WrestleMania 33: Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax vs. Sasha Banks full match preview

Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax vs. Bayley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair

Raw Women’s championship match

Monday nights have been all about these four when it comes to the red brand’s women’s scene, so it’s fitting they’ll be in the ring for the WrestleMania title bout - at least at the start of this elimination match.

The Road to WrestleMania

After last year’s Showcase of the Immortals, and a Triple Threat match for the new Women’s title that almost made up for the previous year’s worth of faction-based tag matches known as the “Divas Revolution”, the main rivalry on Raw became Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks. When that finally ended with the Queen outlasting the Boss in an Iron Man match, it was Bayley - who wasn’t even on the main roster for WrestleMania 32 - who stepped up as Flair’s biggest rival.

And on a Raw in February, after coming up short at Royal Rumble, the Hugster took down Charlotte to claim the belt for the first time... although it took a little help from her friend, Sasha.

Banks, who was dealing with a crushed spirit and an injured leg throughout the early part of 2017, got her mojo back by finally beating Nia Jax at Fastlane, where she again provided an assist to Bayley when the champ not only retained the title, but also snapped Charlotte’s pay-per-view (PPV) win streak.

Along with Raw commissioner Stephanie McMahon, Flair attempted to convince Bayles that her impressionable young fans - or the little girl she once was, who dreamed of going to ‘Mania - wouldn’t want her to win that way. But with some back-up from Sasha, the Hug Life practicioner decided she was good with whatever means necessary.

And maybe that line of thinking, and a few well-timed, backhanded comments from her bestie about needing the help, contributed to Bayley being unable to defeat either Sasha or Nia Jax when she needed to in order to keep her next title defense a one-on-one affair.

What started as a singles match was now a Fatal 4Way, but at least WWE officials made it an elimination match, so somebody’s gonna have to beat the champ to take her crown. But with all the mind games going on, does Bayley stand much of a chance of keeping her title? And can anyone stop Nia, except maybe Nia?

What's at stake?

Both Women’s matches at WrestleMania went the multi-woman route, but Raw does feel like it has a more cohesive storyline... even if that storyline isn’t what a lot of fans would have wanted for the woman who was one of WWE’s most clean-cut babyfaces when she was in NXT.

Charlotte’s character is the most consistent, but after more than a year of dominating the division, she’s kind of on the outside looking in right now. Bayley’s had her number throughout 2017, and she even got bogged down in a side-feud with Dana Brooke just weeks away from the Ultimate Thrill Ride.

Nia can one week look like the future, and the next be presented like an afterthought. Both her in-ring and microphone work are rapidly improving, so even if her being a last minute addition to this match is a sign she’s not winning, her stock is rising, and a good showing here probably cements her as a major player going forward.

Then there’s the Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection. A lot of fans want a return to villainy for Banks, starting either Sunday night in Orlando, or tomorrow night at the Raw after ‘Mania. The seeds have certainly been planted, and who leaves Camping World Stadium with the title - and how - will be a big piece of the story over the next year.

Like the past several month’s of women’s wrestling on Monday nights, this match could thrill, confound or both. However it shakes out, we’ll have it covered for you, right here at cSs!