7 WWE Hell In A Cell 2020 Impulse Reactions

3. Bayley (c) Vs. Sasha Banks

Sasha Banks
WWE.com

It took five years for the WWE main roster to capture the magic of Bayley and Sasha Banks' era-defining 2015 NXT programme, but the company's best angle of the year was furnished with a blinding match that served to satisfy numerous aspects of their epic tale.

Paced and wrestled magnificently (save for one abandoned spot with a broken prop that Bayley still managed to extract a pop from), this captured all the enduring drama of a title fight and seasoned that macro story with micro details reaching back into their rich history. Hands were worked, old heckles were repurposed, finishers were taken at the exact right moments and danger lurked behind every brief breather.

Energising the strange ThunderDome air-space, the logical weapons usage fed right into the finish. As she'd trapped her to get the match made official, so too did Banks to win the belt. A Bank Statement with a steel chair was enhanced by violent stomps to the weapon to expedite the Champion's submission. An echo of one of the most famous moments from their TakeOver; Brooklyn classic, there was no happy ending for the former 'Hugger' this time.

In breaking her Hell In A Cell and pay-per-view anti-streaks, 'The Boss' said "Ding Dong, Goodbye!" to records that have dogged her for half a decade. Bayley said the same to her SmackDown Women's Title, but with it a legacy that'll last even longer.

 
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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, 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