Becky Lynch stepping away creates new opportunities, but will the WWE Raw Women’s roster be up for the challenge to step up while she is away?
‘The Man’ is about to have a baby, and until she returns, the landscape of both Raw and WWE as a whole, in general, will be altered drastically. Becky Lynch changed her character at SummerSlam 2018 when she attacked Charlotte Flair after the latter won the match and the SmackDown Women’s Title from Carmella.
The women’s division was already a hot topic, but Becky Lynch took it to another level with her new demeanor when the former Raw Women’s Champion became ‘The Man.’
The Man became one of the hottest terms in the pro-wrestling business, and everyone, as well as everything, revolved around her. It became the biggest buzzword and the fans were completely behind the character.
The Man was so confident in her character that she became the champion soon after and was the top draw for SmackDown as she was not only the first draw for the blue brand, but later became the first overall pick during the WWE Draft. The build-up with Ronda Rousey that started on the road to Survivor Series was a great way to establish her character and despite the punch from Nia Jax, the world was still talking about her.
She was a part of the main event at WrestleMania 35 and went on to become the unified Women’s Champion at the shows of shows. A year later, now, she is out to start her own family, which The Man delivered news of on the last Monday Night Raw. This departure has set an unprecedented opportunity for the superstars on Raw, and let’s take a look at who could benefit from it:
Asuka
The Empress of Tomorrow was the first one to reap the fruits of this announcement as the Raw Women’s Championship was handed over to her by the former champion. She fought long and hard through the Corporate Headquarters to win the Money In The Bank briefcase for a future title shot and it was handed over to her this week, but does it benefit her twice?
She already has the title in her grasp, but if she gets to cash in the briefcase on the next champion, then it would be a great story.
Tamina Snuka
Tamina Snuka couldn’t get the job done at Money In The Bank, and her reign as a superstar in the WWE with no gold around her waist continues to roll. She is at the stage of her career and life where a championship win is a must because she may not have many more runs left.
If she moves over to Raw in a Draft possibly down the line, then it would be a great idea. She could reform a tag team with her cousin Nia Jax who returned from an injury after WrestleMania and is looking for a way to make her ground in the WWE women’s division.
The Samoan sisters can provide the fans with the action that was interrupted last year due to Nia’s injury. We know that these two can put on a clinic between the ropes, and if they become Women’s Tag Team Champions, they can have good feuds with a lot of different teams, like Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross.
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are good at what they do, but a change in character would serve them well because we all know Nikki’s happy go lucky nature right now, but we do need to see her heel character in this new role that she took over since ‘Nikki Likes To Play’ portrayal. A fresh feud with Snuka and Jax could bring that side of Nikki to the forefront.
Zelina Vega
Zelina Vega is by the far one of the best talkers we have on Monday Nights. The manager of Andrade, Angel Garza, and Austin Theory is getting more TV time due to her ability to trade a few verbal blows to the opponents.
If her commentary during the Money In The Bank Qualifying Match between Austin Theory and Aleister Black on the Apr. 20, 2020 episode of Raw is any indication, one knows that she has the right skills on the mic.
She hasn’t gotten enough opportunity to compete for the gold, but this is the right time to put a real WWE title in her hand for the first time since her movie reel life portrayal of AJ Lee in Seven Bucks Productions’ movie Fighting With My Family. Make her a real champion on Raw.
The confidence shown by Paul Heyman to put a spotlight on her is a good sign because he has the eye for the right talent, and ‘The Mad Genius’ knows how to put someone on the map.
His expertise put so many tag teams and wrestlers through during his run in ECW and SmackDown General Manager in the WWE. The current Executive Director on Raw gave the fans some amazing visuals when Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman went crashing through the Raw stage on his first day at the job. Next, he can make Zelina Vega Raw’s next mega star by showcasing her skills as a wrestler more often.
Nia Jax
Nia Jax has not got her due as well, like her elder cousin Tamina. She is considered a fierce competitor, but there hasn’t been the right competition for her over the years. She was once a part of a storyline with Alexa Bliss, and that was the last time we saw her rise to prominence and do something worthwhile during her time in the biggest wrestling juggernaut.
The return hasn’t served her well yet. More people expected Shayna Baszler or the longest-reigning NXT Women’s Champion Asuka to walk out with the briefcase. Few, if anyone, thought that Nia had a chance at winning, so there needs to be more work done to push her as a believable challenger. Nia needs a good feud and a family rivalry (if not, a tag team) will serve her well because the cousins are in dire need of a push.
If the company can put the championship on one of them with the other in pursuit, then it would be a great storyline. On the contrary, if the two form a tag team or go after one another, then it would be a great story on Monday Nights.
A mistimed punch would be a great way to start this storyline as Nia Jax’s punch deferred a singles match at Survivor Series to a triple threat at WrestleMania 35. It helped the company and the superstars in the process as well, so can this happen again? Only the creative team can tell.
Shayna Baszler
Shayna Baszler was a dominant champion of the black and gold brand, but since she transitioned to the main roster, there hasn’t been much for the former NXT Champion. She made a dominant entrance by attacking Raw Women’s Champion and then putting her teeth in the champion’s flesh, but since then, it has been a downhill spiral for the former MMA fighter.
She walked in the Elimination Chamber as the dominant force and performed according to the requirements because she set a record by taking out all the opponents in the match. It looked like Shayna was on her way to glory, but that was not the case as she failed to capture the Raw Women’s Championship from Becky Lynch at WrestleMania.
Shayna’s performance graph has seen a dip as she was involved in a losing proposition at WWE Money In The Bank, and this led to her fall.
It would be amazing to see how the former NXT Women’s Champion makes the most of this opportunity and ascends her position to the top of the women’s division by winning the coveted title.
Will WWE allow her to showcase her skills and help others rise to the occasion as well?