Sasha Banks helped Bayley because she needs to beat her

It was a nail-biter of a match, but Bayley retained the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 36 after a crucial assist from Sasha Banks.

When Bayley accidentally kneed Sasha Banks in the face in the corner of the ring after Lacey Evans ducked out of the way, WWE fans started to get nervous. We’ve seen this scene play out before, and when Sasha started to get into Bayley’s face, we prepared for the worst.

Banks’ lack of trust in her best friend cost her the title in this WrestleMania 36 match, as Evans quickly hit The Legit Boss with the “Woman’s Right” to eliminate her from the Fatal Five-Way Elimination Match.

So unlike at 2018’s Elimination Chamber Match, Banks didn’t turn on Bayle and betray her best friend. Her trust issues hurt her, but, as the saying goes, she lost the battle, not the war.

Because even though Banks’ elimination nearly put Evans in a situation to take the SmackDown Women’s Title off Bayley, it did save Banks and Bayley the awkward task of battling it out as the final two.

And speaking of saves, Banks, for as upset as she seemed with Bayley for the knee, was the one to make sure The Role Model retained. She hit Evans with the Backstabber, setting up Bayley to hit the “Rose Plant” and retain the title yet again.

Many would have expected Sasha, given her past history, to cost Bayley as an “eye for an eye” moment, seeing as how she, in her own head, could have easily blamed the champion for her own elimination.

Instead, Banks helped her best friend and focused on taking out their mutual enemy, Evans.

However, it’s important to understand Banks’ motivations. She may have seemed to be on Bayley’s side, but it’s clear she wants to win the SmackDown Women’s Title for the first time in her career. She’s won the Raw Women’s Championship four times and was a stellar NXT Champion, but she’s never won the Blue Brand’s most prized championship.

That will all change this summer. Because Banks didn’t help Bayley out of the goodness of her heart. She helped Bayley because at that moment she was eliminated, she decided that she wants to be the one to dethrone Bayley, who has been one of WWE’s most dominant champions since winning the title on the first episode of SmackDown on FOX in October.

I’ll take it a step further. Sasha Banks doesn’t just want to be the one to one-up Bayley and end the reign of a woman who has dominated SmackDown for months.

No, Banks, in her own mind, NEEDS to win the title. She NEEDS to beat Bayley. She NEEDS to prove that she can beat her wrestling soulmate in the big match.

And that’s why she decided to make sure Bayley beat Evans in the end.

This story is far from over, and we’re headed, if we get more shows, for a summer feud for the ages.