A high-profile women’s championship match is reportedly locked in for WrestleMania 42, as AJ Lee is scheduled to challenge Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.
According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the bout has been planned for some time and, as of the latest update, remains firmly on the WrestleMania card.
Meltzer also addressed Lee’s absence from the Royal Rumble, explaining that her involvement was never necessary to advance the current storyline. Lee has not competed since November, when she last appeared in the women’s WarGames match.
“Lynch vs. AJ Lee for the IC title had been scheduled on the show and at last word was still scheduled,” Meltzer wrote. “Lee wasn’t in the Rumble, but it would have served no purpose for her to be in it.”
A Shift in the Women’s Division
The report also pointed to a broader creative shift within WWE’s women’s division. Meltzer noted that the tag team scene currently appears to be receiving greater emphasis than the singles championships, with several of the division’s biggest names tied up in tag-focused storylines.
“With Ripley & Sky, the women’s tag title division is clearly ahead of both singles titles,” Meltzer stated. “And the best known of the women’s stars, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax (with Lash Legend), Bayley (with Lyra Valkyria) and The Bella Twins are all in that direction leaving the ranks of singles challengers very thin.”
As a result, singles title programs have become more streamlined heading into WrestleMania season, making the reported AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch showdown one of the most notable women’s singles matches currently planned for WrestleMania 42.
If the match holds, it would mark Lee’s biggest singles bout since her return and place h
