10 HUGE Tests Wrestlers Passed

7. Bayley & Sasha Banks Survive WWE Burial

Bayley Sasha Banks
WWE.com

Bayley and Sasha Banks were knackered at one point.

Bayley's babyface character wasn't a fit for the main roster. She embodied a spirit WWE's wider systemic soullessness couldn't even recognise, much less promote. Sasha meanwhile was stigmatised by management as Not Charlotte Flair. Together - they had to be together, weirdly - they tumbled down the card, out of relevance, and...into counselling.

Truly, the most main roster-as-Black Lodge moment since NXT's inception. Their closely-held ambitions were patronised with a short Women's Tag Team Title reign lost to the IIconics in a fit of stunt booking, and Sasha since took a leave of absence.

She returned motivated to reclaim the buzz with which she became a star in 2015, and she did. Joining Bayley on the heel side, they played the role of two confident major stars gleeful at being relied upon by the very system that almost broke them.

This obnoxious character work - all of which hinted at the inevitable singles programme with cute, rewarding detail - highlighted a drab and legitimately desperate Performance Center residency. There appeared to be no bottom to cascading ratings, nor a maximum volume to the laugh track that greeted the cinematic bullsh*t.

And yet Bayley and Sasha were per-segment ratings draws - only Halloween Havoc outdrew their cameos on Wednesdays - who garnered acclaim with the furious technical struggles they worked to shame the am-dram sh*te that had become the norm.

They were rewarded by drawing the best segment in ThunderDome history with a superb TV blow-off.

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Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK 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 AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and 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!