On the May 11, 2020 edition of Monday Night Raw, one night after Asuka won the Money in the Bank Women's briefcase to secure a future title shot at a time and place of her choosing, Raw Women's Champion (for the past fifteen months) Becky Lynch opens the show with the Money in the Bank briefcase sitting on a table in center ring. Becky has not been in the ring since her Wrestlemania win over Shayna Baszler, and soon breaks into a teary promo discussing her history with the company and how the fans have elevated her to the superstar she is today.
Asuka roars out to interrupt the promo and confronts Becky about why she has the briefcase. Becky explains the Money in the Bank ladder match wasn't for an opportunity at her championship, but it was for the championship itself. Becky opens the briefcase and the Raw Women's Championship belt was inside. Asuka realizes she is now the champion and proceeds to scream, run around the ringside area, and dance around with her newly won championship. Lately, WWE has been having its Asian female wrestlers communicate by screaming incoherently and jumping around frantically at...no one since there is no audience. It is grating to the nerves.
But then Asuka returns to the ring and Becky, with tears flowing, says Asuka can "go be a warrior, and I'll go be a mother," The cat is out of the bag. Becky is pregnant. Asuka seems genuinely surprised at this news and hugs Becky before raising her fist and shouting "BECKY! BECKY!" repeatedly as Becky's theme song plays and she leaves the ring for the last time in a while. Asuka is now a face, apparently, and the moment was touching, mostly because Asuka might not have been in on the discussion as to why Becky Lynch had to vacate her championship.
Becky is congratulated by many backstage, including Vince McMahon, who hugs Becky as if this were the first time he has ever hugged someone. AWKWARD! Becky's fiancee is Seth Rollins, who onscreen seems to have taken the news with considerably less enthusiasm than everyone else. He responds by refusing to shake Rey Mysterio's hand after Mysterio congratulated him and then trying to blind poor Rey by jamming his eyeball into the metal ring steps later during a tag team match. Yet, Rollins is posting Instagram photos with Becky a few days later and both are equally gaga over the pregnancy. Rollins simply should've been turned face right away instead of trying to keep up the pretense that he is a heartless, vicious heel onscreen who is also the warm, loving father of Becky Lynch's child offscreen. The reality of life and his character won't mesh, especially in the world of 24/7 news cycles and social media.
Lynch's vanquished Wrestlemania opponent Baszler is interviewed later on and makes some disparaging remarks which will surely bring her much needed heel heat from fans. She questions Becky's intelligence in having a child while in the middle of the most lucrative push of her career.
Baszler further expounds by saying how Lynch's career will never be the same and she won't be able to return to her present career height when she does return to the ring. Baszler doesn't mention Rollins by name, but essentially calls him a loser and thus the child is doomed to be one as well. I like how the cold, heartless pain-inflicting machine that is Shayna Baszler wasn't warmed up by Lynch's news, but instead offered an opposing and likely unpopular opinion.
Jim Cornette also echoed Baszler's opinion on his podcast, lamenting at how much money the Lynch and Rollins household will miss out on and how Mr. McMahon can't be happy about seeing one of this top draws taking a leave of absence at the height of her earning power. Will McMahon continue to pay her during her time off? Only Lynch and McMahon will know that. Is Cornette, who is not performing a work like Baszler likely is, wrong in his assessment? From a financial standpoint, absolutely not. He sees the pregnancy as ill-timed to say the least in monetary terms, and potentially financially devastating to her career. I'm sure the Twitter hate will follow.
Lynch's and Rollins' decision is their own. I'm sure they're aware of the financial implications, but Becky seemed pretty darn happy to be an expectant mother, and to her, that is worth missing out on some paydays. The Baszler storyline might get interesting going forward, as she is expected to be the next challenger to Asuka's title. If the creative team doesn't blow it, an Asuka/Baszler matchup will be intriguing.
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