10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE NXT TakeOver

7. Sasha Banks Vs Bayley Was The Best And Most Important WWE Match Of The 2010s

Sami Zayn
WWE.com

The 2010s was the decade in which WWE addressed a years-long identity crisis on-screen and secured deals that protected its finances for life off, but neither of those stories combated the reality that the market leader was the biggest heel in the market.

Vince McMahon luxuriated in being disliked at times, but that negativity and needless needle flowed underneath his entire company like the toxic mood slime in Ghostbusters 2. Never was this more apparent than in the women's division, which, by 2015 was both a half-baked Divas division holder and an under-serviced in-ring presentation. A tag match pitting The Bellas against Paige and Emma was allotted just over 30 seconds of a three-hour Raw in February, and the surge of momentum behind a #GiveDivasAChance trend forced Vince McMahon to reply on Twitter. NXT between 2014 and 2016 made enormous, industry-changing strides to change that perception, and Sasha Banks Vs Bayley at TakeOver: Brooklyn was as integral a part of that change as Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret Hart were to ushering in the Attitude Era and rise of 'The Rattlesnake' at WrestleMania 13.

Like all historic moments, it rules and it rules hard. It had to - as usual, the bar was way higher for women, and in stealing a show designed to highlight just how awesome NXT had become, the Women's Championship became one of the most prestigious in all of wrestling.

It's perhaps a leap to suggest a Women's Revolution on the main roster wouldn't have happened without this contest, but's absolutely fair to consider this proof of concept when none should have even been required.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett