5 Great matches that defined the Women's Revolution in WWE

By Sid Pullar III (SP3)
Modified Jul 06, 2021 02:13 IST
Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair made history at WWE WrestleMania 37 in a historic match in the women's revolution.
Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair made history at WWE WrestleMania 37 in a historic match in the women's revolution.

WWE's Women's Revolution has seen a boatload of tremendous matches over the past few years. From NXT to the main roster, the ladies in the company have stepped up in a huge way and delivered great performances on television and pay-per-view.

Since 2015, WWE has had a renaissance for women with increased focus and ring time. The roster is filled with an assortment of ladies that have different skills and assets that have been highlighted over the course of the past six years. Whether it be history-making clashes or blowoffs to well crafted storylines, the women's division has been elevated to new heights.

Although every year has seen the women deliver quite a few Match of the Year candidates, there are encounters where they stand head and shoulders above the rest. In this article, let's take a look at five great matches that define the Women's Revolution in WWE.

Honorable mentions:

  • Charlotte Flair vs Natalya for the NXT Women's Championship (NXT TakeOver)
  • Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch vs. Bayley for the NXT Women's Championship (NXT TakeOver: Rival)
  • Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch for the NXT Women's Championship (NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable)
  • Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair in a Hell In A Cell Match for the Raw Women's Championship (WWE Hell In A Cell 2016)
  • Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks in a Hell In A Cell Match for the Raw Women's Championship (WWE Hell In A Cell 2019)

#5 Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka for the SmackDown Women's Championship (WWE WrestleMania 34)

Asuka's undefeated streak became the stuff of legend from her run in NXT to her call-up to the WWE main roster. Her iconic NXT Women's Championship reign ended without her losing and she went on to continue her dominance upon coming to Raw. The Empress of Tomorrow maintained her momentum with a huge win in the first Women's Royal Rumble Match in 2018 to go on to WrestleMania 34.

At the grandest stage of them all, Asuka looked to win her first WWE singles gold on the main roster against "The Queen" Charlotte Flair. Flair has built a reputation as the standard bearer for women's wrestling in the company. Beating the unstoppable Asuka presented Charlotte's biggest test to date.

The hype was at an all-time high with this bout being one of the most anticipated on the WWE WrestleMania 34 card. It lived up to all the expectations and then some. Both ladies brought their A-game in a remarkable contest that arguably stole the show on a stacked lineup at the Showcase of Immortals.

In a surprising conclusion, Charlotte locked in the Figure 8 and made Asuka submit to retain her SmackDown Women's Championship. Flair added to her legacy by becoming the first woman in WWE to defeat Asuka. Their rivalry has continued for years since this monumental encounter, but this will forever be looked back on as a classic first-time battle.

#4 Bayley vs. Sasha Banks in a Hell In A Cell Match for the SmackDown Women's Championship (WWE Hell In A Cell 2020)

The friendship and rivalry between Bayley and Sasha Banks is one of the longest tales that WWE has crafted over the past decade. From their legendary feud in NXT to the formation of the Golden Role Models, these two ladies have been connected for almost their entire careers.

In 2020, The Golden Role Models became the faces of the WWE. Their Women's Tag Team Championship reign saw them featured across all three major brands. This shifted into one of the most compelling feuds of the year following their loss of the titles. It all came to a dramatic conclusion inside Hell In A Cell.

At WWE Hell In A Cell 2020, Bayley and Sasha Banks set a new bar of quality inside the steel structure. Although there have been other women's Hell In A Cell matches, none were as creative as this one. Bayley and Sasha pulled out innovative offense with their use of tables, chairs and kendo sticks. The storytelling was exceptional and delivered plenty of intense action.

The same steel chair that Bayley used to end their friendship weeks earlier would become the deciding factor in this Hell In A Cell Match. Sasha used the chair to apply a unique variation of her Bank Statement submission and stomped on the chair wrapped around Bayley's neck to win the SmackDown Women's Championship for the first time.

This not only marked a huge title win for Banks, but also her first victory inside Hell In A Cell on her third try. The two ladies were one of the best tag teams, produced the best feud and one of the best matches of the entire year for WWE.

