5 Takeaways from WWE Backstage (January 21st, 2020)

Becky Lynch was the main guest this week on WWE Backstage while CM Punk also returned to the panel for the first time since December. Christian dubbed himself the Backstage Buddha after discussing Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy winning the RAW Tag Team titles.

With the Royal Rumble less than a week away, it was obviously a hot topic with the build toward the event. We didn't have any comedic segments like the promo battles or the bits with psychiatrist Rachel Bonetta.

It worked greatly, however, as both Lynch and Punk added more than enough insight and opinions on the goings on currently in the WWE and in the past.

Since it's the 20-year anniversary of the hardcore match for the WWE World Championship between Triple H and Cactus Jack, the match was revisited by the panel and the participants. Each panelist also revealed their favorite matches of their careers.

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There was a lot to get to so here are five takeaways from the go-home episode (January 21st, 2020) of WWE Backstage before the Royal Rumble.

#5 Thoughts on the latest developments on RAW

One of the biggest developments on the latest RAW was Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy winning the RAW Tag Team titles from the Viking Raiders. Of the title swap, Punk felt that "the tag team titles are often a prop, so it's nice to see them maybe be used in the main angle on RAW." He also added that it would be "interesting to see which way they go."

Christian brought up what a lot of people were thinking as there might be "questions as to why AOP - the actual tag team of the group - didn't get shot." He did like how "we saw Buddy Murphy have a string of losses to Aleister Black "so it made sense for the self-anointed leader of the group take the initiative to lead by example with Murphy. Paige thought that "the championships should go to an actual tag team."

Captain Charisma also praised the stylistic need for Murphy's moves to change, saying Murphy "is stepping up to a different level and when you step up to a different level, there has to be a gear change." He added that the "flashy moves are all great but you gotta add a little bit of grit to it, be a little mean, realize that you're in a main-event feud". Punk agreed since those moves Murphy used against Black didn't lead to any wins.

The first ladder match on RAW in 13 years was also praised. Christian felt that Andrade has been "taking these giant steps" and with "every challenge put in front of him, he's hit them out of the park." Captain Charisma also championed the rarity of ladder matches so as they don't lose their luster due to overexposure.

Paige and the rest of the panelists gave Zelina Vega some props as the Anti-Diva claimed that Vega is "a great mouthpiece" and that "you can tell that she enjoys what's she's doing". Punk added that he thought "managers are fantastic" and that "there's always a lack of managers in the landscape and she brings a different flavor to things".

#4 Becky Lynch Interview

Becky Lynch was the special guest this week and she was asked many things, including when she finally clicked into "the Man" persona.

Lynch claimed that "it was a gradual thing" and that "it was just the culmination of so many years of frustration and neglect." The Man pointed to SummerSlam 2018 when she "slapped the head off of Charlotte Flair" because she'd "been in the position of gaining and losing momentum so many times that I said 'no I'm not doing this again'".

CM Punk asked her if she would have changed anything regarding her ascent to the top of the company. She claimed that "it's an ongoing process" and "we're all a little bit better with that anger because we do something with it." Lynch went on to state that "it depends if you let it (the anger) eat you up or if you do something about it and make the audience care."

As Seth Rollins has stated in the past, he eats, drinks and sleeps pro wrestling. His partner agreed, saying that "it's an obsession and you think about the nuances of your character all the time".

Paige has known Lynch for years and said that she's "seen the progression" but asked Lynch why the Man worked out. Lynch claimed that "it was easy. It was all the years of frustration let loose". She claimed that she could further her own story if she "took to social media and continued my message" because then she "could progress this story".

Asuka has been the main adversary in Lynch's way for the last few months and The Man praised her foe, saying that "she's phenomenal and her character work is amazing". In comparison with herself, Lynch claimed that "she (Asuka) had an amazing run in NXT and last year (WrestleMania 34 against Flair) she had the rug pulled out from under her and I know what that's like."

Since they shared something that happened in each of their careers, the Man claimed that she wanted to "make her (Asuka) a monster because she is that person who I haven't beaten yet".

The Raw Women's Champ claimed that because she hasn't been able to defeat the Empress of Tomorrow, it reminds her of "that doubt that stopped me from wrestling seven years ago" and if she will "run away" or continue with the challenge presented by Asuka.

#3 A trip down memory lane with Cactus Jack vs. Triple H from Royal Rumble 2000

This year is the 20th anniversary of the hardcore match between Champion Triple H and challenger Cactus Jack at the 2000 Royal Rumble.

