After suffering a massive injury in the Indy circuit in the early 2000s, it would take Rebecca Knox six years to get better and regain her love and passion for the industry. In 2012, she returned to the ring and in 2013, she was signed to NXT and helped forge a new path for the WWE women’s division.
A path she continued to carve and forge on the main roster all the way to headlining WrestleMania and winning both the Raw and Smackdown World Titles. While the company more or less has hedged their bets on Charlotte being the breakthrough face of the company, it was Becky that truly had the glass-shattering moment and has become a bit of a cultural icon for the company.
10 The Lass Kicker Comes To NXT
After returning to wrestling in 2012, it only took a year for Rebecca Knox to get signed to NXT and rechristened Becky Lynch. She came and quickly made a name for herself, defeating Summer Rae one week and aligning herself with Bayley the next. They lost a tag team match to Charlotte and Sasha, but Lynch would eventually turn on Bayley and side with Sasha. She also started to adopt the steampunk gimmick that would help define her until late 2018.
9 One Of The Four Horsewomen
The NXT's Four Horsewomen have always been intertwined since their earliest days in developmental. After switching alliances and having tag matches, all four ladies competed in an epic Fatal 4-Way at NXT Takeover: Rival.
Banks won the match and the message was clear. While all four girls are top notch, it’s Charlotte and Sasha who are coveted and pushed.
8 “A Pretty Good Hand”
No matter who it seemed the brass wanted at the top of the card, Becky was always right there too, nipping at the stucco side of the glass ceiling. Right before SummerSlam 2015 and the still amazing match between Sasha and Bayley that ruled the weekend, Becky, Charlotte, and Sasha were called up to the main roster to deliver on #GiveDivasAChance and Stephanie McMahon’s Women’s Revolution. However even on the main roster, she not only played second fiddle to Charlotte, but it was often times part of her storyline.
7 The Top Of Smackdown
In 2016, Becky was having a banner year. She was part of the epic WrestleMania triple threat with Sasha and Charlotte that gave birth to the Women’s Title. Later in the year, at Backlash, she finally ascended to the top of the card in the biggest way possible. She defeated Alexa, Carmella, Natalya, Nikki Bella, and Naomi in a Six-Pack Challenge to become the first ever Smackdown Women’s Champion.
6 The WrestleMania Kickoff
WrestleMania can run anywhere from five hours to five days. But still having a spot on the main show is something every wrestler strives for. While The Lasskicker has taken part in every ‘Mania since coming to the main roster, she was nothing more than an afterthought at WrestleMania 34. She was part of the less than ten minute first ever Women’s WrestleMania Women’s Royal Rumble. While Lynch wasn’t the only one who got short changed, it was she who vowed to get back to main card the next year.
5 The “Heel” Turn
Carmella had been surviving as Smackdown Women’s Champion. But ‘Mella met her match at SummerSlam 2018 when she had to defend the title against both the Queen and the Lasskicker. The two friends were having a friendly competition to try and unseat Carmella. Charlotte would win the title after costing Becky the match.
Instead of shaking hands and hugging, Becky beat the heck out of the new Woman’s champion, turning heel in the process. Only the New York crowd and presumably the rest of the WWE Universe cheered her on like a conquering hero, fed up with constantly getting held back by others.
4 The Man Comes Around
At the 2018 Hell In The Cell event, Becky took Charlotte out to reclaim the Smackdown Women’s title. It was around this time that Becky started referring to herself as “The Man.” It was a way to cement her place not just at the top of the heap, but also a way to dig deeper at her rival by referencing her father’s famous catchphrase. It caught on and helped propel Becky. The two wrestled a “Last Woman Standing” match at Evolution that saw the Man walk the line and stand tall against the Queen.
3 Bloodied And Ready For War
Firmly on the rise and garnering white hot heat, The Man was firmly on a collision course with the Baddest Woman On The Planet, Ronda Rousey in a hotly anticipated champion vs. champion match at the 2018 Survivor Series. Lynch led the Smackdown Women to Raw. But upon invading, the new GOAT got rocked by Nia Jax busting her open. That didn’t stop her though, the Man wouldn’t back down and continued to deal blows to the Raw roster. When it was all over, she stood amongst the crowd, posing with her bludgeoned face. “Irish War Paint,” is how the champ described it on her Instagram.
2 Rumble Ups And Downs
Unfortunately, Becky was out of commission and missed her match with Ronda. Charlotte took her place and caned Rousey with a horrific beating. A month later at TLC, Becky, Charlotte, and Asuka took each other on in a TLC match for the title. Rousey cost her eventual opponents the match and helped Asuka to win.
But it was at the Royal Rumble where Becky took the fans on an emotional roller coaster, she lost to Asuka but came back to win the Rumble and head to WrestleMania.
1 Becky Two-Belts
WrestleMania is the time for all debts public and private to be paid. On the grandest stage of them all, The Man came around to the WWE’s home base in the shadows of New York to challenge for both the Smackdown and Raw Women’s Championships. It wasn’t always an easy road for Lynch, who a decade earlier was three years into her “retirement.” But her persistence clearly paid off and even still today she’s the Raw women’s champion and the longest reigning champion for that title in its history.