2019 Ongoing MOTY List: Ronda vs. Bayley

4. Ronda Rousey vs. Bayley WWE Raw 1/28

ER: Sorry nerds, Ronda is Ric Flair. She's just breezing into town and making every single challenger look like they have a shot, and I literally want to see Ronda against every single woman on the roster (save Tamina, because one's statements and desires can only go so far) as she'll be able to step right in and the opponent steps up and it's exciting as all hell. Ronda just cruises in, works a leg injury, and gets Bayley her biggest reaction in who knows how long. Ronda aims to finish out of the gates and Bayley does some nice damage early, which we assume is just a couple flurries before Ronda crushes her. But soon Bayley jumps all over an awkward Ronda landing and targets that leg, and suddenly Bayley looks like she has a shot at the title. I loved Bayley's leg work, big dragon screw, stomping on Ronda's leg as she twists it, and the best: catching a Ronda kick and dropping straight down with it over her shoulder and into a kneebar. It looked like Ronda's leg was gonna snap at the knee when Bayley dropped down. Ronda is someone who is going to pay constant attention to an injury, someone already so impossibly good at small detail work. Even when she leaps up to the ropes she's still wobbly on one leg. Bayley is dominating but always in danger, as Ronda in close range can still grab an arm and land shots, but Bayley is fearless and tosses Ronda with the Bayley to Belly into the barricade. Bayley kicks Ronda's ass so much that I start wondering if this is a non-title match, or if Bayley is actually going to get the title in a move that would confuse and or tickle everyone. All the nearfalls were really convincing, and seeing Bayley land a big elbow and roll into the Banks Statement was a really cool bit of friendship on display, after what Sasha went through last night. But again, Ronda is ALWAYS right in it, and snapping a sudden rolling armbar off the top was bound to happen. This was awesome. Bayley looked like more of a threat and got bigger reactions than at any other point on the main brand, and I really just want to see Ronda pair off against everyone and hope the run never ends.

PAS: I believe the story behind this match was that rather than script it out and practice it, they basically let it be called in the ring (I might be Scott Keithing this, but I do remember hearing it). The big knock on Ronda was that she needed rehearsal, but if she can pull off something this good on the fly she is pretty undeniable. Shocked at how credible she made Bayley look, Bayley has been marginalized for years, and even at her peak worked as an underdog, not a tough shooter, but in this match she is putting on brutal kneebars, and I actually bought that she might tap an Olympic Judoka. Eric hit most of the big moments of this match, but there were a lot of little cool moments too, I loved how Bayley was working the knee, and both her and Ronda simultaneously realized that she had given up her back and they had a cool scramble. Ronda can plausibly finish a match at any moment and it really adds to the match. Great finish, that rolling armbar is a great spot and a match ender for sure.


2019 MOTY MASTER LIST