When Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful broke the news that Becky Lynch‘s WWE contract would expire this weekend mere hours before her Women's World Championship steel cage rematch with Liv Morgan on RAW, it created a very interesting dynamic ahead of the showdown.

Would Lynch, who has been one of WWE's top stars over the last half-decade, recapture the belt in front of a sold-out crowd in Savanah, effectively confirming her spot in the promotion long-term? Or would she instead take an L that left her future murky as a result? Well, with no mention of her contract at any point on the show – a stark contrast to Edge's final match last year – but the match subject to a storyline involving Judgment Day trying to right Dominik Mysterio's wrong from King and Queen of the Ring, Lynch found herself a tool in someone else's storyline, instead of the clear focal point of her own angle.

Weird, right? Well wait, it only gets weirder, as not only did Lynch lose the match, but she was jobbed out like, well, like Liv Morgan was in the lead-up to WrestleMania 40 just a few months back.

Wrestling inside a 12-15 foot tall steel cage, Lynch largely called the match in the ring, routinely talking to Morgan as the match went along even if the cameras tried to avoid it. They grappled for 15 minutes give or take with a few good spots largely overshadowed by a lack of in-ring chemistry, but just when the match was reaching its crescendo, “Dirty” Dom came out to “help” out “The Man,” only in opening the ring door, he instead spelled her downfall, with a charging Braun Strowman knocking Mysterio into the door, knocking out Lynch and freeing up the win for Morgan, who mosied out of the door for the easy win.

Is that really where Lynch is at in 2024, having to job for Morgan in what just might be her final match, all the while looking visably distraught for one of many potential reasons? But why? Are they mad the she hasn't accepted a new offer, fighting instead to become among the highest-paid performers in the promotion period, regardless of gender? Or could it instead be that WWE didn't want to leave things open-ended on the off chance that Lynch goes elsewhere, as she is now firmly removed from any ongoing storyline with her rematch against Morgan out of the way? Regardless, Lynch had simply done too much for WWE to be put in this situation, as the fact that she could end up wrestling elsewhere despite being one of the most singularly important female wrestlers, nay, wrestlers, period, in the promotion's history.

Becky Lynch has been fighting for top guy pay for months now.

Two months back, when Becky Lynch was a guest of The Breakfast Club ahead of WrestleMania 40, “The Man” discussed her contract status in WWE, noting that she may not be a guy, but she deserves to be paid like one of the promotion's top guys because of just how impactful she's been on the business.

“The last contract I signed was three years ago. I was coming back after having my kid. When I left, I left on top. It's one of those things where, sometimes, in a male-dominated sport, we're historically like, ‘Thank you. Thank you for that. I don't want to make any waves.' It was one of those things where I was like, ‘No, I deserve this.' There is no reason why I should not be getting paid the same as a top guy,” Becky Lynch told Ariel Helwani on MMA Hour via Fightful. “Because of my gender? No. You can put me in any main event. You can put me in any main event, and it makes sense. I've proved that time and time again. So, compensate me fairly, please. It is that thing of having to ask for more. ‘I'm so grateful that you're paying me more than we used to be paid, but still, I need more.' You're always pushing that barrier. It's come a long way, and I love to see it.”

Is WWE flirting with the idea of letting Lynch's contract laps this weekend because they don't believe she deserves to be paid like a top guy? Or did the terms they presented simply not live up to Lynch's expectations even if the offer was reasonable? Either way, fans will find out soon enough, as if Lynch does hit the open market in June, fans will certainly find out about it even if she doesn't appear on AEW Collision Saturday night.