Top 20 Sasha Banks Matches according to The Wrestling Classic

Top 20 Sasha Banks Matches

Originally Written for ONE37PM in January 2021

Hey everyone! It’s The Wrestling C lassic here with my second list for On37PM and is it any big surprise it’s a showcase for “The GOAT, The Blueprint, The Standard, The Draw and The Legit Boss” Sasha Banks?
If you have followed @thewrestlingclassic for any amount of time, you know that Sasha Banks is my favourite female wrestler and also one of my favourite wrestlers of all time. There are people who are shocked when I express how big of a Sasha Banks fan I am. There are weeks where whatever she does or when she wrestles are the highlights of the show for me. Banks even won Sports Illustrated wrestler of the year for 2020. Regardless, how popular Sasha Banks is with her fanbase there still are a lot of fans that don’t get it. However, I am hoping this article will open people’s minds up to why I speak about Sasha Banks in such high regard. If you look back at Sasha’s greatest matches, there really is an argument there for her truly being the standard.

Firstly, I want to point out that I am only discussing Sasha’s matches as a singles star and not any of her matches while being in a team with Bayley. Maybe in the future, I’ll put together a top ten list for the greatest matches of the “Boss N Hug Connection” or “Golden Role Models” (whichever name you prefer) as a team. Ya dig?

Honorable Mentions

NXT Women’s Championship
Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair – NXT Takeover: R Evolution 12/11/14

Raw Womens Championship
Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley – Clash of Champions 09/25/16

30 Minute Iron Woman Match
Sasha Banks vs Charlotte Flair – Roadblock 12/18/16

Number One Contenders Match
Sasha Banks vs Nia Jax – Raw 08/14/17

Raw Women’s Championship
Sasha Banks vs Alexa Bliss  – Summerslam 08/20/17

Number One Contenders Match
Sasha Banks vs Nia Jax – Raw 01/07/19

Raw Women’s Championship
Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch – Clash of Champions 09/15/19

Triple Threat
Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Rhipley – Smackdown 11/22/19

Top 20 Matches

20. Sasha Banks vs. Kairi Sane
Raw 07/06/20

For most of us Sasha Banks fans, this was a dream match. It’s crazy that it only happened once on Raw and may never happen again as Kairi Sane left the company soon after. Considering Sasha Banks’ chemistry with Asuka and Io Shirai in previous matches, it was evident that she had great chemistry with the women who honed their craft in Japan with the Joshi style. Sasha herself went trained in Japan at the Sendai Girls’ Pro Wrestling training facility during her four month break in 2019. That being said knowing this made fans even more excited for the one-off encounter.

This was during the time that the Golden Role Models were feuding with the Kabuki Warrior so both Bayley and Asuka were at ringside. The match definitely delivered but the finish was a DQ when Bayley interfered. The DQ finish is why this match isn’t higher up on the list. Definitely a special gem of a match to check out though, knowing we might not ever see these two wrestle again.

19. Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss
Raw Women’s Championship
Great Balls of Fire 07/09/17

Whether it was the internet rumours about them not getting along since their time in NXT, the way the characters interacted on television or that the promo Sasha Banks cut on Bliss on Raw Talk was really convincing, for years it really felt like there was legitimate tension between the two. However, it always added more anticipation for their matches. I preferred this encounter over their SummerSlam match that followed, where Sasha Banks ultimately won the championship just because this came off more like a fight. It was two women who didn’t get along just scrapping it out t0 one up each other to prove they were the better of the two.

Sasha really made Alexa look strong by the way she was selling for Bliss’s offence throughout this match despite their rumoured backstage heat. Alexa played her role in trying to escape still champion by any means necessary perfectly. The match ended with a double count-out which caused some fans to write it off thus remembering the SummerSlam match from this feud more fondly. However, the brawl after this match let us know that there was unfinished business between the two, thus leading to their SummerSlam match which was more of a solid wrestling match than a fight.

