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Think of Stone Cold Steve Austin's rise to the top. He won the Royal Rumble in 1998 to get a shot at Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 14. Stone Cold Steve Austin would go on to win the contest and establish himself as the face of the brand shortly thereafter. Now we arrive at Becky Lynch, a woman who's often been compared to Steve Austin.
Becky Lynch will face off against Asuka at the Royal Rumble for the SmackDown Women's Championship later this month. She won a Triple Threat match on SmackDown Live this week to earn the opportunity to do so. This effectively rules her out of the Royal Rumble match later this month.
Of course, she could always lose the match and still appear in the Royal Rumble match. But I have a feeling that such will not be the case.
Feel free to sound off your opinions in the comments below.
#5 Asuka has been underwhelming as a Champion
When Becky Lynch was the SmackDown Women's Champion, everyone was talking about just how hot the division is. Since Asuka has won the title, the division has cooled down, to a degree. Asuka has a few limitations especially when it comes to cutting promos, that cause a disconnect with her and the WWE Universe.
Becky Lynch has been very vocal about the title cooling down ever since she lost the Championship at TLC. And therefore, WWE may want to put the title back around Becky Lynch's waist once again. The division will be red hot like it once was, with her as Champion.
This may be a little unfair to Asuka who has not really had the opportunity to show how good she is. She can, very honestly, benefit from an on-screen mouthpiece.
#4 To not have fans hijack the Rumble match
Remember the reception from the WWE Universe when Roman Reigns won the Royal Rumble? They hijacked the entire show! Not even The Rock's appearance could get Reigns over. And this stemmed from the fact that Daniel Bryan was eliminated early during the match.
WWE seems to have learned their lesson from their past experience. It is no surprise, as a result, that they have kept Becky Lynch out of the Royal Rumble match. Becky Lynch is just as popular now as Daniel Bryan was then, and they ran the risk of upsetting fans by having her eliminated.
It is clear from this booking decision that it's somebody else's turn to win the Royal Rumble match. This person could certainly be Charlotte Flair.
If Charlotte Flair were to eliminate Becky Lynch and win, she would become the next Roman Reigns.
#3 Major unfinished business with Nia Jax
We all assumed that Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair was the money feud. We all forgot that there's another feud waiting in the wings for Lynch. This involves the woman who broke her nose on RAW. And this woman is Nia Jax.
There's a very big chance that Nia Jax goes on to win the Royal Rumble match. Because if she does, she could pick Becky Lynch as her next opponent. And the two women could slug it out over the SmackDown Women's Championship.
Of course, I am assuming in this case that Becky Lynch goes over Asuka at the Royal Rumble. This is the only possibility that potentially makes sense if Jax were to be involved.
Maybe the match at WrestleMania ends with Becky Lynch breaking Nia Jax's face.
#2 She could get involved in the match at a later date
Let's assume for a minute that Charlotte Flair wins the Royal Rumble match. She challenges Ronda Rousey and the WrestleMania match is set in stone. Becky Lynch has two pay-per-views since then, to get herself involved in the said match.
The Royal Rumble pay-per-view will be followed by Elimination Chamber and Fastlane, as we head into WrestleMania 35 and beyond. This means that Becky Lynch has two opportunities to become part of the huge title match. This is not counting all the SmackDown Live episodes that she'll be part of.
Not having Becky Lynch in the Royal Rumble match is hardly the final nail in the coffin for 'The Man'. In fact, it opens up a new chapter in her story and could certainly be better for her, over the long her.
#1 To become the AJ Styles of the women's division
We've heard his catchphrase time and time again, haven't we? SmackDown Live is the house that AJ Styles built. He is the anchor around which the men's division is based. Becky Lynch could take on that role for the women of the brand.
WWE may want to distribute their top stars on both brands. Assuming that Charlotte Flair goes on to win the Royal Rumble and challenge Ronda Rousey, it would leave the women's division on SmackDown Live weak. If you eliminate Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, does Asuka have a believable opponent for WrestleMania?
Therefore, WWE may want Becky Lynch to regain her Championship and put the division back on the map again. Lynch vs. anyone from the roster could be a WrestleMania match, in due course of time.
Mandy Rose seems to be getting a push, so maybe we're in for a Mandy vs. Becky program in the future!