Both participants reflected on the match with Triple H saying that "I was so geared up for what me and Mick were going to do". Foley revealed that he thought "it might be my last match at the time that night". He added that he's "always geared up for those hardcore matches because I know both physically and emotionally they'll take their toll."

He also felt that Triple H "deserves a great deal of credit for bringing the best out of me that day". Triple H was aware of the gravitas of facing Foley in a hardcore match because "those types of matches were Mick's forte and it was a lot of pressure to step up to his level in that kind of a match".

Christian was active in WWE during that bout and he praised the effort of both men. He claimed that "this wasn't necessarily the forte of Triple H and for him to step up his game to the level of Mick was impressive". Regarding Foley having the doubts of his career, Christian claimed that "you're only as good as your last match and I think he wanted to go out with something memorable". Christian also lauded Foley because "he put the match, the show, the crowd before himself."

The panelists also revealed their personal favorite matches with Punk claiming a match with John Cena in Houston on RAW as his favorite. He claimed that "I was so sick that it was hard to care and they (the audience) made me care." Because he was coming off his record-setting title reign, Punk felt that "this was my WrestleMania" while also praising Cena as "one of the best dance partners I've ever had".

The Anti-Diva revealed that her favorite match was on her birthday at a SummerSlam when she was going to be Divas Champion for the second time. Lynch offered up two matches, claiming that "when you have time to build a story, that's important".

She claimed to have loved her Last Woman Standing with Charlotte Flair at Evolution and her recent Hell in a Cell match with Sasha Banks.

#2 Royal Rumblings

All of the panellists gave their two cents regarding winners of both Rumble matches. Punk said that he wants "Keith Lee to win because he had a tremendous showing at Survivor Series and to me, he's a big fish in a little pond right now". He also felt that "you need to follow up on stuff like this and strike while the iron is hot"

Paige continued her love affair with Otis, picking him while Christian gave the unpopular opinion of picking Brock Lesnar. Captain Charisma wanted to "see him back it (no worthy competition on RAW) up" and he wanted to see "what he's going to do if he wins it. Is he just going to take the night off or go after the Fiend or Daniel Bryan?" Renee Young chimed in with "why is everyone sleeping on Drew McIntyre?"

For the Women's Rumble, Paige picked Kairi Sane while Punk chose Sasha Banks. He felt that Banks "has got a thing going on with her friend Bayley and it would be interesting to see if she'll wrestle her friend or stab her in the back".

Christian picked former NXT Women's Champ Shayna Baszler because "when Brock walks into a room things get uncomfortable real quick. Shayna has that same type of aura". He claimed that "she has a bit of a chip on her shoulder right now and I think this the time for her to step in".

Lynch and Asuka will also face off this Sunday and Punk added that "Asuka is Becky's Joker" because great heroes need great villains opposing them. He liked how the Empress of Tomorrow was "the kind of thorn in the side of Becky Lynch as the one who has her number" because we "get to see different things come out of Becky".

Christian liked Asuka's confidence and in turn the "vulnerability that Lynch is showing" because the Man "still says she's not the best". He also felt that because of that, "we have layers to this story that haven't even unfolded yet". He also reminded us that "when Becky caught fire, Asuka was the Champion".

#1 The State of the Women's division

Lynch and Punk discussed the landscape of the WWE Women's division.

The women of WWE have come a long way from the division that was around even 10 years ago. Lynch felt that "we need to eliminate the term women from the women's division" because "gender shouldn't be an issue at this point. There's always more history to be made but let's normalize it".

Punk backed that statement up, saying that he's "huge into representation" and that he likes "the fact that there's a little girl out there in Ireland and they see Becky and that could change her life".

In terms of his own career, he looks "at it now through different eyes". He meets kids today who say that "they never did drugs because of him and that's powerful". The former WWE Champion also claimed that when he looks at the roster now he sees "all these different women and I think of the groundswell of representation is there now".

Since the WWE has been primarily been dominated by the men, the changes for the women have "opened up so many doors and avenues" because "a whole chunk of demographic has been ignored for a while".

Renee Young chimed in saying that "you could feel it heading into Survivor Series that the women in WWE were kicking [expletive] heading into the PPV".

Lynch felt that regarding the rosters "the pool was pretty shallow on both Raw and Smackdown at that moment." She also claimed that "we wanted to see these different match-ups and we don't always have the luxury of that".

Edited by Nishant Jayaram