10 Beautiful Moments Of Respect In Wrestling

5. Sasha Banks Smiles Wide For Bayley

End of an Era WrestleMania XXVII The Undertaker Triple H Shawn Michaels
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2015, for many fans, is a period so progressive and euphoric - but not all that transformative, sadly - that it has developed a nostalgic quality quicker than any other wrestling property.

Sasha Banks and Bayley were at the forefront of it. Theirs was a profound victory, irrespective of how they shouldn't have had to win. WWE Divas were once recruited on the extent to which John Laurinaitis could manipulate himself to issue over their image in swimsuit magazines. WWE Divas were remonstrated for wrestling well in their capacity as professional wrestlers because they were not professional wrestlers. They were not sports entertainers. They were objects to be ignored in death spots and or leered at in Halloween Costume Battle Royals.

Banks and Bayley transcended this in 2015 with their all-time great programme. Vicious, emotional, dangerous, and, at TakeOver: Respect, extemporaneous - via Sasha's instinctive heel awfulness that betrays the guided-by-agents revisionism - this became the very literal theme of the feud and the curtain call of its climax.

And, if that can be waved away as posed PR, just look at Sasha's face when she reveals Bayley as her mystery partner at Battleground 2016. It's a beaming smile of joy, but it's more than that: after their rivalry, it's acknowledgement that there's no other performer she'd be happier to share a ring with.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!