Rebecca Quin (born 30 January 1987), better known by thering nameBecky Lynch, is an Irishprofessional wrestler. She has been signed toWWE since April 2013[update], where she performs on theRaw brand. Lynch is often regarded as one of the greatest women's professional wrestlers of all time.[6][7]
Quin began training as a professional wrestler in 2002. Initially working in Ireland, and occasionallyteaming with her brother using the ring nameRebecca Knox, she soon began wrestling across Europe and North America on theindependent circuit for various promotions. She most notably competed inElite Canadian Championship Wrestling and became the inauguralSuperGirls Champion in 2005. In 2006, Quin had a severe head injury during a match which kept her away from wrestling for several years. She returned in 2012 and signed a contract with WWE in 2013, assigned to thedevelopmental territory atNXT. Following her push to WWE's main roster, she became the inauguralSmackDown Women's Champion atBacklash 2016 and has held the title five times.
In 2018, Lynch transitioned to a more aggressive character starting atSummerSlam, when she attackedCharlotte Flair, presenting herself as an unfairly treated underdog and dubbing herself "The Man", resulting in a large increase in her popularity. In 2019, she won theRoyal Rumble match, and in the main event ofWrestleMania 35 won both theRaw Women's Championship and SmackDown Women's Championship, making her the first woman to hold both titles simultaneously and a four-time WWE women's champion. This was also the first time that a women's match was the main event of aWrestleMania, which was also subsequently the final one-night WrestleMania as it expanded to two nights the following year. She stands as one of only five women to have headlined WWE's marquee event.
Rebecca Quin[8] was born inLimerick on 30 January 1987.[9] Shortly after her birth, her family moved back to Dublin. Her parents separated when she was one year old, and her father moved out, but her mother invited him back to co-parent when Rebecca was four. When she was 11, her mother found a new partner, a pilot, and she and Rebecca moved to the coastal suburb ofBayside, to a house beside that of her partner, two years later. Rebecca in her autobiography goes into some detail on completing her growing years there.[10]: 15–18, 22
She started watching professional wrestling from a young age with her brother, Richy,[11] who later wrestled under the ring name Gonzo de Mondo.[3][5] She was involved in horse riding, swimming, and basketball.[5] However, she went through a difficult teenage period, with problems with schoolwork, even failingPhysical education (P.E.) one year.[12]
While atMount Temple Comprehensive School she considered a career in acting, but was dissuaded by an aunt who was an actor.[13] Quin attendedUniversity College Dublin to study philosophy, history and politics, but said she 'really hated it' and dropped out.[5][14] She planned to return to college to study health and exercise studies.[14] Prior to beginning to train as a wrestler, she stated that she had been 'going down a bad path' involving alcohol, but wrestling helped her give it up.[5]
Knox began working for the all-female promotionShimmer Women Athletes in early 2006. In her debut match for the promotion, she defeatedAllison Danger, and established herself as aheel (villain) by faking an injury.[24] Following that, she began feuding withDaizee Haze; Knox lost the first match between them,[24] but won the rematch oftwo-out-of-three falls.[24][25]
In June 2006, Knox defeatedSweet Saraya to win thevacated World Queens of Chaos Championship at an event inChouilly, France.[26] She held the championship for few months beforedropping it to Saraya in September.[27]
In September 2006, while wrestling in Germany, Knox sustained alegit head injury, following which she claimed to have been "suffering from extremely painful headaches, loud buzzing in her left ear and vision as a result," and was also diagnosed with possible damage to hereighth cranial nerve.[28] A60-minute Iron Woman match against Haze at Shimmer'sVolume 7 taping was cancelled as a result.[24]
Following her injury, Quin took a six-year hiatus, wrestling only on three occasions for Irish promotionFight Factory Pro Wrestling (FFPW) in 2008,[29] 2012[30] and 2013.[31] She also reappeared in Shimmer in 2011, managing Saraya andBritani Knight for four shows.[24]
