Becky Lynch Makes Surprise Post-Pregnancy Return at WWE SummerSlam

After 15 months away, Becky Lynch made her surprise return to WWE at SummerSlam on Saturday night.

Lynch took Sasha Banks’s place in the SmackDown women’s championship match at SummerSlam and defeated Bianca Belair to win the title. In a match that lasted under 30 seconds, Lynch punched Belair and pinned her after hitting the Manhandle slam.

Becky Lynch celebrates defeating Bianca Belair in the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship match at SummerSlam 2021.

Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports

This was Lynch’s first appearance on WWE programming since announcing in May 2020 that she was pregnant with her first child and would have to take a break from wrestling. Lynch (real name Rebecca Quin) and fellow WWE star Seth Rollins (Colby Lopez) welcomed the birth of their daughter Roux last December.

Lynch and Rollins got married this June. Lynch was also seen training at the WWE Performance Center that month.

Lynch was Raw women’s champion prior to announcing her pregnancy.

Belair vs. Banks was advertised for SummerSlam leading up until just before the match was scheduled to take place. Right before Banks was supposed to make her entrance at the pay-per-view, it was announced she wouldn’t be competing. Belair and Banks had both missed WWE’s house shows last weekend, with it being announced they wouldn’t be appearing due to “unforeseen circumstances.” Belair returned on Friday’s episode of SmackDown, but Banks wasn’t on the show.

WWE teased that Carmella would be replacing Banks in the title match at SummerSlam until Lynch made her return and laid Carmella out. Lynch then challenged Belair to face her instead.

Lynch is one of WWE’s top stars of this era. She was part of the first women’s match to ever main event WrestleMania in 2019, defeating Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair.