5 Ways Becky Lynch's departure will affect RAW

Becky Lynch has certainly had a whirlwind past two years. She first had to scratch and claw just to get title shots. Once the last straw broke with Charlotte Flair walking into Lynch's title match at SummerSlam in 2018 and winning the title, however, The Man was born.

WWE tried to book Lynch as the heel after turning on Flair, but that was hard to accomplish. Fans had always loved the Irish Lass Kicker and were used to seeing Flair always win. How could you blame her for striking back when another opportunity was taken by Flair?

It was a blessing in disguise as not only did Lynch become The Man but she also became the face of the WWE. Her reign as RAW Women's Champion was historic and it saw her defeat nearly every opponent placed in her path.

But now that she is away preparing to be a mother, it leaves a huge void atop both RAW and the WWE. Here are five ways that Lynch's departure will affect Monday nights.

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#5 Stability

Lynch reigned as RAW Women's Champ for over a year

One huge thing that Lynch's reign with the title did was provide the flagship show with stability in its women's division. While it had become past time for her to lose her title, different circumstances worldwide and within the WWE forced their hands. Lynch's reign was possibly coming to an end at WrestleMania 36 due to the threatening force of Shayna Baszler's arrival.

But it was not to be as Lynch defeated the Queen of Spades and was waiting for her next challenger. Through the year-plus as Champion, RAW had the WWE's top star and one of its best talkers. The Man's feuds with Asuka and Ronda Rousey were among the best in recent history and cemented Lynch as the face of the company.

With The Man now departing the WWE and RAW, the company loses it's top face. Regardless of ratings and other metrics, Lynch was still a draw and the top dog in the company. Now that she'll be away from the company for an undetermined amount of time, it might add another layer to the fragile stability of things in WWE during the global pandemic.

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#4 Return and potential debuts are even more important now

Strike a pose!

If you are like me, you were delighted to see the WWE return on RAW of Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, The IIconics. Whether you like them or not, they are entertaining and a different act that adds some depth to the women's division.

As things currently sat before The Man relinquished her title, Lynch had practically defeated every challenger. She had toppled Natalya, Rousey, Lacey Evans, Sasha Banks, Baszler and others throughout her title run. Kay and Royce had been away from the WWE for seven months. On a night where the top star left for a different path, the division at least regained two entertaining stars.

With Lynch gone, it's going to take a team effort to at least try and fill her shoes. No one star will be able to, but several will try. That means that injured stars and those from NXT will eventually try to fill the void left by the former Champ. NXT is stacked with immense female talent. In addition to Flair we have Rhea Ripley, Io Shirai, Candice LeRae, Chelsea Green, Shotzi Blackheart and Mia Yim.

Those are just the women who are prominently featured. Does this mean that WWE brass tries even harder now to coax Rousey back into the ring?

#3 It allows for several fresh match-ups

Asuka brought the best out of Lynch.

As mentioned previously, Becky Lynch had basically run through all of the competition as RAW Women's Champion. Another feud with Asuka would have been fine with me because their first one was great. The Empress of Tomorrow is a top-notch performer and got the best out of The Man. But with a new Champion, it means that several new feuds are on the horizon.

Now that Asuka holds the gold, which star will be her first feud? She has unfinished business with Baszler stemming from Elimination Chamber, so that is going to happen sooner or later. Nia Jax also has a history with the Empress of Tomorrow so she could be in line for a shot. Jax just came back after WrestleMania 36 after a near year-long absence due to injury.

Then we have the underrated Ruby Riott. Riott has all the tools to be a top star but just needs an opportunity. Her recent losses to Liv Morgan don't help but the former leader of the Riott Squad could do a lot of damage if booked as a threat. And didn't the EST of NXT join RAW following the Show of Shows? It's way too soon to propel her into a title feud but Mr. Money in the Bank 2020 is Otis.

We could also see a showdown between members of the Kabuki Warriors. Kairi Sane looked like she was dressed in Pirate Princess attire on RAW and not evil parasol-swinging attire. The fact is that the pairings with a new title holder are fresh and should hopefully get RAW through the rest of the year.

#2 Others can step up in various ways

Asuka

This goes hand in hand with the rest of the points because RAW and shows like it are obviously not a one person act. There are top stars and Champions and those that are booked routinely to carry the company. With the top person away for however long she takes, it opens the door for someone else to step up.

It could mean that someone jumps up from NXT to help fill out the roster or that someone gets a push that they haven't seen before. See my point on the previous slide about Ruby Riott. It could also mean that a male star reclaims top star status in WWE and on RAW. Will that be the WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre, or someone else? Will a star from SmackDown take the ball and run with it?

The person I would pick is the new RAW Women's Champion, but who knows how long her reign will be. Asuka has been the best overall performer in the women's division for years in my opinion. She doesn't speak fluent English but is still totally entertaining with her dancing, yelling and overall antics. It may not be one person but could instead take three or four filling particular voids.

There aren't many stars like The Man as she was among the best talkers in the business. Very few women in WWE could match her on the mic. But to help stem the tide of her loss, the door is open for several stars to step up.

#1 A "new" top star of the division and brand

The two friends have been the top women in WWE for quite some time.

This point is similar to the last point but more specific regarding a new top face of the company. Becky Lynch was not only the top woman in the company but she was also the top star in all of WWE. RAW in the very least needs a new top star for the women's division and potentially for the company. Asuka is perfectly fine in leading the division and others like McIntyre or Rollins could jump into the top star of the company spot.

Over the last few years, the top names in WWE have been Flair, Roman Reigns, Kofi Kingston, Rollins and Lynch. We also saw featured runs from Brock Lesnar, The Fiend and Bayley. With the void of top women's star now vacant and ready to be filled, I have an idea of where Mr. McMahon may want to turn.

Charlotte Flair is already booked as the top woman in WWE alongside Lynch. Flair rarely loses and is a 12-time Champion. While the reigns have varied in length from a minute to a week to 100 days or so, the fact still remains that she is routinely booked atop the division.

She's already appeared on RAW and NXT since WrestleMania 36 and she appeared on both shows last week. On this week's SmackDown, The Queen will show up. Some rumors said that the title switch from Ripley was done to help with the ratings by having a top-level star from the main roster on Wednesday nights. AEW Dynamite and NXT have traded ratings' wins a few times since WrestleMania 36, but AEW topped NXT last week.

With Lynch's departure, it might force McMaon to call the Queen back to Monday Nights. We'll likely still see her across at least two brands (RAW, NXT) and could even see her on Fridays with the new "Brand to Brand Invitation" that started this week. Since he's relied on Flair before to lead divisions, Mr. McMahon might do so again and make Flair the top face of RAW. There are options, but it comes down to what Mr. McMahon decides.