(This is a follow up to a previous article I've written. Reading it isn't necessary to understand this one, but if you'd like to check it out, you can find it here.)
SummerSlam 2021: Becky Lynch made her long awaited return after having to give up her championship because of her pregnancy. On her first night back, she beat Bianca Belair in 26 seconds to gain back the title she never lost. Since that night, Becky has descended further and further into madness.
When Becky returned, she was confused on why the crowd turned on her despite them chanting her name for weeks prior to her return. Why were they so upset she won over Belair- weren’t they happy to see her back?
This confusion turned into anger and jealousy. Becky was once in Belair’s position of being on top with the fans behind her. While Becky might have lost the fans' support, at least she still had her title and no way was she going to lose it ever again.
Since then, Becky’s defended her title against the likes of Sasha Banks, Liv Morgan, Doudrop and even Lita. However, at Mania, we'll have come back full circle. This weekend, Becky Lynch will face Bianca Belair at the biggest stage of them all.
The build up to this match has really cracked away at Becky and we’ve seen her facade come crumbling down. Becky likes to hide behind her ridiculously large sunglasses, big fur coats and outrageous outfits; but it’s all an act to disguise the fact she’s been terrified of losing since she came back.
Becky had to give up her belt in a very bittersweet moment to go be a mom. In the months she’s been gone, she’s had to listen to fans that were begging her to come back. Then, she finally does, wins the belt she never lost, and the fans turn on her. She left her baby for this, and this is how they repay her?
Becky can’t imagine herself without the title now because she doesn’t know what her future holds if she isn’t holding it. The thought of not having it scares Becky. It scares her so much that she’ll do anything to keep it.
Now we can see just how far gone Becky is. She was never this sadistic in her early days as champion. Yeah she was smug, arrogant and conceited- but never this vicious and hell bent on causing pain and embarrassment to her opponents.
When it came to girls like Liv and Duodrop, Becky saw this as a chance to help them. She saw it as her doing a favor to them by giving them the chance to be in the spotlight- as long as they didn’t steal it all from her.
During this time, Becky wasn’t as confident as she made herself out to be seeing as she cheated multiple times during her defenses to ensure she’d stay champion. Again, we see the cracks in Becky’s persona chip away.
During this reign, Becky even faced her childhood hero Lita. When Lita came out on the Raw after the Royal Rumble, Becky looked like a star struck child seeing their idol in person. That smile quickly faded away when Lita challenged Becky to a title match.
In the weeks that followed, Lita showed her disdain for this new Becky Lynch. That ate away at Becky. Even the person she looked up to growing up had turned their back on her.
We can truly see Becky break during the Raw before their match at Elimination Chamber. Becky walks out with her hair unkept and large black sunglasses. She looks distressed and disheveled.
“You have no idea what I’m capable of doing to keep this on my shoulder.” Becky tells Lita. She even mentions how she has no problem going after Lita’s neck. A more vicious and desperate Becky starts to shine through. Still, the fan in Becky isn’t sure she can beat Lita, and that terrifies her.
Becky's said without Lita, there would be no Becky Lynch, which to Lita responds with, “But if I had a hand in creating this, then it’s on me to finish it.” She then says she will become Raw Women’s champion, which causes Becky to snap and throw the contract at Lita then mopes away. She walks to the back with her sunglasses on and her hair in her face.
In the end Becky did manage to beat Lita but now Becky has a new but familiar challenger after her title. Now she’s facing someone she so desperately didn’t want to see again.
But, what is it about Bianca Belair that brings out the worst in Becky Lynch?
Well, Lynch sees herself in Bianca. She sees how the crowds adore Belair. She used to be in that position. That used to be her name they were chanting instead of "EST".
Becky also knows Bianca can beat her. Deep down, she knows when Bianca’s on her A game and 100% focused, she can do anything. That’s why she’s a threat to her and her reign.
These past few weeks we’ve seen Lynch go lower and lower. Becky’s gone into panic mode. The days to WrestleMania are getting closer and deep down inside I think Becky knows her time is up.
Bianca’s gone through her own journey to get this match. She’s never once complained about her situation, and she got her title opportunity the “right way”. She secured her ticket to WrestleMania by beating five other woman at Elimination Chamber. She is determined to redeem herself from that 26 second loss.
On the Raw following Bianca’s win, Becky interrupts Belair’s celebration to confront her. Lynch tries her hardest to get under the EST’s skin; such as bringing up how she main evented a Mania first and how she beat Belair in 26 seconds. Belair says she hasn’t forgotten about those 26 seconds but instead of “tucking her braid in between her legs”, she got to the back of the line and made her way back to the top.
Failing to get into Belair’s head, Lynch screams about how she’s the victim in all this. “Before you came along, these people loved me!” she shouts, “I came back at SummerSlam and I got a hero’s welcome, but because I beat you, they all turned on me. Because of you, they despise me, and because they despise me, I despise you.”
This is probably the most on the nose you can get on why Becky is the way she is. Becky’s delivery of these lines is so chilling and uncomfortable. She’s amazing at this delusional and desperate character.
