THE BOSS 'N' HUG CONNECTION
Bayley & Sasha Banks
2016-Present
WWE Womens Tag Team Championship
Written by Canadian Bulldog
Although it may not seem like it at first blush... I would argue that the duo of Bayley and Sasha Banks is one of the classic tag team combinations of the modern era.
Two of the vaunted Four Horsewomen, the early interactions between them in NXT were hardly the stuff of legend. Back in 2013, Banks was part of heel faction the BFFs (originally with Summer Rae and later with Charlotte Flair as well), regularly opposing the upstart Bayley.
In fact, it wasn't until 2015 when the future Boss 'n' Hug Connection first made headlines together during their highly-touted match at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, a bout that won the brand's Match Of The Year honors.
They followed it up with an equally newsworthy match at NXT TakeOver: Respect, in which the two main-evented the show in the first ever Iron Woman match in WWE history.
Shortly after their series of matches, Banks and Bayley ended up on the main roster - The Boss in 2015 as part of Team B.A.D., and Bayley a year later (strangely enough as Banks' mystery partner on the Battleground pay-per-view).
Once Bayley became a permanent part of WWE main's roster in early 2017, she and Banks would team on and off, although within a year they looked to be feuding instead.
In one of the weakest payoffs in recent WWE history, Banks and Bayley teased dissention for several months in 2018, attempting anger management with the infamous Dr. Shelby and even battling each other on ocassion. Eventually the storyline was dropped when Banks admitted she'd always "loved" Bayley, making fans wonder if WWE was attempting more than a tag team storyline.
Following the abrupt end to their issue, The Boss 'n' Hug Connection became a permanent tag team and seemed destined to become the first pair of WWE Womens Tag Team Champions. That's exactly what happened at Elimination Chamber earlier this year, when they defeated Carmella and Naomi, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, The Iiconics, The Riott Squad and Nia Jax and Tamina.
Big things seemed ahead for Banks and Bayley as a team, including defending the gold in a Fatal Four Way match at WrestleMania XXXV. Strangely though, their reign was cut short before it had much of a chance to take off, leading to Banks taking time off.
So why, then, would I call The Boss 'n' Hug Connection a classic tag team combination? For one thing, they have great chemistry in the ring and are a throwback to many great tag teams of years past. For another, the two have an extensive backstory, both in NXT and on the main roster, which can be exploited whenever advantageous for WWE.
But perhaps most importantly... Bayley and Sasha Banks are both relatable characters who can easily get the fans behind them when needed... and I'd argue they're much better together than they are apart.