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Becky Lynch Wins SmackDown Women's Championship at WWE Backlash 2016
September 12, 2016
Becky Lynch won a Six-Pack Challenge at WWE Backlash to become the first SmackDown women's champion Sunday night.
She locked Carmella into a Disarm-Her for the win.
WWE Universe captured an image of Lynch with her new belt and a quote from the new champ:
Bleacher Report's Kevin Berge and WrestlingINC.com provided their initial takes on the match:
After the match, Lynch tweeted her thoughts about the win:
The SmackDown women's division was initially shrouded in mystery after the Women's Championship was drafted by Raw as part of the brand split. In order to level the playing field, Commissioner Shane McMahon and general manager Daniel Bryan introduced the SmackDown Women's Championship on the blue brand's post-SummerSlam episode.
They announced Lynch, Nikki Bella, Carmella, Natalya, Naomi and Alexa Bliss would clash in a Six-Pack Challenge at Backlash, with the winner earning the right to headline the SmackDown women's division as the champion.
Prior to the announcement, Lynch, Carmella and Naomi were slated to face Nattie, Bliss and Eva Marie in a six-woman tag team match at SummerSlam.
That changed, however, when Eva was suspended for 30 days for violating WWE's wellness policy. With All Red Everything out of the equation, the door opened for Nikki to make a surprise return in a winning effort.
Upon the announcement of the Six-Pack Challenge, it didn't take long for SmackDown's women to jockey for position ahead of Backlash.
Carmella turned heel by attacking Nikki prior to a match and then doubled down by jumping her on Talking Smack afterward. Judging by their actions at Backlash, it appears WWE is building a feud between the two.
Becky and Alexa also built up a rivalry, while Naomi reinvented herself with a new look, and Natalya continued to make headway with her heel character.
All six Superstars appeared to be legitimate threats to win at Backlash, but the creative team went with arguably the best all-around performer in Lynch.
Among the first three members of NXT's Four Horsewomen to get called up to the main roster, Becky was the only one who had yet to win a title prior to Sunday.
She was deserving as a result of her excellent work in the ring and her progress as a character.
Lynch was the first woman drafted by SmackDown, and by virtue of becoming the first SmackDown women's champion, she has taken her rightful place as the face of the blue brand's women's division.
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