Sasha Banks wins SmackDown Women’s title at WWE Hell in a Cell

Sasha Banks defeated Bayley to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship tonight at WWE Hell in a Cell. 

Banks, competing in her third Cell match, submitted Bayley with a Bank Statement as Bayley’s head and neck were trapped in a steel chair, a callback to earlier in their feud where Bayley turned on Banks and caused a storyline neck injury in a similar manner. 

The bout also featured an homage to the pair’s NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn match from August 2015. Just as she did in Brooklyn, Banks stomped on Bayley’s hand to keep her from grabbing the bottom rope in an effort to escape the Bank Statement. 

With the win, Banks joins Asuka and Bayley as women’s division Grand Slam Champions, having held the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles as well as the NXT, Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships. 

Banks, 28, also joins Charlotte Flair, Asuka and Bayley as the only women to hold the Raw, SmackDown and NXT Women’s titles. 

This reign also marks the seventh singles title reign in WWE for Banks, tying her with Trish Stratus for second most in company history, trailing only Flair. 

With the defeat, Bayley’s second reign as SmackDown Women’s Champion came to an end at 380 days, a record for the championship.