20 Greatest WWE Women's Matches Since 2000

On the heels of a historic series of matches with Sasha Banks, new NXT Women's Champion Bayley set out to prove herself the elite female performer in professional wrestling.

To do so, she would have to successfully retain the title against a massive force of nature in the form of wicked newcomer Nia Jax. The cousin of The Rock, Jax was as dangerous as she was beautiful, the most credible threat to Bayley's title this side of Asuka.

She was also fairly green, inexperienced in high-profile matches. Her size, though, presented a unique opportunity for Jax and Bayley to dip into a formula used to great success by Sting and Vader during the early 1990s of World Championship Wrestling.

Jax dominated Bayley, using her size and strength to batter and wear down the smaller champion. But the hug-loving competitor stuck around long enough to catch her opponent in a mistake, trapping her in a guillotine choke and forcing her to submit and give up her impressive undefeated streak.

The match was not only a beautiful example of two performers revisiting wrestling history through a tried and true formula but altering it to best fit their skill sets. The result was a match that far exceeded expectations, shined a light on the burgeoning young star Jax and reaffirmed Bayley's greatness.