Naomi has addressed her decision to walk out of a WWE taping in 2022 while the show was live on air.
During the May 16 show, Naomi and Sasha Banks, who were the Women’s Tag Team Champions at the time, left their championships on the desk of then Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis and walked out of the venue.
Following the walkout, the show was rewritten at the last minute, as Naomi and Banks were factored into the main event of Raw. Additionally, commentary addressed the situation to the audience, calling out the duo for being unprofessional.
Both women were released following the segment, with Naomi later signing with TNA and Banks now known as Mercedes Mone in AEW following a brief run in New Japan. Naomi made her return to WWE at the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble.
“I Needed To Stand Up For Myself”: Naomi On WWE Walkout In 2022
Speaking on WWE: Unreal on Netflix, the former Women’s Champion spoke about the infamous walkout, noting that it was a decision that they both needed to make at that time:
“I’m not gonna go much into detail, ’cause I don’t like talking about it. So in 2022, my tag team partner, Sasha Banks, and I at the time were tag team champions. There was a lot that happened that day at work that led us to.. leave. Like, literally walk out. I needed to stand up for myself, and not as Naomi, but as Trinity, and that was the first time in my life, in my career, not employed and not knowing what to do next and where to go next.”
Naomi is currently away from the ring as she and her husband Jimmy Uso are expecting their first child. Naomi vacated the Women’s World Championship due to the pregnancy.
H/t to Fightful for the use of transcription.
Featured image: WWE
