Sasha Banks

The Man is coming to Monday nights.

Becky Lynch spoiled her change of scenery to open Raw, and it was subsequently made official. The SmackDown women's champion was Raw's first pick on the second night of the WWE draft:

Looking to solidify its women's division, SmackDown at least retained Sasha Banks:

Here's how the rest of the draft played out, with Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson winding up with Raw:

Here's a full look at the rosters:

The results of this year's draft won't be reflected on the two shows until Oct. 22, one night after the Crown Jewel pay-per-view. That lends some unpredictability for how the Saudi Arabia-based event will shake out.

Still, Lynch's move didn't come as a big surprise after Raw women's champion Charlotte Flair was a Round 1 selection for SmackDown last Friday. That left WWE's flagship program in need of a women's singles champion.

Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Pro Wrestling Podcast (via Wrestling Inc's Marc Middleton) also reported in August that USA Network executives weren't happy with what they thought were imbalanced rosters on Raw and SmackDown.

Lynch was cited in the report after having originally been on Raw but getting put on SmackDown after returning to the ring at SummerSlam following her pregnancy.

WWE announced Friday that Becky Lynch will defend the SmackDown Women's Championship in a Triple Threat match against Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks at the upcoming Crown Jewel pay-per-view.

The bout will be of great significance since it will mark only the third women's match to occur in Saudi Arabia, following Natalya vs. Lacey Evans at Crown Jewel 2019 and Bayley vs. Naomi at Super ShowDown in February 2020.

The match will stream live on Peacock on Oct. 21 at 12 p.m. ET from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The seeds were planted for the Triple Threat back at SummerSlam in August when Belair was supposed to defend the SmackDown Women's title against Banks. It was announced just before the match that Banks would be unable to compete, leading to a surprise return.

Lynch made her first appearance on WWE programming in over a year after giving birth to her daughter, and after tricking Bianca with a handshake, she won the SmackDown Women's Championship in less than 30 seconds.

The Man developed a heel persona in subsequent weeks and put the title on the against Belair at Extreme Rules on Sunday, however, there was no definitive finish, as Banks returned and attacked both Superstars.

With The Boss set to address both Lynch and Belair on Friday night's episode of SmackDown, WWE made the Triple Threat official for Crown Jewel. 

Banks and Lynch are already two of the greatest and most accomplished female wrestlers of all time, as well as members of the Four Horsewomen with Charlotte Flair and Bayley.

Meanwhile, Belair is well on her way to becoming an all-time great as well after winning the 2021 women's Royal Rumble and beating Banks for the SmackDown Women's Championship in the main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania 37.

The match will occur approximately three weeks after the SmackDown and Raw rosters receive a shakeup through the WWE draft, which will take place Friday and Monday.

If one or two of the women in the Crown Jewel Triple Threat get moved to Raw in the draft, it could have a major impact on who leaves Saudi Arabia as champion.

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Becky Lynch retained the SmackDown Women's Championship at WWE Extreme Rules on Sunday, following a disqualification finish to her title match with Bianca Belair.

Sasha Banks interrupted the proceedings and attacked The EST of WWE as she had Lynch in position for the K.O.D., forcing the referee to call for the bell.

The Boss also set her sights on the titleholder and was ultimately the last woman standing in the ring.

After being out for more than a year after announcing her pregnancy and giving birth to her daughter, Lynch made a shocking return at SummerSlam in August, replacing Banks as Belair's opponent.

The EST seemed both shocked and excited to see The Man back in the fold, and after Lynch took out Carmella, she challenged Belair to a title match. She quickly accepted but let her guard down, and The Man took advantage.

Lynch offered her hand to Belair in the form of what looked to be a respectful handshake, but when The EST took her rival's hand, The Man used it as an opportunity to take a cheap shot.

The Irish Lass Kicker then hit Belair with the Man-handle Slam and pinned her to win the SmackDown Women's Championship in less than 30 seconds.

Belair acknowledged in the weeks that followed that she made a mistake and wouldn't lose her focus so easily the next time, although Lynch seemingly tried to avoid a rematch.

When The EST challenged The Man on the SmackDown after SummerSlam, she declined. Belair then had to beat Liv Morgan, Carmella and Zelina Vega in a Fatal 4-Way to become the No. 1 contender.

Lynch continued to turn down Belair's rematch requests until WWE officials Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce made it clear she would have to defend the title against The EST at Extreme Rules.

Still, The Man tried to avoid signing the contract and even lashed out at the fans, but she eventually signed on the dotted line to make her match against Belair for the PPV official.

While there was some trepidation among fans about WWE turning Lynch heel and beating Belair in seconds at SummerSlam, the aftermath seemed to suggest both Superstars were thriving in their respective roles.

Lynch may have thought she would dispatch of one challenger at Extreme Rules. Instead, she now has two stars gunning for the gold in Banks and Belair.

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Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Adam Cole Reportedly a Free Agent

The status of Adam Cole has been a major talking point in the wrestling world for the past few weeks. 

