Bayley's Epic WWE Money in the Bank Cash-in Blows Up SmackDown Women's Division

WWE punched the reset button on the SmackDown women's division in brilliant fashion Sunday by having Bayley cash-in her Money in the Bank briefcase to steal the title. 

Maybe it was predictable for some, but call it a necessary evil then—SmackDown has a new favorite at the top of its card and some interesting storytelling opportunities moving forward. 

Bayley taking home the briefcase on its own would have been a big win for the division and the blue brand as a whole. She's always remained a fan favorite, even if WWE had mostly botched the goodwill she initially brought to the main roster from NXT.

The briefcase match was super thanks to not only incredible spots with talents like Naomi, but also the storytelling from Bayley. 

And the new champion was clearly just getting started. 

She then came back out and tried to commit a save as Lacey Evans and Charlotte Flair teamed up on Becky Lynch after The Queen had already stolen the title. In the process, she decided to dole out some karma and claim a belt. 

Granted, it would have been nice if WWE didn't have to throw another title reign on Flair's resume in the process. The same result could have perhaps been even better if Bayley had simply cashed in during the title fight and emerged the winner in a callback to Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. 

At the same time, though, the swerve was incredible, brief as it was. And it preserved Bayley's character if WWE cares enough to think that hard about it. Rather than taking advantage of two downed opponents, she came out and tried to save a friend before realizing an opportunity—only after Flair wouldn't stop attacking her. 

And fun fact: Bayley is now the first to hold a Raw women's title, SmackDown women's title and women's tag team belts. 

That's also a good example of just how quickly WWE can (re)build a Superstar when it wants to do so. 

If WWE is looking to keep the ball rolling, Bayley is the catalyst not simply for a refreshing title reign, but also one capable of building up other Superstars. Asuka is still lurking in the background and so is Carmella, but this could be a jumping point for star-building feuds with a talent such as Ember Moon, who also put on a show in the ladder match. 

And let's not forget Sasha Banks. There is zero chance she's disgruntled about her friend capitalizing on a bad situation (the pair dropping the tag belts) and jumping to the top of the roster: 

But it would also seem to leave the door open for a Banks return playing into this situation too, as the WWE Universe hasn't officially heard anything about whether she's truly gone. 

Keep in mind some of the general silliness in WWE right now. The new Wild Card Rule could also play a role in the next Bayley storyline, which could keep Lynch in the picture. The Man is comfortably and, arguably, interestingly staying on Raw and continuing the feud with Evans, but who knows? 

Almost regardless of what happens from here, WWE smartly got a title on one of its most popular performers. It should stay there a while, and since fans know her character isn't going to change, it opens up some big opportunities for performers to do some solid heel work.

The usual slog of months until the summer when WrestleMania season is usually the only thing worth watching just got a whole lot more interesting. 

In a way, Bayley's resume has always begged for having something like this occur. And WWE's booking—heavily relying too much on someone like Flair—created the need for a massive reset.

Bayley is that reset for the blue brand, and everyone should end up benefiting in the long run from Sunday night's events. 

Fans, of course, top the list in that regard: The Bayley reign has arrived.