On Tuesday night, WWE confirmed Becky Lynch’s rumored injury would take her out of competition at Survivor Series. Lynch sustained a “broken face and severe concussion” during a brawl on Raw that left her covered in what she dubbed “Irish War Paint”. It came as a huge blow both to Team SmackDown and the Survivor Series card. Many were calling for her and Ronda Rousey to main-event Sunday night. Without a doubt, this must be incredibly disappointing for Lynch, but there might be a silver lining to all of this. In fact, it might actually be the best thing that could’ve happened to her career.

Becky Lynch is the most over wrestler in the WWE right now. That was true Sunday Night but on Monday, when SmackDown invaded Raw and Lynch was busted open, took it to a whole new level. People are calling it her Stone Cold Moment but it’s more than that. Becky Lynch is this generation’s Stone Cold, she is one of the best anti-heroes we’ve ever seen, she delights in burning bridges and we cheer for it without a second thought. Her ways might be questionable but her intentions are good, her complaints are valid. We identify with Lynch, we see someone we want to succeed no matter how many arms she has to break to do it. Bold and unwavering, Lynch will always take the fight to her opponent. When she stood in the stands, covered in blood but ultimately with the upper hand, it was a moment of pure victory. Was it her Stone Cold Moment? Maybe, but one day some up and coming wrestling is going to have an iconic breakout moment and we’re going to say they just had “their Becky Lynch Irish Warpaint moment.”

This is, of course, not to minimize the injury that she sustained. Especially the concussion, which Lynch had a nasty history with, should not be discounted. Assuming she’ll be okay after a few weeks of rest, it’s a price we’re willing to pay for that incredible iconic moment. Plus, you know how it goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. The crowd will almost definitely be chanting for Lynch during all of Survivor Series. They’ll be so eager to get her back that if there was any chance of WWE getting people to boo her, it’s gone now. Remember how excited the crowd was when Daniel Bryan first returned to action after giving up the World Titles? Lynch is quickly approaching that level of popularity.

Charlotte Flair was selected to take her spot, an interesting choice considering that’s the money match many expected to come at WrestleMania. The silver lining in all of this unfortunate mess is that now the money match with Ronda Rousey belongs to Becky Lynch. Their animosity for each other won’t be brought to a satisfying conclusion by the end of the brief brand-vs-brand season. WWE could drop it entirely and move on, or they could continue to water those seeds. They could have Lynch drop the belt at some point to one of the many deserving women on the SmackDown Live roster and win the Royal Rumble. Faced with the choice of which title she challenges for at WrestleMania, Lynch wouldn’t even have to think about it. She’d b-line straight for Rousey. Congrats, WWE, you just booked your first ever WrestleMania women’s main event.