I’m a WWE star that ‘scoffed’ at Divas, preferred TNA and almost got NXT axe but triumphed despite ‘misguided’ bosses
WWE superstar Becky Lynch went though a dramatic and gruelling journey to the top of women’s wrestling.
Lynch, 37, is considered by many as the best female professional wrestler in the world – one of the many titles she was never really supposed to hold.
The Irish grappler grew up watching the likes of Chyna, Jazz, Lita and Trish Stratus lay down the foundations of the Women’s Revolution she would eventually lead years later.
However, the young wrestling fan at the time would end up “scoffing” at WWE‘s women’s division from 2006 when her heroes were all gone.
That was when the Divas era kicked off and signalled a time in which female performers were largely picked based on their looks rather than their technical ability in the ring.
And that would lead to tasteless types of bouts, such as Bra and Panties Matches which were won by the wrestler who undressed her opponent to her bare underwear in front of a live crowd.
Lynch started training in 2002 and quickly decided to snub WWE due to their treatment of women’s wrestling in favour of TNA and their stunning Knockouts division.
Legends such as Awesome Kong, Tara, Angelina Love, Gail Kim and more showed exactly what women could do in the ring with the right backing and started to inspire a movement around the world.
However, Lynch suffered an injury in 2006 that halted her aspirations and forced her to take a seven-year hiatus from wrestling.
But upon her return, the Limerick star’s desire to compete for the biggest wrestling promotion in the world was rekindled as she was determined to change women’s wrestling forever.
Lynch told SunSport while promoting her autobiography ‘The Man: Not your average average girl’: “It was the thing I wanted to change. I remember seeing that in TNA, and TNA was kind of where I wanted to go more than WWE at that time.
“Because I didn’t like how the women were treated. But also there was this other part of me that said, ‘Well, maybe if I get in, it’s WWE. I can change how they do things’. And I left wrestling for seven years, which ultimately became the best thing in the world.
“But I remember scoffing at it so much, like the stuff that I would see on TV. Yes, I loved what Lita and Trish were doing in terms of main-eventing and changing the game that way and then obviously Chyna and Jazz, and there was [other] women that could go.
“But then on the flip side, there was Bra and Panties Matches and this objectification that I hated and that I wanted to change.
Landing on the ‘chopping block’
“Until then, I was asked to do a lingerie shoot and then I did it because I was like, well that’s how you get ahead. And so it was very confusing.
“I think being a teenage woman, wanting to change things, wanting to wrestle, wanting to be seen as a superstar in your own right on the same level as The Rock or [Stone Cold Steve] Austin but feeling like there was very much a ceiling on what you could do and what you could achieve simply because you were born a certain gender – that just didn’t sit right with me.”
Lynch made it to WWE’s developmental brand NXT in 2013 but didn’t have the best of starts and that landed her on the “chopping block”.
The popular star struggled to impress in the ring but her mic skills and her fiery promos convinced respected coaches and WWE legends like William Regal and Dusty Rhodes to go to bat for her.
Lynch added: “When I was on NXT I was on the chopping block. And I think there was a few people who saved my job. And that was William Regal, who saw something in me and who I really credit for my whole life because he’s the person who signed me.
“And then Dusty Rhodes was the other person because even if I wasn’t doing well in training, when it came to promo class I would always bring something and bring a different character and I had my way of speaking that he saw something in me and saved my job.”
‘Saved’ by legends
With the support of Regal and Rhodes, Lynch managed to quickly turn things around and became one of NXT’s biggest stars.
The then Irish Lass Kicker stood out alongside Charlotte Flair, Bayley and Sasha Banks, who currently wrestles as Mercedes Mone for AEW, and they all became known as the Four Horsewomen.
The four women earned a main-roster callup simultaneously in 2015 and changed women’s wrestling forever as female competitors started main-eventing major Pay-Per-View shows.
However, Lynch didn’t just wanted to be part of the Women’s Revolution; she wanted to lead it.
WWE were keen to give that role to the likes of Charlotte and UFC legend Ronda Rousey who crossed over from the octagon in 2018.
At that time Lynch found herself “bubbling on the surface” but she saw this as an opportunity as every time she wasn’t on TV she would work on herself on social media.
Overcoming ‘misguided’ agenda
That allowed the outspoken wrestler to interact with the fans by creating a dynamic, assertive and tough character that would later earn her the moniker of The Man.
That saw her winning over the WWE Universe and it all came to a head at Money in the Bank 2018 with the fans cheering her on during the famous Ladder Match, which she lost to Alexa Bliss.
WWE chiefs insisted on pushing other stars like Charlotte and tried turning the crowd favourite heel to push their “misguided” agenda, but all it did was add even more fire to her increasing momentum.
Company bosses quickly understood they could no longer ignore the thunderous reactions Lynch got and finally gave her the nod in 2019.
The now six-time women’s champion credits the fans for her stunning career that saw her winning the first ever all-women’s main-event match at WrestleMania 35 when she beat Charlotte and Rousey to become the first ever Women’s WWE Undisputed Champion.
Lynch said: “It was all because of the audience. I was kind of bubbling on the surface and wasn’t getting much of the spotlight.
Winning over the crowd
“But because of that I had freedom, I was constantly doing different stuff on digital and social media to try and give the audience a hint of who I am – a reason that they should care about me.
“So when I wasn’t getting TV time, I was always working and I was always trying to find that thing that would set the world on fire.
“And then when it came to Money in the Bank, in 2018, and anytime I stepped foot on that ladder, the crowd would go crazy. And so it forced the office to listen and say, ‘Okay, there’s something with this girl. She has something, the audience is behind her’.
“The office couldn’t deny it anymore [and] then they were forced to do something with me. And that was when I got the title shot at SummerSlam. And then the great thing about all of that was the office was misguided.
“They thought that if I turned on Charlotte, I would be the heel. Instead of seeing that she had gotten all these opportunities and that people were really behind me. And really this was going to not be a heel turn but a mega babyface turn for me.
“And so the greatest thing – my greatest blessing in that – was how they underestimated what people would take from that. I knew – anybody very close to it knew – somehow they did not know. Which was great, it worked out great for me.”
And so after years of extremely hard work and immense obstacles, Lynch managed to realise her dream of leading a change that altered the course of wrestling history forever.
Women’s wrestling is the strongest it has ever been across all promotions with female wrestlers headlining some of the biggest shows.
And The Man will get the chance to add to her legacy at WrestleMania 40 next month when she challenges Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley.
Becky Lynch: The Man by Rebecca Quin is published by Sphere on 26th March, available for pre-order now: https://amzn.eu/d/4cSiEji.
