WWE SmackDown: Sasha Banks vs. Bayley in a title match on free TV is a huge mistake

WWE SmackDown saw the news that Sasha Banks will challenge Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Title next week on free TV, but why rush that moment?

WWE SmackDown saw the return of Sasha Banks, who appeared in the ring while wearing a neck brace following her ambush of SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley at WWE Clash of Champions 2020. As Banks talked about her attack on Bayley, she also revealed that her “not being medically cleared” wasn’t going to stop her from seeking revenge.

It felt like it was setting up a future title shot, but it was truly shocking to hear that future title shot set for just one week from now on the October 9th episode of WWE SmackDown. This rivalry has been building for months, arguably for years going back to their clash at the inaugural NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.

Despite all of that work, and the hard efforts of Sasha Banks and Bayley throughout this summer that made their program and their segments the most highly rated and must-see moments on WWE SmackDown and in all of WWE, they’re just going to give away the perceived climax on a throwaway episode of WWE SmackDown?

The reality is this rivalry deserves to culminate at an event like WrestleMania 37. Arguably, it should’ve done so at this year’s WWE SummerSlam, but that was predicated on the plan that the event would take place in Boston where Sasha Banks could be the beloved hometown hero following this kind of a turn by Bayley.

Bayley vs. Sasha Banks on WWE SmackDown is rushing things

Plans changed, as they often do in WWE, which is certainly understandable. After the recent turn by Bayley, and Sasha’s actions at WWE Clash of Champions 2020, it seemed like they were setting the stage to have this clash of WWE SmackDown stars at WWE Hell in a Cell 2020.

While that match could still happen, WWE is rushing the moment by giving us a face-to-face confrontation with the title on the line between Sasha Banks and Bayley on free television? Next week’s episode of WWE SmackDown also marks the start of the WWE Draft, which will conclude the following Monday on WWE Raw.

There was little to no mention of the WWE Draft on SmackDown, and definitely no mention of it in relation to the scheduled of this matchup. Sasha Banks is getting a SmackDown Women’s Title opportunity with barely one week of build, and it’s just another match on a WWE SmackDown that will undoubtedly be overshadowed by the WWE Draft reshaping the landscape of WWE?

Even if WWE chooses to give the match a non-finish, whether it be a disqualification, no contest, or even a flimsy victory by Bayley, it feels like a massive misstep in what has otherwise been one of WWE’s most expertly crafted rivalries. Why waste finally getting to see them square off in the ring?

Why not save that for Hell in a Cell? Banks should be itching to get at Bayley in the days and weeks leading into Hell in a Cell, and getting a spontaneous title shot as just another moment on an episode of WWE SmackDown is a huge mistake.