WWE Monday Night Raw: The 10 for February 11, 2019

3. Becky Lynch, part 2

A skeptical Lynch joins Stephanie and Triple H to close out the night, not entirely trusting that a simple, “I’m sorry,” will do enough to wipe away the events from the previous week and clear her path to Rousey at WrestleMania. Yet, she makes the apology, and with a handshake from both of her bosses and a “Congratulations, you’re going to WrestleMania,” from Triple H, Lynch believes the whole mess is behind her. Rousey hits the ring and it’s time for the standard stare down between two competitors on the warpath. Everything seems normal; yet, perhaps it is too normal.

Cue Vince McMahon.

McMahon decides that he will not accept Lynch’s apology and chooses to make an example out of her for her behavior. McMahon suspends Lynch for 60 days, which means she will miss WrestleMania and her date with Rousey as a result. He wants a champion who upholds the values of the WWE brand, one who has “charisma [and] charm.” That, according to McMahon, is Charlotte Flair.

While it was widely assumed that Flair would be added to the Lynch-Rousey WrestleMania main event, the path to getting there wasn’t very clear. But in the end, Flair’s addition happened in much the way many of her title opportunities have arrived of late — by having it handed to her. Flair is now the elder McMahon’s handpicked contender, while it appears that Stephanie and Triple H are backing Lynch as the best possible rival for Ronda.

The triple threat will happen, as it is what is (shoot) best for business. The (kayfabe) way to getting there has now become far more complicated, and it will be interesting to see what kind of intra-McMahon power struggle plays out to get Lynch back in April’s match. And the good news is that Lynch being a pawn in it all will only keep her momentum up with the fans over the next two months. Killing the fire that Lynch has built so organically was a big fear on the road to WrestleMania, but WWE certainly found a way to fan the flames on Monday.