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The finish to the RAW Women's Championship match between Sasha Banks and Asuka at Extreme Rules was extremely controversial, to say the least.
Bayley ripped the referee's t-shirt and put it on before executing the three-count after Sasha Banks covered Asuka. Bayley threatened the timekeeper to ring the bell, and the Women's Tag Team Champions celebrated the 'victory' to a chorus of boos.
WWE's official recap of the match on its website deemed the win to be unofficial.
Alexa McCarthy was quick to note on Twitter that the WWE website still lists Asuka as the RAW Women's Champion and the Sasha Banks's win was called 'unofficial'.
Here's what the WWE article stated:
With the referee incapacitated, Bayley struck Asuka with one of the Women's Tag Team Titles and put on the referee's shirt to count a pinfall for Banks, unofficially hailing her partner as the victor and fleeing with the Raw Women's Championship.
Sasha Banks and Bayley' backstage getaway following the match
WWE also released an exclusive video in which the "The Golden Role Models" were shown running off into the night after the major heist at Extreme Rules.
Banks stated that an explanation would be given on Monday Night RAW. Banks and Bayley will also celebrate the title win on the RAW after Extreme Rules.
Bayley, of course, isn't a WWE official and the win will certainly not count. WWE could ideally be building up towards a rematch, which could either happen on an episode of RAW or at SummerSlam.
Barring the finish, the RAW Women's Championship match between The Empress of Tomorrow and The Boss ended up being a great wrestling contest between two of the best female workers in the company.
There are fans who aren't too happy with the finish. Some are even confused, but there could be a reasoning behind the booking. As noted by @MikeDesorbo1 on Twitter, the finish could also be perceived as Bayley costing Sasha Banks the title, which would add another layer to their impending implosion.
Banks and Bayley are the biggest stars in the company right now, and they have the most momentum going into SummerSlam. The controversial finish should also give WWE a solid angle to build upon on RAW and SmackDown in the weeks to follow.
