The Five Defining Moments (So Far) of WWE’s “Four Horsewomen”

WWE’s “Four Horsewomen” (not to be confused with Ronda Rousey’s Four Horsewomen)—made up of RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley, Sasha Banks, and Charlotte Flair—have been running the show in WWE for quite some time now. Ever since Stephanie McMahon came to the ring during a 2015 episode of RAW and responded to the fans—who had been begging that women’s wrestling be given equal time on the weekly shows—by calling for a “revolution” and introducing the main roster to Becky, Charlotte, and Sasha, WWE’s Four Horsewomen have been changing the game.

Plenty of women have had a hand in shaping what’s now a truly respected women’s division, including the likes of Asuka, Ronda Rousey, Nikki Bella, and Paige, but none have had the impact of WWE’s Four Horsewomen.

Now, these women are crossing paths again. It’s an all-out war, as Sasha Banks and Bayley once again have each other’s backs, leaving Becky and Charlotte fighting off their attacks. At Hell in a Cell this Sunday, Sasha will get her shot at Becky and the RAW Women’s Championship once more. WWE’s Four Horsewomen are again the focus of the women’s division—as well as the upcoming WWE 2K20 video game—which makes it a perfect time to run through the most memorable in-ring moments from these four women.

5. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch, Last Woman Standing Match, Evolution (2018)

The first-ever all-women pay-per-view in WWE history also saw Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair battle it out in the first-ever Last Woman Standing Match (on WWE’s main roster). This was a huge moment and a culmination of years of hard work to get women’s wrestling to the place of being equal to the men’s matches. No longer Divas and no longer relegated to short and underseen pre-show matches, Becky and Charlotte were here, at the height of their powers, to deliver a hard-fought match that easily came in as one of the best of 2018.

In the end, Becky successfully defended her SmackDown Women’s Championship and paved the way for an even bigger moment in the spring of 2019.

4. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair, Hell in a Cell (2016), and Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair, Monday Night RAW (November 28, 2016)

Cheating a bit here, but the 2016 feud between Sasha and Charlotte simply had too many highlights. This was the first time women had ever main evented a WWE PPV and the first time women had ever stepped foot inside the Hell in a Cell structure. One aspect of the Women’s Revolution, spearheaded by WWE’s Four Horsewomen, was making sure the women got significant time on the card—no more sub-two minute matches. But another aspect was breaking down barriers in terms of competing in matches with various stipulations. Banks and Flair showed that Hell in a Cell wasn’t just for the men. Their match is a chaotic, hard-hitting affair that ranks up there with some of the best Hell in a Cell matches of all time.

Over on RAW, they brawled through an incredible main event Falls Count Anywhere match filled with memorable spots, including Banks locking in the Bank Statement through one of the railings on the arena steps. Charlotte tapped out, and Sasha Banks became the RAW Women’s Champion.

3. Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch, WrestleMania 32 (2016)

This was the match that really set the stage for what the main roster women’s division would become. WWE had axed the “Divas” moniker and the butterfly title, and the new WWE Women’s Championship was on the line at WrestleMania 32. Simply put, the match stole the show. While Bayley was still in NXT waiting for her own call-up to RAW or SmackDown, Charlotte, Sasha, and Becky were here making a statement. This was the culmination of the early stages of the Women’s Revolution: a Mania match, a massive spotlight, and plenty of time for the three Superstars to show what they could bring to the table. They didn’t disappoint. The match is an absolute clinic, ending with Charlotte winning her first of many titles. 

2. “Becky Two Belts,” WrestleMania 35 (2019)

This list is filled with a lot of firsts, but this one may be the most important. Just a few years ago, the idea of the women’s division headlining WrestleMania seemed impossible. WWE just didn’t seem that interested in telling women’s stories.

Then came the Women’s Revolution, and in 2018, Charlotte and Becky were riding high. There was also a new kid in town: Ronda Rousey. She made an immediate impact on WWE, showing up after the Royal Rumble, and then going toe-to-toe with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in her explosive WWE debut at WrestleMania 34. It wasn’t long before Rousey claimed some gold, beating Alexa Bliss for the RAW Women’s Championship at SummerSlam in 2018.

That set up a truly monumental occasion: a headlining spot at WrestleMania 35, where both Rousey’s RAW Women’s Championship and Charlotte’s SmackDown Women’s Championship would be on the line in a Triple Threat match with Becky Lynch. This was the birth of “The Man,” and Becky made good on her promise to walk out of Mania with two belts over her shoulders. On the “Grandest Stage of Them All,” Becky secured the legacy of WWE’s Four Horsewomen.

1. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley, NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn and NXT TakeOver: Respect (2015)

This is where it all started. This is where the darkness of decades of bra and panties matches and romance angles was broken, and some light began to shine through. The feud between Sasha Banks and Bayley during their time in NXT completely changed the game. For a while, it was the hottest feud in all of WWE. Nothing could compete with the in-ring work and the level of investment from the crowd. Everybody cared about this.

Banks and Bayley rose to the occasion and shattered the glass ceiling on two different occasions. Their first match, at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, might be the best women’s match in WWE history. It’s a back-and-forth, endlessly entertaining bout. Watching it, you could feel something shifting. There was no way these women of NXT were going to be held down. They were forging a new path, making history in real-time.

Then, a few months later, Sasha and Bayley ran it back, this time in a grueling Ironwoman match. There isn’t a single moment or match that defines the Women’s Evolution, and the role of WWE’s Four Horsewomen, better than these two matches.

This Sunday on the WWE Network, Bayley will (presumably) defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlott Flair, while Becky Lynch defends her RAW Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks—inside Hell in a Cell.

And on Tuesday, October 22, WWE 2K20 will be released. Relive all of your favorite moments from the WWE’s Four Horsewomen in this year’s Showcase Mode: