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There’s no mistaking the fact that Becky Lynch is a women’s wrestling trailblazer. She’s won every title WWE has to offer, has become a mainstream star and recently added best-selling author to her CV thanks to the recent release of “The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl.”
She also notably became the first woman ever to win a main event at WrestleMania when she defeated Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey in the final bout at WrestleMania 35. It was a historic moment — but if Lynch has her way, it’s the kind of thing fans will soon take for granted.
During a stop on the Under the Ring podcast to discuss her book and her upcoming WrestleMania 40 match against Rhea Ripley, Lynch told host Phil Strum that what she wants most is for people to stop thinking about women’s wrestling as a separate thing: It’s all just wrestling.
“When it becomes too much like ‘look at this historical women’s whatever, insert x,’ it kind of starts to feel a little condescending,” Lynch said. “And I didn’t want that, I don’t want that in general. I just want to get opportunity based on the good work that I’ve done.”
Lynch added that when the WrestleMania 35 match came together, it was because the story they were telling earned the spot at the top of the biggest card of the year. Now her hope is that continues to be the case going forward.
“We always talk about women’s wrestling, women’s wrestling. It is wrestling, it’s just wrestling. You know what I mean? And it’s women in wrestling, but it’s wrestling, it’s not something different than, and we need to view it more as just wrestling. These are female stars and there are male stars, but they’re all just wrestlers and they’re all just stars.”
Lynch pointed out that things like Ripley appearing in the main event at Elimination Chamber, in her home country of Australia, simply made sense. It was a huge star in a market anxious to see her, so it shouldn’t be seen as anything other than that.
With the match order still not confirmed for WrestleMania 40, it’s possible that Lynch and Ripley could close out night 1. If that turns out to be the case, Lynch believes it will just be another logical choice for that spot, something that will stand on its own.
“I like that it’s not a big deal, and I want it to continue to not be a big deal, because it shouldn’t be a big deal. It should be a meritocracy, where your position is based on your merit, not on the gender.”
Check out Strum’s full conversation with The Man above, and look for her book, “The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl,” on sale wherever you get your books now.