WWE: Why Sasha Banks And Bayley Have Become The Perfect Team

The new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Sasha Banks and Bayley, have fought tooth and nail in and out of kayfabe to get to this position. That struggle has helped mold them into the perfect tag team champions.

Sasha Banks and Bayley spent months fighting for WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships behind-the-scenes, so when they won the titles at the Elimination Chamber Pay Per View, it was a huge moment for both them and women’s wrestling.

I’ve written about the magnitude of their victory before, but the key will be how WWE books them as champions this WrestleMania season. There are so many great opponents for Bayley and Banks to face at the “Show of Shows”, and that includes stars in NXT, legends of the past, and a few great teams on SmackDown Live like the IIconics and Fire and Desire.

As @CommanderCrissy, one of the kindest and most observant wrestling fans I know, told me, any team that faces Bayley and Banks will be elevated greatly.

"“Boss’n’Hug have the ability to invest their fans into matches and care, and I believe when they lose, the team to beat them is automatically elevated . A team like IIconics, Riott Squad, Sky Pirates instantly get the rub. And they continue the legacy and run of great Women’s Wrestling.”"

All of these tag teams have been putting on great matches for months, which gave fans even more of a reason to clamor for Women’s Tag Team Championships. Now, these teams have something to fight for, and there’s something special about dethroning two of the most influential and talented wrestlers in WWE, especially in a match that involves outwitting and outwrestling both of them.

Bayley mixes with spectators during the WWE show at Zenith Arena on may 09, 2017 in Lille, France. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUEN (Photo credit should read PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Sasha and Bayley have been on another level since forming as a tag team, and @CommanderCrissy reminded me of the extent of the Boss’N’Hug Connection’s hard work to become the new champions.

"“It was something almost come full circle considering their history. They were the best decision to win, as in 2017/18, they did everything to put over the rest of the Division and make people look legitimate, at the expense of their singles careers. Being told “no, maybe, wait” so many times about their feud, then asked to be a tag team. They said they’d be the best team, and put their whole hearts into it. Fan-inspired gear, movie nights studying tag team wrestling, working and traveling together. They honor the past Tag Team Champions in being the Boss’n’Hug Connection (a nod to Rock’N’Sock Connection) and their genuine love for wrestling shows.”"

@CommanderCrissy’s allusion to the Boss’N’Hug Connection’s film study is worth underscoring, because Bayley and Banks’s attention to detail inside the ring is worth commending heavily. They’ve always had great chemistry together, so the fact that they’ve improved on top of that is a scary thought to every other tag team in wrestling.

Sasha and Bayley have become one of the world’s best tandems over the past several months, and @VeenaMKay noted examples of how their experience in the ring goes a long way in big matches, such as inside the Elimination Chamber on Feb. 17.

"“Like take the EC match Sasha protected Bayley’s face when Peyton [Royce]’s boot was about to come down hard on her and Bayley told Sonya [Deville] to kick out because she saw Mandy [Rose] wasn’t going to reach to break up the pin. It’s stuff like that, that makes Sasha and Bayley valuable.”"

Together, Bayley and Banks protect each other inside and outside the realms of kayfabe, showing a special type of bond that many other tag teams simply don’t have. They have the kind of mutual respect that can only be earned when two wrestlers test each other to the limits, as they have in the past. Yet, they also share a sisterly love that Sasha famously professed last year when the Boss’N’Hug Connection became a reality, and it is this combination of love and respect that makes Sasha and Bayley such an unbreakable force inside the ring. They look out for each other because they care about each other and know when their partner needs help.

This understanding played a huge role in their Elimination Chamber victory, because they were going up against five talented tag teams in a match where anything goes. As @VeenaMKay made clear, the order of eliminations in the match shared a common theme: familiarity. The tag teams that competed inside the Elimination Chamber and were most familiar with the structure, namely the Boss’N’Hug Connection and Fire and Desire, were the final two teams in the match. And the newest tag team, Naomi and Carmella, were eliminated the first because they weren’t familiar with either the structure or one another as competitors.

Already two of the best wrestlers in WWE, Sasha and Bayley have only grown stronger as a tag team, with their Women’s Tag Team Championship win at the Elimination Chamber serving as them passing the ultimate test for a tag team’s inner strength. With their talent, loyalty, and enviable connection as competitors, they should be headed for a lengthy title reign where they take on  – and beat – all comers. Their grueling matches will make their opponents look good, and their wins will solidify their standing as one of wrestling’s top teams. So when they eventually lose the championships, that next partnership, whether it’s the Sky Pirates or the IIconics or someone else, will be in a golden position.