Charlotte and Sasha Banks were determined to prove in their Hell in a Cell match on Sunday that anything the men could do in WWE, the women can do better.
Let's just say they weren't far off.
In the first women's match of its kind in WWE history, and the first time a women's match closed a pay-per-view card, Charlotte regained the Raw women's championship in a brutal and thrilling classic that won't soon be forgotten.
This wasn't just a great match for women, it was one of the top matches overall in 2016 and a blown spot or two (including a partially underwhelming finish) from perfection. It was also the latest chapter in arguably the top rivalry within WWE as the two superstars traded the belt for the fourth time since July 25.
Both competitors put over the bitterness in their rivalry in very real and violent ways, constantly pushing the boundaries of whether the injuries they appeared to be sustaining were real or part of the story line.
The match came to its conclusion shortly after Banks' back "gave out" while attempting to powerbomb Charlotte through a table inside the ring. Charlotte regained her feet and twice threw Banks onto the table, which never broke, producing a somewhat awkward ending. Charlotte then connected on her Natural Selection finishing move to get the pin.
The theme of Banks' story line back injury, which was suffered at SummerSlam during their vicious (although often sloppy) match, played a central role from the very beginning Sunday.
Following a pair of dramatic entrances that saw Charlotte carried to the ring on a throne and Banks being driven into her hometown arena via Escalade, both wrestlers stood in the ring as the cage was lowered. But Charlotte jumped the reigning champion and threw her outside of the ring, which led to a brawl in the crowd.
Charlotte then powerbombed Banks through the announcer's table in an incredible spot before the match began. Banks stumbled around the outside of the cage, unable to stand because of her back. But as the medical team laid her onto a stretcher and the announcement was made that she was unable to continue -- meaning the belt would change hands to Charlotte -- Banks dramatically reinserted herself into the match.
Charlotte further aggravated the injury by springboarding Sasha into the cage, causing her to land awkwardly on the back of her neck. Moments later, Charlotte landed a sidewalk slam onto a chair in the center of the ring.
The physicality only continued leading up to the finish, which included a second blown spot as Charlotte was awkwardly pushed onto a table setup at ringside that didn't quite break as expected.
Banks went on to score a near pinfall following a trio of suplexes she executed in honor of her late wrestling hero Eddie Guerrero. She honored Guerrero again seconds later with a five-star frog splash, but it still wasn't enough to secure the pin on Charlotte.
The match set a new standard not only for women's pay-per-view matches, but for what can be expected between these two superstars within their rivalry. Banks raised her game to a higher level unseen since her NXT classics with Bayley, and Charlotte continued to show why she's one of the top overall superstars in pro wrestling.
For full match recaps and ratings from WWE Hell In A Cell, click here.
