Regardless of what brand she belongs to, Becky Lynch remains The Man of WWE.
Despite missing over a year's worth of in-ring action, Becky Lynch wasted no time reclaiming her spot atop the WWE women's division upon returning to the ring at SummerSlam and hasn't looked back since.
Several names have stepped up to her in that time and attempted to knock her off her pedestal, but Charlotte Flair is the only one to come close to doing so. Lynch and The Queen have been both friends and foes dating back to their days in NXT, but tensions recently began to flare up again between them.
Sunday's Survivor Series will see the two wage war once more, this time in a battle for brand supremacy. They've taken their heated rivalry to new heights leading up to the event, thus giving their upcoming clash a can't-miss vibe.
When she isn't trading verbal jabs with Flair on the mic, Lynch continues to thrive in every aspect of her life and career. After giving birth to daughter Roux in December 2020, she wants to prove it is possible to excel at being both a WWE Superstar and a mother simultaneously.
The Man sat down with Bleacher Report ahead of Survivor Series to discuss her feud with Flair, why she despises social media, potential opponents for WrestleMania 38, and more. Check out the complete audio of the interview on the next slide and read on for the highlights.
Lynch has made it quite clear in her promos and interviews that there is no love lost between herself and Flair, with this one being no exception.
The two have crossed paths on countless occasions over the years (with Lynch beating The Queen more often than not), but The Man promises it will be a different story come Sunday. She also referenced the backstage altercation Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported on as the reason why their Survivor Series encounter is going to be much more personal.
"I think it's renewed disdain for each other, I think that's what's going to make it different," Lynch said. "I think before there was always tension. Now it just feels like it's a different level. There was always something boiling under the surface for a long time and that was going to come to a head. Many people didn't see what happened ... well, some people saw what happened, but obviously the whole world didn't see what happened.
"It was heated, and we all know it was heated, and there's many different versions of the story that are out there, but now it's one of those things where...I don't know. I don't know how Sunday is going to go, and I don't think the audience knows how it's going to go. I know there's going to be a lot of animosity and a lot of spite from both sides, and we're going to be out there trying to prove something to the whole world and to ourselves.”
Lynch acknowledged that SummerSlam 2018 marked a turning point in their friendship when The Irish Lass Kicker betrayed her in storyline and embarked on a heel run that sent her stock soaring. She also called the event "contentious" and that Flair couldn't handle her becoming a bigger name.
As for whether we'll ever see the two reconcile their friendship, Lynch said it likely won't happen as long as they're both in the business.
"Honestly, I don't know," she said. "I think there would be a lot that would need to be talked about and a lot that would need to be discussed. Honestly, I don't think we can be in this business anymore. I feel like once we're in this industry, she's going to be jealous of me, and I'm not going to like the way she does business. I don't know that it can be repaired while we're both still wrestling.”
Lynch has been known for throwing shade and quick-witted jabs at her rivals on Twitter over the years, specifically around the time she broke out on her own as a singles star. Otherwise, she isn't the biggest fan of the platform and intends using it less than she already does.
Furthering feuds on Twitter is certainly effective, but it can also open the floodgates for fans looking for a war and take a toll on the talent.
"We have a live microphone on us 24/7 and sometimes it can be used for bad and sometimes it can be used to hype something and show more disdain when we're coming to a big match," Lynch said. "I, ironically, hate social media. I think it's stupid, but I think it has a purpose and that purpose can be used for our work. I don't think people need to see me brushing my teeth in the morning, but I think people can see how I feel about an opponent and my stories going forward.
"You made a good point about fans and how they can interact and follow you and I think that's awesome. That is great. But one thing we see with social media... I like to use it for wrestling purposes and further a storyline. I think there's so much... for people's mental health, I think it can be bad. I think it can be detrimental. I think people compare themselves to each other. It gives people an outlet to be constantly angry about things, and I don't think that's good for the world. That's Rebecca Quinn's philosophy on social media."
On a similar subject, she compared tweeting about wrestling to watching movies and complaining about what direction they were headed in before the full film can play out. She emphasized that Twitter and other social media have some redeeming qualities, but the cons tend to outweigh the pros.
"Now that I look at everything from the eyes of being a parent, it's worrying," Lynch said. "People are growing up and there's likes and dislikes and comparing each other to other people constantly, and I think that can be bad for young people and their mindset on the world growing up."
Being a parent is no small feat, but attempting to juggle those responsibilities with being a WWE Superstar can be infinitely more difficult.
Lynch has managed to do both in the short time she's been back on the road with WWE and is enjoying every second of the experience.
"It's wild, man. I'm balancing it quite well I think," she said. "I bring her everywhere with me which is sometimes exhausting but extremely rewarding. I'm on my way to do another interview and I had to leave her and it's always so hard to leave her. The fact I can bring her everywhere with me is awesome and I'm so lucky I'm able to do that. It often means less sleep, but as long as she's getting enough sleep, that's fine.
