Irish superstar Becky Lynch made her debut as “Rebecca Knox” in 2002 and finally signed to WWE in 2013. While her NXT debut was less than stellar, she soon began developing a reputation as a great in-ring competitor alongside the rest of the Four Horsewomen of NXT: Bayley, Sasha Banks, and Charlotte Flair.
Throughout the rest of the decade, Lynch would go from the least appreciated of the Horsewomen to one of the most popular stars on WWE’s roster, earning mainstream attention and competing in the first women’s match to ever main event WrestleMania. During the years, however, Lynch would go through various incarnations on the rise to the top, so let’s evaluate.
8 The Riverdancer
Indie wrestling fans who remember Rebecca Knox were certainly aghast when she made her debut on the 6/26/2014 edition of NXT, defeating Summer Rae while working a gimmick that involved doing an extremely stereotypical Riverdance style jig.
Lynch was very quick to evolve her character into something edgier even back then, but this initial presentation would serve as an important moment in the narrative of Becky Lynch’s ascent to superstardom.
7 Post-Injury Rebecca Knox
In 2006, Knox would suffer a severe head injury in Germany that would, unfortunately, take her out of the game for six years. While things seemed bleak for Knox’s career, she would ultimately recover and return to the pro wrestling world in 2012.
While she’d have sporadic matches during this period, Knox would be best remembered for her time in SHIMMER, working as a manager for Sweet Saraya Knight and her daughter, Britani, better known as Paige in WWE. While it was nice to see Knox bounce back, this era would just serve as a prelude to a series of career highs.
6 Lita Lite
Once the Riverdance shtick was quietly put away, Becky Lynch would move towards a more edgy character that would draw comparisons to -- or, worse, accusations of imitation of -- “rocker” characters like Lita.
It was clear that Lynch was a standout wrestler in NXT, and her time in developmental would lead her to gradually grow into the confident performer fans know her as, but Becky Lynch would prove to be the only member of the Four Horsewomen to not win an NXT Women’s Championship.
5 Pre-Injury Rebecca Knox
Most WWE fans are unfamiliar with Becky Lynch’s pre-WWE work, but she actually was quite accomplished. Fans paying attention to the independent and international wrestling scenes were hailing Rebecca Knox as one of the top female wrestlers as she was winning titles in Canada and Europe and making a splash as a competitor SHIMMER against stars like Allison Danger and Daizee Haze.
This run would be cut short by injury and Knox was obviously not as polished as Lynch would be, but work from this era is well worth checking out.
4 SmackDown Bridesmaid
Once the WWE roster was divided between Raw and SmackDown in 2016, Becky Lynch would join the SmackDown roster, where she’d win a six-way match to become the first SmackDown Women’s Champion.
That run, however, would only last a few months and, despite frequently being featured on the show, it felt like Lynch was once again falling by the wayside. She’d fail to re-capture the title on multiple occasions as well as unsuccessfully compete in Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank matches.
3 Becky Two Belts
Post-WrestleMania 35 Becky Lynch was definitely a mixed bag. While Lynch winning both titles in the first women’s main event of ‘Mania was historic, she only remained double champion for about a month and some change, losing the Smackdown belt to Charlotte Flair in a forgettable match and taking part in a couples feud with her real-life boyfriend Seth Rollins against Lacey Evans and Baron Corbin.
From there, Lynch would have some solid matches with Asuka and Sasha Banks as well as a disappointing WrestleMania 36 match against Shayna Baszler, which Lynch would win only to vacate the title a couple of months later.
2 Steampunk
In 2015, Becky Lynch shocked NXT fans when she suddenly pivoted from a rocker style to steampunk-inspired ring gear and presentation, which carried over into her main roster run.
While some fans may mock the inherent nerdiness of working a Steampunk gimmick, it was perfectly executed, as it never veered into the goofiness of being an occupational wrestler. It was this era that brought Lynch her first WWE title, as she captured the SmackDown Women’s Championship in 2016.
1 The Man
Even Becky Lynch fans probably couldn’t imagine Lynch not being a steampunk-themed babyface. But after Charlotte Flair won a SummerSlam Triple Threat title match against Lynch and Carmella, Becky snapped and attacked her long-time friend. While this was meant to signify a heel turn, fans had grown sick of Charlotte and were hoping for Becky Lynch to re-enter the spotlight.
As a result, Lynch’s heel turn transitioned into an irresistible Stone Cold-style “tweener” persona, nicknamed “The Man.” Lynch suddenly became a must-see star as she trashed privileged WWE celebrity signee Ronda Rousey and their ensuing feud resulted in a landmark WrestleMania main event.