The next week, there was a six woman tag match involving Becky and Bianca. During this match, Becky would go after Bianca’s signature braid. Bianca doesn’t use her hair as a weapon unless you touch it first. Bianca paid Becky back by whipping Becky’s bare stomach with her braid. The impact was so loud, many thought it was a sound effect! It left a huge scar on Becky’s stomach too. Now Becky had a new vendetta against Bianca's braid.
Becky had to miss Raw the next week due to an injury she got at a house show. She suffered from a fractured voice box which she blamed Bianca for. Belair had now given Becky two injuries in the matter of a couple of weeks. The week after that, Becky would get her revenge.
After Bianca’s match that night, Becky snuck up on Belair and attacked her. She’d use Bianca’s braid against her again. Becky put Bianca through the opening of a steel chair and used her braid to launch her throat first into the ring post. Bianca gasped for air as Becky walked away, proud of her work.
The next week, Becky comes out to the ring with a chair in hand. She sits in the middle of the ring. Becky starts giving a very deranged promo. She’s absolutely lost it at this point. She channels her inner golum and calls the title her “precious”. Becky even references Mark 8:36 from the Bible.
“So what does it profit a man? It profits him this! The only thing that matters inside and outside the confine of these ropes, for this is everything I am and I am power. I am glory. I am the prize at the top of mountain. This is my world and when I came back, and all of you chose Bianca over me, that’s when I knew… that’s when I knew I would sell my soul to keep this.” - Becky Lynch, Raw: March 21, 2022
"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" - Bible, King James Version
There's a lot to take in here. The profit in question is Becky's title as she holds it up and says this is the only thing that matters in and out of the ring. This title is everything she has right now. It's lonely at the top, but at least she's on top. Fans can't forget about her now because she is the main event. They're forced to watch her whether they like her or not. Staying champion means so much to Becky she'd "sell her soul, meaning she'll do whatever it takes to do so.
“...You know that if I take the thing that means the most to you- your hair, your crown, your identity- that you’ll lose a piece of your soul. Bianca, you don’t want to lose your soul. I’ve already sold mine, and I would sell it every day of the week and twice on Mondays if it means keeping this on my shoulder. So Bianca, lemme ask you; what does it profit a man to gain the world and lose his soul?”
Becky references taking away Bianca's hair- her identity. She wanted to strip Bianca of her identity and by doing so she would also "lose a piece of her soul". Becky wants to not only physically ruin Bianca, but emotionally too. She wants to see her hurt as much as she's hurting inside too.
The Raw before WrestleMania, Bianca came out to give a passionate promo of her own. Becky attempted to sneak up on her but Bianca was ready and the two brawled. Becky managed to use a chair to get the upper hand.
"I said I was coming for your hair, Bianca.” Becky says as she pulls a pair of scissors out of a bag. She attempts to hold down Bianca and prepares to chop off Bianca’s braid. Bianca somehow manages to lift Becky on her shoulders and hit the K.O.D.
Enraged, Bianca grabs the scissor and starts cutting away at Becky’s hair. Officials try to get Belair off her, but she continues to snip away. Orange hair starts to litters the ring.
After Bianca was done, Becky grabbed her hair to feel the damage that was caused. She desperately grabs the clumps of hair and attempts to put them back in her head. She screams. Anger flushes her face.
“I’m going to end her.” She says through gritted teeth and what’s left of her hair covers her face. In her lowest moment on TV yet, the crowd chants, “You deserve it.”
Bianca’s hair has always been her trademark, and Becky knew this as we heard from her promo last week. But just as much as Bianca’s braid was her identity, so was Becky’s orange hair.
Becky has always been known for her bright orange hair. Before she was “The Man”, she was the “Irish Lasskicker.” Bright eyed and always smiling. She was a true underdog that always had the crowd behind her. She even coined the term “straight fire” because of her hair and explosive personality.
Lass-kicker Becky was determined to be the best. She could be a bit of a hothead at times, but she had a good heart. Though it seemed she was always a bit behind her fellow four horsewomen. Becky was the only out of the four who didn’t win the NXT title. Though she did taste success when she won the SmackDown Women’s championship in 2016 but she lost it after 84 days.
After failing to capture the title at SummerSlam 2018, she turned on her supposedly best friend, Charlotte. This was the start of the Man character. The Man started as a heel, but the fans were too behind Becky to boo her. Even as she berated them, they still cheered for her endlessly. Perhaps this support spoiled Becky a bit. When she came back and didn’t get the love and adoration like before, she took it as fans abandoning her. She was so used to always being more liked than everyone else that she took the fan's love for Bianca, as disdain towards her.
Bianca’s been the one person Becky can’t crack. No matter how hard Becky tries to get into her head, Bianca always remains cool, calm and collected. She seems to always be one step ahead of her too. Becky has attempted to take away Bianca’s voice and her identity, but failed.
Bianca, on the other hand, has successfully managed to take away Becky’s voice and part of her identity. She’s taken away her signature orange locks and come this Saturday, she looks to take away the last part of Becky: Her soul.
Without her hair or her title, Becky won't have anything left of her identity. She's not the Lass-kicker anymore. She's not The Man. She won’t be Big Time Becks.
So who is Becky Lynch without her soul? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
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