It’s been the source of non-stop speculation since the match was made. Who will Sasha Banks recruit as her partner for her Battleground tag match against Women’s champion Charlotte & Dana Brooke?
If a report this morning from PWInsider pans out, a lot of fans are going to be very happy tonight (July 24).
Rumors have hinted at this being the way WWE would introduce Banks’ famous NXT rival Bayley to the main roster, and according to Mike Johnson, that’s been the company’s plan all along. The Hugster wasn’t drafted on Tuesday’s SmackDown Live premiere so her appearance as The Boss’ back-up in Washington, D.C. would be a big surprise.
Since Tuesday, WWE and Sasha have done their best to create doubt Bayley would be the mystery partner. Interviews with Bayley have seen her focus on disappointment at not being picked and her desire to become the first two-time NXT Women’s champ. Banks has teased knowing who her partner is and claiming no one - not even Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer - would figure out who it is.
Was that all to distract us from it actually being the first person many fans guessed?
We’ll know for sure within the next twelve hours, but according to Johnson’s sources, the main roster is about to get a whole lot more huggable.
Then we can start wondering if Bayley goes to Raw or SmackDown, and what plans they have for her under the brighter lights of USA Network...