Exposing The Modern Myth About WWE WrestleMania
Only, that wasn't a problem at all.
At SummerSlam, Asuka worked against both in an effort to take a belt from each of them. Banks helped Bayley retain, before the favour wasn't returned later in the night. A week later at Payback, 'The Golden Role Models' lost their tag belts to Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler in a contest gifted the best finish of the whole year. 'The Queen Of Spades' used Banks' own arm to trap Bayley and force a tap.
Again, this was a fantastic bit of business. One belt remained between them, just like all the way back in March, and there was ample evidence thanks to countless exquisite finishes that Banks could take the title given just one chance. The split finally came after the pair's rematch loss to Jax and Baszler, with the Bayley turning to show 'The Boss' that she'd been wise to her intentions all along. Great. A babyface with goals. A heel that wasn't completely braindead. A friendship torn apart by ambition and insecurity. A match virtually immune to failure thanks to the quality of the workers in the angle.
It was at this point that fans - out of love for the story and the women - pined for it to stretch until WrestleMania 37. Perhaps the kayfabe injured Banks could return at the Rumble? Or cost Bayley her belt along the way so the 'Show Of Shows' maybe? This was nice - it highlighted the respect people still pay to the 'Grandest Stage'. But the bigger picture wasn't the biggest show - it was the story and its natural conclusion.
Due simply to the calendar and not a thing more, the programme didn't time out to peak at WrestleMania, but to travel through it in April so it could flourish in October. Spotting Hell In A Cell on the horizon, WWE shaped the explosive title match to take place inside the mesh, rather brilliantly reinstalling some credibility in that stipulation in the process. Again, this was a f*cking fantastic bit of business.
Who needs WrestleMania? Not these two, and not this time.
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