Becky Lynch is Back in WWE WrestleMania 35 but Are the Fans Still Onboard?

Becky Lynch is once again on her way to WrestleMania. The Man faced Charlotte Flair at WWE Fastlane on Sunday, March 10 and came away with the win via disqualification. That DQ was thanks to Ronda Rousey, who came down to the ring and nailed Becky with a forearm during the match.

So finally, everyone’s favorite red-haired rebel has been given the nod and now it’s off to the races. Lynch will walk into the main event of WrestleMania 35 and will most likely walk out as the new Raw Women’s champion. But just how invested are the fans at this point?

From the moment that Vince McMahon took Becky’s Mania opportunity away from her, it’s been one bit of silliness after another. Becky’s 60-day suspension prevented her from being on TV, but she showed up anyway. Of course when she did, she was being “arrested” and even posted the mugshots on social media after the fact. 

But Rousey called her out on those pics, pointing out that they were obviously taken in a hallway somewhere. This did nothing but heighten the tension between the two women on Twitter, where they continue to battle in a brutal war of words nearly everyday. That war took on a new twist when Rousey insulated that WWE was fake and that she could realistically take anyone out at any time.

Watch Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair at Fastlane!

Becky was rarely at house shows either, which was not well received by fans who paid money expecting to see her. This was not a matter of WWE saving an injured Superstar and protecting her for the biggest show of the year. The fact is that Becky’s not hurt. The company sidelined her with the apparent intention of raising her stock among fans. But rather than see Becky explode in popularity and get more over than anyone since Stone Cold Steve Austin, many fans were indifferent to the process.

All of this, combined with one crutch attack after another, finally led Rousey to the heavily anticipated heel turn and even that was a bit off. Rousey’s worked shoot on the company felt staged and not actually real. Ronda’s efforts at getting nuclear heat on her Youtube channel were successful for the most part, but she’s received criticism for that as well. It reeked of desperation on WWE’s part, as the desire to fully turn fans against Rousey was evident. 

It was all being done in order to get Becky over. At the end of the day, that’s the ultimate goal. That’s why The Man continues to be pushed down and that’s why she constantly has to fight her way back. The opportunity to allow this storyline to develop organically was missed a long time ago and instead, WWE forced the issue from day one. 

That’s not to suggest that Becky doesn’t deserve the spot at WrestleMania. it’s also not to suggest that Rousey shouldn’t have turned heel to facilitate Becky’s return to that spot. But there’s just been so many roadblocks along the way that Lynch may have lost her initial connection to the WWE fans.

Watch Ronda Rousey interfere at Fastlane!

This all began with Becky not getting her just due on TV. While Superstars like Lana were being booked on SmackDown Live, Lynch was either losing or she wasn’t there at all. That’s when the whispers started that WWE was not doing right by The Irish Lass-Kicker. Becky was at the center of The Women’s Revolution after all and she was a big part of the angle’s success early on. 

Without her in the mix, Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Bayley would not have been the same. Becky provides the everyman allure that fans love and have always sought out. The fact that Lynch typically outworks everyone on the roster has only helped her cause. Fans respect hard work and Becky doesn’t know how to do anything else. 

So when she turned heel on Charlotte at SummerSlam, the crowd immediately took Becky’s side. They didn’t do it just because its fun to cheer for heels. They did it because Becky had finally stood up for herself. Lynch took matters into her own hands and she decided that she was no longer going to settle for second best. Once again, fans respected her for that.

Her transformation into The Man came because of her efforts. The company spotlighted her and gave her the platform, but she’s the one that had to take advantage of it and she did exactly that. Indeed, it could even be said that she’s in this mess of a storyline though no fault of her own. She did her part. It was WWE that muddied the waters.

Listen to Becky’s comments after Fastlane!

It’s been nearly seven months since Becky Lynch first grabbed the spotlight and went on the rise in WWE. Since then, the company has done everything in its power to advance the storyline and shine her up along the. way. But the company’s work has been convoluted at best and much too sloppy in many respects. 

The combination of Rousey’s bizarre behavior and Charlotte’s constant grandstanding as the company’s corporate pick, has distracted fans from the real point. The ironic part is that WWE’s behind it all. All three women are more than capable of getting the job done and they’re putting in the work. But WWE took a simple idea and twisted it beyond recognition. 

This is the story of one WWE Superstar working to prove she deserves a fair shot. It’s about seizing the moment and rising to the occasion. WrestleMania 35 is the endgame and that destination is just over the horizon. But are the fans still along for the ride?

 

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Wrestling Rumors. His podcast, Tom Clark’s Main Event, is available on iTunes,YouTube, iHeart Radio, boinkstudios.com and live every Friday at 12pm EST on Wrestling Rumors Facebook Live