The Man is back and that’s great for Natalya

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Natalya

Raw Women’s championship Submission match

After Becky Lynch was coronated in the main event of WrestleMania, the Man persona took a hit.

She was thrusted into a feud with Lacey Evans that dragged on for months (three pay-per-views!). They also paired her with her real life boyfriend Seth Rollins, never shutting up about the fact they were couple. An underwhelming challenger and an onscreen challenger dulled the sharp persona of the Man.

That’s why it was so refreshing to see a return to form for her upcoming match with Natalya. And it’s something that Nattie has benefitted from as well.

Immediately after the Queen of Harts won her way into a SummerSlam title match against her friend Becky, Lynch got into a ring and dropped a hot promo on Nattie, telling her that as long as they’re feuding for this title, they’re no longer friends. As long as it’s for the title, it’s a war. Natalya got the hint quickly and responded in kind. And after just one promo segment, a feud that could easily be “meh” on paper looked to have some real life to it.

We saw more of the side of Becky that we fell in love with over the last year in this program. Her unprovoked attack when Nattie was training with Fit Finlay (who took a knee to the crotch for just helping) may be heelish, but it’s the kind of take no prisoners attitude that Becky was all about when she was riding most high last year.

Her promos are back on point as well. Even though some of them are confined to Twitter, she’s hitting the right notes to sell this feud.

Nattie is responding to Becky’s talk of war appropriately. This story has pushed her limits as a babyface, which is what Becky challenged her to do. Just last Monday, Nattie got disqualified by not breaking the Sharpshooter when Becky grabbed the rope. It was a heel move and one the fans booed, but it was also warranted. After all, Becky did attack her during a training session unprovoked.

Nattie’s aggression and the fact this is now a submission match makes this a challenge for Lynch. Bex is most likely going to win the match, but she’ll have her work cut out for her. And after Lynch retains, she’ll come out of this program having rediscovered the character that a three month Lacey Evans’ feud hindered. Meanwhile, Nattie’s new attitude could position her as a heel for up and coming babyfaces to overcome.

Because of promos mentioning Ronda Rousey or Sasha Banks, there are fans hoping that at the end of this match, one of those two women will reveal themselves as Lynch’s next challenger. And obvious that would be very exciting. But even if that doesn’t happen, this story has been enjoyable in its own right, has returned the Man to form, and has given Nattie a new character wrinkle to play with.

That alone has been worth it.

Natalya will challenge Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s title at SummerSlam tonight, starting at 7 ET on the WWE Network. And keep it here to CagesideSeats.com for all of your SummerSlam coverage.