Ariane Andrew weighs in on the news concerning Sasha Banks and Naomi.
As the 5/16 Monday Night Raw was underway, it was first reported by PWInsider that WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Naomi and Sasha Banks left the arena due to creative differences that were not hashed out. This caused a change to the main event of the program which ultimately was Becky Lynch versus Asuka for a shot at the Raw Women’s Title.
WWE released a statement on the matter and noted that Banks and Naomi expressed that they did not feel respected enough as champions and were ‘uncomfortable’ with two of their opponents in the originally scheduled six-pack challenge that involved Doudrop, Lynch, Asuka and Nikki A.S.H.
SEScoops has an interview on their YouTube channel with Ariane Andrew a.k.a. Cameron, former member of The Funkadactyls with Naomi. Andrew stated that she’s on Naomi’s side and doesn’t feel Naomi would walk out on a situation unless she was being manipulated.
What happened, I think — I’m just gonna remove Sasha [Banks] because Sasha’s done this before. Sasha’s a great athlete. Let me not get it twisted because I don’t want fans coming for me. She definitely deserves — like she’s a great wrestler, she’s a great character. She does what she has to do. My girl Naomi, she wouldn’t do this and I feel like she wouldn’t do this unless she had someone manipulating and telling her how to do this. Let’s best believe if I was here, coming as a Funkadactyl, we wouldn’t have this happening, at all. But I mean, this is where we’re at so, it’s unfortunate what happened but I’m gonna say right here, Naomi, I’ve always been your girl, I’ve always stood by your side. Do you need a tag team partner to come help you out? Because I’m here because I got you and we ain’t gonna do this foolishness. We can still make a dream team happen, we can make history happen and we ain’t gonna do all this stuff. Just play the game girl, I’ll play the game with you, let’s go because at the end of the day, a job is a job and they’re gonna do what they wanna do and you cannot control that. So do you want to either let your money fall aside or do you wanna come and be a part of a group that has to do what they have to do and make sh*t happen? Period.
Ariane was asked by Steve Fall if she believes Sasha Banks manipulated Naomi. Ariane stated that someone of Banks’ positioning can do and say what they want without repercussions. She said it is not a case of Banks being a talent who has a great deal of support but there’s no delivery, adding that Banks can back up.
Ariane said that if she and Naomi were in possession of the Women’s Tag Titles, they’d probably have to be a ‘little bit quiet’.
You trying to get that out of me? Again, Sasha’s Sasha. You have Snoop Dogg as your cousin, you’re a top athlete. You can do whatever the f*ck you wanna do. You can literally say what you wanna say, do what you wanna do with no repercussion and if you’re a star athlete, I feel like she can back it up. The one thing that she can do, she can back it up. It’s not like, oh, she can have all these people who can back her up without having the talent to do so or the beauty. She’s a f*cking top f*cking b*tch, she can f*cking back it up in the ring, but if you have the top agents, you have a top other celebrity backing you up, 1,000 percent, you’re gonna have the extra boost. But someone like Naomi, where’s your extra boost? So you kind of have to do what you can do because — and I’ll say this, if me and Naomi were [in possession] of the tag team titles, we probably would have to be a little bit quiet. I’m the loudmouth. I say — that’s why I get in trouble, but I don’t have someone to back me up, you know what I mean? So, if you have people to back you up then, you can get to where you wanna be. Period.
She walked away [Sasha Banks in 2019] and she was like, give me what I want or f*ck off.
She was in contact with Naomi on May 12th and said Naomi was not happy about her situation in WWE. She further spoke about Sasha Banks and feels she has pull to make a move as such because she herself has that personality, but does not have the pull that Banks does.
Again, who knows what’s real, what’s fake, but at the end of the day, the person I’m gonna stand closest to is my girl Naomi. That is my sister from another mister. I would never see her doing something like this. She is someone who loves the business, ride or die. I mean, her husband [Jimmy Uso] is part of the business. We go back to Rikishi. She loves this business and I would never see her doing something to disrespect the business, but maybe she’s tired, maybe she’s done. Again, I would never see her doing this. I just talked to her on Thursday… Absolutely not. Absolutely not [Ariane responded when asked if Naomi was happy with her current situation]. Not — this is the thing, being in WWE is stressful. They say if you can make it into WWE, you can make it anywhere. It’s not an easy business. It’s not easy, but, it’s not to the point of, I would never see Naomi being like, ‘F*ck you.’ That’s just not her character. But I do feel like if you have influence, if you have people next to you being like, ‘I’m a top person. I got people backing me. Are you rolling or not? Are you rolling or not? Are you coming with me? Yes or no?’ And that’s Sasha. I feel like Sasha just has that pull to be like, I don’t give a f*ck. Either you’re gonna do what I say or not, so, ‘Are you gonna do what I say? Or no?’ I mean, I have that personality but I don’t have that pull. So I would even tell WWE, do you want to f*ck with me or not? They’d be like, ‘Okay. Bye girl,’ because you don’t have the backing, so goodbye and I’d be like, okay, I’m still gonna be feisty because I’m feisty. That’s what made me and Naomi The Funkadactyls. I’m feisty, she’s chill. But, I’m always gonna support my girl. That’s my boo.
Ariane went on to question why Naomi is not positioned in the same way that a Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks or a Charlotte Flair is. She feels that Naomi is slept on and asked why does she need to be someone’s ‘back wheel’ instead of being on top.
Naomi deserves to be at the top. Why the f*ck has she not been where — and Bianca [Belair’s] a f*cking talent, I love her. But, why Charlotte [Flair]? Why f*cking Becky [Lynch]? Why — all of these girls — Sasha [Banks] — they’re great, don’t get me wrong, but why has she never held this? Why hasn’t she been here [Ariane signaling ‘the top’]? She did this before all y’all b*tches did this. Y’all b*tches are basic, compared to what she’s — she’s already did it. She’s already done it. I get compared to Naomi and I’m like, I don’t care because I’m like, yes, because she’s a bad b*tch. If y’all wanna compare me, I don’t give a f*ck because y’all — she’s that good. She’s younger than me, but I look up to her, because what she represents. She’s not only a role model, she represents for girls who look like me. She’s just great in the ring, she’s unproblematic, she gets along with everyone. Why can’t she f*cking be here? Give her the f*cking belt! Give her the f*cking Raw Champion-motherf*cking-ship! Sorry. Woo, I got a little upset. Why!? Why!? Why!? Why the f*ck are you guys sleeping on Naomi? And why does she have to be someone’s f*cking back wheel? Like no, she’s the top b*tch.
To hear POST Wrestling’s John Pollock and Wai Ting recap the fallout of the situation, check out the latest episode of Rewind-A-Raw.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit SEScoops with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
