Becky Lynch Removed from Survivor Series Match vs. Ronda Rousey Due to Injury
November 13, 2018
WWE removed Becky Lynch from her Survivor Series match against Ronda Rousey, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Dave Meltzer confirmed Tuesday.
WWE announced she won't be able to compete because of a broken face.
Lynch went after Rousey and led an attack on the Raw women's division by SmackDown Live Monday night.
Lynch's star is on the rise, and a high-profile match against Rousey had the potential to take her to another level. The image of her standing defiantly on Raw with a broken nose made her look iconic.
The key for The Irish Lass Kicker and WWE is capitalizing on her current momentum without the benefit of Survivor Series, and in that sense, her injury could be a blessing in disguise.
In all likelihood, Lynch would have lost to Rousey on Sunday or earned a victory in such a way that didn't definitively make her the better wrestler on the night. Had that happened, it could have stunted the progress she has made to this point.
For example, the wind slowly started going out of Asuka's sail as soon as she lost to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34. In the months since, The Empress of Tomorrow has gone from an undefeated, unstoppable monster to being an afterthought in SmackDown Live's women's division.
WWE can go in one of two different directions with Lynch vs. Rousey. The creative team can either move it to the next pay-per-view, TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in December, or it can slowly build to the clash at a major event such as the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania 35.
Having Lynch drop the SmackDown Live Women's Championship and then win the women's Royal Rumble match to set up a WrestleMania date with Rousey would arguably be better than the original Survivor Series plan.
Few things would bolster Lynch's aura more than being the first woman in the ring and running through the competition en route to a Royal Rumble victory.
This isn't a parallel to Finn Balor dropping the Universal Championship one day after winning it at SummerSlam 2016. The Irishman's career has still to recover.
Unlike Balor, Lynch shouldn't be out of action for multiple months, and she's hotter among fans at the moment than her countryman was when he captured the universal title. Her removal from Survivor Series is a setback, but it doesn't have to ground her sustained push to a halt.