Bayley vs. Sasha Banks Provides Further Proof of Diva Division's Great Potential

Bayley and Sasha Banks spent the 30 minutes of their stellar Iron Man match proving how supernova bright the future of women's wrestling is.

Champion and challenger put on a showcase of the cornerstones of great wrestling. There was no need to talk up a revolution; two warriors simply composed a rousing symphony of violence and drama. To do so, Bayley and Banks leaned on crowd connection, clear characters and gutsy, leave-it-all-on-the-mat performances. 

And once more, the audience was floored.

What fans saw to close NXT TakeOver: Respect is what the women's division can be at both the NXT and WWE levels. Given the kind of hype these women received leading up to their title bout, Paige versus Natalya can be great. Given compelling roles and the space with which to craft full-bodied stories, Charlotte, Nikki Bella, Emma and Naomi can create excellence of their own.

This is now the second time Bayley and Banks set the world alight with a stunner in the ring.

If Vince McMahon had any doubts about whether women's wrestling was worth allotting significant time to, or if he wasn't convinced that women were capable of being more gladiators than eye candy, Banks and Bayley gave him an education at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.

The first championship matchup between these two in-ring artists was the most mesmerizing offering of the night.

Bayley prevailed despite an injured hand. Banks fell despite clamping down her claws and leaving the babyface with that wound.

A month later, they made an emphatic series of statements as the headline act at Full Sail University: Women deserve to be in the main event, the talent level in the division is robust and fans have good reason to be revved up about what's happening in the division right now.

Much of the success of this rematch had to do with the personalities involved and how the match displayed them both.

Bayley has become the resilient warrior who, in the face of pain, danger and unfavorable odds, still charges into battle. She played that role to perfection at TakeOver: Respect.

She began the match looking fearful and unsure of herself. That allowed Banks to take the early lead with the first fall. Bayley charged back, countering a Lion Tamer into a pinfall, leaping at her enemy long after the match left her drained, sweaty and wobbly. 

Banks, meanwhile, put on a master class on how to be a heel.

She barked at a little girl in the crowd and stole a headband from her. She responded to Bayley's attempted handshake by yanking her to the canvas by her hair.

The challenger was willing to do anything to win. That included poking the champ in the eyes while using her own body to prevent the referee from seeing the illegal act and hurling Bayley into the LCD display, 

These characters have made their mark with the audience in large part because of the skills of both women but also because they evolved naturally over the course of several months.

Fans have seen Bayley go from timid and happy-go-lucky to more of a legitimate formidable force, tassels and all. Fans watched as Banks' Boss of NXT persona grew organically. She took over the BFFs, added swagger to her step, her cockiness hitting nuclear levels as she went after and won the NXT Women's Championship.

So when this rematch unfolded, telling a simple story of good overcoming evil, the crowd ate it up. Folks were chanting "this is awesome!" as Bayley and Banks stared each other down after the opening bell.

Credit: WWE.com

The performance both women put on and the narrative they told together was a shining example of women's wrestling at its best.

Banks twice had the lead in the match, going up 1-0 and 2-1. Bayley's never-give-up attitude kept her fighting on. Even when Banks had her bent backward in the Bank statement, she refused to quit.

In a beautiful bit of poetic justice, hearkening back to their first meeting, Bayley looked to gain an advantage by going after Banks' hand. She slammed it into the ring steps just as the heel had done to her last time out. A more vicious side of the champion emerged, eventually grabbing hold of that injured hand and tearing at it.

NXT offered Bayley and Banks a chance to make history.

It gave them a half-hour to work with. It gave them the inherent drama of the Iron Man match stipulation to play with. It gave them its full support, making this feel like a true main event and not just some gimmick to cash in on the emerging popularity of the women's division.

The result was an up-and-down, back-and-forth, grab-you-by-the-throat-and-swing-you-around matchup.

This was better than any women's match we have seen from the main roster. This was just as much a display of passion and wrestling acumen as their first meeting. This was moving in-ring artistry. 

Bayley and Banks' clash was an exhibition of what's possible for women's wrestling moving forward.

The Divas Revolution has been such an abstract concept up to this point. There has been much talk of change and progress. WWE and its fans know now where all that progress can lead to: classics such as Bayley versus Banks II that reach out into the audience and grab hold of everyone watching.