Lynch made her televised in-ring debut on 26 June 2014 episode ofNXT, defeatingSummer Rae.[34] The next week, Lynch teamed up withBayley in a losing effort to theBFFs: Beautiful Fierce Females (NXT Women's ChampionCharlotte andSasha Banks) in a tag-team match.[35] Lynch spent the next few months competing in non-title matches against Charlotte, losing three in a row.[36][37][38] On 23 October episode ofNXT, after being told to make herself relevant, Lynch aligned herself with Banks by attacking Bayley,turning heel.[39] Known as Team B.A.E. (Best at Everything), the alliance started to disintegrate when Banks cost Lynch a match against Bayley in February 2015.[1][40]
AtNXT TakeOver: Rival, Lynch participated in afatal four-way match for the NXT Women's Championship, which was won by Banks.[41] In April, Lynch defeated Bayley and Charlotte in a triple threat match to earn a title match against Sasha,[42] which she lost atNXT TakeOver: Unstoppable. During the match, she debuted a new look resemblingMagic: The Gathering character Chandra Nalaar.[43] The match received widespread critical acclaim, with praise going to both performers.[44][45]
Women's Revolution (2015–2016)
Lynch made her official main roster debut on 13 July episode ofRaw, as afan favourite, along with Charlotte and Sasha Banks, afterStephanie McMahon called for a "revolution" in theWWE Divas division. Lynch and Charlotte began allying with Paige, who was feuding withTeam Bella (Alicia Fox andThe Bella Twins), while Banks allied withNaomi andTamina, leading to a brawl between the three teams.[46] The trio of Paige, Lynch and Charlotte, originally dubbedSubmission Sorority, was renamed toTeam PCB (after the initials of each wrestler) when it was found out the original name was the same as an adult web page.[47] Lynch made her in-ring debut on 20 July episode ofRaw, teaming with Paige in a losing effort against Sasha Banks and Naomi.[48][49] She earned her first singles victory on 28 July episode ofMain Event overBrie Bella.[50] The three teams ultimately faced off atSummerSlam in athree-team elimination match, in which Lynch pinned Brie Bella to win the match for PCB.[51]
On 31 August episode ofRaw, all members of PCB competed in the inaugural "DivasBeat the Clock Challenge", to determine the number one contender for theDivas Championship.[52] Charlotte won the match and went on to claim the title fromNikki Bella atNight of Champions on 20 September.[53] The following night onRaw, Paige turned on her partners during Charlotte's celebration, claiming that Charlotte was only there because of her fatherRic Flair (since he was a former wrestler in WWE) and called Lynch the "least relevant" member of the group.[54] Throughout October, Paige tried to reconcile with Lynch and Charlotte[55][56] only to attack them, officially disbanding Team PCB in the process.[57] On 2 November episode ofRaw, Lynch was pinned by Paige in a fatal four-way to earn a title match for Charlotte's Divas Championship.[58] The following week onRaw, Lynch gained revenge by defeating Paige.[59]
"Lynch is the one who was the key to the initially failing "Divas Revolution" turning around. Her program with Charlotte may have been the bestbooked on the main roster. And it worked".
On 30 November episode ofRaw, Charlotte started displaying villainous traits after she feigned a leg injury to defeat Lynch, followed by a distraction provided by her father.[61] Throughout December, the two's friendship continued to strain[62][63][64][65][66] and after Lynch defeated her on 4 January 2016 episode ofRaw, Charlotte attacked her and solidified her heel turn.[67] Lynch faced Charlotte for the Divas Championship three days later onSmackDown[68] and at theRoyal Rumblepay-per-view event, but lost both matches after interference from Ric Flair.[69]
Throughout February, Lynch began teaming with Banks against Naomi and Tamina.[70][71][72][73] Their feud continued until Lynch and Banks came victorious in a tag team match atFastlane.[74] The following night onRaw, a number one contender's match for the Divas Championship between Lynch and Banks ended in a double pin (both wrestlers pinning each other simultaneously).[75][76] A rematch on the followingSmackDown ended in a no contest when Diva's Champion Charlotte attacked both contestants.[77] As a result, Charlotte was scheduled to defend her title in a triple threat against both wrestlers atWrestleMania 32.[78] At the event, Lynch failed to win the newly createdWWE Women's Championship (which replaced the Diva's Championship).[79][80][81] AtMoney in the Bank in June, Lynch teamed up withNatalya to faceDana Brooke and Charlotte in a losing effort. After their match, Natalya turned on Lynch and attacked her.[82] The two began feuding for a month[83][84][85] until Lynch lost to Natalya atBattleground.[86]
