10 Wrestling Matches One Second Away From Perfection

9. Bayley Vs Sasha Banks (WWE Hell In A Cell 2020)

Bret Hart Mr Perfect
WWE.com

Intricate, layered and vicious, the Hell In A Cell 2020 SmackDown Women's Championship battle between Bayley and Sasha Banks was one of the best matches the pair ever had.

Consider the ground that covers, then remember that this one took place in the ThunderDome deep in the bowels of the global pandemic, and that this was the emotional climax of a feud that had lasted the better part of a year and that all of this had taken place in WWE of all places. Achievement on top of achievement on top of achievement, save for one spot that was cursed from the off all the way through to the 'Role Model' jacking it in at the end.

Banks was selling on the floor as Bayley pulled out some duct tape. The amount of time it took the Champion to find the end of the roll was relatable, but bordered on excruciating to watch. As was the outcome of her battle with it - an attempt to attach two kendo sticks together failed miserably, and whatever plan she had was quickly abandoned.

The match snapped back to its brilliant best just seconds later, but weaker pros might have struggled to squeeze past this plunder blunder.

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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