Sasha Banks Beats Alexa Bliss Via Count-out at WWE Great Balls of Fire

Sasha Banks defeated Alexa Bliss on Sunday night at Great Balls of Fire, but she did not win the WWE Raw Women's Championship due to the count-out finish.

Bliss failed to re-enter the ring before the referee completed his 10 count, giving the victory to Sasha.

Frustrated that she was unable to capture the championship, Sasha unleashed her fury on Bliss after the match. WWE provided a replay of the post-match skirmish:

NXT star Peyton Royce praised the two for their work in the ring:

While Sasha was the face of the Raw women's division along with Charlotte Flair and Bayley for an extended period of time, Alexa quickly rose to the top following the Superstar Shake-up.

Bliss immediately became the No. 1 contender and defeated Bayley for the title, which left the rest of the division vying to be her next challenger.

That issue was decided in a six-woman gauntlet match that main-evented an episode of Raw two weeks prior to the pay-per-view.

Although Nia Jax dominated the match by eliminating Bayley, Mickie James, Dana Brooke and Emma after entering first, The Boss was able to overcome the size disadvantage by making her tap out to the Bank Statement to earn the No. 1 contendership.

After emerging as Alexa's new rival, Sasha didn't pull any punches on Twitter:

Never one to back down from a verbal battle, though, Bliss threw some shade back at one of WWE's premier female performers:

From a Raw perspective, it can be argued that Banks vs. Bliss is the ideal feud due to how well their characters play off one another.

Both Superstars are strong in the ring with plenty of confidence and attitude, as well as defined gimmicks that the WWE Universe has embraced.

Alexa's program with Bayley had some good moments, but things went off the rails during the "This Is Your Life" segment, and they were never able to recover.

Bliss needed a fresh start, and Sasha offered precisely that, especially since they had never engaged in a proper rivalry previously.

There were big expectations surrounding Bliss and Banks entering the pay-per-view, and they put on an entertaining match that suggests they could be long-term rivals capable of making magic together in the future.

Sasha's victory likely guarantees that there will be more matches between her and Alexa, and that should be viewed as a positive for a Raw women's division that has struggled to gain and hold traction in recent months.

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