WWE is reportedly not giving up on Bianca Belair’s push.
As noted, Saturday’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view saw Becky Lynch make her surprise return and defeat Belair in just seconds to become the new champion. Lynch was the replacement for Sasha Banks, who missed the pay-per-view for unknown reasons. Carmella initially came out to replace Banks, but Lynch interrupted and took her out, then went up against Belair.
There’s been a lot of speculation on Belair’s status and future following the quick title loss at SummerSlam. In an update,
PWInsider reports that the SummerSlam loss was not an indication of Belair being taken down a notch.
Lynch quickly defeating Belair was said to be 100% a call made by WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. The title change was specifically designed to make Lynch’s return feel even more spectacular, and the quick win was designed to pop fans who were expecting Banks vs. Belair, and instead give them the return of a top star.
Fans on social media aren’t the only ones who felt like the quick 26-second win for Lynch was a move that ended up taking some of the wind out of the sails of Belair. It was noted that some people in WWE expressed concern over the decision before it actually happened, but according to Vince’s vision for the pay-per-view, the idea was that the moment was more about Lynch.
The title change was described as simply how WWE decided to react to the Banks situation, and the need for a substitution on one of the biggest shows of the year.
It was reported a few weeks back that Lynch would be in attendance for SummerSlam, as she has been at other recent shows with husband Seth Rollins. WWE still put effort into hiding Lynch all day in advance of her surprise ring entrance in an attempt to prevent the return from leaking online. WWE brought Carmella out as a way to swerve fans before having Lynch make her return. It had been reported that Lynch was scheduled to return to the WWE storylines in October, and that was still the plan when it was decided that she would replace Banks at SummerSlam. The Banks situation forced WWE to bring Lynch back earlier than planned.
As noted, there’s still no concrete word on why Banks is not cleared, but it was noted that she is not injured.
You can click here for a backstage report on why WWE continued to advertise Banks vs. Belair for the pay-per-view, and more.
Lynch is scheduled to be the top heel for the blue brand women’s division moving forward, a move that she reportedly asked for. It’s believed that she will address her return during Friday’s SmackDown on FOX.
