Becky Lynch will challenge Rhea Ripley for the WWE Women’s World Championship in under two weeks at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia, PA.
In a recent interview with Lewis Howes, Lynch recalled her epic run in 2019 where she became Becky 2 Belts.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On realizing her 2018 heel turn wasn’t going as planned: “Maybe a bit of everything. I was coming from underneath, I was coming from being this underdog that that audience loved because she was smiley and happy and would do creative things online because she was never getting an opportunity on TV. Even though I wouldn’t get opportunities on TV, I was always doing stuff with the digital team or on social media, I would create this little stories that I thought were fun and entertaining and that the audience could get to know who I was. Then, they wanted to turn me heel against Charlotte Flair, who at the time, she was a good guy but she’s the daughter of Ric Flair and she had multiple title opportunities and was seen very much as the chosen one. So when they were going to turn me heel, I knew, she knew, a lot of people knew that this wasn’t going to be a heel turn, this was going to be a mega babyface turn for me because now I’d get this attitude and shoulder chip.”
On how some of her social media posts would hurt people’s feelings, which made her feel bad: “That worked to a certain point because I would rely on social media a lot. I started to put stuff out there into the world and on to the internet that I would justify it as it’s a business and this is making people talk and it’s whatever, but I know it hurt people’s feelings that weren’t in on it. It’s a different thing when you’re in the ring or when you’re cutting promos and stuff like that, I was like, but this is what people want, they want me to be like this but me as a person, didn’t necessarily feel good about that. I’ll always justify it, but it left me feeling icky I suppose. [It didn’t change] until I went away to have my child. So, it was like from mid 2019 that I just felt like it was forced, it all felt very forced.”
On her run after her WrestleMania 35 title win: “I didn’t have formidable opponents necessarily, I didn’t have people that were built up for me on the back side so I was trying to — I was the champion, I had this historic moment being the first woman to main event WrestleMania, but then my first opponent somebody who the audience didn’t know, was quite green — and none of this was her fault, but it shouldn’t have been my first opponent.”
On how some of her social media activity broke trust with people: “Things just didn’t feel like they were right and I felt like I was trying the social media, that just felt inauthentic and I don’t know, I felt like I put out some stuff that I wish I didn’t. I wish I didn’t put that out there because social media can be a great tool, but it can also be horrible negative and it can cost real relationships if people aren’t in on it. I didn’t like that. I will always [tell people] whatever you want to say about me is fair game if we can make money on TV, let’s make money, but not everybody is like that and I know everybody is not like that. There is such a level of trust in what we do and I think I broke that trust for several people and it just didn’t feel good, it didn’t sit right with who Rebecca Quin is. Even though I can justify that it’s Becky Lynch and it’s business business business, at the end of the day, my gut said no. I was going against it and it felt inauthentic. I had my daughter and I haven’t relied on that since and I’ve felt just so much better, so much lighter. I tell my stories on TV, I tell them in the ring. I don’t need to be tweeting mean stuff at people on a random Sunday afternoon, you know what I mean?”
In another interview with Sports Illustrated, Becky Lynch discussed her new book, her wrestling career, the NXT women’s division, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On what women’s wrestling needs: “That’s what women’s wrestling needs. We should all be focused on the future of the industry. That’s bigger than me. I don’t need a title. The title doesn’t make me–I make the title. I have enough stories that I don’t need the title. NXT, that’s a place that does a great job with multiple stories with women that don’t all revolve around a title. That’s what our division needs, more stories that don’t revolve around a title.”
On working with other talents: “It’s doing the work when the work is hard and not always rewarding, but you’re elevating everyone around you. I headlined a WrestleMania. I have that experience. I headlined Raw, I headlined live events. When I came in, women didn’t even main-event live events on a consistent basis. So to get in the ring with Xia Li, who hadn’t even had a two-segment match to that point, it’s really important.”
On when she does her best work: “That’s when I do my best work, when I’m overlooked and people doubt me. The division needs to grow. Now I can give hopes and dreams to other people, too. Driving the business forward, that’s what this is all about.”
On asking husband Seth Rollins to read her book: “It was especially nerve-wracking to ask Colby to read it. I value his opinion more than anyone. Would he like how he was portrayed? I couldn’t wait to hear what he thought about it. Thankfully, he loved it.”
