One of the best stories WWE is currently telling is also one of its most exhausting to have casual or even — and maybe especially — more in depth discussions on: Becky Lynch turning against Charlotte Flair, and everything that has come after it.
On television, it’s meant two best friends are mired in a feud of passion, one where Becky feels she deserves what Charlotte has and maybe has a legitimate case for that but is acting out in ways that are nearly impossible to justify; Charlotte, meanwhile, feels she has had to work incredibly hard to earn her way despite and maybe because of the perceived privilege her last name entails, and her success is a direct result of that. She won, fair and square, within the rules, and that Becky has torn their friendship apart over a title makes clear who the villain in all this actually is, or should be.
Online, however, that’s not really how this is playing out.
Instead, fans are debating whether or not Lynch is actually still a babyface despite her actions, and whether Charlotte is a heel despite hers. Or perhaps Becky is not a babyface, and that’s okay. Even Road Dogg, who works on SmackDown Live, is on Twitter arguing with fans about it and he seems to come down somewhere in the middle:
I don’t see her as a heel. I just see her as a Bad A$$ but I guess we see things differently
— Brian G. James (@WWERoadDogg) September 13, 2018
Earlier in the same conversation, he told a fan he’s simply asking them to “pick a side,” though it’s unclear if he means in regards to Becky and Charlotte and how fans may view them through their actions — and, just as importantly, their motivations for those actions — within the story they’re telling. That would seem to be the case, and it would make the most sense.
Really, that’s probably the best answer Road Dogg can give at this point, if the question is whether Lynch is a heel or babyface: You decide.
There’s an argument to be made that you should not be blaming WWE for the story not making clear who should be the babyface or the heel, because a nuanced story such as this lends itself to ambiguity, moral and otherwise. You are not all bad, and you are not all good. Judging you as if you must be one or the other is hugely detrimental, and not conducive to any kind of growth or progression. That’s no different within the context of this story.
Perhaps there are reasons Lynch should be booked differently related to WWE’s bottom line but, as a fan, how much money WWE makes should be the last of your concerns. They are telling a story, a damn good one, and one where they are allowing you to decide how you feel without drawing out in crayon how you should feel. That’s a victory for you, dear fan.
Becky Lynch is a babyface.
Becky Lynch is a heel.
Becky Lynch is a badass.
Becky Lynch is nothing, and Becky Lynch is everything.
Becky Lynch is whatever you want her to be.
Good on WWE for telling a story that makes all of those statements true.