It was somewhat surprising when WWE announced a Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks match for the Oct. 14 Raw. Not because they’ve been feuding for a couple months now with Lynch standing tall after the last two pay-per-view (PPV) encounters. Certainly not because Sasha was just drafted to SmackDown - the whole reason for this latest bout is to determine who gets to pick first on night two of the talent draft, after all.
No, it was because we haven’t seen Banks since she tapped to the Raw Women’s champ at Hell in a Cell on Sun., Oct. 6, and because we’d heard the reason for that was a tailbone injury. WWE announcing another Boss vs. Man match was a good sign Sasha’s issue was relatively minor.
Right?
Maybe not, depending on whether you put much stock into cable & satellite TV listings. Here’s how tonight’s episode shows up in Comcast’s guide:
Wrestling Inc points out DirecTV’s listing includes Charlotte Flair rather than Banks, as well.
WWE.com’s preview for the new Raw is still touting Sasha vs. Becky as the top attraction. So perhaps this is just one hand not knowing what the other is doing. But Banks didn’t work this weekend’s house shows, either. Tamina replaced her as Bayley’s tag partner in matches against Lynch & Flair, which could have been a sign they were letting her get as much rest as possible before tonight’s television. Or, it could mean she wasn’t cleared.
It’s possible no announcement’s been made because WWE plans to run an angle to explain the switch from Sasha to Charlotte. Or maybe the TV guides are just wrong.
Join us tonight in our Raw live blog and you’ll definitely find out.