Last night on Monday Night Raw, in one of the most genuinely heartwarming moments in Wrestling history, Becky Lynch vacated the Raw Women’s Championship. She revealed to Asuka that the Money in the Bank briefcase she had won the night before was not for a championship opportunity, but for the Raw Women’s Championship itself… Becky went on to tell an ecstatic Asuka that now she had to be a warrior, because she herself was going away to become a mother.
Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins are having a baby. What a wonderful time. Just the sort of incredible news I think we could all do with right now.
Of course, all the congratulations to them both as people and as performers, both of whom has dazzled and delighted us all for some time. But with Becky vacating the title she won at WrestleMania last year, so ends a nearly 400 day reign at the top of Raw’s women’s division. And brings a wonderful end to one of the most memorable runs of any wrestler man or woman of all time.
Before Summerslam of 2018 Becky Lynch, then seen by many as almost the forgotten horsewoman, was building up a steady winning streak in the upper mid-card of SmackDown… and yet once again when it came to the big show, Becky wasn’t chosen… Charlotte got the nod and the win and the championship. Becky turned on her former friend afterwards, but right away the crowd rejected her supposed heel turn. Even the next week when Lynch cut a heel promo against the fans, it was just as quickly wiped away from history. Lynch won the title, beat Charlotte at every turn of that run, yet still wasn’t allowed to be cheered by WWE. Come survivor series, after the memorable curtailing of a supposed dream match against then Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey, it could go on no more. The crowd and their love of Becky Lynch as The Man was indulged upon, and suddenly Lynch was the hottest star in the company.
After losing her SmackDown title to Asuka, Lynch tried to get it back at the 2019 Royal Rumble, but she failed with Asuka tapping her out the kick off the PPV. Fans were in disbelief, how was there favourite going to go on to WrestleMania now? Well… she found a way, and symbolic of her real rise to dominance where she let nothing get in her way, Lynch came out again during the Women’s Rumble match later that night and demanded her shot to replace the injured Lana… and suddenly, to one of the biggest pops from a crowd I think I’ve ever witnessed, Becky Lynch was in the Women’s Royal Rumble match… and then Becky Lunch WON that same match. The Man was going to WrestleMANia!
The next night Lynch went about setting up her road to immortality. And when it came to the big night Lynch was to be an afterthought no more.
In the main event of WrestleMania 35, a spot that women were in for the first time ever, Becky Lynch won both the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championship by winning a triple threat match against former champions Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair. Becky 2 Belts was at the top of the biggest of mountains.
Across the next year plus Lynch would go across a variety of stipulations and match types, and even a mixed tag with her fiancé Seth Rollins, and after getting the better of Lacey Evans, Natalya, Sasha Banks, Asuka and Shayna Baszler amongst others, Lynch has now concluded what will go down as one of the Most historically significant runs of any WWE superstar of all time. The peak and heights she reached were unimaginable for her a few years ago, and the sheer volume of fan support that was behind Lynch, I can only really think of Daniel Bryan at the height of the Yes Movement that we’ve seen a babyface be that adored by the overwhelming majority of fans. She really did scratch and claw and fight her way to the very very top.
I’ve so many memories of this run from Lynch, her winning the rumble was such a rush to see as a fan, drunk me and all my friends were very very happy. Her taking an End of Days from Baron Corbin was such a fantastic and unique moment. And she’s had some tremendous matches too, the Hell in a Cell with Sasha Banks comes to mind first and for what it’s worth I actually didn’t mind the Lacey Evans feud and the stuff with Corbin and Rollins too.
She made a submission match work too as her and Natalya has a very good match at SummerSlam. And just her star power and her position as a representative of WWE as it’s Champion has been tremendous. Lynch has become such a sold and reliable top top star now, and I don’t think anybody would’ve predicted it be Lynch and not Banks, Bayley or particularly Flair who would be the top star of the company first, and credit must go all to Lynch for that.
So now the future holds a newborn baby and many months away from the ring for The Man. I think the women’s division will be fine, but of course if you take Messi from Barcelona, or McGregor from UFC or Tyson Fury from boxing, they’re always going to be lesser for it. But with Asuka at the helm and with a host of undercard contenders waiting in the wings (Nia Jax returning, Baszler always a threat, and Bianca Belair arriving) Raw and SmackDown and NXT for that matter I’m sure will continue to flourish.
But for now let’s rejoice in Becky Lynch’s fantastic news, and say a big congratulations to her and Seth Rollins. And thank you for everything you have done and for the many many memories and moments you’ve given this wrestling fan for one, and I’m sure many many others, during what has been one of the best runs of any WWE superstar of all time.
And you can be assured that at some point in the future, The Man will come back around.
Josh.