"That's why I have coffee and now I'm drinking more coffee, so it's great because I love coffee. But yeah, I find it way more rewarding. Also, I don't let the small stuff fester as long. Instead of thinking of all of this and going, 'This didn't go right,' or, 'I wanted this to be better,' she's looking at me going, 'Mom, mom, mom, mom,' and that's the best thing in the world."
From Bianca Belair to Sasha Banks and now Liv Morgan, Lynch has ripped it up with a variety of opponents since SummerSlam. She holds every match she's had so far to a high standard, but all of them are equally special to her.
"I'm actually really proud of all the matches I've had since coming back, mostly because I hadn't wrestled in a year and a half and I think they've all been quite good," she said. "There's always that doubt and insecurity. Have I lost a step? All these girls are amazing, they're super-athletes. Am I going to be able to keep up?
"I was working real hard while I was gone, but still, being in front of a crowd and with people you haven't worked before, it's different. I'm proud of all the matches I've ever had and I think I'm most proud of the promo I cut on Monday because there was a lot going on there. I wanted to bring the audience on a ride and I think that I did that."
Much like the rest of WWE's Four Horsewomen, Lynch has been a part of plenty of firsts since the dawn of the Women's Evolution in 2016. Not only was she the inaugural SmackDown women's champion, but she also competed in the first-ever female Money in the Bank and Royal Rumble matches.
The women of WWE are still making history, having just wrapped up the first-ever Queen's Crown tournament a few weeks ago. However, it has become commonplace for the women of Raw and SmackDown to be featured in the main events of shows, and making that sort of thing the norm is what Lynch strives for.
"What I'm excited about is that we're going to get to a point where it's no longer the first this or the first that because we've done it all and we're consistently killing the game, even Hell in a Cell," she said. "I'm excited for that to continue to a point where gender isn't the issue. Maybe there's going to be only one men's match on a Raw or whatever. It doesn't matter because we're telling stories and having great matches."
In addition to her in-ring dominance, The Man has also been making moves beyond the squared circle in recent years. Her appearance on Showtime's Billions in 2020 sparked speculation among fans that she could eventually eye acting gigs in Hollywood.
"Performance is what I always want to do," Lynch said, adding that it was what she studied in college and got her degree in. "There's a few things coming up and happening that I'm excited about and getting moved around and stuff, so we'll take it as it comes. We'll let that all reveal itself in time."
Wrestling Twitter ran wild a few weeks ago after a photo of her was supposedly leaked from the set of Marvel's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, despite the actress not resembling Lynch in the slightest. That doesn't mean she wouldn't be interested in entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point, though.
"Yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said when asked about whether she'd be interested in starring in a Marvel movie someday. "I'm a big Marvel fan. We'll see what happens."
Although it started out fairly rocky, the rivalry between Bianca Belair and Lynch has been fun to follow since SummerSlam and had its fair share of highlights.
Lynch beating The EST of WWE in under a minute at the August pay-per-view kicked off her heel turn, and as unnecessary as it was, she has played the role remarkably well. Belair has been a brilliant foil for her and the matches delivered as well.
"I was trying to get away from her, man!" Lynch said. "I wanted to beat her and not let her near me until maybe I was generous enough to let her step in the ring with Big Time Becks at WrestleMania and then give her a title shot. That would've been spectacular because I think the audience would've really, really, really wanted to see her then beat the bejesus out of me and then I'd beat her and then make them all go home very happy.
"But we can always get back there, the door is always open. She's an incredible athlete, an original. Once I beat up Liv Morgan here in a little bit, once I beat up Charlotte Flair, once I beat up the entire rest of the roster, let's see what she's doing then and maybe the door will be open at WrestleMania."
Lynch defeated Belair to retain the Raw Women's Championship on the November 1 edition of Raw, and while she was unsuccessful in taking the title, Big Time Becks cheated to win and thus The EST was protected in defeat. That makes a rematch at 'Mania a possibility, assuming plans don't change before then.
As the current champion, she doesn't have her sights on any one opponent for The Show of Shows next year, but whatever match she's involved in guarantees to be great.
"God, there's such a wealth of talent, especially on the Raw roster," Lynch said. "A lot of young, new, hungry talent. I could go through the list of everyone, but we have Liv Morgan, who is building momentum and whose momentum I'm going to crush in a bit. We have Bianca Belair who, like we have seen, is a fantastic athlete. We have Rhea Ripley, a powerhouse.
"We have a lot of people. Then, of course, is Ronda Rousey going to be chomping at the bit to get back now that she sees what I've accomplished? Maybe she'd want to accomplish the same, maybe she'll want to get retribution for the loss I gave her at WrestleMania 35. The same loss that's caused me to be champion ever since. There are a lot of options. Maybe Bayley will come back, maybe Asuka will come back. The possibilities are endless."
Don't miss Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair this Sunday at Survivor Series starting at 8/7c on Peacock and WWE Network.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website,WrestleRant, and subscribe to hisYouTube channelfor more wrestling-related content.
