8 Ups And 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Jan 29)

1. Women Tear Down The House

A commenter in the Royal Rumble Ups/Downs column had to be trolling when he said that the WWE women’s division was overrated and the Torrie Wilsons and Kelly Kellys of the world were just as good.

Monday night, Asuka and Sasha Banks showed just how “overrated” the division was. The two wrestlers matched up in their first-ever encounter. They started out with some basic stuff in a feeling-out process, but quickly ramped up. Things really accelerated when Banks went for a dive to the floor and Asuka kicked her as she dove through the ropes, and Sasha splatted on the floor.

From there, both women teed off on each other, with the Boss coming close multiple times to ending Asuka’s undefeated streak. Banks escaped the armbar, and Asuka escaped the Banks Statement. In the end, the Empress of Tomorrow reversed a Banks Statement to get the Asuka Lock for the tapout.

It was a hard-fought win for Asuka, her toughest on the main roster. And memo to WWE: That loss did more to bolster Sasha’s credibility than boasting about how long she lasted in the Rumble.