Why Did Sasha Banks vs. Asuka at Extreme Rules Have Such a Weird Finish?

On paper, the Raw Women's Championship match between Asuka and Sasha Banks at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules could have been an instant classic for Women's Wrestling. And for 95 percent of the match, it lived up to the hype, right up until the finish. The final sequence saw Bayley try to get involved, Kairi Sane brawl with her at ringside (while Banks tapped to the Asuka Lock), Banks threaten to whack Asuka with the tag title belt, Asuka accidentally spray green mist in the referee's eyes, Bayley hit Asuka in the back with the title, grab the referee's shirt and put it on, make the three count and demand the bell ring. Banks and Bayley quickly fled the scene with the Raw Women's Championship as the commentary team expressed their confusion.

WWE.com stated after the fact that Asuka was still recognized as the Raw Women's Champion, and Banks & Bayley promised to "explain" what happened on this week's Raw.

According to Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer, Asuka was originally supposed to win the match cleanly but Vince McMahon opted to change things at the last minute.

"Asuka was supposed to win the match and Vince changed his mind," Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio. "I think it was the day of the show but it was basically a last-minute change."

Why McMahon decided to make the change is unclear, though it's possible he was trying to build up some intrigue for this week's Monday Night Raw following last week's record-low viewership. So far the only thing officially booked for the show is an Unsanctioned Match between Randy Orton and Big Show.

On top of the Raw Women's Championship confusion, there's also a situation regarding the United States Championship. Apollo Crews was unable to compete on Sunday against MVP (the commentator's said it had to do with an injury, Meltzer is reporting it's COVID-19 related), so Porter crowned himself the new United States Champion. The commentary team didn't make it clear whether or not a title change had actually occurred.

Check out the full results from The Horror Show at Extreme Rules below:

• SmackDown Tag Team Championships (Tables Match): Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura def. The New Day
• SmackDown Women's Championship: Bayley def. Nikki Cross
• United States Championship Match: MVP vs. Apollo Crews (No Contest, MVP crowns himself new champion)
• Eye for an Eye Match: Seth Rollins def. Rey Mysterio
• Raw Women's Championship: Asuka vs. Sasha Banks (No Contest
• WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre def Dolph Ziggler
• Wyatt Swamp Fight: Bray Wyatt def. Braun Strowman