Becky Lynch was set to make her WWE return on Raw but the segment was scrapped in favour of a Hall of Famer’s appearance.
Lynch has been absent from the company since May 2024 following her loss to Liv Morgan on Raw in a steel cage match. Focusing on other projects and family life, Lynch has not made any wrestling-related appearances for more than 6 months.
With many under the impression that The Man’s return to WWE was inevitable and the company was looking to make the Raw on Netflix premiere as big as possible, there was a high expectation that Lynch would be one of many surprise appearances on the night. However, when all was said and done on the 3-hour show, Lynch did not appear. However, according to a new report, there was a plan for the former Women’s Champion to make her return on the show.
As seen on Raw, Rhea Ripley defeated Liv Morgan to become the new Women’s World Champion and received an endorsement from The Undertaker after the match. As reported by Cory Hays of Bodyslam.net, Lynch was originally set to return and confront Ripley instead of The Undertaker:
“The initial from what I heard, Becky Lynch was scheduled to appear tonight. She was in town. She was scheduled to appear within that women’s world championship segment. But instead, you got an undertaker appearance.”
However, a new report from Fightful Select claims that Lynch was not in Los Angeles for the January 6th episode of Raw and that as she was not scheduled to appear, her return was not scrapped. The report indicates that Lynch has agreed to work with WWE again and that while her involvement in WrestleMania is not certain, it’s expected that she’ll be factored in.
Becky Lynch And Rhea Ripley Opened WrestleMania 40
Following her victory inside the Elimination Chamber, Lynch challenged Ripley for the Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania 40. In the opening match of the weekend, The Eradicator defeated The Man one year on from defeating Charlotte Flair to win the championship. Shortly afterwards, Ripley was forced to vacate the title due to injury, which was won by Lynch in a battle royal.