There is now word on whether or not Bianca Belair’s push has been derailed.
PW Insider is reporting that Vince McMahon was the one who made the call to have Becky Lynch end Belair’s SmackDown Women’s Title run in just 26 seconds. Lynch made her surprise return at WWE SummerSlam. Initially, Belair was booked to put her gold on the line against Sasha Banks but Banks was pulled from the card.
Furthermore, the report also notes that despite the fast finish, there is no indication that WWE officials have lost faith in Belair as a top star. McMahon’s logic for the finish was to give fans a shocking moment.
PW Insider had reported earlier this week that Lynch is now considered to be a heel on the blue brand. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter followed up on this by reporting that it was Lynch who requested to turn heel.
WWE’s decision to end Bianca Belair’s title run the way they did was quite polarizing. Even some within the wrestling industry shared their dismay with the decision.
Nikki Bella wasn’t a fan of the move as she mentioned during a post-SummerSlam event (h/t Wrestling Inc).
“You have someone like Bianca, who is such an incredible talent and you can’t help but get frustrated when you see moments like that of like, a championship that meant so much and was lost within seconds. So, I have to admit, for this SummerSlam, there truly wasn’t anything that was my favorite moment.”
