Hype is building ahead of Sunday’s WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view, with fans and the media alike expecting some surprises and shocks. Could one of them be the return of Becky Lynch?

It was announced yesterday that Tamina would be the final superstar taking part in this year’s women’s ladder match, joining Natalya, Liv Morgan, Zelina Vega, Asuka, Naomi, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross in the eight-woman contest.

The prize on the line, as always, is this year’s MITB briefcase, with the winner earning the right to cash it in for a title match at any time of their choosing.

It had previously been reported that another out-of-action wrestler, Sonya Deville, may be included in the match by making a shock return to the ring, having been out since last year’s SummerSlam event.

Now, though, fans are convinced it will be Becky Lynch who makes her WWE return at the pay-per-view event — potentially by taking a last-minute spot in the ladder match.

Anticipation has been building following the news that WWE has 'cool and exciting' plans for their shows this weekend, Friday Night SmackDown and Money In The Bank.

Becky Lynch — A.K.A. ‘The Man’ — hasn’t been seen on WWE TV since May 2020, when she announced her pregnancy and vacated the RAW Women’s Championship to last year’s Money In The Bank winner, Asuka.

Now back from giving birth, and having undertaken in-ring training at the WWE performance centre with some of the NXT roster, it is rumoured that Lynch’s return is imminent.

If reports are to be believed, the initial plan was to bring The Man back next April, at the company’s flagship annual event, WrestleMania, but an unexpected injury to Bayley may have accelerated WWE’s plans.

Hype has been added to by Lynch herself. The former world champion and Royal Rumble winner posted a series of photos on her Instagram account looking in frighteningly good shape after recovering from childbirth alongside her husband, Seth Rollins.

Needless to say fans have since been discussing frantically online just how Becky Lynch may return, should she rock up at Money In The Bank this Sunday.

One popular theory is that The Man may attack one of the other contestants in the ladder match, shockingly taking their place before going on to win the briefcase later that night.

It would certainly create a nice story arc, with Lynch then being able to cash in any time in the build up to SummerSlam, and potentially winning back the title she had to hand over to last year’s winner.

This week’s Friday Night SmackDown may well provide us with a few hints as to whether Becky Lynch will return. It’s the first regular show with live fans back in the venue, and WWE has already announced some monster matches.

This comes after news that both Brock Lesnar and John Cena are set to make their own in-ring returns later in the year. A Lynch comeback would undoubtedly whip up just as much excitement within the WWE universe.

You can watch every single episode of WWE RAW and Friday Night SmackDown live in the U.K. on BT Sport. You can also watch the Money In The Bank pay-per-view on July 18 live on the WWE Network.