‘The Man’ Becky Lynch had been absent from WWE programming since Survivor Series, where she was forced to tap out to AJ Lee’s Black Widow submission, taking the loss for her team in the Women’s WarGames match at the final PLE of 2025. This was another setback for Lynch, who was already coming off a Women’s Intercontinental title loss to Maxxine Dupri on the November 17 episode of Raw, all thanks to the return of AJ Lee. However, during the pre-taping of the December 22 episode of Raw on December 19 at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Becky made her return.

Becky Lynch returned during the pre-taping of RAW to cut a promo, which was quickly cut short by the reigning Women’s Intercontinental Maxxine Dupri. The exchange escalated into a physical confrontation, ending with Maxxine once again forcing Lynch to tap out, despite it not being an official match. Later during the tapings, Maxxine Dupri vs Becky Lynch was made official for the January 5, 2026, episode of Monday Night Raw, with the Intercontinental Championship on the line. This addition made it the third title match on the show next month. Lynch has suffered several significant losses recently, all contributing to her ongoing storyline with AJ Lee. While WWE appears to be holding off on their eventual clash, Becky is currently focused on bouncing back and erasing the bitter taste left in her mouth.