Timing issues lead to change in Lynch vs. Bayley cage match on Raw

Tonight’s WWE RAW 30th Anniversary special featured a Steel Cage match between Bayley and Becky Lynch, which never really got going.

The match saw Bayley come out first with WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Dakota Kai and IYO SKY, but they went backstage and Bayley went to the cage. Lynch then made her entrance, but Kai and SKY ran back down and attacked her at ringside. Damage CTRL proceeded to beat Lynch with a chain, and the cage door. Kai locked the door from the inside while Bayley and SKY double teamed Lynch. This quickly turned into a triple team as Adam Pearce and other officials ran down to try and restore order. Pearce finally sent for a pair of bolt-cutters, and he cut the chain off the door. Damage CTRL retreated to the top of the cage and watched while Pearce and others tended to Lynch in the middle of the cage.

In an update, a new report from Fightful Select notes that the Lynch vs. Bayley cage match was nixed because the opening segment with The Bloodline’s Tribal Court for the Trial of Sami Zayn went long in time. It was noted that Lynch vs. Bayley and their entrances were originally booked to carry over two segments, but when the opening segment with The Bloodline went long, WWE needed to trim time off of several additional segments.

The timing issues had the most impact on Lynch vs. Bayley, but other segments and matches were also affected. Word from RAW is that they had two options – shoot an angle to set up to a full-on match, or do the cage angle that lasted a minute or two. The end result was the angle that aired on RAW.

PWInsider adds that original plans had Lynch winning the match, but then Damage CTRL attacking her after the win. WWE has not announced a Lynch vs. Bayley rematch as of this writing.