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Asuka Beats Sasha Banks, Wins Raw Women's Title at WWE SummerSlam 2020
August 24, 2020
Asuka beat Sasha Banks at WWE SummerSlam on Sunday night to become a two-time Raw women's champion.
The match against Banks was the second of two bouts on the night for The Empress of Tomorrow, as she won a triple-brand Battle Royal on SmackDown to earn a shot at the blue brand's title against Bayley as well.
She was unsuccessful in her first effort on Sunday night but managed to collect gold on her second try.
Bayley attempted to involve herself in the match from the ring apron but ate an elbow from Asuka for her efforts. That left her unable to aid Banks when the champion was stuck in the Asuka Lock. Unable to count on her tag team partner for help, The Legit Boss tapped out.
After the match, Bayley appeared to be apologetic toward Banks in the ring, but it remains to be seen whether their friendship will be impacted by events at SummerSlam.
The clash between Banks and Asuka was their third singles meeting since last month, as they previously wrestled at Extreme Rules and then again on Raw.
Their Extreme Rules match ended in controversy, as Asuka inadvertently misted the referee, resulting in Bayley stealing his shirt and then counting the pin in favor of Banks. The Boss left with the Raw women's title, but her win was not official.
Stephanie McMahon announced that in order to determine the true champion, Asuka and Banks would face each other on Raw with the added stipulation that the title could be won by any means, including disqualification or count-out.
Banks and Bayley used that rule to their advantage, as The Role Model viciously attacked Kairi Sane backstage. With The Pirate Princess screaming for her friend to help her, The Empress walked out on her match.
Banks won by count-out and claimed the title in the process. While she didn't really beat Asuka fair and square, it was enough to earn her a fifth reign as Raw women's champion.
With Asuka losing the title and her best friend in the process, she made it clear that she had revenge on her mind and wanted a rematch for the Raw Women's Championship. McMahon obliged and granted her one, much to Sasha's dismay.
On the go-home episode of Raw prior to SummerSlam, Banks and Bayley teamed up against Asuka and Shayna Baszler in a tag match. They were the final two women remaining in the Battle Royal to determine a No. 1 contender for the SmackDown women's title, so they weren't necessarily on great terms, but they made for a good team.
Baszler made Bayley tap out, which meant Banks and The Role Model entered SummerSlam without momentum on their side.
That put the champions in a difficult position, but Asuka had a big challenge ahead of her in her own right with two huge matches on the same night.
Despite the uphill climb, Asuka beat Banks for the Raw title at SummerSlam, meaning The Boss' unfortunate pattern of short championship reigns has continued.
However, Banks and Bayley will need to put any issues from Sunday to one side ahead of their defense of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships at Payback next weekend.
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