Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
Over the past 24 hours, PWInsider.com has received emails asking about reports making the rounds that WWE decided to have Sasha Banks win the WWE Women's championship on Raw because Charlotte, who lost the belt Monday, had asked for time off. PWInsider.com had not heard this story and after asking several WWE sources about it today, we are told that Charlotte is scheduled for all her bookings in the near future and at no point was there ever a request or even any internal discussion that she would be taking time off from the company. So any stories claiming she is taking time off from the company are false.
We are also told that the decision to switch the belt came from two distinct reasons. One, the creative team wanted to open the first Raw of the "New Era" with a big surprise by having Sasha Banks "accomplish her dream."
Second, we are also told that Vince McMahon felt that Charlotte's run as champion helped to establish the championship as legitimate. Now that there was a foundation for the Women's championship, the company is more open to switching the belt and using it to help fuel Raw storylines. McMahon is a huge fan of Charlotte's work and has been since he saw her wrestle Sasha Banks at the March 2015 WWE NXT event in San Jose, CA, issuing an edict after her bout that night that she was to be featured more in WWE's Tapout promotional campaign.
We are told the decision was made to go with Banks because Triple H is a huge proponent of her work and since the two were already planned to face off at Summerslam, the title switch would add another dimension to their PPV bout.
We are also told that Raw, for the most part, was the show that the creative team pitched to Vince McMahon, with very little tweaks and as of this week, the current plan is to still rematch Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks at Summerslam.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
