Reviewing Becky Lynch’s Latest Run As WWE Raw Women’s Champion
Becky Lynch’s time as WWE Raw Women’s Champion has finally come to an end at the hands of Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 38. Over the course of a 162-day reign, stretching from October to April, Lynch successfully defended the belt on five separate occasions (discounting live events), and in terms of televised appearances for both title and non-title matches, she had a 7-2 record including when she lost the belt. Those are all the stats on paper, but in wrestling, the stats can mean very little when it comes to determining the success and quality of a championship reign – so how good was Lynch’s latest run with the title?
Becky Lynch Had An Uphill Battle At Establishing Her Reign As Champion
Becky Lynch’s Raw Women’s Title reign started with a whimper. Heading into October, she was the reigning Smackdown Women’s Champion, but in the WWE Draft, she and Raw Champion Charlotte Flair were swapped between brands. This resulted in the widely unpopular WWE rule of champions simply swapping over their belts, lessening both the integrity and meaning of the championships, as the exchange made them feel like nothing more than cheap props. It didn’t help that both Lynch and Flair were visibly unhappy with this, with their exchange segment infamously derailing due to the heat between one another.
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Lynch would feud with both Liv Morgan and Charlotte Flair, with the Raw vs Smackdown theme still in place for Survivor Series. Lynch and Flair would develop a personal rivalry, which was highly anticipated – and it delivered big time, with Lynch coming out on top and feeling like the better champion, which did a good job at establishing her new reign. Lynch’s feud with Morgan stretched over a few months, and this did wonders for Lynch’s heel persona.
When Lynch returned in 2021, she did so as a heel, and the fans weren’t buying it. After being such a popular figure before her maternity leave, the audience didn’t want to boo her. However, Morgan’s natural likeability and momentum made fans rally behind her, which allowed Lynch to further develop her new “Big Time Becks” character, which involved a new attitude and obscene clothing, all of which worked in helping her finally start to be taken as a heel. Lynch would defeat Morgan a couple of times in entertaining title matches, although several fans were disappointed to see Lynch retain.
Lynch’s Raw Women’s Title Reign Was Full Of Great Matches
Lynch would enter a short-term program with Doudrop, which wasn’t the most exciting of rivalries though it did produce a good match at the Royal Rumble. From there, Lynch’s biggest challenger yet stepped up – Lita. Lynch vs Lita was a match that many fans never thought they would see, and it was set to take place at the Elimination Chamber PPV in Saudi Arabia. Once again, the match was great, and if it ends up being Lita’s last ever match, then she went out with a bang.
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After previously defeating Bianca Belair back at Summerslam 2021, squashing her in less than thirty seconds, the WWE Universe was eagerly awaiting the moment in which Belair would get her revenge. Belair would earn a shot at the title for WrestleMania 38, and the pair built one of the best rivalries going into the show, with the character work from both women being great. The match stole the show, perhaps being the best on either Night of WrestleMania, with Belair picking up the win, ending Lynch’s title reign.
Becky Lynch’s Run As Champion Was A Success
Lynch’s heel run hasn’t been largely accepted at times, but certain feuds against the likes of Morgan, Lita, and Belair, managed to further cement her as a villain. It was certainly an uphill battle, but all three of those programs were memorable, which made Lynch’s reign very worthwhile. Whilst WWE didn’t do anything to follow up on them after facing Lynch, both Morgan and Doudrop were elevated whilst working with her.
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WWE produced a rare long-term arc between Lynch and Belair, stretching from Summerslam to WrestleMania, with the absolute correct decision taking place when Belair dethroned Lynch and won the Raw Women’s Title. It was a perfectly crafted story by WWE standards, with Lynch’s reign serving to benefit the next champion, which should be a priority for every single title reign in any wrestling promotion. Whilst there was some negativity towards Lynch at times, her title reign overall was a huge success, with her appearances feeling significant, her defenses feeling special, and the matches always delivering as she faced a variety of opponents. Aside from Roman Reigns’ run as Universal Champion, Lynch’s reign may have been one of the best for the last couple of years in WWE.
