Every now and then, a Superstar can cultivate such an undeniable relationship with the WWE Universe that Vince McMahon and Co. have to switch directions. And it looks like Becky Lynch just accomplished that.
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Since her SummerSlam heel turn, the WWE Universe has refused to treat Lynch like a villain. So instead of going against the grain, WWE decided to lean into Lynch’s popularity and leave her morality up to the fans. In an episode of Rewind-A-SmackDown, John Pollack says that a source within WWE says the plan is to keep things ambiguous, rather than a clear dichotomy of hero/villain.
“So I was told this after [this week’s Smackdown] that last week, based on the reaction Becky got, that they have slightly changed the direction here where the idea now is much less of a heel/babyface dynamic and instead it’s two ex-friends that both have valid points and neither is going to back down from the other and still getting Becky to the same place they wanted to but not so much wanting Charlotte to be a heel as a result of this. So it seems like they did learn from last week how everyone was into Becky,” he said.
The SmackDown after SummerSlam saw Lynch hit some classic heel beats like insulting the fanbase and running from a fight she started. Despite her nefarious efforts the crowd still adored Lynch, which in turn lead to a much different SmackDown appearance on August 28.
WWE’s audible was obvious as Lynch showed up with the same ferocity, but this time wearing all black and slinging profanity as she stomped Flairโshe was a Budweiser away from being Stone Cold Steve Austin.
.@BeckyLynchWWE is a woman of her word. pic.twitter.com/l0lzJ30is6
โ TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) August 29, 2018
“Credit that they learned from last week. To me, it was a bad idea trying to turn Becky. If in fact they realized it, tonight you definitely did not get the same Becky as was presented last week,” said Pollack.
With WWE’s correction, we should be locked in for a compelling build to the September 16 Hell in a Cell show. At this moment, Lynch is arguably the most popular star in WWE and that momentum should continue. Now that WWE is giving fans permission to adore her, Lynch will likely monopolize the crowd while Charlotte Flair naturally transitions to a heel role.
This adjustment could have huge ramifications as now it feels like Lynch’s win at HIAC is unavoidable. Even more, if Flair does make a flip to the dark side, she’ll likely stay there for the foreseeable future. While it will take a few weeks, we’re in the middle of seeing one of wrestling’s most hallowed occurrence: the double turn.
[H/t WrestlingNews.co]