Here’s The Thing About Sasha Banks vs Bayley: TakeOver Brooklyn
It was the 2015.
Women were steadily breaking barriers in every sport/field but, somehow, WWE had fallen behind. Their women’s division was still labelled as “diva division”, a label many found derogatory as well as diminishing, and the small time offered for the women’s match was still considered a “bathroom break”. Despite the fact that many members of the women’s division were trying to push forward, there was an unmovable object standing between them and the recognition they desired.
However, growing underneath WWE was NXT, their developmental brand where women kept pushing the limits of the time they were given, the manoeuvres they were allowed to make and the words their were supposed to say. In that brand, women were actively showing that they could be more, do more and become more. And, as if the Universe had pulled the strings to make sure key people were in the same place to create the right time, it happened. The match that ignited a raging fire:
Sasha Banks vs Bayley. TakeOver Brooklyn. August 22.
To celebrate the 5th anniversary of this history making moment, WWE released a documentary with backstage footage and interviews from both women, their trainer (Sara Amato), etc. Any fan of the duo already jumped to watch and if you haven’t yet, please do yourself a favour and watch it as well because it explains in first person why this moment was so special.
First we have Sasha Banks, saying they refrained from training the match beforehand because - besides not having enough time -, they were scared someone would see the moves they wanted to do and complain, which would force them to scrap them from their plan. If this doesn’t show you how the climate was at that age, look deeper. Women were supposed to have pillow fights and hair pulling contests for the entertainment of someone else. They were never supposed to be good at wrestling like the men were. Except they were better. All they needed was a chance to show. Even if it came in the form of rebellion.
Then we have Bayley, letting us in on a little bit of their mindset for the match. Both being fans of the sport since they were young - and ultimately having the same dream to become a WWE superstar - the duo wanted to make everyone in the audience feel the way they always did. Excited, at the edge of their seats, eager to know what the hell was going to happen next. And they achieved it by simply giving each other the match they felt the other deserved. The match of their lives, as Bayley called it.
There’s also a part where Sasha Banks explains the audience something that, for many, is the reason fans don’t connect with wrestling on the deeper level anymore: in ring psychology. Everything that is done inside the ring as to be careful crafted and thought out, even if its done on the spot. If the crowd is pulling you in one direction, its your call to decide if you give them the ride of their lives or kill the momentum. And Sasha knew that even with little rehearsal, she could trust Bayley that they would deliver as much story as they possibly could.
As you can see, this match is special for more reasons than one. It was a manifestation of a fire burning inside the hearts of the trainers, the dreamers, every woman who wanted to go higher. It was a liberation from all the shackles placed on the women’s division for years. It was a love letter from fans to fans, written with blood, sweat and tears, the way only someone who truly loved the art of the squared ring could do.
Yes, there have been more women’s matches that were good or perhaps even better than Brooklyn, but none has been as special. Because none has been brought to us through a series of events, of pieces, that were at the right place, at the right time. We’ve gotten obsessed with jumping the “first time ever” barriers that we forgot about the most important thing: why we were running the marathon.
And, undeniably, the clash between Sasha Banks vs Bayley wasn’t the start of this marathon but it was the breakdown of the first barrier. The realisation that the unmovable object stopping the growth of the women’s division could be surpassed after all. They only needed time. To show up and show out. The land of opportunities, as many call WWE, simply had to give them one. And just like that, history changed. Lives changed. The world changed.
It’s the year 2020.
Sasha Banks vs Bayley is listed as a number one reason for women to begin their wrestling careers because they delivered a new era to women in WWE. When the books are written, years from now, they will be immortalised as the dreamers who could. Because, as Sasha Banks said, “That’s the power of a dream. Saying it. It’s believing it. It’s doing it. And it’s chasing it. And letting you know that you can do it. It’s up to you. That’s your power.”
MYYGOD I JUST WATCHED THIS MATCH.... Adam Cole great fight and Ricochet you are better- ABSOLUTELY AMAZING RICOCHET JUST STOLE THE WHOLE TAKEOVER/SUMMERSLAM WEEKEND !! The ONE ANDD ONLY RICOCHET, is the next guy !! Call him up, he is 100% something special bay-bayy !!
