It’s been the SmackDown Women’s championship feud for almost as long as there’s been a SmackDown Women’s championship, and tonight (Jan. 17) was supposed to be the end of it. Outside interference from a masked wrestler led to the match being booked for a steel cage so champion Alexa Bliss and challenger Becky Lynch could determine things one-on-one.
It was also the rumored debut of a past Women’s champ.
The steel cage match happened, as did the reveal of Mickie James as La Luchadora, but years of watching pro wrestling tells me this isn’t the end.
Luchadora blocked the exit in the match’s final moments, but when Lynch used that opportunity to lock in her armbar finish, the masked woman kicked her in the head. Bliss then connected with a DDT and pinned her rival to retain.
DDT by @AlexaBliss_WWE for the ONE TWO THREE!! #SteelCage #SDLive #LaLuchadora pic.twitter.com/n1TZ1bHfqW
— WWE (@WWE) January 18, 2017
Heels being heels, however, after they posed with their arms raised, the champ and her ally decided to put the boots to the Lasskicker. She fought back, managing to unmask Luchadora in the process - revealing James.
.@BeckyLynchWWE rips off the mask ... MICKIE JAMES is #LaLuchadora!!! @MickieJames @AlexaBliss_WWE #SDLive #SteelCage pic.twitter.com/WxjefvmtG6
— WWE (@WWE) January 18, 2017
We’ll have to wait for Mickie’s explanation, and for signs of what’s next for Bex and the title scene.
This was a pretty exciting development though, no?