Exposing The Modern Myth About WWE WrestleMania

Bayley and Sasha Banks' 2020 rivalry was a fantastic bit of business.

The pair were joined at the hip following Banks' August 2019 return and Bayley's heel turn the following month, but the cracks between them first began to show on the road to WrestleMania 36 when 'The Role Model' looked remarkably short of Women's Championship challengers on SmackDown. Yet, in spite of their history, the potential match didn't feel all that hot. Not yet, anyway. The pandemic had thrown cold water on everything as it was, and anyway, Banks and Bayley's tensions were only really simmering. Barely even that in fact. There were no real flames to douse.

To that end, the company stuck them both in a multi-woman match, then ingeniously cribbed from another genius angle for the finish - Bayley let Sasha lose before Sasha saved the day for Bayley. This mirrored a glorious 2005 Elimination Chamber finish featuring Triple H and Batista at the same points in the story. It was the biggest signpost that the stolen glances and in-ring tells weren't an accident - this was a big angle, motherf*cker, and angles lead to matches.

The story - save for one awkward spell with Asuka, and even that ended well - got better and better. The duo won the Tag Team Championships, permitting them to carry all three brands in the dour Empty Performance Center/Full Sail era. This was more than just a broken clock getting it right twice a day. This was a broken creative machine getting it right once in a decade.

Problem was, it was August.

(CONT'D...)