— Earlier this week, it was reported that Sasha Banks was set to be brought in by NJPW for their upcoming Wrestle Kingdom 17 event scheduled for January 4. It remains unclear what sort of plans are in place for her, but on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer spoke of her Banks’ status with WWE.

— According to him, NJPW’s deal with Banks for the appearance was not booked through WWE so going on some assumptions, it would imply that Banks either is or will be a free agent by the date of the event, January 4. Meltzer added that WWE believes they can still sign Banks but NJPW is operating under the assumption that Banks will be “free and clear” by January. She hasn’t appeared for WWE since walking out of WWE Raw back in May (with tag team partner Naomi) over creative differences. WWE continues to list Banks as an active competitor on their website.