Becky Lynch is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in WWE today. Whether it is as a babyface or a heel, she has been at the top of the women’s division on both Raw and SmackDown for quite some time now, with it feeling unlikely that she will ever drop far down the card again. Success for Becky Lynch wasn’t always a given though, as her time on WWE’s main roster did get off to quite a rocky start over the first year. In fact, the 2016 Royal Rumble is a great place to take a look at where her career was, and how far she has risen from then. This event was perhaps the worst point of her entire WWE run – even worse than when she was doing an Irish jig to the ring in NXT.
Becky Lynch Was Booked Like Charlotte Flair’s Sidekick Early On In WWE
Following the arrival of Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch on WWE’s main roster, with the “Women’s Revolution” beginning in WWE, it was clear that Lynch was the least important of the three to WWE. Lynch was made a sidekick to Charlotte early on, with the second-generation star going on to become the Divas Champion whilst Lynch sat and watched on. After a little while, she did gain some steam and found herself challenging for the gold at the Royal Rumble event in 2016.
It must be said though, that going in it felt like Lynch had very little chance, as it was obvious that the company were firmly behind Charlotte as the face of the division, even with a recent heel turn. There was some hope, but with her father Ric Flair having her back at ringside, there was certain to be some shenanigans. The match itself was fine for a little while, with the pair going back and forth and getting decent time compared to most women’s matches during the “Divas” era, but things would devolve in a truly horrendous manner.
Ric Flair Kissed Becky Lynch To Distract Her
During Lynch’s dominant spell in the match, she was grabbed and forcibly kissed by Ric Flair. Perhaps back in the Attitude Era, this sort of thing was perceived as more “normal” by wrestling standards, but in 2016 when the world had firmly progressed, this screamed of old-aged men looking at the women’s roster with a sexist eye. There is no way that this would have happened in a match between the male superstars, so there was zero excuse to include it here.
Seeing an old man in his 60s kissing a much younger competitor who was supposed to be being built up as a star was just not right, and it left a very uncomfortable feeling about the match. Sure, Lynch later hit Flair with a suicide dive as some form of “revenge”, but it didn’t change the fact that this booking was abysmal. To make matters worse, Charlotte Flair would go on to win the match, with Lynch getting no true comeuppance for being forced to kiss an old man against her will.
Becky Lynch Was Overshadowed By Sasha Banks
If there was perhaps some follow up after the bell, with Lynch showcasing a new fire due to what had happened, then maybe it would have been less of a bitter pill to swallow. Instead, this was brushed past almost immediately as Sasha Banks made her return to WWE after an absence of a few months. She was put in the position of number one babyface in the division, overtaking Lynch and taking the spotlight. Lynch’s title challenge was over and the focus was now on someone else, with Lynch once more feeling like the least important of the three.
This was undoubtedly one of the worst nights of Lynch’s career in WWE, and it was clear that those in power realized the mistake they made as Flair’s actions were subsequently edited out of the PPV replays. Of course, this doesn’t change the fact that it happened, and that it was a truly disgusting tactic to get some cheap heat.
Thankfully, Lynch has managed to overcome this, though it did take some time for her to truly earn the support of WWE creative. Even after becoming the first SmackDown Women’s Champion, it took a while for Lynch to be considered as one of the faces of the company. She gained steam in 2018 and hasn’t looked back since, with six women’s title reigns to her name, including a record-breaking run as Raw Women’s Champion along with some class matches too. The night in which she was assaulted by Flair is a distant memory, and Lynch managed to overcome an event which saw her hit rock bottom in WWE.
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