On 11 September, atBacklash, Lynch won asix-pack elimination challenge, last eliminating Carmella, to become theinauguralSmackDown Women's Champion.[92] Her first title defence against Alexa Bliss was scheduled forNo Mercy but due to Lynch experiencing a legitimate injury[93] the match was postponed to 8 November episode ofSmackDown, where Lynch retained.[94] AtSurvivor Series later that month, Lynch made up part of Team SmackDown alongside Bliss, Carmella, Naomi and Natalya in aSurvivor Series match in a losing effort to Team Raw.[95] At theTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view in December, Lynch lost the SmackDown Women's Championship to Bliss in atables match, ending her reign at 84 days.[96] She received her championship rematch on 17 January 2017 episode ofSmackDown, in asteel cage match but lost after interference from another La Luchadora (later revealed as the returningMickie James).[97] This led to a match between Lynch and James atElimination Chamber in February, which Lynch won.[98] Lynch participated in a six-pack challenge for the title atWrestleMania 33 in April, which was ultimately won by Naomi.[99]
In May, Lynch aligned with Naomi and Charlotte Flair againstThe Welcoming Committee (Natalya, Carmella and Tamina).[100][101][102][103] The two teams faced off in asix-woman tag team match atBacklash; the Welcoming Committee was victorious when Lynch submitted to Natalya'ssharpshooter.[104][105] Shortly after, Lynch competed atMoney in the Bank, as part of the first women'smoney in the bank ladder match, which was won by Carmella.[106][107] In October, Lynch won a fatal five-way match against Flair, Naomi, Tamina and Carmella to become the Team SmackDown's captain forSurvivor Series.[108][109] At the event, Lynch was the first competitor eliminated and her team was on the losing side.[110] Throughout the rest of the year, Lynch again aligned with Flair and Naomi to feud with the debutingRiott Squad (Ruby Riott,Liv Morgan andSarah Logan).[111][112][113][114][115] In January 2018, at theRoyal Rumble, Lynch participated in the firstwomen's Royal Rumble match, entering at number 2 and lasting over 30 minutes before being eliminated by Ruby Riott.[116] A few months later, Lynch also participated in theWrestleMania Women's Battle Royal atWrestleMania 34, but was eliminated from the match by James.[117] In May, she qualified for the women's Money in the Bank ladder match,[118] which was ultimately won by Alexa Bliss.[119]
The Man (2018–2019)
In 2018, Lynch started using the nickname "The Man".
Following the2018 Money in the Bank event, Lynch began a winning streak, defeating different competitors such asBillie Kay,[120]Sonya Deville,[121]Peyton Royce,[122]Mandy Rose,[123] and SmackDown Women's Champion Carmella in a non-title match.[124] The wins earned Lynch a title match atSummerSlam, with Charlotte Flair being added to the match as well after she also defeated Carmella in a non-title match.[125][126] Flair went on to win the title by pinning Lynch, who was about to submit Carmella. After the match, Lynch attacked Flair, turningheel for the first time on the main roster.[127] Two days later onSmackDown, Lynch berated the crowd, claiming that they were not really supporting her the whole time, and that she was being denied opportunities which were always handed to Flair.[128][129] Despite this, audiences increasingly supported Lynch, leading WWE to tweak the storyline and portray both Lynch and Flair asboth having valid points, but neither being outright heels.[130] The feud between the two led to a title match atHell in a Cell,[131][132][133] in which Lynch won the SmackDown Women's Championship for a second time.[134][135][136] Lynch subsequently retained her title against Flair at bothSuper Show-Down[137][138] andEvolution.[139][140]
Around this time, Lynch started using the nickname "The Man", claiming to be the top wrestler of the company, and was depicted as aface once again.[141][142][143] As part of a competition between theRaw and SmackDown brands atSurvivor Series, Lynch was scheduled for aninterbrand champion vs. champion match against Raw Women's ChampionRonda Rousey.[144][145] Lynch led an invasion of the Raw roster on 12 November episode ofRaw, where she had alegit concussion and broken nose following a punch fromNia Jax;[146] despite the injury, her seemingly unfazed reaction and images of her bloody face turned her into an overnight star[147][148] – she'd later call the accident "a blessing in disguise".[149] Due to the injury, Lynch was pulled from the match with Rousey and named Flair as her replacement on the following night's episode ofSmackDown.[150][151] After her return, Lynch defended her title atTLC in December against both Flair andAsuka in aTables, Ladders and Chairs match,[152][153][154][155] in which Asuka won the title after Rousey interfered and pushed both Lynch and Flair off a ladder, ending her second reign at 91 days.