Becky Lynch Ready to Renew Long-Standing Rivalry With Sasha Banks

“I whooped her a-- back in 2019, and she still has nightmares from that ‘Hell in a Cell’ match.”

The first two women to win main-event matches at WrestleMania will meet Friday night on SmackDown, reigniting one of pro wrestling’s most captivating feuds.

Becky Lynch had her hand raised at the very end of WrestleMania 35, becoming the first woman to do so at WWE’s signature event. Sasha Banks carried WWE through a difficult year in 2020, then headlined the first night of WrestleMania 37 in April in stunning fashion when she shared the ring with Bianca Belair. The two wrestling pioneers square off Friday night, in what is a must-see match as part of a special two-and-a-half-hour SmackDown on FS1.

“Sasha Banks has been kicking me out of rings since 2016, and every time she does it, it just grinds my gears a little more,” says Lynch, the reigning SmackDown women’s champion. “She did it last month at Extreme Rules, and now she’s in for an a---whooping.”

Lynch left WWE after WrestleMania 36 for more than a year as she gave birth to her first child. She was home watching Banks and Belair work their magic this past spring at WrestleMania 37, feeling a mixture of shock, awe and envy as they crafted one of the most brilliant matches in the storied history of the event.

“They had a tremendous match and it was a great moment to watch,” Lynch says. “But I would be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous. I was hoping to be back by WrestleMania, especially considering it was the first time back in front of fans. I thought they were amazing. They’d worked so long and hard without any fans, and that’s why what Sasha did last year was so incredible. I was very happy for them both.”

Lynch and Banks are two of the brightest stars in the industry. Friday’s meeting will build toward next week’s Crown Jewel show in Saudi Arabia, where Lynch, Banks and Belair meet in a triple-threat that has the potential to close out the show.

“I whooped her a-- back in 2019, and she still has nightmares from that Hell in a Cell match,” Lynch says. “I’m going to beat her on SmackDown, I’m going to beat her again at Crown Jewel and I’m going to take pleasure in doing it.”

Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.