18. Sasha Banks vs. Asuka
Raw Women’s Championship
Extreme Rules 07/19/2020

Every single time Sasha Banks wrestled Asuka, it was something special. The chemistry between the two is off the charts. Fortunately, in 2020 we got a series of matches between the two superstars during the period that the Golden Role Models were feuding with the Kabuki Warriors. At this time, Asuka was recently crowned the Raw Women’s Champion after Becky Lynch’s departure. Sasha Banks was trying to become a double champion like her tag team partner, Bayley “Dos Straps.” This was something I really wanted to see as well.

This match was a hard-hitting where both women looked really strong. This match could have easily been higher up on this list but the overbooked finish really left some fans dissatisfied. Asuka blew her green mist in the referees eyes by accident when trying to overcome the Golden Role Models heel shenanigans. It led to Bayley putting on the ref shirt and fast counting Sasha Banks to victory. I understand how the finish helped the long term story they were trying to tell but the overall quality of the match was so fantastic that you hate to see this specific match spoiled by a creative yet stilly finish.

17. Sasha Banks vs. Carmella
Smackdown Women’s Championship
TLC 12/20/20

Sasha Banks is that wrestler that anyone can have a good match with as she’s always elevating her opponents. That being said, I have also always believed that when you put Carmella in a big match situation, she always delivers beyond fans expectations yet she still doesn’t get the credit she deserves for improving as an in-ring performer these past 5 years. Therefore, this was the perfect combination of two of my favourites being able to showcase their skills.

Sasha Banks was forced to overcome the odds against not only the new and improved Carmella but her sommelier Reginald who was at ringside as well. The newly more aggressive Carmella brought the fight to Sasha and even got some convincing near falls. However, Sasha was able to take out Reginald and force Carmella to tap out to the Bank Statement for the victory. This was a solid match that kept both women looking strong and really verified that Sasha could have a lengthy reign on top as a fighting champion.

16. Sasha Banks vs. Asuka
Raw Women’s Championship
Raw 07/27/2020

This match was also from the series of Sasha vs Asuka matches in 2020. It took place the night after the overbooked silly finish of Extreme Rules. Due to the controversial finish from the night before the Championship was on the line again but this time there had to be a decisive winner. Bayley and Kairi Sane were both banned from ringside for this match to avoid any outside interference. This was an awesome match between the two as they have amazing chemistry and were telling a great story in the ring. There was a rule in place that you could still win the championship if your opponent got counted out.

Therefore, Sasha Banks was able to win the championship if Asuka was counted out. The finish came when Asuka was in charge after breaking out of the bank statement but a video aired on the titantron showing Bayley beating up Kairi Sane backstage. Sane was screaming for Asuka in need of help so Asuka ran to the back to save her friend allowing Banks to officially become Sasha “Two Beltz” winning the Women’s Championship by count-out. This was another great match between the two but again with a meh finish to further push the Golden Role Models as heels but with all the belts.

15. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch
NXT Women’s Championship
NXT Takeover : Rival 02/11/15

This was the match where I first just realized how big of a Sasha Banks fan I was because not only did I go into the match rooting for her even though she was a heel but completely lost it when she actually won finally becoming the NXT Women’s Champion. The Four Horsewomen of NXT are synonymous with the Women’s Revolution and this was the only time the four met in a fatal four way. Fatal Four Way matches can be difficult to enjoy as usually you see people laid out for a certain amount of time that seems unrealistic at times and there are a lot pin attempts broken by another superstar due to there being four people involved in the match.

Regardless, all four girls brought their A-Game. Every time Sasha came close to winning but didn’t you could see the frustration on her because winning the championship mattered to her a lot. It also meant a lot to Bayley who was shown being less friendly and more focused on winning the championship as the ultimate underdog. However, Bayley’s momentum was cut short by Sasha Banks stealing the victory with a surprising crucifix pin transitioned from the bank statement on Charlotte after Bayley hit a Bayley-to-Belly from the top rope but Sasha got rid of her to win the match. This was without a doubt Sasha’s moment but it also planted the seeds for Bayley and Sasha creating greatness later in the year.

