7 WWE TLC 2020: Tables, Ladders & Chairs Impulse Reactions
5. Sasha Banks (c) Vs. Carmella
There were reasons to be alarmed before Sasha Banks' SmackDown Women's Championship defence against Carmella.
What felt at first like a welcome new pairing showed a bit of wear and tear by the time the pay-per-view arrived. Thanks mostly to the match already f*cking taking place on television, and an alarming pivot for 'The Princess Of Staten Island' going from hifalutin high-roller to champagne-obsessed caricature over the course of the build.
It all came together on the night, with the Challenger being more about her new associate Reginald Thomas than the bubbles he'd supplied days earlier. As she's won't to do should a match require, Banks bumped maniacally as the two contested a spirited sequel far superior to the SmackDown original.
One such grisly face-plant after 'The Boss' spiked herself on Carmella's X-Factor drew a tremendous near fall, and gave 'Mella the best of the several advantages she held throughout the match. It peaked with an excellent sequence of holds and counters before the interfering Thomas ate a meteora and Sasha sealed it with the submission win.
This overachieved on reasonably high expectations, serving as another timely reminder of why Banks has needed this type of title reign for years.