Sasha Banks returned to SmackDown at the end of July, attacking Bianca Belair to set up a match at tonight’s SummerSlam for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. The pair main event WrestleMania against each other back in April, and fans have been eagerly anticipating the rematch. However, according to PWInsider, Banks is not expected to be able to perform at the pay-per-view.
Last weekend, both Banks and Belair were puled from live shows taking place in Charlotte and Columbia due to unforeseen circumstances at the time. While Belair would return to the ring for Friday night’s SmackDown, defeating both Zelina Vega and Carmella, her SummerSlam opponent was not even backstage. Still, WWE has continued to promote the match as taking place, and as of writing, it is listed on WWE.com.
It’s doubtful WWE would have Belair not defend the championship on the show, meaning a replacement will be needed. The most obvious candidate for this would be Becky Lynch, who is known to be ready to return after giving birth. The belief is WWE was planning on her returning for their October draft, but this could be changed given the circumstances.
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