This edition of Flair/Banks had no business being better than Hell in a Cell. It had no business happening now as the fifth consecutive title bout between the alpha females of the Raw brand. It had no business topping everything these women have done before. The reality is that this match was the best fight they've had since Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair first locked horns in NXT.
(The Queen retained via double count out, before GM Foley decided they should main event Raw for the second time later that night. Source: WWE.com)
Prior to Monday night's big showdown, Sasha Banks seemed on unsure footing in her promos as a baby face unable to show her trademark swagger balanced with giving back the love that WWE crowds have given her. That balance was finally attained starting with social media video bytes of her arrival and up through shushing Bayley when the latter talked about the heat between her and Charlotte after Survivor Series. It was all about the Boss and on the other side it was all about the Queen – in her hometown no less.
The initial bout was solid and ended with a double count out as fisticuffs spilled outside the ring. Charlotte radiated her customary glee as it was clear her plan worked, but Mick Foley came out and decreed the best women's rivalry in WWE this year, and perhaps ever, was going to end with a real finish to main event Raw.
(Props for their use of props: Banks and Flair got mega miles out of one kendo stick. Source: Sky Sports)
We were treated to same high intensity and memorable storytelling this feud had given us since their first title bout on the July 25th Raw. The major difference that made this better than Hell In A Cell, or the technically spotty match at Summerslam, was the polish and timing have never been better between them. It was all the more fitting that the match finally end with the most painful-looking Bank Statement ever around a hand railing amidst an electric crowd.
(The Queen left it all on the floor once again, this time with an astounding moonsault off the announce table. Source: WWE.com)
I was surprised Charlotte did not retain moving forward, given the title Ping-Pong that has been a feature of this rivalry since July. In most cases, match-by-match title changes are counterproductive, but this pair have been presented as two sides of the same coin and on any given night we know either one could be counting ceiling lights for three seconds at the end.
(Accolades from the Nature Boy capped perhaps the greatest women's rivalry in WWE history. Source: Sky Sports)
I mentioned in previous articles various booking challenges after Hell In A Cell that could best be met by a heel champion. A lengthy reign of terror for the Queen culminating in a WrestleMania showdown with her polar opposite Bayley, seemed like the clear path.
With Paige and Summer Rae out with injuries, the women's roster is thin and hard pressed to offer good matchups for a baby face champion. Nia Jax got to finally show some real power moves in the fun, if sloppy, Survivor Series match but the pressure is on to be the antagonist Sasha Banks needs as WWE looks to keep her and Charlotte separate.
Whatever the future holds, including the tantalizing possibility Banks turns on Bayley at some point, the bar for all women in WWE has been set very high leading into Smackdown Live's upcoming TLC pay-per-view.
(Five Feet of Fury strikes again. Source: WWE.com)
We finally got an official stipulation for Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss-tables. That is after Bliss fought off a top rope Bexplex and made the champ kiss particle board. Ol' Five Feet of Fury is the most improved worker in the women's division since her call-up from NXT and has been the catalyst for Lynch to find balance between her likeability and vocal intensity. The champion has been the blue brand's resident ring general in the women's division and her work with Bliss has been smash mouth fun since the feud's inception. This will continue into a great match in which I predict Lynch goes over in a hard fought victory.
(Princess Mella didn't moonwalk, nor mince any words on this week's Smackdown. Source: WWE.com)
The other women's bout breaks new ground for veteran and ingénue alike as the Nikki Bella/Carmella feud looks to reach its apex in a no-DQ match. The self-proclaimed Princess Mella has relentlessly gone after Nikki ever since she arrived and hasn't let up even after the reality star beat the Princess of Staten Island at No Mercy. Nikki Bella has stepped up her game, able to make her antagonist look credible as she hones her skills.
Prior to returning from neck surgery, Bella was usually the one who needed the more experienced hand as her opponent to maximize her talents. So far, this has made for a credible secondary feud among the women on the blue show. The high bar set by the aforementioned Banks/Flair feud indicates we're going to see some fun violence, if not a great match per se, out of Carmella and Nikki.
(Nikki can't wait for TLC. Source: WWE.com)
My prediction, in light of Nikki Bella standing tall at the end of their go-home segment, is Carmella notches her first pay-per-view victory.
In coming weeks, I will evaluate the women of WWE programming and where I think they're heading into 2017 as well as analyze what they're giving us as 2016 winds down.
As always, follow me on Twitter. @WesKozalla, #GlitterAndSlam, #Wrestlementary.
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