MGP: Becky Lynch’s WWE exit breeds opportunity across the industry (2024)

Welcome to another edition of the ‘Monday Gorilla Position’! A weekly column here at Cageside Seats that dissects the latest shows and reports in the world of WWE & AEW. In addition to interviews with your favorite professional wrestlers.

Becky Lynch appears to be done with WWE, for the time being anyway, after her contract with the company expired over the weekend. It was a foregone conclusion for so many that the two sides would eventually reach a deal on an extension, but that did not come to fruition.

The Man is now on the market. Now what?

When it comes to Becky’s WWE tenure, it was a lackluster finish to an absolutely incredible run. If she never stepped foot in a wrestling ring again, the multi-time World Champion and WrestleMania main eventer is already a sure-fire WWE Hall of Fame headliner.

Her exit from the company, however, left much to be desired. The Man’s final match was a rushed World Title rematch against Liv Morgan that seemingly had more commercial breaks than in-ring action and an overbooked finish that saw Braun Strowman cost Lynch the victory when he accidentally slammed the cage door into her head trying to chase down JD McDonagh on the outside.

The match ran so close to the end of the show, that the USA Network hard out hit before the closing shot of Liv Morgan locking lips with Dominik Mysterio could air stateside.

In what turned out to be her send-off from the company, Lynch felt like an afterthought. No major fanfare. No pomp or circ*mstance. Just a kind acknowledgment and an off-air “Thank you Becky” chant from the Raw crowd in Savannah, Georgia.

To be continued... That’s what Becky — or maybe we should say Rebecca Quin now — left us with on social media along with a photo of her walking down the halls the Enmarket Arena, presumably on her way home to be with her family.

Quin did exactly what she set out to do when she signed with WWE on developmental deal over 11 years ago. She changed the game. Shattered glass ceilings and helped leave the Women’s Division in far better shape than when she arrived.

Now it’s up to the rest of the roster to take the next step in her absence.

After last year’s Fastlane premium live event in Indianapolis, I had a chance to ask Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque about Edge, who had just departed the company to join rival AEW. Triple H expressed his gratitude for everything Adam Copeland had accomplished in WWE and said he was truly happy he found the right fit for him at this stage in his career.

At the same time, he spoke of the opportunity that was created when Copeland decided to leave.

“I guarantee you, if you’re a young person here trying and growing every day, for no negative reason, but when they see him walk away, they go, ‘Damn right I’m taking that spot.’ That creates opportunity. Everybody will step up their game to fill that role and there are a line of people way more than capable of taking it to the next level, just like he was when he came in here.”

Opportunity has been created once again, now that The Man will no longer be coming around for the foreseeable future. The biggest opportunity has now fallen into the lap of the reigning WWE Women’s World Champion.

Can Liv Morgan be the star she’s always had the potential to be?

WWE.com

Becky Lynch is gone. Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair and Asuka are injured and we do not know when they will be cleared for in-ring competition.

For the first time in her career, at least for the time being, Liv Morgan is the central figure in the Raw Women’s Division. She is the rock, the anchor, the quarterback — as Cody Rhodes likes to say.

It’s a true sink or swim moment for Morgan, who has long had the potential to be a top of the card competitor in WWE, but has yet to really have an opportunity to shoulder that responsibility.

Now is her chance.

I expect much of the show tonight, and in the weeks ahead, to center around Morgan and her on-going manipulation of the male members of The Judgment Day. That will appropriately slot Liv into the creative role that Ripley held before suffering that unfortunate injury that has keep her on the sidelines since April.

WWE does not have the luxury, however, of waiting around for Ripley to return to face Liv Morgan. The Women’s World Champion needs challengers — right now.

A parting gift from Becky Lynch to WWE, was her work with Lyra Valkyria. Quickly helping the former NXT Women’s Champion hit the ground running on the main roster and hopefully create a few new fans via their brief on-screen association.

Valkyria’s impressive run to the Queen of the Ring finals, and her run-ins with Morgan thanks to Lynch, has her in the prime position to challenge the Women’s World Champion first.

WWE would also be wise to immediately start leaning on and pushing some of the other talented women on the roster... Alba Fyre, Isla Dawn, Zoey Stark, and Shayna Baszler come to mind. The only issue is none of them are babyfaces.

There is now a major void on that side of the locker room. A potential driving force behind Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill’s next Tag Team Title program taking place on Raw as opposed to their home brand of SmackDown.

All three active members of Damage CTRL are at the top of the heel ladder alongside Liv, leaving them in a bit of a holding pattern for the time being. That is, unless a break-up of the group or a babyface turn is in the works.

IYO SKY has more than proven herself as a top of the line performer in WWE, while the company has yet to scratch the surface with either Dakota Kai or Kairi Sane. Both of whom have the talent to succeed at the highest level.

WWE.com

Alexa Bliss is true wildcard in the landscape of WWE’s Women’s Division.

It’s impossible to predict when and where, and in what form she’ll appear next, but she is exactly what the company needs right now. A babyface with star power and equity already built up with the fanbase. An instantly credible challenger for the new champ.

The 5-time Women’s World Champion has been out of action since her loss to Bianca Belair at the 2023 Royal Rumble.

Bliss and her husband, musician Ryan Cabrera, announced in May of that year that they were expecting their first child together and their daughter was born this past November.

