WWE's Growing Becky Lynch Problem

Almost exactly five years removed from her breakthrough moment as The Man, Becky Lynch is struggling to reach those same heights of popularity.

She's a household name and has attained incredible success throughout her career, including being the single-hottest act in all of WWE at one point in time.

Lynch remains a top talent in every sense and always finds herself in a prominent position on television. She's an exceptional performer capable of carrying shows, holding gold, elevating opponents and electrifying audiences.

However, it's become clear she's hit a wall if her less-than-stellar last year has been any indication.

She last competed for singles gold at SummerSlam 2022, and in that time, WWE has done everything imaginable to keep her busy outside of the title picture. Unfortunately, nothing has seemed to stick.

Her upcoming return to NXT, where she'll challenge Tiffany Stratton for the NXT Women's Championship, might be what finally reignites her flame. The former WrestleMania headliner's recent steel-cage triumph over Trish Stratus helped light the spark.

WWE's growing problem with the booking of Becky Lynch is painfully apparent but can still be remedied.

Looking Back at Her Last Year in WWE

Lynch's year-long heel run from SummerSlam 2021 through SummerSlam 2022 was impeccable and featured some of her strongest work ever, yet Triple H's decision to turn her back babyface at the latter event was a wise one.

Her two heel runs only endeared her to the audience that much more. She returned from injury in November 2022 to a thunderous reaction ahead of Survivor Series and it appeared she would pick up right where she left off in her rivalry with Damage CTRL.

The Man's series of matches with Bayley led to her capturing the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship with Lita followed by feuding with Trish Stratus. Everything connected so seamlessly, but none of those angles lived up to the hype.

The abysmal booking of Damage CTRL killed interest in that program, her tag title reign with alongside Lita was short-lived, and the Stratus storyline fell flat.

While WWE bares a majority of the blame for how they've handled her and not Lynch herself, it has resulted in her feeling significantly less special than was a year or two ago. She's a top attraction on the Raw brand but far from the focal point.

It begs the question of where the company went wrong and what could have been done differently to avoid Lynch losing her luster the way she has.

Returning to Her Roots as The Man

Lynch quickly ditched her Big Time Becks persona that was synonymous with her heel run and reverted to her tried-and-true as The Man, or so fans thought.

She's been utilizing the nickname in promos over the last year and it's back to being a big part of her presentation, but she's done next to nothing that would fall in line with what The Man once stood for.

Gone are the days of Lynch rebelling against authority and going against the grain. She's actually in the opposite position with the WWE machine behind her and not facing any real adversity.

Granted, she was outnumbered in her rivalries with Damage CTRL and Trish Stratus, but nothing about either angle stood out as special. She didn't click with them as well as she did Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey years ago, so not having hot heels to work with has hurt considerably.

A slight character shift could do wonders for her going forward. She can remain The Man while also upping the intensity and letting her actions do more of the talking compared to the subpar promo material she's been subjected to as of late.

How a Brief Stint in NXT Can Be Beneficial

Charlotte Flair, Ronda Rousey and Bianca Belair all brought the best out of Becky Lynch. The programs with Bayley and Trish Stratus had the potential to be special but weren't able to capture that same magic.

Tiffany Stratton could prove to be the perfect foil she desperately needs right now.

Stratton sat ringside for Lynch's matches on Raw last week and against Stratus at Payback the subsequent Saturday. Lynch then set her sights on Stratton's NXT Women's Championship, which she announced she'll challenge for on Tuesday's episode.

All signs point to it be more than a one-off for Lynch in NXT, especially with the brand's No Mercy event coming up at the end of the month. Regardless of when it is, there's a strong chance she will capture the one title that has always alluded her, if only for a brief period.

NXT did something similar with Charlotte Flair in 2020 and no one benefited from it, not even Flair herself. This run for Lynch can be beneficial if she doesn't steamroll Stratton and the two are instead allowed to have a competitive rivalry.

Stratton has had an impressive run so far but hasn't faced anyone the caliber of Lynch. Putting the belt on Lynch would freshen up The Man's stagnant character and give her a whole new batch of stars to work with for the foreseeable future.

Again, if executed properly, Lynch being back in NXT can be a big positive for everyone.

Why She Must Avoid Becoming Raw's Charlotte Flair Equivalent

Once her NXT return runs its course, Lynch will inevitably resurface on Raw and be stuck in the same spot she was in previously.

WWE has clearly kept her out of contention for the Raw/World Women's Championship because there's a bigger plan in place for that. They've managed to have her kill time with Damage CTRL and Trish Stratus this past year, sometimes stretching those storylines out longer than they needed to.

The worst thing that the company can do with her is make her the Raw equivalent to Charlotte Flair, in that she's constantly in contention for a championship because they have nothing for her to do otherwise.

The aforementioned angles may have been underwhelming, but they were a better use of Lynch than making her a fixture in the title scene similar to Flair on SmackDown. Fans would turn on The Man much quicker if that were the case.

Lynch nor Flair need titles at all times in order to stay relevant. There are other stories that can be told with them. The key is finding out what those are and building up other women they can feasibly feud with.

They have a lot to contribute in other areas of the division that don't deal with championships. Lynch has luckily avoided that so far and should continue to do so.

A WrestleMania Match with Rhea Ripley Is the Endgame, but Then What?

Upon unseating Charlotte Flair as SmackDown Women's champion at WrestleMania 39, Rhea Ripley took the title to Raw and rebranded it as the Women's World Championship. She's only had a handful of title defenses since then against Zelina Vega, Natalya and Raquel Rodriguez.

Above all else, she has suffered from a lack of credible competition. Of course, Lynch would be the biggest threat to her title yet, but WWE seems to be holding off on that marquee match until down the road, most likely WrestleMania 40.

They've never crossed paths one-on-one on the main roster, and Ripley is one of the few fresh opponents left Lynch hasn't feuded with. It's a WrestleMania-worthy encounter, but if Ripley is champion for a full year by that point, she shouldn't be losing to Lynch.

The purpose of the program should be to have Ripley beat another notable name on The Grandest Stage of Them All, not give Lynch another title run she doesn't need.

Beyond 'Mania, there's no obvious direction for her to go in. She's been a heel twice before and will have spent a considerable amount of time on all three brands, leaving her with nothing left to do or strive for.

Figuring out that next step is also a part of the problem WWE has with her at the moment, another piece of the puzzle that should fall into place as that endgame draws near.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.