Credit: WWE.com
SmackDown women’s champion Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair started the broadcast with a backstage argument that ended with The EST determined that she would not come to the aid of The Boss tonight. From there, Banks went to the ring for a title defense against half of the women’s champion, Nia Jax.
Jax’s partner, Shayna Baszler, accompanied her to the square circle for the match.
The aggressive Banks attacked the front opening of the clock, wiping out Baszler and bumping Jax into the corner. A double knee attack, followed by a bulldog, followed before The Boss attempted a bank statement. Jax fought back and delivered a gorilla press slam for two.
Jax added a second stroke and an elbow drop for another fall. She performed a perfect Samoan Drop, but was able to hold the champion again for just two. Belair’s music played and the 2021 Royal Rumble winner looked at the ring and watched Banks on his way to the break, despite her warnings behind the scenes.
Back in the ad, Jax targeted her opponent’s left leg and applied an exhaust damper before swinging Banks into the corner. She applied the submission again, but Banks escaped and delivered a reverse Meteora.
When the action broke down, Baszler penetrated the ring and accidentally hit her own teammate, which enabled Banks to score the dragon knife for the victory.
Outcome
Banks beat Jax
Grade
B
Analysis
This preview of Sunday’s title game for the women’s player, in which Jax and Baszler will defend against Banks and Belair, was a welcome change in the tired formula. There was no long, bloated promotion used to set up the main event of the night. Instead, we had a short back-and-forth stage that went straight into a sensational title contest.
The match was a solid match that forced Banks to fight from the bottom up and a vigilant Belair, because she knew full well that she had a better chance of leaving WrestleMania 37 with the women’s title if she faced The Boss in instead of The Irresistible Force, which apparently supports her.
Corey Graves calling out Baszler for possibly deliberately kicking Jax was an interesting development.
Jax fought for the title, and if she had won, it would almost certainly have taken her focus, causing her title to reign as Baszler. Did The Queen of Spades deliberately cost Jax to benefit herself? This is definitely one interpretation.
What is certain is Sunday night. The two teams struggling for the title titles have their own tension to overcome if they want to leave the event with the gold. As a result, an otherwise pedestrian contest contains considerable drama for the creative team and artists to draw from.