Backstage Update On WWE's Plans For Bianca Belair
What next for Bianca Belair after her SummerSlam 2021 defeat to Becky Lynch?
Bianca Belair had a rough night at WWE SummerSlam 2021, dropping the SmackDown Women's Championship to Becky Lynch in a hastily-assembled squash that came about when her original opponent, Sasha Banks, wasn't cleared to compete.
It was reported after the event that WWE planned on booking Lynch as SmackDown's top heel going forward, with SummerSlam seemingly intended as a turn. But what about Belair?
Per Dave Meltzer on today's Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE's current idea is to use the villainous Becky to try and elevate Bianca, whose run as SmackDown Women's Champion lasted 133 days. This follows Mike Johnson's report that Belair would be Lynch's first feud coming out of SummerSlam.
While Becky received a hero's welcome upon entering Allegiant Stadium (which came after Carmella was set up as a deliberately disappointing bait-and-switch), her squash of Belair was much more divisive, drawing widespread criticism. The fans' cynicism is understandable given Lynch's status as a beloved folk hero, with many drawing parallels to Steve Austin's disastrous turn at WrestleMania X-7.
This week's episode of SmackDown will likely host the SummerSlam fallout, though nothing had been announced for Lynch or Belair at the time of writing.