The Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair Conundrum

At one time, Tag Partners, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair will now face off in a triple threat match for Carmella's SmackDown Women's Championship at SummerSlam. Courtesy of the WWE.

By Matthew Klink (@klinkmatt)

August 1, 2018

As you can read above, it is August 1st, 2018. It is officially the month of SummerSlam. Matches for every WWE title are being setup, talked about, finalized, and, my personal favorite, deconstructed, piece by piece, to figure out who is going to win and why.

I was certain of the individual who was going to walk out of SummerSlam with the Smackdown Women’s Championship. It seemed obvious. Carmella, who has beaten the best that SmackDown has to offer, has held onto the title for far too long and was destined to drop that title to whoever she was put up against. The lucky woman ended up being the Irish Lass Kicker, Becky Lynch.

Becky Lynch, who made a crowd erupt anytime she picked up a ladder during the Women’s Money in the Bank match, and who after being the first SmackDown Women’s Champion, has yet to sniff another real opportunity since. She’s always been one of the top competitors in the company (and you know she is, because when we’re not talking about how awesome she is, we discuss how likely it is for her to leave the company. Just ask Daniel Bryan about what’s in the dirt sheets about him right now) and has the uncanny ability to play up to and play down to whoever her opponent is in the ring.

Becky Lynch. The fiery, red head who has waited her turn for so long, has turned her own movement on Twitter to set fan’s ablaze with Becky Lynch fever!

Becky Lynch. The girl who is so captivating, accidentally introduced to and made us all fans of Quinoa.

Becky Lynch. The former body builder, Globetrotter (not the basketball team), NXT Women’s Champion, and one of the four major pushes that set the Women’s Revolution in motion.

Becky Lynch. The superstar who dressed in a goofy blue luchador costume to help sell the current Raw Women’s champion, Alexa Bliss and also wasn’t trusted to run a singles match at WrestleMania 32…is losing an opportunity to main event SummerSlam in a singles match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Becky Lynch, in my conceited opinion, is due for a singles match to prove what she’s got and own a feud. If for nothing else, but to appease the fans and build another female superstar and the division.

While I was excited at that thought coming to fruition, that hope was dashed during last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, as Charlotte Flair earned her way on the SummerSlam card, by defeating Carmella.

It goes without saying that the newly formed triple threat match for SummerSlam, might not even end up being a triple threat match come August 19th. I smell another competitor or two that would surely fit in the story line of wanting to best Carmella (Asuka comes to mind).

Regardless of what the match is on August 19th, I still feel this should be the night that Becky Lynch stands tall with the SmackDown Women’s Championship. As my good brother has been pointing out since May, SummerSlam is a night for the hardcore fan to get what they want (as oppose to WrestleMania, when it is USUALLY the faces that triumph over evil). That notion and the fact that the ground swell of support for Becky Lynch is about to explode (again, just look at her social media and the fan reactions to her Pay-Per-View matches), I think she should be holding that belt once the ref declares a winner of that match.

So why I am complaining?

The problem here is booking and trust. Someone, analyzing me as a wrestling fan, would think the end game should be Lynch getting the championship, not a singles match. But I couldn’t help but groan and roll my eyes as Charlotte’s hand was raised after beating Carmella last night. As what almost feels like a Roman Reigns type of eye roll, I felt I wasn’t getting what I truly want and deserve as a long time wrestling fan.

I’m sure none of us have forgotten what Charlotte looks like with a championship belt around her waist. In her most recent title reign, she even took down one of the most fun streaks in sports (Asuka’s winning streak at WrestleMania) only to lose the title on the next SmackDown. It was very important, based on the decision, for Charlotte to look strong enough to beat Asuka, but dumb enough to be bested by the Iconics and Carmella that following Tuesday. A confusing choice, since the allure of the streak made Asuka even more attractive and mystifying. In a decision that I would have never thought the WWE would actually commit to, they knocked the powerful force (Asuka) down with one fell swoop and let us all know which corner their eggs and basket lie.

