Sometimes in pro wrestling, two people are better together than apart. That works for tag teams and even rivals. There is a chemistry there that just works and makes them both better for it. Whether it is being a bigger star overall or simply more entertaining in the long run. That can be said for The Golden Role Models, Bayley and Sasha Banks. Right now, they currently hold the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships and Bayley holds the SmackDown Women’s Championship. They have been attached for a long time in their careers and usually, when they are apart, it does not work as well. And that doesn’t necessarily mean as a team either. The Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection in many people’s minds was a miss more than a hit. But as rivals and allies, they tend to mesh perfectly.
The combo goes by The Golden Role Models right now and most would agree that they have been the best part of WWE television for the better part of 2020. Here’s a look as to why they work so well together, against or as allies, rather than separated. This is the symbiosis of Bayley and Sasha Banks.
The True Beginning – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn & Respect
As WWE’s “Women’s Evolution” week comes to an end, you can’t go the week without discussing the match that really kicked it all into action. This is the prime example that these two were better together than apart doing their own thing. At NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, they shook the wrestling world to the core with their singles match for the NXT Women’s Championship. It was a match that many believe to this day to be the single best women’s match in the history of WWE. But it was further evidence that these two were destined to be linked forever. Little did we know that then these incredible foes would turn out to be just as good as being partners. But here we are.
It wasn’t too long until they did it again in WWE’s first-ever Ironwoman match at NXT TakeOver: Respect. Whether it was on the big stage of the Barclays Center or at Full Sail Live, these two were full of chemistry. They would both go on to have immediate success in the next year or so in 2016. It was after that in 2017 and on when the struggles began as they were apart for the longest length in their careers. Something that proved to be detrimental to both women with the fans and on television.
Dwindling Popularity When Separated On The Main Roster
As they were taken apart as rivals and partners, these two women had various troubles. The biggest for Sasha Banks came through multiple injuries that had her chasing titles. Even when she would win them, she’d lose them right after. It became a problem that continued despite her over the top popularity and continuous good matches inside the ring. It was as if she lost her one-time star power in the eyes of others and was punished for doing so.
Then there was Bayley, who won the RAW Women’s Championship in little time after being called up to the main roster. But instead of having the huge win at WrestleMania 33, it came one month earlier at Fastlane over Charlotte Flair. She defended it successfully until Alexa Bliss came over to RAW and essentially bullied her out of the championship. The Kendo Stick on a Pole Match at Extreme Rules and the special “Bayley, This is Your Life” segment both marked death when it came to Bayley’s one-time super popularity. It was as though they wanted her to fail more than succeed. Something that most agreed would have been impossible when she was NXT.
What was next for both was a tough road, with both only appearing in the Women’s Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34 and not even winning. They teamed for the next year, including a match at Evolution where they teamed with Natalya against The Riott Squad. It was almost a waiting period as WWE decided to pull the trigger on the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles or not. Finally, when they were revealed, it was an opportunity to get them back on the map.
First-Ever WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions
Elimination Chamber, 2019. The WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship would be handed to the first-ever champions. For Sasha Banks and Bayley, it was a must-win; maybe the biggest in their career. After 2018 went down as a lost year for one half of the Four Horsewomen, there was no other result. That they did; the moment they had been waiting for was a reality when they won the Chamber, becoming the inaugural champions. A real problem arose, however, as their reign as great champions seemingly ended before it could get started almost two months later.
At WrestleMania 35, they lost the championships without even getting pinned in just their second defense. That destroyed the hope both the fans and the duo had all that time. Sasha Banks disappeared from television and Bayley tried to get back on the right track alone, which she did. However, it really wasn’t until they found each other again when Banks returned that they would rise back to the popularity they both had in NXT. In fact, they have become the best part of WWE television.
The Birth Of The Golden Role Models
As you have seen for months now, this is what greatness looks like. Fans or no fans, Bayley and Sasha Banks have shown the world what they can do when they are on top. And together no less. Known as The Golden Role Models, they have gone to RAW, SmackDown, and NXT to make them all a better product. Perhaps they could even be considered the biggest draws in the business that is currently on television. As the current WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, and Bayley holding the SmackDown Women’s Championship, all seems so right. It’s a credit to the fact that they are so much better being together than alone.
DING DONG. Bayley isn’t the incredible heel version of herself without Banks. It simply wouldn’t work if Bayley could not have someone to cut these jokes with, deliver these promos alongside, and whine on the outside when something goes wrong in a hilarious manner. Without these two together, the pure entertainment that they create would not be on television, and that’s a scary thought.
Their hopes to be the greatest ever is something that seems out of the ordinary, but the more they stay together as enemies or a duo, the better chance they have of proving that point.
"@itsBayleyWWE was the first-ever Women's Grand Slam Champion… the closest that [the other women in the locker room] will ever get to a "grand slam" is a greasy breakfast at Denny's." – @SashaBanksWWE
🎤⤵️ #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/MEWM57uwTA
— WWE (@WWE) July 5, 2020
Great As A Team, Greater As Rivals – The Next Steps
They hold each other at the highest of standards because they are hitting on every single level. In professional wrestling and especially the WWE, it’s not all easy to do that. Bayley and Sasha Banks are making one another better every single week on all three of the company’s hit shows. The Golden Role Models are what people look forward to. Look at the NXT vs. AEW numbers when these two draws are on the show. Sasha Banks and Bayley are perfect examples of what chemistry means in pro wrestling when two competitors have it. It has led both, especially Bayley, to feeling like these massive deals anytime they make an appearance. That’s special. And that’s what leads to the next step.
For some time now, many have expected that Sasha Banks would see that Bayley is using her to gain more than anything else. She will see that the reason Bayley is still champion is because of her. And when that time comes, only more greatness will rise. Because one thing that has always been for sure between Bayley and Sasha Banks is this: they are fantastic together, but they are untouchable when going head-to-head.
You see the matches they had in NXT and remember the respect the women gained in the WWE because of it. They established they can and should be draws in the company through their incredible matches and that’s the truth. Now, we enjoy what The Golden Role Models continue to give us together and anticipate what they can do again when they face each other five years after their classic battles.
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