It's A Matter of RESPECT

 Something unprecedented happened last night during RAW and if you were there to watch it unfold or just now tuning in, this won't be breaking news to hear but Sasha Banks and Naomi actively walked out of the building in protest regarding their participation in the main event match. Seems odd, doesn't it? Why would two of the most dedicated superstars the company has ever had decide, on their own accord, to turn their back and leave? WWE was quick to release a statement, using certain keywords (belts, unprofessional, scripted) that left everyone uncertain if this was really happening or all part of a bigger story at play and thus made to throw fans out for a loop. Whatever you believed in, the fact of the matter is that the tag team champions weren't a part of that main event match... But neither were Doudrop and Nikki ASH.

THE TAG TEAM TITLES

After years of participating in filler tag team matches at house shows and weekly TV episodes, Sasha Banks and Bayley decided to take it upon themselves to bring meaning into a division that was completely adrift. It existed, with or without intent from the Higher Ups, but it was there and served the purpose of keeping the women moving into a well oiled machine while they weren't in one of the two title pictures. For months, they fought hard against every "no" and every "maybe" until eventually it turned into a "yes". At the time, in 2019, there were established tag teams in the division like the Riott Squad or the IIconics, for example, but any story could be crafted in order to align two superstars into joining. Even if just for a match, like Beth Phoenix and Natalya at Wrestlemania 35, for example.

Suddenly, after months of hard labour, the tag team division was real and had something worth fighting for. However, from it's creation, it felt as if they weren't taken as seriously as the sacred men's tag team division. With odd matches happening to small title reigns to teams being broken in half by releasing only one member, it was never fully a dream come true and it felt as if the division had to go through unnecessary hoops to prove it was worth the gold. Still, with the talent and perseverance of every woman that ever held them, the titles have survived even the hardest storms.

But while some reigns are taken more seriously than others, the same problem always occurs: when it's time to build the RAW or SmackDown champion, the tag team holders are often used as a step to climb because nothing says "I'm the bigger champion" than beating another champion. One that the company has made clear is a couple notches bellow despite everything the women have done to elevate it. In fact, if you look at the PC Era during the pandemic, Bayley and Sasha Banks reuniting to carry the tag team titles into all shows was the glue that held the company together at a very difficult time but their hardwork was never truly acknowledged.

All every woman wants is for those titles to mean as much as the RAW and SmackDown do. All every fan wants is for those titles to be featured in Premium Live Events with the same connotation that the RAW and SmackDown do. All every champion wants is to be taken as seriously as the RAW and SmackDown do.

COREY GRAVES AND THE WWE STATEMENT

For has long as he's been a part of the commentary team, in whichever show he is, Corey Graves as often been referred to as the true voice of WWE as certain things he says feel like they come from a voice above his own. Last night, it was relayed upon him the job to deliver the news about the escalating situation and, to the surprise of no one, he used very strong words towards Sasha Banks, specifically. This isn't new, as Corey often voices very distasteful comments about Sasha whenever he's at the table during her appearances, and has been this way for enough time to make fans uncomfortable. However, the usage of the word "unprofessional" stroke a cord.

Wrestling media, namely Sean Ross Sapp from Fightful, shared the official statement WWE sent out regarding the matter and, once again, there that word was. Unprofessional.

So many times have wrestlers' actions, both on live TV and on backstage footage that was released later, been unprofessional and sometimes even unsafe towards others. To name a few, the spectrum can be created between Charlotte Flair / Becky Lynch tossing their titles at each other and Brock Lesnar tossing his title at Vince McMahon, himself, backstage. Neither of these instances warranted a press release or official statement but for reasons that haven't been fully revealed, Sasha Banks and Naomi earned one.

Of course many fans have seen this as a clear act of racism towards the duo, in a company attempted to make them seem like nothing more than "angry black women throwing a tantrum" when they know that truly wasn't the case... But it's the narrative that would fit them better to sell, washing their hands off of the situation and placing blame onto others. But it could also be the cautionary tale that when the quiet one decides to finally stand their ground, it somehow means they're showing their true colours because becoming irate isn't like them while others is normal behaviour. 

Regardless of what the intention with that statement was, it served only to turn fans even more against the company and stand firmly beside Sasha Banks and Naomi.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

After the emotional labour from "birthing" the tag team titles and losing them to a non-existent story threw Sasha Banks over the line she'd been walking on, upon her return from a months long absence, she had a new vision of the business and was no longer willing to simply agree to stories just because that's what the company wanted from her. Being one of the backbones from the women's division, Sasha continued to be called upon matches to help enhance certain talent or to lead them into a higher level but it seemed as though she continued to play understudy for other stars.

Meanwhile, Naomi has had the strangest journey in WWE: whenever something is finally going her way, something else happens to throw her back down. Despite being one of the most marketable stars, Naomi spends months without any new merch and it had been years since she last held a championship title. Considering that history, fans grew weary about this reign and wondered when would the plot twist reveal itself, as it had always been this way.

And here we are. After randomly announcing they'd be a team moving forward, and despite the fact that the team B.A.D reunion had been prayed upon for years, Sasha and Naomi did everything to keep make the tag team titles shine again. Since Wrestlemania, they've been featured in every show, with different stories against different teams, just as they were meant to be used. Everything was going smoothly until last night.

Why are the women's tag team champions being asked to be stepped over once again in detriment of their own feuds? Why were they vilified for standing their ground about opposing a story where they had to continue be champions but split to put over the other champions? Why were they punished with a completely unprofessional statement that bordered smear campaign propaganda while other two women, Doudrop and Nikki, were quietly removed from the match as well?

If the issue was that Sasha and Naomi didn't want to be part of that story, Doudrop and Nikki could've participated in the match regardless. Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley could've participated in that match as well to further their own feud. Dana Brooke, Carmella, Tamina, Alexa Bliss and even Sonya DeVille could've been added as well. The women's division is small, that's a given, but why must the tag team champions continue to be treated as less than?

There were no doubts regarding Sasha Banks willingness to take a bullet for the titles she worked so hard to create and being the quiet one, Naomi choosing to walk away with her partner was surprising to many, but these two women have declared their bond is as of family. If one goes, the other goes as well. If the table isn't serving both, it's going to be serving neither.

After last night's events, I believe my sentiments are shared with the vast majority of the WWE Universe when saying that we proudly stand with Sasha Banks and Naomi. This whole situation could've been avoided and if this doesn't serve as the turning point where the tag team titles are finally taken seriously, WWE has much more to lose than anyone else. The solution isn't to retire the championships because that would be throwing a towel that cost blood, sweet and tears to have. The solution has to be, first of all, a full retraction of that vile statement by WWE officials and afterwards, what has been since 2019: TAKE THE TAG TEAM TITLES SERIOUSLY. There are many teams eager to have them, there are many stories to tell with them, there is so much to gain from this and yet WWE still pretends not to see the potential for expansion. Enough is enough.