NXT Great American Bash Night 1 Results, Highlights, and Grades

Sasha Banks vs. Io Shirai

Result: Io Shirai wins with the moonsault after Asuka shows up

Grade: A+, As-advertised, and while the finish wasn’t clean, it was done in the best way possible. Another Sasha Banks classic and another great match for the growing WWE legend of Io Shirai. Watch this.

Sasha Banks and Bayley had an amazing entrance, with The Boss entering NXT Great American Bash with a 2014 Jaguar and her dog Ryu, carried by Bayley. And their ring gear? Very American…Another home run by Sasha!

Although it was a non-title match between NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai and Women’s Tag Team Champion Sasha Banks, it had everything about a big-fight feel. It was the main event of the first night of NXT Great American Bash, but it could have easily been the main event of SummerSlam. That was the excitement around the match.

Shirai and Banks started the match by feeling each other out technically, and while Shirai was pulling out incredible athletic moves, Banks had everything scouted. It seemed like everything one woman tried, the other had the answer to it. That is, until The Genius of the Sky went to the top rope and hit a Missile Dropkick before hitting a great dive to the outside.

Bayley made a genius move that has to go in the playbook of most genius distractions, honking the car horn to try and throw off Io Shirai when the Genius of the Sky tried to ascend the top rope with Sasha. No, Beth Phoenix, she isn’t eight years old; she’s ahead of the game!

But Shirai was getting in the bigger moves, hitting a Frankensteiner, a Tiger Feint Kick, and using her strength to mow down Sasha. Her missile dropkicks were at their peak, yet those wouldn’t be enough to take out a four-time Raw Women’s Champion.

Banks locked in the Bank Statement from nowhere, getting Shirai right in the middle of the ring. But Shirai was able to get out of it with a roll-up.

Shirai walked on Banks and was going for her moonsault, but Banks intercepted it, knowing it was coming. She started trash-talking Shirai while she was tied in the tree of woe, reminding the current NXT Champion that The Boss helped build the Black and Gold brand into what it is today.

The Boss dodged a moonsault again and NEARLY won with a meteora. She hit that so cleanly that I almost fell for the nearfall! By that point in the match, Sasha and Io were REALLY turning it up a notch with their speed and accuracy.

And the power. At one point, Sasha picked up Io in a powerbomb position and SLAMMED her into the glass. If you didn’t scream at that…

Banks tried to follow that up with the Frog Splash, but Shirai countered it and swiftly locked Banks into submission in the center of the ring. Bayley looked on anxiously and threw in the tag titles to save Banks. As the ref was wrestling the title away, Bayley was able to help Banks get out of the hold…

But then Asuka showed up! And she misted Banks! Sasha still kicked out of a roll-up, but she was in serious trouble. Shirai hit her with the moonsault and won! Asuka costed Sasha, and it is ALL on at Extreme Rules for the Raw Women’s Title now!