RAW: Two Sides of “A Dangerous Triangle”
After completely taking over last week’s Friday Night SmackDown, the NXT roster showed up at this week’s Monday Night RAW with plans to do the same. Unlike last Friday, NXT didn’t do a clean sweep of the whole rival roster, but they did continue to put more things in motion for Survivor Series:
One of which was this Triple Threat match, between RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley—who received quite the statement from NXT on Friday night—and NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler.
It all started during Becky’s sit-down interview with Charly Caruso, discussing the announcement of this Triple Threat match. Becky stated she “loved” what she saw on SmackDown last week, “‘Cause who knows better than ‘The Man’ what a well-timed takeover can do for your reputation?” (True.) She also called the upcoming match “a dangerous triangle” between WWE’s three Women’s Champions, where, for once, she’s “the target” instead of “the one out for retribution.”
When Charly asked Becky why she considers herself a target, “The Man” was quite matter of fact about her situation:
“Well, because I beat Bayley’s best friend Sasha Banks onto the injured list at Hell in a Cell. And I knocked Shayna’s bestie Ronda Rousey into hiding at WrestleMania. So…”
There were no follow-up questions from Charly after that, as Shayna Baszler came into the room, politely taking her chair and finishing up the interview on her behalf.
“Hello, Becky. I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you face-to-face.”
Shayna said she knows all about Becky and how she’s been touted as “a shiny example” of the talent that comes from NXT.
“You know I’m friends with Ronda Rousey. We train together. You beat Ronda at WrestleMania. I’m gonna make something very clear, Becky Lynch: I’m not Ronda Rousey. And at Survivor Series, I’m not gonna take my eyes off of Bayley, but I wanted to come here—eye-to-eye, champion-to-champion—and tell you that I am going to pin you or I am going to tap you out. And the only thing you’ll have to think about between now and Survivor Series is which one of your limbs will belong to me.”
Becky’s response?
“Now I don’t know you, so I haven’t fully decided whether I respect you or whether to slap the head off you. Yet. But I’m glad we got this chance to talk, so that you can feel the same doubt that Ronda felt. Because warring with me will change you. Like it did the rest of them. So at Survivor Series, Shayna, I won’t be taking my eyes off Bayley either. But I am coming directly for you.”
The two champions then stood face-to-face, ready to see each other at Survivor Series. “Bring your best,” Becky told Shayna. “‘Cause I’ll show you how the real ‘Baddest Woman on the Planet’ is.”