14. Sasha Banks vs. Asuka
Raw 01/29/18

It was the first Sasha Banks vs. Asuka and the only match we’d get between them till the series of matches in 2020. Asuka was hot off of winning the first ever women’s Royal Rumble and still on that undefeated streak that carried over from her NXT run. This was the “nobody is ready for Asuka” era and Sasha wanted to prove that she was ready for Asuka.

The match was everything we expected and more. The crowd was quiet for the for the part of the match but they were able to get the crowd into the match for the second half. Sasha Banks was selling for all of Asuka’s offence making Asuka look even more impressive as she was heading towards challenging for the women’s championship at Wrestlemania. This match is remembered by most fans as the time that Sasha Banks performed a suicide dive where she landed very badly on her head/neck while still catching a kick from Asuka. Asuka did win the match rightfully so as she was hot off of winning the Royal Rumble but as a Sasha fan, it was really memorable to see these two go toe-to-toe for the first time.

13. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch
NXT Women’s Championship
NXT Takeover : Unstoppable 05/20/15

As we move forward with this list, you’ll see the women of the Four Horsewomen show up quite a bit as Sasha Banks had a lot of her greatest matches with these three women. The Horsewomen are synonymous with the women’s revolution because they were involved in so many historic moments and memorable matches. They also all had really good chemistry with each other coming up in that same NXT class. It was a class when the female wrestlers were hungry to have matches just as good as the men if not better.

This match was really Becky Lynch’s coming out party early on in her WWE career as its the first singles match of hers I remember really being impressed with her. I already was heavily behind Sasha Banks at this point but I was being sold on the Lasskicker. Both women were working each others arms. Although, it looked as if Lynch was going to defeat her old partner in crime, Sasha Banks was able to get Becky in the bank statement for the victory. If you just became a fan of Becky during her “The Man” gimmick and haven’t watched this match, I would highly recommend it.

12. Sasha Banks vs. Asuka
Raw Women’s Championship
Summerslam 08/23/20

 In this 2020 match between the two, Sasha Banks was walking in as the Raw Women’s Champion defending against Asuka. Asuka wrestled Bayley earlier in the night on the same show for the Smackdown Women’s Championship in which Bayley retained after the distractions from Sasha Banks paid off.

This was a hard-hitting back and forth match where both women looked strong. Sasha focused on working on Asuka’s left injured leg that Bayley focused on in the match earlier in the night. Asuka also took a huge bump for Sasha with the sunset powerbomb to the floor. The story of the night was that both members of the Golden Role Models were trying to walk out of Summerslam with their championships. However, as much as Bayley was encouraging Banks from the outside, her attempt to distract Asuka to help Sasha retain failed as Asuka made Banks tap out to the Asuka Lock while Bayley was down. The match was really good from start to finish as you would expect between these two but the finish seemed more about the slow eventual break up of Sasha and Bayley who were no longer holding all the belts.

11. Sasha Banks vs. Io Shirai
NXT Great American Bash 07/01/2020

In midst of Golden Role Models reign of dominance over women’s wrestling while holding the tag titles, they decided to make their presence known in NXT. The women’s tag team titles are meant to be defended on all three brands so they did just that when they successfully defended them against Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart on NXT. Following the match, the NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai hit the ring to take out Sasha Banks and Bayley claiming NXT as her territory. This led to Banks challenging Shirai to a match two weeks later for night one of NXT’s “Great American Bash” special. Sasha made it clear to remind Io that she helped make NXT and that Io was just paying rent. Therefore, we got another dream match, we didn’t even know we wanted until it was announced. Once again, Sasha Banks just seems to have this special chemistry with the Japanese women with a joshi background.

Sasha Banks made her way to the ring in an entrance reminisce to her days in NXT along with Bayley and her dog Ryu even made an appearance. The match was awesome from the moment the bell rang. Io even took a nasty bump outside of the ring against the plexiglass. The finish came with some shenanigans as Bayley tried getting involved to help her partner win, only for Asuka to show up spitting green mist in Sasha’s eyes. Thus putting a stop to whatever plans the Golden Role Models had and helping Io Shirai pick up the victory in this first time encounter.

10. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair – Falls Count Anywhere
Raw Women’s Championship
Raw – 11/28/2016

In 2016 we saw the women’s championship on Raw change hands multiple times between Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair from July to December. It became a trend that Sasha Banks would beat Charlotte for the championship on a Raw and then Charlotte would win the championship back on the following PPV. At the time, a lot of fans complained about this feud. I always said though, that one day we would look back at it fondly because of how memorable the matches were and how great the chemistry these two had with each other. Yeah, it sucked that all of Sasha Banks titles reigns were short lived but she ended up being a three time women’s champion by the end of it. They also made a lot of history wrestling in matches such as the first ever Hell in a Cell, the first ever Iron Women’s match on the main roster and the first ever Women’s Falls Count Anywhere that was the main event of Raw.

This match really stood out to me in this series of matches in 2016. Especially when it came to the matches that took place on Raw where Sasha Banks won the title. As the feud continued moving along, the matches got more aggressive and personal. These women brawled all over the arena. There were moments we thought ether woman was about to pick up the win. Charlotte hit a moonsault off of the announcers table to awe the crowd. They eventually brawled into the crowd where Banks locked in a Bank Statement on Charlotte in a position that had Charlotte locked in the metal guard-rail causing more pain that Charlotte was forced to quit. Following Sasha’s victory Charlotte’s father “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair came to congratulate Sasha Banks raising her arm in victory.

9. Sasha Banks vs. Asuka
Survivor Series – 11/22/2020

This was the final match between Sasha Banks and Asuka from their series of matches in 2020. However things were different by the time Survivor Series came around. The Golden Role Models were no longer together and The Boss had defeated Bayley for Smackdown Women’s Championship. Therefore, Survivor Series being the night where Raw and Smackdown battle for brand supremacy meant that the Women’s Champion from both brands would face off against each other. This meant one more Asuka versus Sasha Banks match.

This match might not have been as aggressive as their previous matches in the year but due to them both being fan favourites at this time it was more competitive in a traditional sense. This match had no outside interferences or distractions. There was no overbooked finish to protect both stars or to further a storyline. It was literally two of the best attempting to out wrestle each other to prove they were the better champion on that night. The reason this match is so high on the list is because it was the first time ever that Sasha Banks was able to defeat Asuka clean without any shenanigans and it was about damn time.

8. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair – Hell in a Cell
Raw Women’s Championship
Hell In A Cell – 10/30/2016

It was the first time that female superstars competed inside of the Hell in A Cell. It was the first time the women got to main event a PPV. It was also the first time the Women’s Championship was defended inside of a Hell in a Cell or was defended in the main event of a PPV. No matter how many different ways you look at this match, you’ll find something else that made it historic. Sasha Banks was walking into her hometown as the champion and of course the favourite to win against a mega heel Charlotte.

Before the match could even start the women brawled outside the cell, where Charlotte power bombed Sasha off the side of the cell through the announcers table to point that Sasha was going to be stretchered out. This was until she refused to let the match end that way and entered the devils structure to fight Flair. This set the tone for the rest of the match that involved both tables and chairs as weapons. Sasha was rag dolled for most of the match but still kept fighting back making us believe that she would find a way to score the win. Although, this match was the first time I really noticed just how much smaller Sasha was compared to Charlotte but she always made up for her smaller frame with her personality and tenacity. Unfortunately, on this night that wasn’t enough to beat The Queen as she picked up the victory leaving the Boston crowd and myself at home shocked as WWE continued with this weird trend of babyfaces losing in their hometowns.

7. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley – 3o Minute Iron Woman Match
NXT Women’s Championship
NXT Takeover: Respect – 10/07/2015

The match that Sasha Banks and Bayley had at NXT Takeover Brooklyn was so good (we’ll get to it soon) that the idea of topping it in the rematch must have felt impossible without some sort of stipulation. Therefore, when we knew Sasha Banks would be getting a rematch to try to regain the championship she lost to Bayley in Brooklyn we were curious to see what they would come up with. Especially when you factor in the fact that the emotional support Bayley had as being the ultimate underdog who was chasing the title for so long was basically gone since she was the champion and already beat Sasha Banks. Therefore, the 30 minute Iron Man match concept was perfect. This allowed Bayley to prove her victory wasn’t a fluke or a case of good luck while letting the arrogant over achiever Sasha Banks think she had the advantage.

