Sasha Banks def. Becky Lynch (Kickoff Match)

BOSTON — It pays to roll deep. Sasha Banks and her Team B.A.D. cronies made that clear in the WWE TLC Kickoff Match where their numbers advantage proved to be the undoing of Becky Lynch. Despite a spirited effort from The Lass Kicker, it was a ref distraction from Tamina and a boot from Naomi that led to her submission loss to The Boss.

Watch video highlights from WWE TLC 2015, courtesy of WWE Network

It may have been a tainted victory, but Banks had no problem treating it like a career-defining win. From the moment The Boss stepped out to a loving ovation from her hometown Boston crowd, it was clear that the night would belong to her. Even the icy reception of Team B.A.D’s off-key, pre-match rendition of the “Twelve Days of Christmas” couldn’t wipe the smile from her face.

Check out photos from the WWE TLC 2015 Kickoff Match

Becky Lynch did a slightly better job of eliminating that grin, mainly by battering Sasha’s mouth with elbows. Lynch came to fight, and her domination of Banks in the early goings led to multiple pin and submission attempts that nearly wrapped things up in short time. One would imagine that Conor McGregor’s 13-second knockout victory must have been somewhere in Becky’s mind.

Watch exclusive backstage interviews from WWE TLC 2015

Lynch’s focus was the key to her control early on, but it was snapped when Naomi hopped up on the apron. Becky knocked the interloper to the ground, but was immediately sent into the turnbuckles by Banks and nailed with a pair of knees to the ribs. Just like that, the ball was in Team B.A.D.’s court.

Watch Banks and Lynch battle over the NXT Title on WWE Network

Gasping for air, Lynch tried to battle her way back in, only to be nailed with a debilitating Backstabber and locked in the Bank Statement. The gutsy Lass Kicker managed to get to her feet, leading to the two Divas exchanging pin attempts that brought the mat classics of Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero to mind.

Not long after, though, the fancy holds and exchanges were set aside and the two began trading bombs. When Lynch bodied Banks with a pumphandle suplex and locked in the Dis-arm-her, the match seemed to be all but over. That’s when Team B.A.D. interfered yet again. Tamina drew the official’s attention to one side of the ring, leaving Naomi to rearrange Lynch’s smile with a kick in the teeth.

Check out WWE.com's ranking of the 10 best Divas Matches

Seconds later, Sasha locked The Lass Kicker in the Bank Statement in the center of the ring, giving her no option but to submit. It was an ugly finish to a match that Lynch didn’t deserve to lose, but you can expect the rivalry between these two to carry on for years to come.