Moments after making her thrilling return at SummerSlam 2021 in Las Vegas on Saturday, Becky Lynch defeated Bianca Belair in a matter of seconds to become the new SmackDown Women's Champion.

Sasha Banks was initially scheduled to challenge Belair for the title. After the latter made her entrance, however, it was announced that Banks was unable to compete. Carmella was announced as Banks' replacement. Suddenly, Lynch appeared and attacked Carmella before placing herself in the match instead.

Although Lynch's return served as a special surprise for the fans in Las Vegas and the general WWE Universe, the company's decision to take the title off Belair in that fashion has led to immense criticism.

Andrew Zarian of the Matmen Pro Wrestling podcast (h/t WrestlingNews.co) reports that the initial plan called for Lynch to indeed appear at SummerSlam, but not to leave as the new SmackDown Women's Champion.

"I was told this was not gonna be the ending, obviously," Zarian said. "She was gonna show up on this card. Becky Lynch was always gonna come out for this live crowd. That was not something that was last minute. The title change was the difference, that was something new. That was not planned…that was an adjustment, they made it and we’ll see where it goes on Friday."

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Lynch, who spent nearly two years as a top babyface before going on maternity leave in May 2020, reportedly requested to turn heel. It was also reported that WWE chairman Vince McMahon called for the title to change hands in order to make Lynch's return even stronger.

The decision to portray Lynch as a heel is certainly a risky one. At SummerSlam 2018, WWE attempted to make her a heel by attacking Charlotte Flair. But that only led to a giant and sudden increase in Lynch's popularity, and the company had no choice but to make her a top face.

A SummerSlam Event For The Ages

SummerSlam 2021 was filled with high quality matches, and the surprise returns of Lynch and Lesnar certainly made the show even better. The good news for Belair fans is that WWE reportedly isn't planning to end her push, so she'll presumably remain in the SmackDown Women's Championship hunt. Lynch and Lesnar make the WWE product that much more enticing, and for company officials, their returns came at an ideal time — considering that the rival AEW promotion brought in CM Punk a day earlier.

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