[156]On 27 January 2019, at theRoyal Rumble event, Lynch failed to regain the title from Asuka.[157] Later that night, she participated in the women's Royal Rumble match, replacing an injuredLana, who was the 28th entrant. Lynch would go on to win with lastly eliminating Charlotte Flair.[158] The following night onRaw, Lynch continued her feud with Ronda Rousey, choosing to face Rousey for the Raw Women's Championship atWrestleMania 35.[159][160] As part of astoryline in which she refused to seek medical attention on her knee and attacked Stephanie McMahon and Triple H,Vince McMahon suspended Lynch in February for 60 days and replaced her with Charlotte Flair as Rousey's WrestleMania opponent.[161] Due to pleadings from Rousey, Lynch was reinstated by Stephanie, and at theFastlane event, she defeated Flair via disqualification after Rousey purposely attacked Lynch to give her the win; due to the stipulation of the match, Lynch was added back into the title match at WrestleMania to make it a triple-threat match for the Raw Women's Championship.[162][163]
Flair then won the SmackDown Women's Championship from Asuka, making the WrestleMania match aWinner Takes All match for both titles. At the event, in what was the first time womenmain evented aWrestleMania, Lynch controversially pinned Rousey to win both titles. The commentary and production team commented that Rousey's shoulders were not down for the three-count and many fans and media were left wondering if this was a legitimatebotched finish.[164] Nonetheless, with the win, Lynch gave Rousey her first WWE singles and pinfall loss and became a double champion and the only woman to hold both titles simultaneously. With both titles, she was allowed to appear on both the Raw and SmackDown brands and got another nickname, "Becky Two Belts".[165]
Record-breaking Raw Women's Champion (2019–2020)
Shortly after WrestleMania, Lynch was placed in a feud with newcomerLacey Evans, who was drafted toRaw during theSuperstar Shake-up and who continuously attacked Lynch after herpromos.[166][167][168] Simultaneously on SmackDown, Lynch continued her feud with Flair over the SmackDown Women's Championship.[169][170] In May, atMoney in the Bank, Lynch retained the Raw Women's Championship over Evans, but lost the SmackDown Women's Championship to Charlotte Flair in the following match due to aninterference by Evans.[169][170][171][172] After she lost the SmackDown Women's Championship, Lynch became an exclusive member of the Raw brand and continued her feud with Evans.[171][173] In mid-June, Lynch successfully retained her title over Evans at theStomping Grounds pay-per-view.[174][175][176][177][178] Later that night, Lynch helped her real-life boyfriendSeth Rollins retain theWWE Universal Championship overBaron Corbin, after Corbin chose Evans as thespecial guest referee for their title match. The two feuds between the two pairs came to an end at theExtreme Rules event in July, after Lynch and Rollins retained both of their titles in awinners take allmixed tag team match.[179][180][181][182]
In August, Lynch started a short feud withNatalya. AtSummerSlam, Lynch was victorious in asubmission match between the two.[183][184][185][186] Upon her return in mid-August, Sasha Banks attacked Lynch and reignited their feud from 2015.[187][188][189][190][191] AtClash of Champions, on 15 September, Lynch retained her title after inadvertently hitting the referee with a chair, causing a disqualification loss.[192][193][194] The feud eventually led to aHell in a Cell match on 6 October at thenamesake pay-per-view.[195][196][197][198] Lynch was victorious once again.[199] AtSurvivor Series, Lynch faced SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley and NXT Women's ChampionShayna Baszler in a non-title triple threat match to determine the superior women's champion. Baszler emerged victorious by submitting Bayley while Lynch was downed at ringside. Following the match, Lynch attacked Baszler and put her through an announce table.[200] On 26 November, Lynch surpassed Ronda Rousey as the longest-reigning Raw Women's Champion.[201]
Following Survivor Series, Lynch allied herself with Charlotte in a rivalry withWomen's Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka andKairi Sane),[202] leading to a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match for the championship between the two teams being arranged forTLC in December,[203] which The Kabuki Warriors won.[204] She then continued her feud with Asuka,[205] which directed to a match for the Raw Women's Championship at theRoyal Rumble on 26 January 2020, where Lynch retained to end the feud.[206]
