Former WWE superstar Sasha Banks, who now wrestles under the ring name Mercedes Mone in New Japan Pro Wrestling, suffered a serious injury during a match recently. Her health scare has potentially jeopardized an important plan pertaining to All Elite Wrestling. Tony Khan, AEW’s President, has opened up about the 31-year-old’s participation in next month’s Forbidden Door event, a PPV wrestling extravaganza jointly hosted by AEW and NJPW.

Is Sasha Banks appearing at 2023 Forbidden Door?

Mercedes Mone wrestled AEW star Willow Nightingale in NJPW’s Resurgence show for the inaugural Strong Women’s Championship. Unfortunately, during the match, she suffered an ankle injury. It forced officials to change the outcome of the match on the fly. Banks, a former WWE champion, was supposed to win the gold and perhaps defend it during the aforementioned PPV event. However, the forced change has admittedly made things interesting.

“Now going forward, it does make things a little bit interesting,” Khan said while sharing his thoughts on the aftermath of Willow’s win during his appearance on AEW ‘Double Or Nothing’ Media Call. He added, “Because nobody really knows besides Mercedes and myself what was going to happen there and what the future would hold for her, whether that was competing exclusively in New Japan or potentially also whether she’d be at the Forbidden Door.”

Banks is likely to remain sidelined with her injury and is unlikely to compete in the June 25 PPV event. Casting his doubts on Banks’ return, Khan said he respects the NJPW star but will utilize the current champion from his promotion to good effect.

What is Tony Khan’s take on the new champion?

Sasha Banks’ absence is likely to hurt the AEW and NJPW during their joint event. However, Khan isn’t worried about it. The 40-year-old spoke about leveraging Willow’s fortuitous win. “I think we have a great champion now in Willow and we’ll look to utilize Willow in AEW, possibly in ROH and also take advantage of that great beautiful championship belt that she’s holding.“

Read More: Over a Year After WWE Walkout, Sasha Banks Features on AEW’s Video Package

Meanwhile, the AEW president repeatedly reiterated that he was aware of the “upset victory” but hailed the title holder as a deserving candidate. He said the 29-year-old Nightingale has come a long way since her early days in Ring of Honor. Khan also added that he sent his best wrestler for the Strong Champion tournament, akin to other rival promotions.

Defeating a seasoned pro like Sasha Banks will surely come as a boost to Willow. She even enjoys vigorous support from the top brass of her promotion. Now she has to live up to her ‘champion’ tag and only time will tell if she succeeds. What do you make of Khan’s claims? Let us know in the comments section below.

Watch This Story: Over a Year After WWE Walkout, Sasha Banks Features on AEW’s Video Package