10 Best Matches From The First Five Years Of WWE’s Women’s Evolution
6. Ronda Rousey Vs Sasha Banks (Royal Rumble 2019)
On a show with two Royal Rumble matches and a pair of sterling singles title matches, Ronda Rousey's Raw Women's Championship defence against Sasha Banks bettered the rest. An absorbing title fight that immediately restored the aura of the Challenger, it did yet more to add to the all-too-short legacy of the mesmerising Champion.
A dual showcase, there seemed nothing Ronda couldn't do this point, or at very least nothing she couldn't be carried to by one of the best to do it. 'The Boss' entered an understated display as the justifiably p*ssed off veteran in presence of a relative newcomer that had it all. In doing so, she unlocked the side of her personality that had been thumbed over in such an insulting manner that she'd consider walking away completely just a few months later.
Having spent so long in the shadows as this point, she performed here as if every single scowl, scream and submission attempt was a reminder of who they should still be paying attention to, rather than just her personal battle for the belt.
It took Rousey hitting the Piper's Pit twice to put Banks away, which was also the number of ways Sasha sold the loss. Heartbreak and a handshake was followed by a head-fake and Four Horsewomen hand gesture. A year and a half later, that market of warfare remains teasingly untapped.