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The coming week in WWE is set to be one of the most intriguing in the entire calendar year, as both SmackDown and RAW will host the WWE Draft. The company has stacked Friday's episode, making it one of the biggest episodes of WWE TV in a very long time. The marquee match on the show will see Sasha Banks challenge Bayley for the SmackDown Women's Championship.
It seemed somewhat surprising when the 'Legit Boss' challenged her former best friend to a title match on SmackDown, instead of the upcoming Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. This certainly makes things interesting and unpredictable, as WWE has many directions they could feasibly go in.
This match is a big deal, off the back of nearly a year of Sasha Banks playing second fiddle to Bayley. Even when Banks became the RAW Women's Champion, Bayley still felt superior due to the length of her title reign. WWE has been very patient in their storytelling and the feud between the two former Women's Tag Team Champions has progressed nicely.
Their match on the WWE Draft edition of SmackDown is certainly not going to be the only match between Bayley and Banks, but it still promises to be a heated encounter that could be an effective plot device towards their eventual blowoff match. Here are five possible finishes for Bayley vs. Sasha Banks on the October 11th episode of SmackDown.
#5 Sasha Banks gets drafted to RAW and Bayley gets the match canceled
This is unlikely, as WWE wouldn't normally advertise a match of the caliber of Bayley vs. Sasha Banks one week in advance if it wasn't happening. Also, being on separate brands did not stop Asuka from challenging Bayley for the SmackDown Women's Championship.
However, this could make for a very interesting development for the feud by tying the WWE Draft into it. Sasha Banks could be the #1 pick and move to RAW, with Bayley going to WWE management and convincing them to call the match off or give her another opponent.
This would inevitably lead to Banks looking to go after her bitter rival at every chance. They could have a face-off at Survivor Series if the "brand warfare" concept remains. The 'Legit Boss' would eventually win the Royal Rumble Match to return to SmackDown and finally challenge Bayley for her title at WrestleMania.
It would be a great way to extend the animosity between Bayley and Sasha Banks, without having them wrestle prior to WrestleMania. That being said, WWE is much more likely to go ahead with the match on SmackDown.
#4 Bayley and Sasha Banks brawl to a No Contest
The fact that WWE booked Sasha Banks and Bayley's first match against each other in this angle on TV seems to indicate there will not be a conclusive end to the contest. Both women will surely put on spectacular efforts, but it could all be a part of a bigger story.
The heat in this rivalry could drive Bayley and Banks to go at it in an all-out brawl. This match could be thrown out as aNo Contest, with the former Golden Role Models destroying each other all over the place. This would be a glorious set-up for a Hell in a Cell Match between the pair.
WWE has gone this route before, with Sasha Banks in particular. Her RAW Women's Championship match against Becky Lynch at Clash of Champions ended in a No Contest, with both Superstars fighting into the stands. This led to their brutal Cell match.
This could happen again, with the 'Legit Boss' being the common thread in both stories. This way, both Bayley and Banks remain protected until their likely show-stealer at Hell in a Cell. The two of them might not even wrestle on SmackDown, fighting all over the WWE ThunderDome instead.
#3 Bayley intentionally lets Sasha Banks win by DQ/countout
Another way WWE could avoid having a clear winner for this SmackDown Women's Championship match involves Bayley taking matters into her own hands. Sasha Banks will definitely be on the hunt for her and her title, so the current Champion could weasel her way out of this match.
Bayley is approaching a whole year as the SmackDown Women's Champion, with her title defense against Banks coming on day 364 of her reign. She could ensure that her reign crosses one year in the most desperate way, similar to how she handled business against Asuka at Clash of Champions.
It only took a couple of minutes before Bayley got herself disqualified at the last pay-per-view, meaning we could see the same thing. She could use her trusty chair to further damage Sasha Banks' neck, or simply run away from her challenger. Either way, Bayley walks out as the SmackDown Women's Champion.
This would obviously lead to a Hell in a Cell Match between the pair, which would likely see Banks finally give Bayley her comeuppance. An intentional loss to retain her title would only expand Bayley's heel heat among the WWE fans.
#2 Sasha Banks defeats Bayley clean and wins the SmackDown Women's Championship
Sometimes, WWE books some major moments on TV to keep the buzz high and the fans talking. The WWE Draft would be front and center of the headlines on Friday night, but what if they pulled the trigger and immediately put the SmackDown Women's Championship on Sasha Banks?
This wouldn't be the first time WWE will have done something like this with the 'Legit Boss'. Her first Women's Title victory on the main roster came under similar circumstances, as she defeated Charlotte Flair on a July 2016 episode of RAW instead of SummerSlam, which was the next pay-per-view.
Aside from being a monumental moment, it would also lend some symmetry to last year's WWE Draft. Bayley won the SmackDown Women's Championship at the end of Night 1 of the Draft. She could lose it on the same night, one year later. This direction could also raise the stakes for Sasha Banks and Bayley's rematch for the title, possibly inside Hell in a Cell.
While she has won the RAW Women's Championship five times, Banks is yet to defend it successfully even once. She has also lost both Hell in a Cell matches she competed in. Sasha Banks could kill two birds with one stone in just a few weeks by retaining her title inside the Cell against Bayley. But for that to happen, she should become the Champion in SmackDown.
#1 Bayley re-injures Sasha Banks' neck and retains the SmackDown Women's Championship
As exciting as Sasha Banks winning the title on Friday sounds, it is likely that WWE will make the fans wait on her eventual crowning moment. SmackDown has been known recently for telling long-term stories and not offering instant gratification. This seemingly ensures that Bayley will still be the SmackDown Women's Champion at the end of the WWE Draft.
And while a non-finish would be effective in progressing the story between the two former best friends, what if Bayley pinned Sasha Banks in the middle of the ring? It doesn't need to be a clean victory. In fact, the 'Role Model' could even re-injure her opponent's neck by using her trusty chair.
This would be an emphatic statement from Bayley, who might want to prove that she is no pushover and that Banks won't take her title just like that. This would be a fantastic way to ensure Bayley's title reign crosses one year, while making her an even bigger villain. Sasha Banks would also receive more sympathy after taking a lot of damage, making her eventual victory all the more satisfying.
Whether it happens at Hell in a Cell or WrestleMania, the 'Legit Boss' will surely win the SmackDown Women's Championship. However, before that, Bayley could crush her opponent's dreams, her spirits, and her neck. It would only drive up the intensity and drama of the program.
