WWE News: Sasha Banks defeats Bayley to qualify for triple threat match at WrestleMania
What’s the story?
Sasha Banks earned her way into a triple threat match at Wrestlemania 33 on RAW after she beat Bayley in a one-on-one match up. The stipulation for the match (that Sasha would be inserted into the RAW Women’s Championship match at Wrestlemania 33) was put in place by Stephanie McMahon.
In case you didn’t know...
Sasha Banks spent most of 2016 trading the Raw Women’s Championship back and forth with Charlotte. The two even main-evented the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view inside the dreaded Cell, in what was th first ever women’s Hell In A Cell match in WWE history.
Sasha and Charlotte ended the year at Roadblock: End of the Line in a thirty minute Iron Woman match for the title. The match went into overtime but Charlotte was victorious, regaining the Raw Women’s Championship for a fourth time.
The heart of the matter
Bayley was in the ring for a segment with Raw General Manager, Mick Foley. She seemed remorseful for the manner in which she retained the Raw Women’s Championship at Fastlane, but Foley assured Bayley that the important thing was that she was going to WrestleMania as the champion.
Sasha Banks made her way to the ring and indicated that she wanted to challenge Bayley for the title at the Showcase of the Immortals. At that point, Charlotte made her way to the ring to state her case for another rematch, as she claimed that she was screwed by Sasha at Fastlane.
Raw Commissioner, Stephanie McMahon, made her way out. Stephanie made the match for WrestleMania as Bayley vs. Charlotte, but gave Banks an opportunity to earn her way into the match if she could defeat Bayley tonight. The match started right away, and went back and forth, as Charlotte and Dana Brooke looked on from ringside.
Ultimately, Sasha was able to thwart the attempted interference of Charlotte and force Bayley to tap out to the Banks Statement.
What’s next?
Bayley will defend her title against Charlotte and Sasha Banks at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando. However, there is a chance that Nia Jax could also get inserted into the match.
Sportskeeda’s Take
It now makes a little more sense why the finish of the Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax match at Fastlane was reportedly changed at the last minute. Originally, Nia Jax was rumored to be the fourth woman competing for the title at WrestleMania, but it appears that plans may have changed.
If the match remains a triple threat match, that would allow the three women involved to likely put on a better match than if they had the added task of having to make Nia Jax look like she belonged.
However, there are still three more episodes of Raw before WrestleMania. It is feasible that Nia Jax could still earn her way into the title match, just as Banks did tonight.