Andrew SpoorsIt is a rare occurrence that a WWE Superstar has a boring year. For the vast majority of the roster, opportunity, injury and crowd reactions take them on a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs over the course of 365 days.
Becky Lynch, for once in recent years, can’t be described as an exception. Since 2018, Lynch has been a standout not just in the WWE women’s division but the industry in general. From ‘The Man’ to ‘Big Time Becks’, the Irish Woman has been in and around the main event scene since her rise to superstardom.
A raucous reception at WrestleMania 35 in 2019 marked an astonishing climb to the top of the mountain. But just over a year later ‘The Man’ temporarily left the company to become ‘The Mom’. It wasn’t until SummerSlam 2021 that Lynch made her way back in to the squared circle, capturing yet another Championship in record time.
2022 has been just as eventful. A tumultuous rivalry with Bianca Belair culminated at night one of WrestleMania 38 and, even in defeat, Becky played her part in a bona fide match of the year contender.
With the crowd firmly behind her again, Big Time Becks looks back to her unstoppable best fuelling fantasy booking from the WWE Universe. The Irish Lasskicker looked back on 2022 and what the new year might have in store…
Another barnburner in August’s SummerSlam resulted in Lynch wrestling for close to 20 minutes with a dislocated shoulder and subsequently taking time out to heal up. Her return one night before Survivor Series plunged her into WarGames, a brutal environment for someone making their way back from injury. Ever the professional and the trailblazer, Lynch quite literally jumped in with both feet.
You returned from injury ahead of Survivor Series: WarGames and got the win for your team. How did it feel coming back?
Becky Lynch: It felt amazing to be out in front of the crowd again and how electric that was, in such a wild capacity as WarGames. That’s a match that I’ve never done before and it’s a very daunting match. You’ve got two rings, you’ve got a giant cage and anything goes. Truth be told, my shoulder still isn’t feeling right. So to say I was nervous is probably a bit of an understatement. But once you get out there, once you get in front of the crowd and you feel that energy, then you forget everything else. There’s not another feeling like it.
That jump off the top of the cage, was it terrifying? Was it painful?
Becky Lynch: It was both terrifying and painful. Even with the nerves, I was like ‘I want something that people can remember from this match’. If I come back then I’ve got to put my body on the line and I can’t half-ass it because then I’m not The Man and I’m not the Becky Lynch that people paid to see. I had in my head that I wanted to flatten somebody, flatten some fools with the leg drop through the table. When the opportunity came up and it was time to go, well, then there’s nothing left to do but do it. You can see even when I’m up there there’s a moment of hesitation where I have a moment with myself. When I landed, of course it was painful, although I think it might have been a little bit more painful for Dakota Kai.
Recently fans celebrated four years since The Man arrived. What does being The Man mean to you now?
Becky Lynch: It means doing everything to the absolute best of your ability. Whatever that is, whatever the obstacles are, be that a broken shoulder or, be that trying to juggle parenting on the road while writing a book and doing acting projects. It’s a matter of putting everything that you have into what you’re doing at that moment. What it means to be The Man has evolved over the years for me. I couldn’t be happier at the place that I’ve arrived at now. I feel more like The Man than I ever have.
You were injured in September when WWE returned to the UK for ‘Clash at the Castle’, the first major UK stadium show in 30 years. Where around the world would you like to see WWE take a major stadium show in the future?
Becky Lynch: Oh, don’t remind me. It was very hard for me to watch that and to be missing out on it and hearing the crowd and how amazing they were. They were freaking amazing. I have faith that there will be more. Many more. Where would I like to take a major stadium show? Ireland. Croke Park. 100% that’s it. No hesitation with that.
Royal Rumble is fast approaching at the end of January. What are your hopes and expectations heading in?
Becky Lynch: I mean, you always hope to win. If you’re entering the Royal Rumble, then you always hope to win. So that’s the plan. Win the Royal Rumble and go on to Main Event at WrestleMania twice. That’s the goal.
Rhea Ripley has made it very clear she wants to have a big match with you. Thoughts on that?
Becky Lynch: I think Rhea is one of the greatest female athletes that we’ve ever seen. I think she’s incredible. She is so young, so full of potential. I look at her and I go ‘well, that’s the future of the business and the business is in good hands’. She’s the future but I’m still the present. There can only be one Man around the place. If I have to put her in her place then I’ll put her in her place.
Plus she’s hanging around with somebody that I know pretty well. In fact, somebody that taught me nearly everything that I know. There’s an interesting dynamic there because she’s got Finn Bálor in her corner. I’ve known Finn for over 20 years, so it would be interesting to see what side he would take, you know, if push came to shove.
What is Christmas like at Becky Lynch’s house?
Becky Lynch: Oh my God. I freaking love Christmas, man. I turn into a jolly little elf at Christmas. I love it. The house is decorated. I’ve already got all my Christmas shopping done, and to be fair, I only need to buy for one person, and that’s little Roux. I’m very excited for Christmas.
What should someone buy as a gift for Becky Lynch?
Becky Lynch: I ask for no presents at Christmas. We don’t do Christmas presents because we don’t need anything. We’re lucky that if we want something, we buy it. I’m doing my dream job with my dream husband and my dream baby. We’re living it large. I don’t need any gifts. I like to give gifts, but I don’t need any gifts.
Will you make a New Year’s Resolution?
Becky Lynch: No, I don’t really set resolutions, but I always set goals. I always sit down at the end of the year with my notepad, write a bunch of goals. I’m a big goal checker, so I love to see them on paper and I love to be able to check them off. It’s really quite incredible. I think that gives you a lot of gratitude and perspective because I think we’re always chasing things, but it’s great to sit back and realise how much you’ve accomplished.
Do you have an end of year message for WWE fans around the world?
Becky Lynch: I think 2022 was full of ups and downs. The downs obviously being taken out for the first time with an injury for a prolonged period of time. That did have an effect on my mentality. Coming back there was so much apprehension and the fans greeted me with such open arms and reminded me that there’s nothing like this. Putting your body on the line for their entertainment is such a privilege and it is so worth it. So a big giant ‘thank you’ to the fans for letting me entertain them and I can’t wait to do so much more in 2023.
Stay Tuned to Rushonrock to find out if Big Time Becks features in our end of year Top 20 WWE Superstars…
Catch WWE Superstar Becky Lynch weekly on WWE Raw, airing live on BT Sport in the UK.