This would be the first time the women competed in this style of match and also the first time the women were the main event of a NXT Takeover event. The crowd were behind the women making history and it evident with their chants during this match. Sasha Banks shined in this match by really antagonizing the crowd to the extent where she even made the little Bayley fangirl Izzy cry after stealing her Bayley headband and taunting her before throwing it back to her. It’s one those unforgettable Sasha moments that made us love her as a heel. Sasha even got both of her points by using heel like tactics. Banks poked Bayley in the eye to score her first pinfall point and then threw her into the video wall in the entrance way which laid Bayley out long enough to earn Sasha another point by count-out. In the end though, Bayley managed to score two clean pin falls on Banks and had her tap out to an arm bar in the final moments of the match for a 3-2 victory. After the match, both women knew they created even more history together and they embraced on the stage with their peers joined them. Sasha was off to be officially on the main roster while Bayley continued to hold it down for NXT.

6. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair
Raw Women’s Championship
Raw 07/25/16

This was the moment all Sasha Banks fans were anticipating for nearly a year. This match took place on the first Raw of the “New Era” as the modern day brand split between Raw and Smackdown officially began. It was two of Raw’s brightest superstars in their women’s division competing for the championship to kick off the new era.

It was a competitive and hard fought battle with some major highlights such as when Sasha Banks paid tribute to Eddie Guerrero by pretending to get hit with the title belt by Dana Brooke to get her sent to the back to even the odds or when Charlotte nailed a beautiful moonsault to the outside onto Sasha Banks. Charlotte used everything in her arsenal to retain her title but Sasha was all heart in this match with something to prove. There were so many moment where they had us believing the match was going to end but both women kept finding ways to survive. In the final moments, Charlotte was yelling at Sasha trying to exclaim that she could never beat her but seconds after that Banks had her tapping out to the Bank Statement. It was a euphoric feeling having The Boss finally become champion after an epic battle. The promo she cut after the match was reminiscent to Bret “The Hitman” Hart’s promo after winning the WWE Championship for the first time. Dreams really do come true.

5. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch – Hell In A Cell
Raw Women’s Championship
Hell In A Cell – 10/06/2019

Sasha Banks returned after 4 months off with a new attitude and hair colour. The new and improved “Blueprint” of the women’s division immediately set her eyes on the Raw Women’s Championship and the most popular superstar in the WWE at time, Becky Lynch. This was not the Banks we saw four months earlier. Sasha was back more aggressive, more hungry and with a chip on her shoulder. The Boss did not want to be taken for granted for anymore and she had seen enough of “The Man” being on top. Their first match at Clash of Champions ended up into a lawless fight around the arena after Becky snapped at Sasha’s resiliency and shenanigans, giving Banks the DQ win. This meant Lynch retained the championship and that didn’t sit well with The Boss. Therefore the two met again in Hell in a Cell.

This was the second time the women entered cell. It was the first time for Becky Lynch whereas Sasha had entered the devils structure before. This new aggressive and focused Banks seemed way more comfortable in the cell this time around. Becky was never one to back down from a fight and seemed composed in the structure right away. These girls got innovative with their spots and really beat each other up. The spot with the kendo sticks holding up a chair up in the corner of the cell will always stand out to me. These two are a lot more similar in size, so unlike the first cell match where Charlotte repeatedly tried throwing Sasha through a table that wouldn’t break, these women played to spots that worked true to their size. The women used a variety of weapons in this battle of egos. Sasha was even able to put Becky through a table this time with her diving meteora. In the end though, Becky hit a bexsploder suplex on Banks onto a stack of chairs followed by the disarmher which led to Banks tapping out. I remember feeling disappointed with this outcome but it made more sense when “The Blueprint” was drafted to Smackdown soon after.

4. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley – Hell In A Cell
Smackdown Women’s Championship
Hell In A Cell – 10/25/2020

Personally, I have been waiting for the Bayley and Sasha Banks feud on the main roster for years. I always felt like the moment Bayley showed up on the main roster in 2016 that Sasha put their friendship first before her own career aspirations. I was always waiting for Sasha to turn on her because heel Sasha is the best the Sasha. They teased it so many times over the years with the two betraying each other in battle royals or elimination chamber matches for the sake of competition but it never happened. There was one point in 2018 where Bayley attacked Banks when her emotions got the best of her that led friendship counselling with Dr. Shelby. Regardless, they always made up and remained best friends. They continued on to become the first ever Women’s Tag Team Champions, turned heel together and then dominated the women’s division on all three brands for the Summer of 2020. It all came to an end when they finally lost the tag team titles. Although, we always thought it would be Sasha turning on Bayley to go after Smackdown Women’s Title like they teased, Bayley’s emotions got the best of her and she turned on Sasha again attacking her after the match. This eventually lead to them meeting in the only place fitting for this encounter we’ve been anticipating for four years…the Hell in a Cell.

There was something special about the third ever Hell in a Cell match. Sasha Banks was entering her third cell match which meant she has been in every women’s cell match. This was Bayley’s first cell match. The match work so well was as it was so personal between the two former best friends. They also have amazing chemistry whether they’re partners or opponents. This was an excellent, grueling match with a lot of weapons being used. There were a ton of call backs to previous matches and references to their feud such as a steel chair being featured so prominently. They tried different things to make this match unique and the finish with Sasha making Bayley tap out to the Bank Statement while having her tangled up in the chair felt fitting. It was a nice payoff with Banks ending the long title reign of Bayley in a decisive way making you wonder if Bayley feared this all along thus keeping Sasha close to her as a friend. It was exciting as a Sasha Banks fan to see her finally pick up a victory in the Hell in a Cell. The “Queen of the Cell” also officially became the third Women’s Grand Slam and fourth Women’s Triple Crown Champion. It was just great to see “The Blue Standard” on top again where she belonged.

3. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch
Women’s Championship
Wrestlemania 32 – 04/03/2016

I’ll always have a special place in my heart for this match. This was the first Wrestlemania I attended as an adult and the first one I’ve attended in 13 years. I was so behind Sasha Banks winning the championship on this night, I even wore a Sasha Banks shirt to the show. I am a big fan of Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch but I just felt like this was supposed to be Sasha’s big night. Charlotte was walking in as the champion, Becky Lynch added to the match but it felt like she was still trying to find herself on the main roster whereas Sasha Banks returned at the Royal Rumble with a lot of hype. The fans were really behind her finally having her moment as I know I wasn’t alone in the 100,000 fans in AT & T Stadium wanting the Legit Boss to raise the newly designed and renamed Women’s Championship at Wrestlemania 32.

These three women stole the show. Sasha Banks seemed poised to win with the most extravagant entrance of the three featuring her cousin Snoop Dogg singing her to the ring and pink confetti falling from the sky. Sasha also wore Eddie Guerrero inspired gear and hit the frog splash for the first time in this match to pay homage to him for a near fall. Everything from her entrance to her special gear and near falls made you believe Banks was going to win. All three women brought their A-Game though and stood out in different ways. In the end though, with a little help from her father “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair who was at ringside, Charlotte Flair was able to retain the Women’s Championship. It wouldn’t be until three months later that we got our Sasha Banks championship moment. I will always think it should have happened here but regardless this match still stands the test of time for ushering in a new era of women’s wrestling.

