Bianca Belair on Jade Cargill Dream Match, What's Next in WWE and More

Bianca Belair is back following a two-month absence, and her presence on WWE SmackDown was undoubtedly missed by fans.

It was a well-earned vacation for The EST of WWE, who previously reigned as Raw women's champion for over 400 days. But she remained busy during her hiatus, collaborating with NBC Sports and Sunday Night Football to tackle what's commonly referred to as the Sunday night "scaries."

Belair is no stranger to maintaining a hectic work schedule as her star continues to rise. She's served as one of the biggest and brightest cornerstones of the WWE women's division the past three years and has merely scratched the surface of what more she can do.

That includes mixing it up with the decorated Charlotte Flair and newcomer Jade Cargill. She teased colliding with the former prior to her recent return, and a one-on-one outing with the latter has been a dream match for many for a long while now.

Belair sat down with Bleacher Report ahead of her comeback to the blue brand to discuss Flair and Cargill being on her radar, who else she has her sights set on, Raw potentially moving off Mondays, and more.

Check out the complete video of the interview on the next slide and read on for the highlights.

Experiencing the Sunday Scaries

A driving factor behind Belair's strong connection to the WWE audience is her relatability and how her on-screen character is essentially an extension of her actual self.

As such, she experiences life in the same way most do, including the aforementioned Sunday "scaries."

NBC described them as "feelings of anxiety that occur every Sunday before the start of a new work week," with a recent survey revealing 80 percent of professionals experience the Sunday Scaries that evening.

Even with her abnormal work week starting later than most, Belair includes herself in that statistic.

"When I learned what they were about, I realized I have the Sunday scaries and it affects me," she told B/R. "I love Sunday Night Football because for once, I get to be on the other side. For me, my work week typically starts on Fridays with SmackDown and we have Saturday and Sunday live events, but for the most part, Sunday is my last day of work, and so I really get to unwind by watching Sunday Night Football."

She added that her weekly football viewing also involves husband Montez Ford and his tag team partner, Angelo Dawkins, who are currently in the middle of a heel turn with Bobby Lashley.

Saturday Night PLEs and Raw Potentially Moving off Mondays

Belair doesn't have a preference between working Raw and SmackDown because she's still on the road for the same stretch of time.

"It's essentially the same, it's just that your big TV day goes from Friday to Monday," she said. "In WWE, there's never one day or week that looks the same, so you have to stay prepared and go with the flow and stay on schedule."

Regardless of what brand she finds herself on, the 34-year-old enjoys having something to look forward to when her WWE commitments for the week are over, primarily watching football with Ford when they return home.

Thankfully for the former Raw and SmackDown women's champion, it doesn't conflict with WWE's premium live events, which moved from Sundays to Saturdays in early 2022.

"I was here for a while when the PLEs were still on Sundays and then switched over to Saturdays," Belair said. "I think it's great because you're not worrying about having to get in late or you're watching the show and looking at your watch and already looking ahead to Monday and you can't live in the moment."

In response to a report by John Ourand of Sports Business Journal that Raw could be moving off Mondays eventually, Belair didn't scoff at the possibility.

"I know we're used to hearing Monday Night Raw, so we'll just have to see what happens in the future," she said. "I know it's been a routine for so many people for so long, but things change and evolve. We'll see what happens. If it moves from Mondays to another night, you have another night to look forward to."

Rekindling Her Rivalry with Damage CTRL

Before making her grand return to SmackDown on Friday, Belair was last seen on WWE TV on the post-SummerSlam episode being ambushed backstage by Damage CTRL, a group she has had a heated rivalry with dating back to the summer of 2022.

Although The EST reigned supreme in a Triple Threat at SummerSlam to capture the rechristened WWE Women's Championship for a second time, Iyo Sky cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase immediately afterward to seize the title.

No longer having gold around her waist has been an unfamiliar feeling for Belair, but getting it back and exacting revenge on Sky, Bayley and Dakota Kai in the process is her No. 1 goal now that she's back on the blue brand.

"I feel like I was champion for a very, very, very, very long time," she said. "It's great to be at the time, but I feel like it's been a change of pace and Iyo Sky is amazing. It's going to be very hard to knock her off of that throne, especially with her surrounded by Bayley and now Dakota's back in the mix.

"It was just a change of pace for me and I've never wanted to mess with what I had going on because if it's not broken, don't fix it. And I was champion for so long and it wasn't broken. I'm not saying it's broken now, but [I'm] just coming back with a different mentality."

Working with Charlotte Flair

As part of her road back to the WWE Women's Championship, Belair forged a temporary alliance with Charlotte Flair to combat Damage CTRL. They were back on the same side last week when she saved The Queen from being laid out by the treacherous trio.

The two have gone one-on-one in the past, including in a Raw Women's Championship main event in October 2021, but they have yet to clash since Belair was drafted to SmackDown this spring.

A WrestleMania match between them would write itself if they continue on their current path.

In the meantime, Flair and Belair seem set to resume their partnership as they battle Damage CTRL.

"Before I left, it was really cool to work with Charlotte," Belair said. "Everybody knows Charlotte is someone I've really looked up to and always wanted to get in the ring with. It was really cool to be in the ring with her and tag with her before SummerSlam."

Belair's sights are firmly set on regaining the gold she lost at SummerSlam and settling the score with Damage CTRL once and for all.

"Right now, I'm just focused on coming back and going after Iyo," she said. "And when you're fighting Iyo, you're fighting three people essentially, and I've been fighting Damage CTRL for what feels like two years, so we're stuck together at this point. But I'm not going anywhere."

Why Crossing Paths with Jade Cargill Is Inevitable

All Elite Wrestling standout Jade Cargill put pen to paper with WWE in September and immediately made headlines, specifically with fans buzzing about the many matches that could become a reality.

Leading the list of potential opponents for the inaugural and longest-reigning TBS champion was none other than Bianca Belair.

They dominated their respective divisions from 2021 through 2023 and were among the best booked stars in either promotion. A bout between the two is inevitable, and The EST is awaiting the day when they can share the squared circle together.

"I'd always get questions about facing Jade before she came to WWE, and I'd always say, 'Everybody always wants what they can't have.' But now, it's a possibility, so it's very exciting," she said. "Everybody's talking about Bianca Belair vs. Jade Cargill, and I think that would be a WrestleMania-caliber match, but also a tag team. I'm very excited for it."

Cargill has yet to make Raw, SmackDown or NXT her home, but we're getting closer to that being set in stone with every appearance she makes.

If she doesn't wind up on the blue brand straight out of the gate, Belair is confident she'll succeed in WWE ahead of their eventual encounter and is ecstatic to see the company rolling out the red carpet for her already.

"I think it's amazing she's been able to make a name for herself and the hype she's been able to build around herself before even having a match," Belair said. "I'm looking forward to her hitting the scene and riding the momentum and not letting up with that.

"I've said before that I'm here to bring myself and my culture and representation to the table, and having Jade here will add more to it... We have the best women's roster in the world, so adding Jade to it will only benefit us even more."

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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.