Why WWE's Becky Lynch Is Too Good to Be Bad
Women's Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch is in the midst of her third run as a heel, a role she recently revealed on Cody Rhodes' What Do You Wanna Talk About podcast that she prefers to being the babyface.
""I really love being a bad guy. I feel like I do more good being bad. I'm a better wrestler that way. I'm better at making people look good because I'm not a cool wrestler. I don't have cool moves. I don't do anything," she said.
While Lynch may prefer being the villain and considers her move set to be less flashy than those of her opponents, she is far too good at what she does to be the heel, and the fans have consistently let her know it.
She rose to prominence as a top star in WWE in 2018 when fans' reaction demanded the abandonment of a heel turn and a WrestleMania main event spot for the edgy antihero. Even the shocking betrayal of Charlotte Flair, which kicked off that proposed heel run, was met by a thunderous ovation from fans who saw it as a deserving star finally getting the opportunity she deserved, against a second-generation star who had overstayed her welcome at the top of the division.
After a six-month run as a villain with the sole purpose of a WrestleMania 38 payoff with Bianca Belair, Lynch returned to her babyface ways, her popularity and connection with the audience too strong to warrant the continuation of the heel run.
Now back in a role she, herself, admits is more comfortable, opposing the likes of Lyra Valkyria, Bayley, and Nikki Bella, the champion continues to prove why she is too good to ever truly be the centerpiece heel of the women's division.
First, fans have been on an incredible journey with the Irish-born competitor. They watched her rise through the ranks, buck the system, make history, become a genuine star in a male-dominated industry, and shared unforgettable moments with her.
Second, they latched onto her because of her personality. They like the jabs that she takes at opponents, appreciate her sarcasm, and are generally entertained by her ability to walk that fine line between tongue-in-cheek humor and intense seriousness.
Third, while her moves may not be the flashiest, they never feel like she is giving them anything but her best effort. That has long been a trademark of her performances between the ropes and a key cog in the connection the audience forged with her. That she is at the center of some of the best and most important matches in modern women's wrestling history, and one of the greatest to ever lace a pair of boots, negates the need for awe-inspiring feats of athleticism.
Finally, the audience is too smart to be spoon-fed a villain they don't believe in or do not want to accept in that role. Lynch may have beaten up Bayley and cost her a WrestleMania spot. She may have betrayed Valkyria and ruined her dreams as champions, but that did not change the fact that fans have a long relationship with Lynch and are not inclined to abandon it because a storyline dictates that they should.
When she was approached with "Becky Hogan" comments by the internet wrestling critics, she embraced it and sarcastically sported red and yellow on Raw. Though it rubbed the late musician's daughter, Kelly, the wrong way, her promo line about Ozzy Osbourne on Monday on Raw was exactly the type of edgy, controversial, boundary-pushing comment that endeared her to the masses in the first place.
Ditto her reference to John Cena in a back-and-forth with Bella.
Lynch has always been honest with the fans; they have always appreciated her for it, and never felt like they were being sold a bill of goods or that she was being shoved down their throat unjustly.
Her passion is evident, her personality as large as her Hall of Fame resume, and the fans' connection with her is unwavering. She may be a heel on internal rosters, someone Triple H and Co. would love to build as this top-line villain for a babyface to conquer, but for a multitude of reasons, Lynch will forever be too great at her gig to ever truly be the biggest heel in the division.