There has been speculation that she could be nearing a return to the ring, but nothing concrete has been reported. Many fans believe they even caught a glimpse of her backstage at Raw this past Monday, although Bliss has denied it was her on social media — because, of course she would.

There’s also a running theory that Alexa will be involved with Bo Dallas and his long-rumored Wyatt 6 faction alongside her former tag team partner Nikki Cross, Dexter Lumis, NXT’s Joe Gacy and Erick Rowan.

As I said, a true wildcard, because who knows how that group will be presented or received by the WWE audience. Or how competitively they would be booked.

Given her past history with Bray Wyatt himself, it would make all the sense in the world for Bliss to help carry his legacy forward in WWE. The argument could also certainly be made that her credibility is needed more as a solo act to help solidify the Women’s Division with Becky Lynch now out of the picture.

That’s if Alexa is even ready to return to the ring.

Regardless, opportunities are abound in Lynch’s absence. It’ll be interesting to see who on the roster is able to take advantage. It’ll also be interesting to see, if someone outside of WWE can take advantage of the opportunity that has just been presented to them.

Rebecca Knox’d you the f—k out!

AEW’s X

There’s been a great amount of reckless speculation on the future on Rebecca Quin, dating back to last year when the news of her contract situation first broke.

I find it absolutely necessary to say this as publicly as possible since I lack a mountain top upon which I’d scream it: Absolutely no one knows if or when Becky Lynch will return to WWE, other than The Man herself. And she may not even know, for sure, at this point in time.

Would it make all the sense in the world for her to take an extended hiatus to spend some quality time with her daughter and husband, and then return to action once Seth Rollins is healthy enough to hit the road? Absolutely it would.

Could that be the plan? Sure it could. Do we know for sure? We do not.

The only thing that is 100% certain is that Becky Lynch, as of this past Saturday, is no longer a WWE Superstar. She is a free agent. ‘Free’ being the key word in that sentence. She can do anything she pleases and take any opportunity that comes her way. Whether that be from Hollywood or another wrestling promotion.

The latest reports say that WWE representatives have communicated a desire to continue working with Lynch in the future, and those close to Becky are not expecting her to sign with another company — at least... as things stand right now.

As she said on The MMA Hour prior to WrestleMania XL, Becky Lynch knows the value she brings to WWE. Rebecca Quin, however, is about to find out how much she’s worth now that she’s hitting the open market.

Echoing sentiments put out last week by Andrew Baydala on X, Tony Khan should offer up a blank check to bring Quin to All Elite Wrestling. Whatever it would take for her to re-think her ‘WWE for life’ position, TK should hand it over and smile.

The opportunity to sign a star the caliber of Rebecca Quin, still in her prime no less, does not happen often. Even if she ultimately turns him down, Khan owes it to himself and the AEW audience to swing for the fences.

Industry experts predict that Quin will receive the largest contract offer of any woman in pro wrestling history, especially now that companies can compete for her services. If Tony Khan wants to pull off his own heist of the century, he’s likely going to have go above and beyond by - potentially - offering her the largest contract in AEW history.

If she says no, she says no. But if she says yes... it’s on Tony Khan to then go ‘All In’ on his Women’s Division.

One of the biggest criticisms of Khan’s tenure as AEW President and CEO has been his handling of the women’s roster. Giving credit where it’s due, he’s made monumental strides in addressing those issues in recent months.

If Rebecca Quin is brought into the fold, Khan has to follow through on a platform and program worthy of the investment he would have made to bring her to the company.

Whether she debuts as Rebecca Quin, Rebecca Knox (her old name prior to joining WWE) or a whole new persona all together, she should immediately confront Timeless Toni Storm and punch her in the throat. Give Mariah May a Man-handle Slam and smash Luther in the face with the AEW Women’s title belt before proudly holding it above her head.

A message that Rebecca Quin and, in a metaphorical sense, Tony Khan are not messing around now that The Man is All Elite.

No disrespect to Swerve Strickland, Will Ospreay, MJF or any other talent in consideration, but Quin vs. Storm for the AEW Women’s Championship is the main event at Wembley Stadium.

Like I said, Tony Khan should go ‘All In’ on the Women’s Division.

Landing two blue chippers in Rebecca Quin and Mercedes Moné in the same year, would be quite the power play for a company currently trying to land a new TV rights deal.

Adding Quin, a proven ratings and revenue draw, to a roster that already has Moné, Toni Storm, Dr. Britt Baker, Thunder Rosa, Taya Valkyrie, Hikaru Shida, Athena, Saraya and emerging stars like Willow Nightingale, Kris Statlander and Mariah May would be an undeniable force for Tony Khan to wield on weekly television.

Will it happen?

If you asked me to put a sizeable amount of money on it, I’d probably say no. But within the last three years, we’ve seen Cody Rhodes return to WWE and win the main event of WrestleMania, CM Punk is back in WWE, Stone Cold Steve Austin came out of retirement and Vince McMahon retired, un-retired, and was then removed from the company after it was sold in a merger with UFC.

This is professional wrestling. ANYTHING can happen when opportunity knocks. Or should I say... ‘Knox’?

You can follow Rick Ucchino on X/Twitter and stay tuned for more in depth interviews with WWE and AEW talent here on Cageside Seats.