition of Raw over creative issues.

Reports claimed that Banks and Naomi were due to face Belair and Ronda Rousey, respectively – the two current WWE women’s world champions. However, WWE planned for both women to lose their matches.

The issue for the then-reigning Women’s Tag Team Champions was over how they – and their tag titles – would be portrayed, with concerns over their tag titles becoming ‘devalued’.

Barring an official statement from WWE – and an on-air statement read out by Michael Cole on the following edition of SmackDown – the company has made no reference to Banks or Naomi since their walkouts.

WWE removed Banks from their TV intros, replacing her with Cody Rhodes.

Now, WWE appear to have ‘erased’ a sign held up by a fan during the June 17 edition of SmackDown in support of Sasha Banks.

The sign, which featured a white background, had the words ‘Sasha Krew 4 Life’ on it. It was a clear reference to the seven-time women’s world champion. It was present on-screen during the match between Raquel Rodriguez and Shayna Baszler.

However, another image features the sign with just a white background showing.

The sign appears on WWE’s YouTube highlights of the match, in the background as Rodriguez celebrates her victory. But it is on the WWE’s official website where the text is now not visible.

Featured Image Credit: WWE