Becky Lynch Returning Too Soon, Ezekiel Crushing It, More WWE, AEW Quick Takes

Becky Lynch's recent absence from WWE Raw has been felt, but there's no need for her return to be rushed.Credit: WWE.com

We're less than a month removed from Becky Lynch losing her Raw Women's Championship to Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 38, but WWE is rushing her return to Raw.

Big Time Becks is being advertised for Monday's episode. Although it promises to be a must-see appearance, she would have benefited from an extended hiatus from WWE TV after being featured so prominently on the show prior to dropping the title.

In her absence, the former Elias—now known as Ezekiel—has quickly become one of the best parts of the program. His weekly segments with Kevin Owens have been beyond ridiculous, and his lie detector test from the latest edition of Raw was no exception.

An act like Ezekiel has no business being as entertaining as it is, but it goes to show that WWE will push whoever it sees fit. Coming off a report from Fightful Select's Sean Ross Sapp on Tuesday, the company is interested in bringing back All Elite Wrestling's FTR eventually, though whether the tag team intend to take the promotion up on an offer after how underwhelming their previous main-roster run was remains to be seen.

This installment of Quick Takes will tackle why FTR's return down the road wouldn't be so surprising, Sammy Guevara's much-needed heel turn, Theory capturing the United States Championship and more.

Bianca Belair besting Becky Lynch for the Raw Women's Championship at WrestleMania 38 was exactly what needed to happen in order for their storyline to be paid off properly. As exciting of a moment as it was for Belair, there were even more questions surrounding what would be next for Lynch.

The Man had spent the previous eight months dominating the Raw women's division as its champion and overcoming every obstacle in her way. There was no reason to resume her rivalry with Belair immediately after 'Mania, so Lynch taking time off to refresh her character made the most sense.

The summer season would have been ideal, or at the very least she could have resurfaced following WrestleMania Backlash to rekindle her feud with Belair heading into Hell in a Cell. As it turns out, she will be back Monday instead.

While Raw's women's division isn't firing on all cylinders, there's enough going on with Belair, Sonya Deville, Rhea Ripley and others to the point that Lynch isn't needed at the moment. Unless the idea is to turn her back into a babyface already, there's no obvious direction for her character to go in.

Lynch could have used another month or two away from WWE's flagship show. Regardless, it will be interesting to see what she has in store for the WWE Universe on Monday night.

WWE's reported interest in FTR now that they have reached their highest point of popularity yet is hardly surprising. Even less surprising would be if FTR were to return to WWE, albeit not anytime soon.

As unhappy as FTR were toward the end of their WWE run, wrestling fans should be well aware by now that virtually anyone can come back to the company if the circumstances are right. Cody Rhodes' recent return despite being an EVP in AEW up until a few months ago is a prime example of this.

Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, known as The Revival in WWE, are no exception to that.

Tag team wrestling is clearly valued in AEW, whereas it's an afterthought in WWE. That should lead them to steering clear of their former home for the next several years and then reevaluating the possibility the next time they become free agents.

Until then, it's silly to believe they wouldn't entertain the idea of going back to WWE for one final run and to show the promotion what it missed out on the first time around.

With how hard he's been pushed on the Raw roster this year, Theory winning the United States Championship from Finn Balor on Monday's Raw was only logical.

Balor was never meant to be more than a transitional champion, but Theory taking the title from him was the best thing WWE could have done for both him and the championship. Not only is Theory now wearing his first piece of gold in the company, but he should now also use it as a vehicle to continue climbing up the card.

Theory is far from ready for the main event scene, but he will be in due course.

He's shown he has the in-ring ability befitting a top talent in WWE and is getting better on the mic as well. There isn't much that he lacks aside from a strong connection with the crowds.

The star-spangled prize has long been utilized as a prop by the promotion and nothing more. It's been a great while since someone reigned as U.S. champ and was better off after the fact, but Theory can change that if used correctly.

Most previous U.S. champs lost more than they should have and were never a focal point on the program, but Theory should be the exact opposite with all he has to offer.

Although Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti have been legitimately linked for a few months now, it wasn't until Marcg that AEW started acknowledging their relationship on television. The boos became more and more noticeable every week that passed and, eventually, AEW's only option was to turn them heel.

Their first promo as a heel couple on Wednesday's Dynamite proved AEW made the right choice in switching up their characters. How much genuine heat they will be able to produce in the months ahead is unknown, but what wasn't necessary was the decision to put the AEW TNT Championship back on Guevara for a third time.

Granted, it elicited the reaction the promotion wanted it to at Battle of the Belts II, but there isn't anything compelling about Guevara being the champ.

The division has died a slow death in the past six months with how many times the title has changed hands and for how many rematches we've seen. Guevara is no doubt a talented competitor, but he feels overexposed in the title hunt, and fresher faces like Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland would benefit more from being in that spot instead.

The Spanish God has always been a natural heel, and thus he should thrive being back in this role. But his character development doesn't need to come at the expense of the TNT title and everyone else who could be in the hunt for it.

Elias' return on the post-WrestleMania 38 after almost eight months away to confront Kevin Owens was an unexpected treat, especially once he revealed that he was, in fact, Elias' younger brother, Ezekiel.

The segment was so stupid that it was entertaining. The follow-up the next week with Tommaso Ciampa joining in on the fun backstage was equally entertaining, along with the lie detector test Owens conducted on Ezekiel on Raw with the help of Chad Gable.

With almost anyone else involved, this storyline wouldn't work nearly as well. However, because Owens is a comedic genius and Elias shines in these sorts of situations, it's been a blast.

Of course, with no endgame in sight, there's no telling how much longer WWE will be able to prolong the program. It could wear out its welcome before May arrives for all we know, which is why it's important to enjoy angles of this nature while they last.

Raw has been known to feature a terrific match or two every now and again, but a storyline that is more entertainment-based than sports-based is always appreciated when done right. WWE has struck gold with Ezekiel and Owens and should keep finding ways to maintain its momentum before the program inevitably runs its course.

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.