WWE SummerSlam 2017: Assessing The Potential Quality Of All 12 Matches
4. Alexa Bliss Vs. Sasha Banks - WWE RAW Women's Title Match
It's another repeat affair, but one born from necessity. Then again, Bayley's injury was hardly going to prevent another retread. It was far too soon to revisit the Bayley Vs. Alexa Bliss rivalry, even if, as was rumoured, it was a plot device put in place to revisit Bayley Vs. Sasha Banks. At least that feels fresh by virtue of being only two years old.
Their match at Great Balls Of Fire was more TV booking on a PPV presentation. After a promising start, predicated on tension that, if not real, was excellently manufactured, the heat was doused with a groan-inducing count-out - a cheap finish creative cr*pped out just a fortnight later at Battleground. It's difficult to invest in the authenticity of a programme when the plot machinations are so transparent.
The joke doing the rounds is that, if WWE Wrestlers A and B - Bliss and Banks, in this scenario - wrestled at the Tokyo Dome, Dave Meltzer would award it five stars. There's an unintentional truth to that because New Japan doesn't hamstring its performers with these tedious contrivances and copouts designed solely to extend the natural shelf life of a programme. They have the freedom to go all out, and in the event of a retread are forced to use their imaginations to improve upon the first encounter. Imagination is the key here. There's just no need for imagination because WWE booking principles prohibit it much too often.
That's not to suggest Bliss and Banks have a six-star ratings buster in them - but ultimately, whether they can craft a match to the best of their respective, considerable abilities isn't entirely up to them.