During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Becky Lynch commented on being punched by Nia Jax, turning heel, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On The Punch By Nia Jax: “I wasn’t letting that moment slip away. So I showed up the next day at TV in St. Louis, concussed out of my mind, begging to work, begging to be cleared. I told anyone who would listen I was fine even though, clearly, I wasn’t. There have been so many times in my career where I thought I was hot, thought I had momentum, then I was taken off TV and it slipped away. But there was no way I was letting this slip past me. I wanted to make wrestling the coolest thing on TV. That was my goal, and I wasn’t going to stop trying to make that a reality.”
On Turning Heel: “I certainly tried. But I could hear a wave of disappointment when I’d cut promos on the crowd. I was willing to go without them, but they wouldn’t let me. And the reason I’ve been able to have this phenomenal year is because of the fans.” On WrestleMania 35 Main Event: “Wrestling is 20% about the matches and 80% about how you engage with the people who care about you. I remember walking through the building at WrestleMania 35, passing by The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan. I’d idolized them when I was younger, and now they’d be watching me in the main event. And that’s something I accomplished with the help of these people. There’s probably some Buddhist lesson on how you’re supposed to savor the moment or how you’re not supposed to keep looking forward, but that’s the industry we’re in. There is so much competition and you have to stand out. If you don’t, you’ll be left behind. I’m constantly thinking about the work at hand. How do I make this more interesting? Do I need to be more of an antagonist? How do I get the most of this match? There’s no time to celebrate. I’m already onto the next goal and putting in the work.”
On What’s Next: “I’m exactly where I want to be, but there’s always more work to be done. The world still needs that one-on-match with Ronda Rousey. Whenever she’s ready, I’ll be here, still holding down the fort in WWE. In our locker room, there are two types of people. Those who are bitching about how I got to the top and those who are trying to copy what I did. But you have to go outside of that. You have to be completely different. Step up. Make a name for yourself. Do it without doing it the way I did. I see what everyone else is doing, and then I try to do the opposite. Be original. Create the interest I have, put together the matches I’ve had. No one can do what I do. If you can, please step up to the plate.”
