Photo credit: WWE.com.

Bayley Retains SmackDown Women's Title at WrestleMania 36 with Sasha Banks' Help

Mike Chiari

Bayley beat Sasha Banks, Lacey Evans, Naomi and Tamina in a Fatal 5-Way Elimination match on Night 2 of WrestleMania 36 on Sunday to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship.

Bayley and Evans were the final two after The Sassy Southern Belle hit Banks with the Women's Right, although it could be argued the champion could have done more to help her friend.

The Legit Boss returned to help her friend take down Evans, though. She connected with a Backstabber, which stunned her long enough to allow Bayley to land her headlock driver for the victory.

However, Banks and Bayley shared a look after the match that suggested all might not be well in their friendship after the match.

Bayley entered WrestleMania having held the SmackDown women's title for most of the past year, and a big reason for that was her attitude change in going from a babyface to a heel, as well as her alliance with The Boss.

For several months, Bayley and Banks essentially ran through all the competition the SmackDown women's division had to offer. They were so dominant that they assumed they wouldn't have to compete at WrestleMania.

Paige ended that notion a few weeks ago when she appeared on SmackDown to announce Bayley would be forced to defend the SmackDown women's title against multiple Superstars on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

She saved the announcement of Banks being in the match for last, and while The Boss initially acted angry, a sly smile came over her face when Bayley left the ring, which suggested she was excited for the opportunity to take the championship from her best friend.

The odds were much stacked against Bayley entering the match, although there were a couple of factors working in her favor. For one, the presence of Banks meant they could work together to eliminate the other competitors.

Also, the fact that it was an elimination match meant Bayley would have to be pinned or submitted in order to lose the title.

Ultimately, that worked in her favor, and she was able to outlast four of the best female competitors SmackDown has to offer.

Now that she has beaten many of them on multiple occasions, though, the natural next step is for her and Banks to dissolve their friendship and feud in the near future. Based on the way SmackDown has been booked, The Boss is the only credible challenger remaining.

Fans have longed for Banks vs. Bayley in a big match ever since their historic bout at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, and the pieces are now in place to make it happen.  

            

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