In February, Lynch feuded with Shayna Baszler,[207] who won anElimination Chamber match to challenge Lynch for the championship atWrestleMania 36.[208] At the event on 4 April, Lynch defeated Baszler to retain the title, with her title reign surpassing the one-year mark shortly after.[209] Following the event, Lynch ceased participating in physical confrontations, often relying on promos to advance her storylines. On 11 May episode ofRaw, Lynch announced that she was relinquishing the Raw Women's Championship due to her real-life pregnancy, and that theprevious night's Women's Money in the Bank ladder match – which was won by Asuka – was actually for the championship.[210]
Big Time Becks (2021–2022)
On 21 August 2021, following a 15-month hiatus, Lynch made her return atSummerSlam with aheel character, defeatingBianca Belair inless than half a minute to win theSmackDown Women's Championship for thefourth time.[211][212] AtExtreme Rules, Lynch successfully retained her title following interference by a returningSasha Banks.[213] Atriple threat match between the three women for the SmackDown Women's Championship was then scheduled for theCrown Jewel event in October, where Lynch successfully retained her title.[214] On 15 October episode ofSmackDown, as part of her feud with Banks and Belair, Lynch would go one-on-one with Banks and Banks would pin her with aBackstabber after interference from Belair, marking her first loss since her return.[215]
As a part of the2021 Draft, Lynch was drafted to the Raw brand as a SmackDown Women's Champion.[216] On 22 October episode ofSmackDown, Lynch and Raw Women's Champion Charlotte Flair exchanged their titles, thus Lynch became the new Raw Women's Champion.[217] As part of the 2021 Draft, Bianca Belair was also drafted to Raw and continued her feud with Lynch. On 1 November episode ofRaw, Lynch successfully defended her title against Belair, ending the feud.[218] AtSurvivor Series, Lynch defeated SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair in a Champion vs. Champion match.[219] Lynch went on to defeatLiv Morgan to retain the title on 6 December episode ofRaw, and in a rematch atDay 1. On 31 January 2022 episode ofRaw, Lynch would confront Royal Rumble winner Ronda Rousey but was dropped by Rousey as she left the ring. She would then be confronted byLita and she would challenge Lynch to a title match atElimination Chamber for the Raw Women's Championship and she would accept, with this being a dream match for Lynch as well as a first time ever match.[220] She was successful in retaining her title, which would set up a title match with the winner of the Elimination Chamber number one contenders match, Bianca Belair, atWrestleMania 38.[221] At night one of the event, Becky Lynch lost her title to Belair, ending her reign at 162 days.[222]
On 25 April episode ofRaw, Lynch was confronted by a returning Asuka, reigniting their feud.[223] On 16 May episode ofRaw, Lynch failed to become the #1 contender for the Raw Women's Championship by losing to Asuka.[224] The next week, Lynch defeated Asuka to get added to the match between her and Belair atHell in a Cell, making it a triple threat match.[225] At the event, Belair retained her title.[226] On 20 June episode ofRaw, Lynch failed to qualify for the Women's Money in the Bank ladder match after losing to Asuka.[227] However, Lynch was headed to the event after winning a last chance MITB qualifying six pack elimination match on the following episode ofRaw.[228] AtMoney in the Bank, she was unsuccessful in winning the match.[229] AtSummerSlam, Lynch failed to regain the Raw Women's Championship from Belair, but embraced her after the match, turningface in the process. After Belair was confronted by a returningBayley and new alliesDakota Kai andIyo Sky (formerly Io Shirai), Lynch aided Belair, cementing her face turn.[230] On 1 August, WWE issued a statement regarding Lynch suffering a separated shoulder in her match at SummerSlam, where she was expected to be out of action for several months. On that night's episode ofRaw, she was attacked backstage by Bayley, Kai, and Sky, effectively being written off of television.[231]
Return of The Man (2022–2024)
On 25 November episode ofSmackDown, Lynch made her return as "The Man", being revealed as the fifth and final member of Bianca Belair's team forSurvivor Series: WarGames.[232] At the event on 26 November, Lynch's team was victorious after Lynch performed a Double Diving Leg Drop from the top of the cage on Kai and Sky through a table and pinned Kai to win the match.[233]
