What if Becky vs. Charlotte Becomes Austin vs. Bret?

One of the hottest stories in the WWE right now is on Smackdown Live right now, and it includes two women who have been an integral part of the women’s (R)Evolution in the WWE – 7x WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair and former Smackdown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch. For the past year, Becky has been infamously under-utilized, being in feuds that never fully amounted to “progress” towards the championship, despite developing a cult following within the WWE Universe as someone they wanted to rally behind. In the past few months, she’s suddenly turned a corner and seemed poised to become the next major challenger for the Smackdown Women’s Championship, but then all of a sudden, Charlotte Flair comes back and immediately gets put back in the main event. It results in a triple threat and Charlotte becoming a 2x Smackdown Women’s Champion and 7x WWE Women’s Champion of all time. And Becky Lynch snapped. She verbally berated Charlotte for stealing her spotlight and on last night’s Smackdown Live, she came out dressed in black, attacked Charlotte from behind, and swore to her on live television.

What if Becky vs. Charlotte Becomes Austin vs. Bret?

Now as cool as this was for some people, their a vocal presence that feels that WWE just neutered their next Daniel Bryan, and that everything has now gone to shit. But let’s be honest. It’s really too early to tell yet if this angle has the legs to match the balls its showing in trying to turn a largely pro-Becky WWE Universe against the Irish lasskicker. But let’s give it some breathing room. WWE has done this kind of thing before and it ended up being pretty successful. If there had been an internet, would people be saying the same thing about perennial nice guy Bret Hart turning heel, while the “more natural heel” Steve Austin was turned face?

In the mid 1990s, Bret “Hitman” Hart was one of the most beloved WWE Superstars of all time. After being an awkwardly cocky heel in the 1980s, Hart entered the 90s as a technically gifted Canadian country boy, who had manners over vitamins, and the best wishes for the entire world, not just a Real American Hero. When he returned from injury in 1996, Bret Hart returned a hero, and battled the new emerging midcard villain, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The former WCW star was gaining momentum after a failed start as The Ringmaster and a program with a returning Bret Hart was a great way to elevate him. The fought in Germany in early 1996 on the European tour on house shows, before having a 20 minute debut at the WWF Sun City Superbowl in South Africa. They brought the feud back to North America, where Bret beat Austin in a near 30 minute match at Survivor Series ’96, to become the #1 Contender to the WWF World Heavyweight Championship in Madison Square Garden.

Bret continued to shine, with Austin trailing him, in singles matches or tag team matches, until he faced Bret again for the now vacant WWF World Championship, in a fatal four way that included The Undertaker and Vader. Once again, Bret Hart won, claiming his fourth WWF World Heavyweight title in the process. The following night, Bret lost the title to Psycho Sid in a cagematch after The Undertaker interfered and cost Hart the title. Following the match, Bret Hart exploded cutting an expletive tirade at the WWF management and Vince McMahon, that was interrupted by Steve Austin. Suddenly the feud got personal.

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This lead to the infamous No Holds Barred Submission Match at WrestleMania 13 between the two, where Austin showed his testicular fortitude by passing out in his own blood rather than submit, while the great Canadian hero gave up on all his codes of ethics and used as many nefarious moves as possible to incapacitate and dismantle Stone Cold. The end result was a double turn, where Austin was catapulted in to the position of the company’s new #1 face, while Bret became the company’s new #1 heel.

But what if Becky Lynch is actually the Stone Cold in this situation. After all, what she’s doing isn’t any different than what Stone Cold did to Bret. She’s fed up with Charlotte’s opportunities just for coming back (like Austin was with Bret’s), she’s fed up with listening to her cry about her problems (just like Austin was with Bret), so she decided to attack that whining little (S.O.)B. and tell her she’s coming for her (just like Austin did with Bret). Austin became the anti-hero, standing up for himself, take no prisoners, and do what needs to be done to whoop some lass. In essence, all Becky has done is the same approach – except in her case, she’s here to open a can of whoop lass.

Charlotte is a face that comes from a treasured name in pro wrestling (just like Bret), who is afforded opportunities (in the kayfabe narrative of the angle) due to her status of stardom. She immediately won the title soon after returning (just like Bret). Whether by intent or by a forced hand, if the WWE kept Becky’s new street fighter character and simply had Charlotte explode and berate her ungrateful former friend, it would do exactly what WrestleMania 13 did for Austin and Hart. It would make a heel of privelege and a hero of rebellion, and in an era that is heading for Evolution in October, perhaps the match we need for these two on that night is just this – the final chapter of their story. Have Becky lose at Hell in a Cell, beaten by her opponent once again, with Charlotte’s callous actions finally turning the heel turn complete for the 7x Champ. And at Evolution, Becky finally ends the war for all, defeating Charlotte for the Smackdown Women’s Championship, becoming the lasskicking Charlottes-a-bitch that the women’s division truly needs.

And just like Austin hung out with a couple of tough dudes during his fight with Bret and the Harts, it appears this week that Becky 3:16 found herself a pair of tough dudes herself.