Sure, Charlotte is pretty cool and we all enjoy the story that the blood that runs in her veins makes her better than the rest of the locker room. But had Asuka’s streak truly run its course? Was it worth to destroy that amazing story? Just to make sure your strongest female performer (who could lose for a year straight and still be put into the main event picture) was at the top of the heap? So high above the rest…that she would lose the title in a couple of days?

The overuse of Charlotte here (and possibility of ruining Becky Lynch’s shot at the Women’s Championship) could doom her. I don’t think I need to try hard to remind you, the wrestling fan, what overbooking and overuse can do to the WWE Superstars. Regardless of how you feel about Roman Reigns, I’m sure there isn’t a single one of us (who is sane) who wouldn’t love the idea of actually wanting Roman Reigns to be their favorite. I’m not talking about you living in this reality and being forced to love Roman Reigns. I’m saying that in an alternate reality, the Big Dog has been booked in a completely different way…and when you hear the Big Dog’s music, even when at home, you jump straight out of your seat, clap your buns off, high five your friends, and even shed a tear (that description is more effective if you picture it in slow motion). And this upcoming SummerSlam is the night we've waited for. The night the man we all love rooting for, who had been held down for such a long time, was going to beat that big dumb idiot, Brock Lesnar.

Wow...Wouldn’t being a WWE fan be great if we all rooted for the same guy at the same time? Man…

So…you see…the whole world wouldn’t turn their back on Charlotte, like I (kind of) already have, but why ruin a good thing? Why ruin Becky Lynch and a shot at building TWO whole Superstars instead of just one? I bring up this idea a lot on the blog. You can guess how happy I’m going to be when Dolph Ziggler eventually loses his Intercontinental Title to Seth Rollins and “The Show” becomes just another bump in the “Roman Reigns Era” of WWE. In a clear and obvious opportunity to build two other superstars, it is even more obvious to me that they’ll be at the bottom of the card by November.

Hell…this article could be used as an argument for Carmella to walk out of SummerSlam with her title. I can’t believe I’m actually typing this but…Anyone But Charlotte…#ABC. I’m sure that Hashtag hasn’t been used yet.

And I'm not a complete fool (like...a partial fool at the worst). I know this roster is bursting at the seams. The best superstars need to be put on the card for the biggest show of the summer. If Charlotte Flair is healthy, she should be booked at SummerSlam. However, this women's division is full of talent and can carry feuds without titles (Maybe that's why you don't beat an Asuka and her winning streak...). Charlotte is one of those uber-talented ladies who can be interesting without the title and should have been put in a place to prove that.

So this Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair conundrum begins and ends with the fact that one superstar, who is already insanely popular and will draw a crowd, could ruin their own name by beating the downtrodden and claiming another needless victory. And instead of building two athletes (because Flair is as good as gold) they could ruin the future of both.

In typing this article, I figured out what the end game really is. It’s not me getting the champion I want. It’s also not building my favorite superstars. Its building out this roster to contain a lot (A LOT) of amazing talent and believable contenders to the throne. It would be nice to have a Royal Rumble one day that isn’t completely predictable. For that to happen, it might be time to test the girl who has been given everything and have her make something out of a feud without a title. And in turn, give the girl who made Quinoa interesting, a chance to carry her brand and division.

And remember! If Becky fails, which I don’t think she would, she’s failed herself. She got her chance and hit one out of play. She’s proved that only Charlotte should ever carry the title (again, don’t think that would or should happen). And Vince…you are the genius we all thought you were (definitely not saying that).

As we continue to get more matches booked (so far, six in total), I am loving this card. If you haven't made plans yet, don't forget to be on your couch on August 19th for the biggest show of the summer: SummerSlam!

Carmella vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship
Ronda Rousey vs Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women's Championship
AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe for the WWE Championship
Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Title
Dolph Ziggler vs Seth Rollins for the Intercontinental Championship
Daniel Bryan vs The Miz
Sunday, August 19th, 7PM EST

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