On 27 February episode ofRaw, Lynch and Lita defeated Damage CTRL to win theWWE Women's Tag Team Championship with the help of returningTrish Stratus; Lynch also became the Sixth Women's Triple Crown Champion.[234] At Night 1 ofWrestleMania 39, Lynch, Lita, and Stratus defeated Damage CTRL.[235] On 10 April episode ofRaw, she and Stratus (replacing an injured Lita) dropped the titles to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, ending Lynch and Lita's reign at 41 days. Stratus then turned on Lynch and both started a feud.[236] While Lynch lost to Stratus atNight of Champions,[237] Their second match on 14 August episode of Raw ended in a double countout.[238] Their rematch was scheduled for Payback.[239] Lynch defeated Stratus atPayback in asteel cage ending their feud.[240] The match not being included on the card forSummerSlam (an event between Night of Champions and Payback) received backlash from fans on social media, with reports suggesting that both Stratus and Lynch had real-life frustrations with the decision.[241] Further reports claimed that the match was not included due to time constraints, which was seemingly confirmed byTriple H, who defending the decision by stating: "There was a lot of banter I saw this week about matches being cut, which is the word that was used. But nothing was cut. There was no card announced. If we don't have more things in the pocket ready to go for a PLE than can fit in the PLE, I've done a terrible job."[242][243]
On 17 November episode ofSmackDown, Lynch was announced as the fourth and final member ofBianca Belair's team atSurvivor Series WarGames.[246] At the event on 25 November, Lynch, Belair,Charlotte Flair andShotzi defeatedDamage CTRL (Bayley,Iyo Sky,Kairi Sane andAsuka) after Lynch pinned Bayley.[247] Afterwards, Lynch reignited her feud withNia Jax, which culminated in a match atDay 1 where Lynch was defeated by Jax.[248] At theRoyal Rumble on 27 January 2024, Lynch entered theRoyal Rumble match at #21 and eliminatedChelsea Green before being eliminated by the debutingJade Cargill.[249] On 5 February episode ofRaw, Lynch defeatedShayna Baszler to qualify for the women'sElimination Chamber match atElimination Chamber: Perth, which Lynch won by last eliminatingLiv Morgan, earning aWomen's World Championship match againstRhea Ripley atWrestleMania XL.[250] On Night 1 of WrestleMania XL on 6 April, Lynch failed to win the title from Ripley.[251] After Ripley was forced to relinquish the title due to a legitimate shoulder injury, Lynch won a 14-woman Battle Royal on 22 April episode ofRaw by last eliminating Morgan to win the vacant title, becoming a seven-time women's world champion.[252] AtKing and Queen of the Ring on 25 May, Lynch lost the title to Morgan after accidental interference fromDominik Mysterio, ending her reign at 33 days.[253] Two nights later onRaw, Lynch failed to regain the title from Morgan in asteel cage match after another accidental interference from Mysterio.[254] On 1 June, it was reported that Lynch's WWE contract had expired and that she became a free agent.[255]
Heel turn (2025–present)
On 7 January 2025, it was reported by Fightful that Lynch had signed a new contract with WWE.[256][257] On 20 April, at Night 2 ofWrestleMania 41, Lynch returned from an eleven-month hiatus as the tag team partner forLyra Valkyria (in place of the injured Bayley), defeating Liv MorganandRaquel Rodriguez to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship.[258] On the following episode ofRaw, the duo lost the titles back to Morgan and Rodriguez, ending their reign at only one day, marking the shortest reign in the title's history. After the match, Lynch attacked Valkyria, turningheel for the first time since 2022.[259] On 28 April episode ofRaw, Lynch revealed that she was the one that attacked Bayley before WrestleMania.[260] AtBacklash on 10 May, Lynch failed to win theWomen's Intercontinental Championship from Valkyria.[261] AtMoney in the Bank on 7 June, Lynch defeated Valkyria in aLast Chance match to win the title.[262] On 23 June episode ofRaw, Lynch defeated Bayley to retain the title via disqualification after being attacked by Valkyria. AtEvolution on 13 July, Lynch retained the title against Bayley and Valkyria in a triple threat match.[263] On Night 2 ofSummerSlam on 3 August, Lynch retained the title against Valkyria in a no disqualification Last Chance match, ending their feud.[264]
When Lynch was drafted to SmackDown following the2016 WWE Draft, she used the nickname "The Irish Lass Kicker". From 2018 to 2020, she used the nickname "The Man". Upon her return and heel turn in 2021, she began to use the nickname "Big Time Becks".[269] After turning face the following year, she reverted to her "The Man" nickname.
Impact and legacy
Becky Lynch is certainly one of the biggest stars in WWE history and her legacy is cemented.
