Lacey Evans made her long-awaited WWE TV return on the final SmackDown before WrestleMania Backlash and seemingly confirmed the beginning of her babyface run on the Blue brand.
The 32-year-old star took maternity leave from the company in February 2021. Prior to her hiatus, she was embroiled in a feud with Charlotte Flair and later with Asuka over the RAW Women's Championship.
WWE's plans for her current storyline aren't as straightforward as they seem since PWInsider now reports that Evans has been officially moved to the RAW roster.
Moreover, Mike Johnson added that the former NXT star would be a heel for the foreseeable future despite previous WWE video packages building her up as an inspiring babyface. Here's what was reported regarding the apparent change of direction for Lacey Evans:
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"WWE has officially moved Lacey Evans to the Raw roster, PWInsider.com has confirmed. Despite all the videos that have been used to build her return, Evans is going to be a heel going forward."
What did Lacey Evans do after her recent WWE return?
As noted above, Evans appeared on the latest episode of SmackDown after a 15-month hiatus and confronted Charlotte Flair. Lacey featured in multiple pre-taped promo videos in the weeks leading up to her return as she unveiled her new marine gimmick.
The real-life Marines veteran ditched her "The Sassy Southern Belle" persona, and fans were appreciative online of how she was presented during the vignettes.
The star received a decent pop when she showed up on SmackDown recently, and it felt like the WWE would capitalize on the momentum and present her as a top babyface moving forward.
Lacey's first comments since her WWE comeback also clearly hinted toward her long-term future as a protagonist, as you can view below:
"Some will hate it. Some will love it. It's for the ones who need it. Whoever you are, whatever you're going through…..you are not alone," wrote Evans on Instagram.
As things stand, Evans will be a potential heel on Monday Night RAW, but do you think it's the right call from WWE's creative team? Sound off in the comments section below.