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'The Man' Becky Lynch is back with a bang at The Biggest Party of the Summer. In what was the "you will never see it coming" moment of this year's SummerSlam, Lynch made her grand return, and squashed Bianca Belair to become the new SmackDown Women's Champion.
The originally scheduled match for the pay-per-view was Belair defending her title against Sasha Banks. Reports were going around about Banks missing the event, but WWE continued advertising the match.
After Bianca Belair made her entrance, it was announced that The Boss won't be able to compete tonight, leading to loud Becky Lynch chants from the fans. However, Carmella was announced as Belair's opponent. But the major twist came after this as Lynch's music hit the stadium to a thunderous pop and out came The Man after more than 15 months.
She took out Carmella before challenging Bianca Belair to a title match then and there. The champion accepted, but much to the shock of everyone watching, Lynch squashed her in merely 27 seconds to become the new SmackDown Women's Champion. Why did WWE book this? Here are five possible reasons.
#5 Becky Lynch's surprise victory was WWE's counter to CM Punk's AEW debut
The entire pro wrestling world has been talking about CM Punk's long-awaited return to the business as he debuted on AEW Rampage last night. Punk even went on to take some massive shots at his former employers and looks set to be a major player for All Elite Wrestling for the next few years.
While there were initial reports of WWE not making any "reactionary move" to his AEW debut, it's completely possible that Vince McMahon changed his mind.
Becky Lynch's surprise return tonight and squashing Bianca Belair to become the new SmackDown Women's Champion has got the fans talking. And this was exactly what the company needed to counter all the hype around CM Punk's AEW debut.
#4 Becky Lynch would help bump up SmackDown's ratings
Becky Lynch is arguably one of WWE's biggest stars on their current roster. While many would claim that the RAW women's division needed her more, moving her over to SmackDown as the champion was a smart decision by the company.
Gone are the days of the Wednesday Night Wars between NXT and Dynamite. We are into a new era now with the Friday Night Wars between SmackDown and Rampage. WWE lost the first war to AEW and Vince McMahon would want to win this second war now. The Blue brand is doing pretty well from the rating perspective and having Lynch on the show will further bump them up.
#3 A future Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks feud
The way Becky Lynch made her return tonight, she already has a number of feuds lined up for her. One is definitely against Bianca Belair, more on that in the next slide. Another major feud that she could have on SmackDown is against Sasha Banks.
Lynch, in many ways, was a last-minute replacement for Banks, who had to miss the show due to "unforeseen circumstances". Whenever she makes her return, she'll definitely bring up the fact that The Man took her spot at SummerSlam, leading to a feud between the two.
#2 Lack of opponents for Bianca Belair on SmackDown
Many fans are upset about Becky Lynch defeating Bianca Belair tonight to become the new SmackDown Women's Champion. While we do agree that there was no need for Lynch to squash Belair in that manner, but The EST of WWE might just benefit from the loss in the long run.
The women's roster of SmackDown is very thin currently, majorly due to the several WWE releases since the beginning of the year. Bianca Belair has just been feuding with the same few women over and over again.
If she had defeated Becky Lynch tonight, who would have been left on the Blue brand for her to feud with? We are definitely in for a proper Lynch vs. Belair feud after what happened tonight at SummerSlam 2021.
#1 A possible heel turn from Bianca Belair after getting squashed by Becky Lynch?
A wise man once said, WWE fans are "fickle". While the entire WWE Universe was completely behind the babyface Bianca Belair to win the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 37, many of those very fans have turned on her after she won the title.
Truth be told, her title reign hasn't been that great, mostly due to the booking. Getting squashed by Becky Lynch tonight at SummerSlam could lead to a change of character for Belair, a possible heel turn, or at least a new edge to her EST of WWE gimmick.
Bianca Belair had a great run as a heel back in NXT, and she could do the same on SmackDown in the coming months. The brand is currently without a top heel like Bayley and Sasha Banks, and Belair could be the one to fill that void. This would be much better than a simple face vs. face feud against The Man.
Comment down and let us know your thoughts on Becky Lynch returning at WWE SummerSlam 2021 and becoming the new SmackDown Women's Champion.
