Becky Lynch on Her Favorite WrestleMania Moment–And It’s Not What You Think

“I enjoyed WrestleMania 38 where I lost to Bianca more than I enjoyed WrestleMania 35”

This is part of the Sports Illustrated Road to WrestleMania series.

Becky Lynch does not hesitate when she is asked about her favorite WrestleMania moment.

Surprisingly, it did not take place at WrestleMania 35. That was the night in 2019 when Lynch officially took WWE by storm after pinning Ronda Rousey and becoming the first woman to ever close out the company’s signature show with a victory. There was incredible excitement surrounding WrestleMania 35, which was originally supposed to be Rousey’s show–yet Lynch’s surging popularity gave the powers-that-be in WWE no other choice but to crown her champion.

Yet that is not the memory most fond to her. Rather, Lynch’s favorite WrestleMania moment took place three years later. She was the heel champ, defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Bianca Belair. This was a feud that had been ongoing since the prior summer, when Lynch shockingly defeated Belair in only 26 seconds at SummerSlam. But Belair found redemption at WrestleMania, where she overcame Lynch and regained the belt.

“I enjoyed WrestleMania 38 where I lost to Bianca more than I enjoyed WrestleMania 35,” said Lynch. “I think Daniel Bryan said something similar, as well, about enjoying his WrestleMania match against Kofi [at WrestleMania 35] than he did WrestleMania 30. It’s weird like that. Sometimes, what we enjoy in terms of our artistic expression aren’t always the stories that audiences revere the most.”

Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 38 / Courtesy WWE

Professional wrestling is a uniquely distinct artform. The goal, when performed at the highest level, is to ensure both you and your opponent flourish. That is especially the case when playing the villain, a role Lynch particularly enjoys.

“When you were a top babyface, you were micromanaged a little more,” said Lynch, referring to former WWE boss Vince McMahon. “At WrestleMania 38, I had more freedom creatively. When you’re the villain, you’re making the crowd like someone else. There’s a lot of fun in putting the shine on someone else.”

Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 35 / Courtesy WWE

As for WrestleMania 35, Lynch still holds fond memories of the career-defining moment. Yet it is one of many moments–and far from the only one–that helped build Lynch into one of the industry’s most prolific stars.

“That’s the girlhood-dream-come-true moment,” said Lynch. “Everyone asks me, ‘How did I feel?’ I felt everything, but I also felt nothing. It’s this weird juxtaposition. I made it, but had anything changed? There were fireworks, but my internal landscape wasn’t any different. I found it one of the harder things to write about in my book. That’s the thing people want to read about it. I understand thatt–it’s the culmination.

“Then the next night I’m brought back to earth when I had to do a segment with Lacey Evans on one-hour sleep while Vince was yelling at me in Gorilla. On the flip side, there was the confidence and the cockiness I walked around with leading up to that match at WrestleMania 35.

“Ultimately, it wasn’t my destination. It was another important stop on my journey.”