WWE fans had just come out of the glow of WrestleMania season when reality hit hard. Rhea Ripley revealed she was injured and had to vacate her Women’s World Championship. A battle royal followed and there were a number of intriguing possibilities for who would capture what’s quite arguably the top prize in women’s wrestling. Lynch wound up winning the title in a move that drew a polarizing response from the audience. Some argued that The Man as champion was played out or that, at the least, there were more appealing choices like Liv Morgan or perhaps even Chelsea Green. However, at the end of the day, Lynch was the right choice for the time being.
Becky Lynch Is A Credible Champion
When a champion drops a title without losing a match, there’s an immediate credibility gap for the new champ to fill. As Ric Flair famously said, “To be the man, you have to beat the man.” Without the credibility of beating the champion, there’s a risk of the champ to follow actually devaluing the title and by extension the whole division.
Particularly given her fun performance in the battle royal to crown a new Women’s World Champion, it would have been enjoyable to see Chelsea Green walk out with the belt. Regardless of her experience, talent, and charisma, though, Green simply hasn’t been established as a credible world champion in WWE thus far. She has a lot of the tools to get there one day, with the right push. Hot shotting the title onto her, though, would have the potential of feeling like a setback for the championship itself.
Becky Lynch was a viable WrestleMania challenger for Rhea Ripley earlier this month. More than that, she carries with her a resume that includes eight previous title reigns in WWE, a Royal Rumble victory, and being the first woman to ever win a WrestleMania main event. There’s no doubting Lynch is a worthy champion, and though she did lose to The Eradicator, she at worst represents a small step backward for the title’s prestige.
Becky Lynch Hasn’t Been A World Champion In Over Two Years
One of the complaints that quickly arose on social media about Becky Lynch’s new title reign was that fans are tired of her as champ and it was time to feature other talents. There is some validity there, that The Man has spent the last five years in a high profile role with WWE.
However, the argument Lynch has spent too much time as champion falls flat given the last time she won a world title was at SummerSlam 2021 and she lost that belt going into WrestleMania 38. Moreover, since that point—when she dropped her title clean to Bianca Belair—she went on to put over The EST again, not to mention losing matches to Nia Jax, Rhea Ripley, and Lyra Valkyria to name a few.
In short, while Lynch reigning as champion isn’t new, it also isn’t played out in the sense that we’ve seen a lot of it the last couple years, nor is it fair to suggest she isn’t willing put over other talents strongly.
It Will Mean More For The Next Champion To Beat Becky Lynch Than To Have Won A Battle Royal
There’s a long tradition of battle royals crowning new champions, but the uncomfortable truth around these scenarios is that it’s actually one of the least decisive ways of winning a title. After all, a traditional championship win involves pinning the title holder or making her submit. Otherwise, a tournament win at least includes beating a multiple opponents one-on-one, while a Ladder Match is inherently grueling.
Battle royals are typically contested under over-the-top-rope rules which largely amount to hanging around the match until its late stages, then happening knock someone out of the ring. While there’s certainly a case that a performer like Liv Morgan would’ve done just fine winning the Women’s World Championship from the battle royal, it’s hard to deny she’d be better off launching a new reign by beating Becky Lynch at Money in the Bank, SummerSlam, or another major PLE.
That’s true of Morgan, who already has a substantial following and world title under belt, and would be all the more true for up-and-coming challengers whom The Man has all the potential in the world to elevate in the months ahead.