2. Sasha Banks vs. Ronda Rousey
Raw Women’s Championship
Royal Rumble – 01/27/2019

Ronda Rousey is a globally known mega star due to her success in mixed martial arts and the UFC. Truly a trailblazer for Women’s Empowerment and an influence for the Women’s Revolution that took place in the WWE. When Ronda Rousey made her WWE debut at the 2018 Royal Rumble, the world of sports was buzzing. Ronda dominated the women’s division for the rest of 2018 defeating the likes of Alexa Bliss, Natalya, Nia Jax, Nikki Bella and Stephanie McMahon to name a few. Charlotte Flair and Bayley even got pushed to their limits in a matches with Ronda Rousey. There was already speculation that Ronda Rousey would be facing Becky Lynch at Wrestlemania so it left us fans wondering when she would cross paths with “The Legit Boss” Sasha Banks. There was a bit of concern because rumours already began swirling that Rousey was going to leave after Wrestlemania and it left us wondering if we would ever get this dream match. As the Royal Rumble was coming around the corner Ronda challenged Banks to a match on “Moment of Bliss” where she praised Sasha for being the real best wrestler in the business over Becky and Charlotte. Sasha Banks quickly accepted even if that meant going through Nia Jax to secure the title shot. However, immediately as Sasha accepted the match, we got glimpses of the old arrogant and cocky Sasha Banks when she vowed to teach the undefeated Ronda Rousey how to lose with dignity.

As I mentioned before, I truly believe that Sasha Banks has given most of her opponents their best matches. This was no different. Looking back at Ronda Rousey’s entire run in the WWE, I feel like this was her best match. The match with Charlotte at Survivor Series was memorable because of the way it broke down into a brawl and the main event triple threat match at Wrestlemania 35 is historic but this was her best wrestling match in terms of work and simple storytelling. I was also there live for this match as well which makes me appreciate a bit more. A large portion of fans were behind Banks to the point that they even were chanting “you can’t wrestle” at Ronda early in the match. Ronda was trying to out wrestle Sasha while Banks really wanted to make Rousey tap out. Sasha brought the fight to Ronda like nobody expected and held her own against the decorated fighter. Near the end Banks locked on the Bank Statement while using her arm sleeve to gain an advantage but just couldn’t get in locked in. The finish came when Ronda hit Banks with the Pipers Pit slam. Banks was visibly frustrated after the match but there was still a show of mutual respect between the two. Banks also threw up the Four Horsewomen hand symbol in Ronda’s face which got fans excited about a future potential match between the Four Horsewomen of WWE and the Four Horsewomen of MMA.

1. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley
NXT Women’s Championship
NXT Takeover : Brooklyn – 08/22/2015

In the “Macho Man” Randy Savage documentary Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat brought up that even 30 years later when he meets fans they still bring up his match with Savage at Wrestlemania 3. It brought Ricky Steamboat to tears when he was talking about it. It was their masterpiece. This was Sasha Banks and Bayley’s masterpiece. I think ten years from now when fans meet Sasha Banks or Bayley, they will bring up this match. Before the old school fans lose their minds…I’m not saying the matches are the same if significance for wrestling but how the matches are significant for people involved.

The Boss walked into this match as the cocky champion who proved time and time again that her in ring ability could back up her conceited overconfident personality. Bayley came into the match as the ultimate underdog who wanted to prove she was just as good as the other three Horsewomen who were called up to the main roster and who had all turned on her in the past at some point to reach new heights. For Bayley to prove that she was not only just as good as them but possibly even better she had to beat the other Horsewomen. On the road to NXT Takeover Brooklyn, Bayley defeated both Charlotte and Becky Lynch in singles matches. The last person she had to beat was the NXT Women’s Champion, Sasha Banks.

This was the match that made me really secured me as a fan of modern women’s wrestling and as a loyal fan of Sasha Banks. These two had the best match of the card. They had the Brooklyn crowd split but in the palm of their hands. Sasha Banks was aggressive yet confident. Bayley was determined and full of heart. They told an amazing story of Bayley never giving up no matter how nasty Sasha Banks got and she sure got nasty. Sasha viciously attacked Bayley’s already broken hand throughout the match and even stomped on it while having the Bank Statement locked in which I thought would have forced Bayley to tap out, but nope. Both women pulled out moves we haven’t seen from them before such as Sasha’s sunset flip dive over the referee to the outside onto Bayley. Bayley hit a reverse frankensteiner from the top rope followed by a Bayley to Belly for the victory to finally win the NXT Women’s Championship. If you haven’t ever watched this match and are a life long wrestling fan, please go watch this match.

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