According to PW Insider (h/t Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc), an internal memo sent out by WWE on Monday morning has confirmed that Cole is now a free agent after his contract expired. 

Cole last appeared on WWE television at NXT TakeOver 36 on Aug. 22. He lost a 2-out-of-3 Falls match to Kyle O'Reilly. The Panama City Playboy has been one of the featured Superstars in NXT since debuting on the brand in 2017. 

Earlier this month, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (h/t Joshua Gagnon of Wrestling Inc) reported Cole met with Vince McMahon and there had been talks about moving him up to the main roster if he re-signed with WWE. 

There have been rumors that Cole could end up in All Elite Wrestling if he decides to leave WWE. 

AEW does present a number of intriguing options for Cole. The company has tremendous buzz right now, with CM Punk debuting last week and speculation that Daniel Bryan could be showing up soon. 

Cole's girlfriend, Britt Baker, is the current AEW women's champion. She has been dropping hints on social media about his future. 

Wherever Cole ends up going, he's going to be one of the most popular wrestlers on that company's roster. He's a fantastic worker who has an innate ability to connect with crowds, whether it's as a heel or babyface. 

Update on Sasha Banks' Absence

One of the great mysteries in WWE for several weeks has been the absence of Sasha Banks. 

It appears there won't be any answers on her status in the near future. According to PW Insider (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), Banks is not expected back on the road with WWE this week. 

The report did note that WWE would like to have the Legit Boss back by the Sept. 10 show at Madison Square Garden, but it's unclear right now if that will happen. 

Banks hasn't been seen on television since the Aug. 13 episode of Friday Night SmackDown. Along with Carmella and Zelina Vega, she attacked Bianca Belair to set up their scheduled match at SummerSlam. 

There has been no reason given for Banks' absence from WWE. The ring announcer at an Aug. 14 house show in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Banks and Belair were scheduled to wrestle, told fans neither would be able to appear "due to unforeseen circumstances."  

Despite WWE continuing to advertise Banks on the Aug. 22 pay-per-view during the show, including airing a video package before the match, her bout with Belair wound up being changed. 

Becky Lynch made her long-awaited return in Banks' place, defeating Belair in 26 seconds to win the SmackDown women's championship. 

Banks had just returned to WWE on July 30 after losing the title to Belair in the main event on night one of WrestleMania 37. 

WWE Changing Keith Lee's Gimmick

As WWE continues to undergo significant roster changes, Keith Lee's character has been stuck in neutral since returning to television last month. 

Things could be changing for the 36-year-old, with Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newletter reporting (h/t Middleton) that WWE is using Lee in dark matches on Raw and SmackDown in an attempt to change his style and work on a new character. 

Paul Davis of WrestlingNews.co noted that McMahon has "considered turning (Lee) into a monster heel."

Lee has been a babyface throughout his time on the main roster. He recently returned to television after having a series of health issues earlier this year. The former NXT champion lost to WWE champion Bobby Lashley in his return bout and traded wins with Karrion Kross.

Since defeating Kross on the Aug. 2 episode of Raw, Lee has worked a series of dark matches against jobbers. 

On the one hand, Lee's size and presence would seem to make him a natural heel. On the other hand, though, WWE's roster is already loaded with top heels who would likely place Lee low on the totem pole if that's the direction the company takes his character. 

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WWE Superstar Sasha Banks broke her social media silence Saturday for the first time since being replaced on the SummerSlam card one week earlier.

Banks took to Twitter to give props to former WWE star Mickie James for the all-women's NWA EmPowerrr pay-per-view she put together:

Banks was scheduled to challenge Bianca Belair for the SmackDown Women's Championship at SummerSlam, but just before the match was set to begin, it was announced that Banks was not cleared to compete.

That resulted in Becky Lynch making her surprise return and beating Belair for the title in seconds after hitting her with a cheap shot.

Banks has yet to address her SummerSlam absence, and it has not been reported precisely what kept her off the show.

James' all-women's pay-per-view got The Boss talking, though, and it received tons of praise on social media from fans and those within the pro wrestling business.

Before getting released by WWE earlier this year, James mentioned pitching an all-women's show to WWE only for it to get shot down.

James got to put her plan into action with EmPowerrr, however, and the show delivered several memorable moments.

Deonna Purrazzo beat Melina to retain the Impact Women's Championship, Kamille defeated Leyla Hirsch to retain the NWA World Women's Championship, and Chelsea Green won the NWA Women's Invitational Cup in the main event gauntlet match.

Also, Awesome Kong saved Gail Kim from an attack at the hands of Taryn Terrell and announced her retirement from pro wrestling afterward.

NWA EmPowerrr provided shades of Evolution, which was the first all-women's pay-per-view in WWE history. Both Banks and James were part of that show in 2018, and Ronda Rousey beat Nikki Bella to retain the Raw Women's Championship in the main event.

Saturday's event proved there is still very much an appetite among wrestling fans for women's wrestling to receive its own spotlight, and Banks was clearly among those who appreciated James' efforts.

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