6 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (22 April - Results & Review)

DOWNS…

5. A Lost Opportunity

Becky Lynch Liv Morgan
WWE

Overall, Becky Lynch winning the Women’s World Championship in Monday’s battle royal is a net positive, but it would be irresponsible to not consider the negatives of the decision.

WWE had the opportunity to crown a new champ in a “safe” manner, having them win a battle royal and not pinning anyone. That’s not to suggest that they go a comedy route with Chelsea Green, but they could have been bold and strapped someone like Zoey Stark or Shayna Baszler, even as a very short-term champ. They could have been hunted by Nia Jax or beaten by Lynch.

Jax of course would have been a fun choice as a dominant heel, rather than going the safe route with Lynch for her seventh world title. It just felt like WWE realized their plans had been torn up by Rhea Ripley’s injury, and going with Becky was the smart, safe money.

That doesn’t mean it was wrong (as will be discussed later). But there were different, bold angles that could have been played, and WWE didn’t touch any of them.

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.