Since 2018, Becky Lynch has been cited to be one of the most popular and recognizable wrestlers of her generation.[270][271][272] Lynch was the inaugural SmackDown Women's Champion in 2016 and at one point, held both the Raw and Smackdown Women's titles at the same time. AtWrestleMania 35 in 2019, Lynch,Charlotte Flair, andRonda Rousey became the first women to have headlined WWE's flagship annual event, while Lynch was the first to have won a WrestleMania main event match.[273]
Lynch holds the record for most main event matches at pay-per-view events in a single year for a female wrestler (3 in 2019).[274] That same year, she became the first woman to have been namedPro Wrestling Illustrated'sMost Popular Wrestler of the Year. Lynch was also the first and only female performer in WWE history to have led the company in merchandise sales in 2019.[275] Her Last Woman Standing match against Charlotte Flair atWWE Evolution was ranked No. 1 by WWE on "The Top 25 Matches of 2018" list. This was the first women's match to accomplish this feat.[276]
I can't think of another more iconic moment to define the fight, in another moment of photography, for the memory. That moment almost summarizes the change that was taking place in wrestling and how you, like you took over everything in the business and, it is almost thought that The Man was born there.
—CM Punk on Lynch's bloodied face moment in November 2018.[277]
WrestlerToni Storm cited Lynch as her biggest inspiration and said that she is "taking the women's division to a completely different level."[278] In 2019, wrestling commentatorJim Ross called Lynch "the most over talent in WWE".[279] In 2024, fellow wrestlerNia Jax said that "Lynch is going to go down as one of the greatest in our business".[280]
Lynch is the first WWE wrestler to have appeared on the cover ofESPN The Magazine in 2019.[281] As of April 2020, she was the sixth highest-paid WWE wrestler and the highest-paid woman according toForbes, with a salary ofUS$3.1 million.[282] In 2022, Glazia Magazine named Lynch as one of the Top Female Game-Changers in the 21st Century.[283]
On 1 November 2022, it was confirmed that Quin would make an appearance on the third-season premiere ofYoung Rock, playingCyndi Lauper.[291]
Lynch was a contestant on 15 November 2023 episode ofCelebrity Jeopardy!, which drew a season high of 4.2 million viewers.[292] On the episode, Lynch set a Jeopardy record by failing to correctly answer any of the standard sixty clues. Lynch managed to correctly answer two clues in the "Triple Jeopardy" round, which was added to the celebrity edition in 2022, as well as the "Final Jeopardy" clue.[293][294][295]
On 26 March 2024, the autobiographyBecky Lynch: The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl was released throughGallery Books. The book would become aNew York Times Best Seller on 14 April 2024.[296]
Quin began dating fellow professional wrestler Colby Lopez, better known asSeth Rollins, in January 2019. Their relationship was made public in April, after months of speculation.[299][300] The couple got engaged in August 2019.[299] Their daughter was born in December 2020.[301] Quin and Lopez got married on 29 June 2021.[302] Quin's father, Ken, died in March 2021.[303]
On 18 March 2024, Quin announced she had become an American citizen.[304]
Trademark dispute
In September 2019,Ric Flair threatened legal action against WWE and filed a trademark for the term "The Man", which was being used as a nickname by Lynch. The threats of legal action caused a rift between Ric Flair and his daughter Charlotte, who was Lynch's onscreen nemesis at the time.[305] Lynch responded to the actions by asserting that she still liked and respected Ric Flair.[citation needed] Ric Flair transferred the rights to "The Man" nickname and gimmick to WWE in May 2020. The terms of the transfer were undisclosed.[citation needed] Ric Flair began feuding with Lynch in 2021, accusing her of using the term without his explicit permission, but their dispute was resolved when he apologized to her in January 2023.[306]
Lynch is a seven-time world champion in WWE, having held theSmackDown/Women's World Championship (left shoulder) five times and theRaw Women's Championship (right shoulder) twice. She is also the only one to have held both titles simultaneously.
^Lyne, Laura (11 March 2021)."Dublin's Becky Lynch left heartbroken following death of beloved dad Ken Quin".DublinLive.ie.Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved9 February 2022.Dubliner Becky Lynch ... beloved dad Ken, who sadly passed away earlier today. ... Tributes ... Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, ... Cathal Pendred and ... Katie McCabe. ... Ken Quin (Mungret, Co. Limerick. Formerly of South Circular Road ... father of Richard and Rebecca. Beloved son of the late Kevin and Patsy. Sadly missed ... granddaughter Roux, brother ... sisters ...
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