WWE SmackDown: What’s Next For The Becky Lynch/Charlotte Saga?

Last night at the WWE pay-per-view Hell In A Cell, Becky Lynch won the SmackDown Women’s Championship from her former best Charlotte Flair after Flair won the championship during a Triple Threat match at SummerSlam. With a victory marked by Lynch refusing to shake Charlotte’s hand after the match, what can we expect next in the story of Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair?

It was an outcome we always wanted, though I’d be inclined to believe  that it didn’t happen exactly the way we’d planned. After a loss to Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam for the SmackDown Women’s Championship, everyone’s favorite lass-kicker Becky Lynch had clearly had enough. Lynch immediately went on a warpath, ready to take on anything and anyone who stood in the way of her reclaiming what she felt was “her” championship, even if it meant knocking over her former best friend.

Most people interpreted this move not as a traditional “heel turn” for Lynch; rather, we read it as Lynch putting her blinders on, channeling all the “straight-fire” inside of her into one goal – becoming SmackDown Women’s Champion.

That was exactly the outcome yesterday at the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view, when Lynch dethroned Flair to reclaim the championship for the first time in about two years. You could have figured that might be the end of it – Lynch wins the title she’s so vehemently insisted belong to her, and that’s it, right?

However, in rather unceremonious fashion, after Lynch’s win last night, she refused to shake the hand of the former champion. It would seem that instead of her earning the SmackDown Women’s Championship reviving a sense of honor in Becky Lynch, she is still fixed to the mantra, “well it’s about damn time.”

It makes you wonder – what’s next for the once-fiery babyface? Is it out of the question that Becky could perhaps adjust gracefully to her leadership position and focus on defending her title with pride and honor, or we she fall into the trap of believing no one is worthy of her championship, except for her.

I’m inclined to believe the answer is simple – both. I’m inclined to believe that last night was not the last we’d see of Lynch’s feud with Flair, and the duration wherein lies the answer.

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The first question to be asked is, at what point do we think Charlotte will call for her contractually-allowed championship rematch? If it’s sooner rather than later, perhaps we can expect Lynch to come back to her excitable, pun-loving character once she knows she’s solidified her place as champion having beaten Flair twice in rapid succession.

On the other hand, perhaps if WWE chooses to prolong the Lynch/Flair feud for as long as it can, then we can expect an equal prolonging, an incessant reminder of Lynch’s resentment that won’t let up and long as Flair is still in title contention.

An interesting route to go, however, is to take Charlotte out of the title contention immediately. Rather, Charlotte should take herself out of the title contention immediately.

It’s important to note that last night at Hell In A Cell, Charlotte, though by and far considered to be the face in this feud, entered the arena to much more boos than cheers. It’s not that no one appreciates Charlotte as champion, but it does signify how much of an edge Becky currently has on the crowd.

The best way to go about recalibrating the alignment of this feud, would perhaps be to have Becky Lynch in every right assume that Charlotte will call for her rematch as soon as possible. However, Charlotte can either immediately or after a week or two of wading it out approach Becky and forego her rematch, likely stating that her friendship with Becky is more important than her title, and if Becky having the title over her can fix that, then that’s what Charlotte is willing to sacrifice.

This is likely to anger Lynch, as she’s been adamant that she’s never needed Charlotte to succeed, and Becky doesn’t hold the title simply because Charlotte lets her. This behavior has been widely praised by WWE audiences, so it may send Becky over more than she already is, but only for so long.

Charlotte will most likely remain steadfast in her quest to salvage her friendship with Becky Lynch, and the less she does, the more angered Becky will be become. Once Charlotte has established she’s not interested in reacting to Becky’s taunts or challenges, I see Becky doing whatever it takes to get Charlotte back in that ring with her. I see Charlotte flat-out refusing to defend herself if Becky attacks her, all in the name of putting their friendship over fighting.

Will it work out for Charlotte? Who knows. However, moving forward with this feud passed Hell In A Cell, it will be clear that even though Becky’s priority is her championship, Charlotte’s priority is Becky.