Sasha Banks defeats Charlotte to become WWE Women’s champ on Raw

The ‘new era’ is now the era of The Boss. The era of Women’s wrestling.

So said Sasha Banks after she shook up the world with a shocking win over Charlotte to claim the WWE Women’s title in her first ever one-on-one championship match on the main roster.

It was a long match, and one where the Piitsburgh crowd wasn’t fully invested at the start. But Sasha and Charlotte laid it all out there, dangerously so at times, to convince everyone of the stakes of their showdown.

Many figured this would be some sort of non-finish to build toward a SummerSlam match (where the rematch could still take place). Dana Brooke, the former champ’s sidekick, was a likely source of interference. But in the best homage to her idol, Eddie Guerrero, that Banks has pulled off yet, she tossed the belt to Brooke just as the referee came to check on her at ringside, triggering an ejection.

From there, it was one big spot followed by a bigger one. A scary suicide dive saw Banks faceplant near the ramp, but she bounced back for a Superplex spot which saw her fall to the floor, where she took a top-rope moonsault from the champ.

Countering each other’s finishers lead to The Boss getting her crossface locked in, and finally, the Nature Girl had nowhere to go.

Playing up the big fight feel, Byron Saxton jumped in the ring to interview a weeping Sasha, while Charlotte displayed a mix of in-character anger and what looked like shoot joy for one of her fellow Four Horsewomen.

It’s been a great couple nights for Women’s wrestling. And it feels like the best may be yet to come.