A few weeks ago, news broke that WWE Women's Champion at the time, Becky Lynch, became pregnant. It wasn't confirmed until the night after the Money In the Bank Pay-Per-View but many people kind of figured that was the case. The two simultaneous "Money In the Bank" Ladder Matches had been taped weeks before due to the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic. The rest of the card happened live at the show. Even though many knew the Ladder Matches were previously taped, the winners were kept secret and the show still presented the matches as live. Asuka ended up winning the match for the women. As we all know, the winner of Money In the Bank can cash in a shot at the Championship at any time for up to a year. The next night on Raw, Asuka was the Women's Champion, but she didn't cash in.
An emotional Becky Lynch stood in the ring opening the show. In front of her was the Money In the Bank briefcase that Asuka had won the previous night. She then invited Asuka to the ring. Becky opened up Asuka's case, revealing the Women's Championship inside. Becky informed Asuka that she could no longer fight and be Champion. Becky said that what Asuka won wasn't Money In the Bank, but it was actually the Women's Championship. As Asuka celebrated being the new Champion, Becky continued on with her speech. Becky said that as happy as Asuka was, Becky herself was probably happier. Becky then said to Asuka; "you go be a warrior, and I'm gonna be a mother." In an instant, Asuka and everyone else learned that Becky was indeed pregnant. Asuka, while thrilled to be Champion, embraced Becky in an emotional moment and celebrated the pregnancy.
The opening two paragraphs of context were necessary for what I'm about to say. Becky's pregnancy aside, which is a whole other topic I don't want to get into, fans discussed what they thought of this angle. I saw many complain that Asuka was pretty much given the Title, and as of late had number one contender Nia Jax say the same. I can see where people got that from, as she was technically presented with the Championship. However, there's something everyone is forgetting! Becky herself said that by winning the Ladder Match, Asuka became the new Women's Champion! She wasn't given the Title; she earned it! Some will likely come out and say that because the match was taped weeks before and that neither the pregnancy, nor the vacating of the Title, were mentioned until Raw the night after the show. However, to the general audience, the Ladder Match was presented as having happened at the PPV.
There's a fair point that WWE retconned the situation, but in my opinion, Asuka was not given anything! I understand that to many fans, it appeared as if Becky was just vacating and handing Asuka the Championship right then and there. Hell, Becky even physically handed the Title belt to Asuka, and I'll admit that. However, the Championship had already been vacated before the Money In the Bank Ladder Match, it's just that neither Asuka, nor the audience, knew that until Raw. Perhaps WWE could have mentioned this earlier, or had Becky tape a segment making the announcement before the PPV, but I think they wanted to give Becky a nice moment on Raw. Apparently, Becky's pregnancy announcement was new information to a lot of her peers on the roster, with very few knowing beforehand.
I can see why people disliked seeing Asuka becoming the Champion this way, but to me, it was established that she did actually win and earn the Title at Money In the Bank! Therefore, I don't look at it as Asuka being given the Championship. I think the main problem people have with this is that while Becky got a nice and deserved moment, it kind of undermined and overshadowed what Asuka had accomplished. That's a fair point, and perhaps fans would have looked at this situation differently if WWE or Becky made this announcement before the PPV. But again, I look at it as Asuka had won the Championship and was not given it. Unfortunately, WWE is not using my explanation, which is understandable, as they are trying to present Nia Jax as the antagonist. However, it does feed the fans' notions that she was handed a Championship. What's interesting to me, though, is that Nia stated that Asuka was only the Champion because Becky was pregnant. However, the moment she said that, I thought to myself; well, that could have been Nia had she won the match, and she certainly wouldn't have been complaining then.
Just so I'm not working myself into a shoot here, I understand that's the point, as Nia is the heel and this is intended to get heat for her Championship match with Asuka coming up in a few weeks at Backlash. Even though I'm not looking at Asuka being given anything, the heat for this upcoming match is the whole reason why WWE and Becky made this announcement the way they did. However, I don't think a lot of people realize or understand that, which is why I wanted to point out my perspective. While yes, the Championship belt was physically handed over, it was actually symbolism of the passing of the torch, rather than something Asuka had not earned. In retort to Nia's claims, however, it would be nice if Asuka, or someone in general, would use the "she earned it" narrative and explain why. That's just my point of view, as it would help continuity wise, as well as give Asuka credibility as Champion.
Therefore, the basis of this blog is Asuka and not Becky Lynch. Whether Becky will come back or not remains to be seen, but this needs to be established as Asuka's time. In a way, it makes Charlotte defeating Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women's Championship work a lot better, as it gives Asuka the focus of the women's division on Raw. Unfortunately, as I say this, Charlotte is now overexposed, appearing on all three brands, and ruining the entire point of a brand split. But that's neither here nor there! In fact, it gives me an idea for a future blog. No matter how this all turned out, I was thrilled with Asuka winning the match over any of the other women. She really hasn't been the main focus of a women's division since her time in NXT in my opinion. In the past few years, it was either all about Charlotte, or as of the last year and a half, all about Becky, which was well deserved and long overdue.
It's going to be interesting seeing where Asuka's reign goes. Beyond Nia Jax, Raw also has other formidable opponents for her, such as Shayna Baszler and Bianca Belair, and someone who I would like to see get pushed towards the top, Ruby Riot. There's also the possible call-ups of Rhea Ripley, Io Shirai, or other NXT standouts, as well as a possible feud down the road with her former Tag Team Championship partner Kairi Sane. At the end of the day, I'm happy to see Asuka with the spotlight that she worked so hard to attain.
