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What's the story?
Well, it's been one of the longest and most-teased rivalries in WWE so far this year, and Bayley recently opened up on Sky Sports' Lock Up podcast about what the future may hold for her and Sasha Banka - including how WWE has built their feud and the possibility of a pay-off at SummerSlam.
In case you didn’t know…
Sasha Banks and Bayley's rivalry goes all the way back to their days in NXT. While the pair have been on-screen friends for what seems like an eternity, their initial rivalry came to a head at NXT TakeOver: Respect way back in 2015.
The Boss and The Hugger competed in what's still regarded as one of NXT's top matchups when they went toe-to-toe in a 30-minute Iron Man Match that saw Bayley win 3-2 via submission in the very last minute - and in the equally regarded match a few months before in Brooklyn where Bayley finally beat Banks for the NXT Women's Championship.
Since then, the pair have teamed together and fought all the way from NXT to the main roster, with the rivalry even running through the first ever Women's Royal Rumble Match and the first ever Women's Elimination Chamber Match - where it came to a head when Sasha Banks turned on Bayley in a Lion King-esque kick from the top of a chamber.
Bayley turned her back on Banks on the RAW after in a tag team match, and the pair has clashed ever since without really getting a match to pay off the feud.
The heart of the matter
Bayley spoke to Sky Sports' Lock Up podcast about her rivalry with Sasha Banks recently.
One of the major points raised was about how refreshing it is to not have one block storyline paid off at the next pay-per-view - and instead having a slow build to an eventual eruption - with the former RAW Women's Champion saying her slow build rivalry with Banks is a throwback to what she liked about wrestling.
"When I was a kid watching wrestling that's kind of how it was. You had these long feuds and storylines and you just got more and more interested and you wanted to see where it was going to go. You wanted to see the big blow-off match and I like that stuff because that's what I grew up watching."
Bayley went on to add that the constant push of content from WWE can mean things sometimes get overlooked, and she spoke of how this is different.
"There are so many people on the roster, there's so much going on and there's so much content that we sometimes rush through things so maybe that's what we get used to and what we're expecting. I'm pretty happy with it. I'm a fan still but I'm not a viewer so perhaps I see it differently but I really enjoy what's going on. It's fun and I think it's going well."
One burning question is, where is this going? Many people think we're going full circle back to Brooklyn. Bayley spoke on the possibility of facing Sasha at SummerSlam in the Barclays Center.
"That would be incredible. Any time I get to wrestle Sasha, I always want to do it. For SummerSlam to be in that building, I don't know if I would be able to hold my tears back, but I'd love to do it. That's a goal. Hopefully we can do it."
What's next?
Well, I guess all eyes will be on RAW in the build-up to Money in the Bank and then SummerSlam. Who knows where WWE will go with this one - but Brooklyn for a huge pay-off would be a great idea!
Author's take
I'm always on the fence when it comes to long-term storytelling. I mean, when done well, it can't be beaten (see Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens' friendship and subsequent rivalry) - but things can get stale if we either don't see them every week or see the same thing every week.
I do think it's refreshing to see Bayley and Sasha be involved in a feud that isn't just for the Women's Championship though and to see more women's wrestling on television is always a great thing - and that's something RAW definitely can't be criticised for as of late.
