Former WWE Women's Champion Challenges Sasha Banks To A Match

It's now January 2, 2023, which means that Sasha Banks is allegedly one day into free agency. So far, no one quite knows what Banks' future plans will be, aside from her reported appearance at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 this week. But that isn't stopping some wrestlers from shooting their shot for a potential match against her, including a big name in IMPACT Wrestling.

After Banks posted a message on Twitter hinting at her free agency on New Year's Day, Mickie James responded with a very simple challenge. "Fight me," James tweeted. "#TheLastRodeo."

James notably announced this past September, after returning from a hiatus, that she would retire after losing her next match. She has since won seven straight matches and is scheduled to challenge Jordynne Grace for the IMPACT Knockouts Championship at Hard to Kill on January 13. With only 11 days left until the event, James will probably be extra motivated to win, to ensure a potential match with Banks could happen.

While James and Banks worked together for several years in WWE, their matches with or against each other were predominantly made up of tag, trios, or multi-person matches. The two would face each other in singles matches only three times, with all three matches occurring on live events in January 2019. Banks defeated James in all three encounters.

As for Banks, while it is expected she will wrestle for both New Japan and World Wonder Ring Stardom in the upcoming months, no firm date for her first match since May 2022 has been confirmed. There continues to be speculation she will be the partner for Saraya on the January 11 episode of "AEW Dynamite," though there's been no confirmation she will appear at the event or that she has signed with AEW.