Sasha Banks is the new RAW women’s champion after beating Charlotte in the main event of tonight’s WWE RAW episode.
Banks and Charlotte competed for the second time tonight; the first match went to a double countout so Mick Foley ordered the match would be restarted as a no disqualification, no countout, falls count anywhere match.
After Banks wrapped Charlotte around a handrail in the stands and made her tap out to the Banks Statement, WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair came to the ring and raised Banks’ arm and hugged her.
Earlier in the night, Banks said she was dedicating her match to Flair after Charlotte had disrespected him and kicked him to the curb.
This marks Banks’ third reign with the RAW Women’s Championship; she ends Charlotte’s third reign at 29 days.
The Queen and The Boss have been embroiled in a bitter feud for the better part of the year, and it’s featured numerous great matches and title changes.
After winning the championship from Charlotte on Raw, Banks put it on the line at Hell in a Cell in the first women’s match to ever be contested inside the steel structure.
Both Superstars laid it all on the line and put on both a possible match of the year and arguably the greatest women’s match of all time on the main roster.
Charlotte came out on the winning end to regain the title, but Sasha was due a rematch.
After Charlotte and Bayley prevailed as the sole survivors for Raw in their five-on-five elimination match against SmackDown at Survivor Series, Charlotte seemed to be oozing with more confidence than ever before, as evidenced by this tweet courtesy of WWE’s official Twitter account:
“THE QUEEN rules THE RING! I’m the @OfficialGretzky of @WWE!” – @MsCharlotteWWE #RAW pic.twitter.com/7SZFGxpyHW
That didn’t deter Banks, who demanded her rematch for the women’s championship on the episode of Raw following Survivor Series.
While Charlotte agreed to the bout, she stipulated that it would occur the following week in her hometown.
Before The Boss could respond, she was interrupted by Nia Jax, who made it clear that she didn’t have a particularly favorable view of Banks, via WWE Universe on Twitter:
SHE’S DONE IT! @SashaBanksWWE is now a 3-TIME #RAW #WomensChampion as she makes @MsCharlotteWWE tap out amongst the @WWEUniverse! pic.twitter.com/waXWV5UgPo
WOOOOOOOOO! Charlotte’s own @RicFlairNatrBoy holds @SashaBanksWWE’s hand high in victory at @SpectrumCenter! #RAW pic.twitter.com/pfWcfXFBjc
“You’re going to learn when you stand next to me, you are NOT #TheBoss!” – @NiaJaxWWE to @SashaBanksWWE #RAW pic.twitter.com/edoeiMjgYp
That led to Sasha and Bayley taking on Charlotte and Jax in a tag team match that resulted in The Queen tapping out to the Banks Statement.
Sasha entered her championship rematch with a great deal of momentum on her side, but there were several potential pitfalls standing in her way.
In addition to Charlotte posing a huge challenge in her own right, the possibility of Dana Brooke or Jax interfering made it seem as though Banks had a huge mountain to climb.
Despite that, Sasha managed to come out on top, which suggests that her long-running rivalry with Charlotte will carry on for the time being.
The result was a surprising one considering the fact that Banks appeared to be moving toward a program with Jax, while every indication was that Charlotte would start an angle with Bayley after attacking her at Survivor Series.
Those things may still come to fruition in the near future, but until then, one of the best women’s rivalries in recent memory has unfinished business.
