6 Ups And 8 Downs From WWE Raw (Jan 6)

Ups...

6. One Good Right Helps Self-Doubt

Simply put, Becky Lynch is right to doubt herself against Asuka.

Going back in their history, Lynch has never pinned or submitted Asuka in a match. Aside from one DQ win last year, Becky has never come out on top in a match in which she and Asuka are on opposite sides of the bout.

WWE did a nice job Monday night of having Becky come out and rhetorically ask if she would be better off avoiding the one woman she’s never beaten. Then, they cut to a video showing three instances of Asuka getting the better of the Raw Women’s Champion in matches last year. Considering how rarely she lost televised matches in 2019, that should be a bigger deal (the announcers could have sold that better).

Then, with Lynch wondering if she could beat her rival, Asuka came out, jawing in Japanese all the way down to the ring. The Empress of Tomorrow climbed inside and yelled again, only for Lynch to slug her down with one shot.

And then Becky walked off. That’s really all she needed to do here, was just show she could do it and somewhat restore her confidence. We’ll have to see where things go next.