One of the biggest surprises of SummerSlam was Becky Lynch returning and beating Bianca Belair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Fans were happy to see Lynch back in action after leaving in May 2020 due to her pregnancy, but how she beat Belair made fans very angry. WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella was asked about her favorite moment from SummerSlam and used the time to react to the Belair losing the title.
“I can tell you what wasn’t my favorite moment and it was when she lost [points over to Bianca Belair, who was also at the event]. That definitely was not my favorite moment,” Nikki said per Wrestling Inc.”I don’t actually know if I had a favorite moment, because, you know, I’ve always backed the women and always for the women. You have someone like Bianca, who is such an incredible talent and you can’t help but get frustrated when you see moments like that of like, a championship that meant so much and was lost within seconds. So, I have to admit, for this SummerSlam, there truly wasn’t anything that was my favorite moment.”
DAMN
Nikki Bella went off about Bianca Belair’s loss. Go Nikki! pic.twitter.com/tiA7xUFgwU
— Jessi Davin (@jessithebuckeye) August 22, 2021
Bella also mentioned that the win sets up a storyline between the two competitors, but it should have been “built differently.” Originally, Belair was scheduled to face Sasha Banks in a WrestleMania rematch. But before the match started, the ring announcer said that Banks was unable to compete and Carmella would take her place. Shortly after Carmella entered, Lynch’s music hit and then challenged Belair to a match.
The match only last close to 30 seconds after Lynch hit a forearm and the ManHandle Slam (a new finisher similar to The Rock’s Rock Bottom) on Belair. This is the fourth time Lynch has won the title and was the first to win the championship back in September 2016.
“I’m just trying to collect my thoughts and get my mind together,” Belair said to Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture about the loss, per Wrestling Inc. “Everything happened quickly and so fast. I was ready to fight Sasha Banks, and Becky came out, which was an amazing moment. I’m happy to be part of that moment, but I lost my title and right now, I’m just emotional and trying to wrap my mind around it. I have to be honest, I feel defeated right now and okay with being vulnerable, and being honest about that. I’m ready to get my title back.”