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Sasha Banks hasn't appeared on WWE TV for several weeks now and interestingly the company is yet to give any kind of update regarding her whereabouts.
Banks was last seen in the buildup to her match against Bianca Belair at SummerSlam, a match that she no-showed and was then replaced by Becky Lynch.
Recent reports have suggested that Banks couldn't be cleared by WWE to compete at SummerSlam and is still sidelined for the same reason.
These reports are yet to be confirmed, but the lack of information regarding Banks' WWE status has led to lots of speculation. Here are just five potential reasons why the former Women's Champion has been absent over the past few weeks.
#5. Sasha Banks is currently struggling with some kind of illness or injury that is keeping her away from WWE
Sasha Banks is one of WWE's biggest stars and only recently made her return to WWE to replace Bayley in her feud with Bianca Belair last month.
Banks was set to finally be handed her rematch following her SmackDown Women's Championship loss at WrestleMania before her match was scrapped. WWE continued to advertise the match up until the last minute and reports suggest that Banks wasn't backstage at SummerSlam.
Ahead of SummerSlam, Banks missed a number of scheduled live events and an episode of SmackDown, which means that the most likely scenario is that Banks has suffered an injury.
The former Women's Champion has missed long periods of action following injuries in the past, but it appears if this is an injury WWE is remaining tight-lipped about it.
There is also the possibility that Banks has been another star who has tested positive for COVID-19 or been in contact with someone who has had the virus.
Keith Lee was in this position earlier this year and WWE kept the reason for his absence a secret, which led to the star releasing a tell-all video that informed the WWE Universe about the reasons for his absence.
Hopefully, this isn't the case and Banks is able to make her return to the company as quickly as physically possible so she can cash in her rematch claim for the SmackDown Women's Championship.
#4. Sasha Banks is missing WWE TV time once again due to "personal reasons"
This isn't the first time that Sasha Banks has taken a hiatus from WWE. In 2019, the former Women's Tag Team Champion was forced to take several months away to rest and recuperate after she revealed that she was struggling with depression.
At the time, the reason for Banks' absence was a closely guarded secret in WWE, and fans only became aware of the star's mental health issues when she revealed her struggle on Stone Cold's Broken Skull Sessions.
"Depression was taking over. My mind was taking over, my thoughts were taking over. This place was being bigger than me. And I really, really lost myself because for a good seven years, I didn’t even hear my real name. I didn't hear Mercedes anymore."
"All I heard was Sasha Banks, and travelling on the road, we only get one to two days off. So, I'm home, not even seeing what my real hair looks like," Banks said.
It's unclear if the same thing is happening to The Boss this time around, and WWE is once again trying to help the star by allowing her some time away from the spotlight.
#3. Sasha Banks is currently in dispute with WWE regarding her contract
It was reported back in 2019 that Sasha Banks had signed a contract extension with WWE during her hiatus from the company.
It's unclear how long this extension added on to her current deal, but it's now two years later and the star could currently be in discussions with the company once again.
Often when WWE Superstars' contracts are coming to an end, WWE takes them off TV until they have been able to negotiate a new deal. Whilst it's highly unlikely there is a small possibility that Banks has refused to sign a new deal, and WWE has decided to take her out of her Women's Championship match.
If The Boss did want to leave WWE, then the company wouldn't want to put the star in a high-profile position on one of their biggest pay-per-views just weeks before.
#2. It's a creative decision to keep Sasha Banks off WWE TV whilst Becky Lynch makes her return
The Boss was scheduled to face Bianca Belair at WWE SummerSlam for the SmackDown Women's Championship before CM Punk made his return to wrestling with AEW.
Whilst there has been a lot of talk of Brock Lesnar being called back at the last minute as a way to counteract the attention that AEW received from Punk's debut, what about Becky Lynch?
The creative team could have decided to call on Becky Lynch to make her return the night after Punk's debut because it's obvious that The Man is a ratings spinner.
Reports ahead of SummerSlam revealed that Lynch wasn't supposed to make her WWE return until Survivor Series season, so it was obviously a last-minute decision.
Banks has since been unable to make her return to WWE because the current storyline on SmackDown surrounds Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair. Even though Banks herself has only just made her return, it's believable that this was a creative decision to help the company's ratings.
#1. Sasha Banks disagrees with WWE's plans for her future
There were a lot of rumors surrounding Sasha Banks' hiatus from WWE back in 2019, this included the fact that The Boss was upset with the way that she lost the Women's Tag Team Championships.
After fighting for the titles to become a reality, the fact that Banks and Bayley had such a short reign was something that many fans disagreed with at the time.
Often superstars do disagree with what the creative team plans out for them and they are then forced to find an even playing field.
With this in mind, it's entirely feasible that Banks was told by WWE's creative team that she wouldn't be winning back the SmackDown Women's Championship at SummerSlam.
Banks could have disagreed with the company's decision and with the creative team refusing to budge, the former Champion opted to walk out instead. This doesn't seem like something Banks would do, but with no actual news regarding Banks' WWE status, anything is possible.