#3 Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair for the SmackDown Women's Championship (WWE WrestleMania 37)

When fans think of historic women's matches in WWE history, they will forever think of the main event of WrestleMania 37 Night One. Despite WrestleMania 35 being the first women's main event in the event's history, Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair for the SmackDown Women's Championship marked the first time that two African American women were in the main event for any WWE pay-per-view.

This history-making clash would have been remembered just for that fact alone, but the two women went out and produced one of the best main events in Mania history. Sasha Banks proved once again why she is a once in a lifetime talent with convincing offense, superb selling and brilliant facial expressions.

Bianca Belair showcased why she might be the greatest athlete to step foot in a WWE ring. Her gorilla press slam while walking up the steel steps was excellent to watch. She showed off her incredible athleticism with a 450 splash that would make the best high-fliers blush. Belair's combination of athletics and strength has never been on display as well as this before.

Banks set out to make her opponent look like a bonafide superstar and accomplished that in a grand way. This became a magical encounter that was not just tremendous, but surely inspired generations to come. WWE delivered a ground-breaking women's bout that put both Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair on another level of superstardom.

#2 Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing Match for the SmackDown Women's Championship (WWE Evolution)

WWE Evolution was a transformative event in the Women's Revolution. Finally, the company gave the ladies a chance to stand alone and put the division on a bigger stage. The unquestionable match of the night had to be Becky Lynch defending the SmackDown Women's Championship against Charlotte Flair in a Last Women Standing Match.

The bout had been building ever since Becky turned on Charlotte at Summerslam 2018. Lynch no longer wanted to be in the shadow of her former friend and forged a path that led her to becoming "The Man". This Last Woman Standing Match was physical and featured the two ladies brawling all over ringside. The action never let up and grew in intensity as it went on.

The hatred between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair was palable and saw both women go for broke. The drama, storytelling and emotion fit the feud and delivered an appropriate blowoff here at WWE Evolution. The highlight of the battle had to be Becky's diving legdrop off a ladder into Charlotte through the announce table.

Lynch finally put Flair down for good with a powerbomb off the top rope through a table at ringside. Charlotte could not answer the referee's ten count, giving Becky the victory at Evolution. This was the longest women's match in WWE history at over 28 minutes and one of the best of 2018 in all of wrestling.

#1 Sasha Banks vs. Bayley for the NXT Women's Championship (WWE NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn)

WWE's Women's Revolution has different starting points for many fans, but the landmark matchup between Sasha Banks and Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn has to be looked at as a bout where things change forever. From the very start, this NXT Women's Championship Match had a big-time feel to it.

Bayley's cheerful, bubbly entrance was countered by the over-the-top Escalade arrival of "The Boss." The cocky champion oozed arrogance against the plucky underdog here at the first WWE NXT TakeOver outside of Full Sail University.

Things started a bit slow, but picked up and constantly built as the action went on. The story of Banks not taking Bayley seriously and the challenger gaining confidence was deeply compelling. The Brooklyn crowd added so much to the contest, with fans inside the Barclay Center reacting to both ladies in a huge way. No other match during WWE Summerslam weekend had this level of investment.

This turned into an emotional rollercoaster that kept everyone on the edge of their seat. Banks showed her versatility with a crazy flip dive over the referee's back as well as a brutal attack at the hand of the challenger. The Bank Statement with stomps to the hand was among the most memorable highlights of this title bout.

Bayley stepped up to the level of Banks in this one. Her selling was enthralling and built sympathy from the fans. Despite Sasha having a lot of fans in attendance, Bayley had the majority of the crowd in her corner as the match went into its final stretch. The two ladies had such fantastic chemistry with one another that had never been seen in another women's match in WWE before.

Women's wrestling in WWE has been viewed at a certain level and never seen as having what it takes to main event a big-time event. But Sasha Banks and Bayley put those prejudgments to shame. Bayley pulled out an awe-inspiring reverse rana off the top rope and followed with the Bayley To Belly to win the NXT Women's Championship to a loud pop.

It was a simply sensational match that elevated all women across NXT and the main roster. The Women's Revolution had become muddled on Raw and SmackDown, but this match changed all that.

The emotion from the two women and the crowd showed that women's wrestling had no limits. This literally left fans and superstars alike in tears at the end. That is why Sasha Banks vs. Bayley for the NXT Women's Championship at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn is the match that defines the WWE Women's Revolution.

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