10 Biggest WWE Creative Mistakes Of 2018

7. Counselling

Sasha Banks Bayley
WWE.com

Hey hey, we're the Horsewomen! And we're just horsin' around!

In an ideal wrestling programme, one act emerges as the undisputed winner. The loser is either protected through their valiant fighting spirit, or is so reprehensible that they d*mn well deserve the beat-down delivered to them. The Bayley Vs. Sasha Banks programme of 2015 achieved this dual remit to incredible effect.

The Bayley Vs. Sasha Banks programme of 2018...did not.

Both emerged from the programme as absolute losers, and it wasn't even a programme. Even by 2018 WWE standards, this took some bloody doing. So to summarise: tensions built steadily, as the former foes started to realise why they used to be foes, and they cost one another victory at Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania, respectively. Despite this, Banks and Bayley continued to team up on a brand with no Tag Team Championships. They engaged in a fierce parking lot brawl. They made friends. Bayley then beat the piss out of Banks some time later, f*ck if this is being researched any deeper than that. They made friends again by the mandate of GM Kurt Angle, whose job it is to make matches, when he sent them to counselling, because everything is comedy now. And friends they remained - until the November 26 RAW, on which dissension was teased again. This wasn't a feud; it was a time warp. It was a symptom of Vince McMahon's dementia.

Contrast Bayley and Sasha Banks with Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. It is criminal. Pathetic.

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!