Inspiring the fire: How Becky Lynch went from irrelevance to being the best thing on SmackDown Live
19th September 2015, Night Of Champions, Charlotte had just won the Divas Championship from Nikki Bella. Celebrating with her in the background were proud dad Ric Flair and her PCB teammates, Paige and Becky Lynch. The following night, Paige cut a pipebomb on the then-Divas Division. "You're the least relevant of all of us", bellowed the young Norwich-native to Becky Lynch. That statement could not be further from the truth today. However, it stuck with Becky for a long time.
She would remain in Charlotte's corner until the Queen turned heel on her in early 2016, continuing her trend of being too gullible. Becky had been turned on by Sasha Banks in NXT and Natalya later in 2016.
While she did play a big part in history, glueing the pieces together in the classic Women's Championship match at WrestleMania 32, Becky Lynch was blazed in irrelevance after the big dance.
It was not until the roster went their separate ways during the Brand Split did she gain some spotlight. The Irishwoman was tasked with being the centrepiece of a fresh and inexperienced Smackdown women's division.
Becky finally got her due at Backlash when she became the first-ever Smackdown Women's Champion, by winning a Six Pack Challenge. That was her moment. It was her time to shine and show the world that the Irish Lass Kicker meant business.
However, her reign did not go as planned at all. She would get injured on the day of her first televised title defense, at No Mercy, and only successfully defended her prize once, a tainted victory over Alexa Bliss. After Becky lost the title in a Tables Match against the same opponent, she would soon go to the back of the line. Literally.
A returning Mickie James would end up costing Lynch a feud-ending Steel Cage match against Bliss, spelling the end of Becky Lynch's time at the top. From there on, the likes of Naomi, Natalya and eventually, Charlotte Flair reigned on top of the SmackDown queendom, while Becky was known as the loveable loser and Charlotte's best friend.
Every tiny beacon of hope for her would be swatted away in next to no time. She was made the captain of the Smackdown Women's Survivor Series team, only to be eliminated first in the opening couple of minutes. She started the Women's Royal Rumble, only to be thrown out mid-way through. Her booking was not doing her talent any justice at all.
The pattern looked to be continuing when Becky was fingertips away from grabbing the Money in the Bank briefcase in Chicago this year, only to lose it to Alexa Bliss. However, it seemed different, for once. The rowdy Chicago crowd was firmly behind her, cheering her on for her every move and climb up the ladder. They really wanted her to win. It seemed like the sign of a corner turning for the Irish Lass Kicker.
Becky Lynch was slowly getting more and more over. Suddenly, she was getting the biggest babyface pops on SmackDown every week and found herself in the title picture for SummerSlam, after over a year and a half of irrelevance. Funnily, Paige is now the general manager of Blue brand.
However, Charlotte would end up being inserted into the title match at SummerSlam as well, by beating Carmella *insert R-Truth joke here*. The triple threat match was a good one, ending with an opportunistic Charlotte picking up the victory and the gold. But the real story took place after the match ended.
Becky, once again in the shadow of her "superior" best friend, decided to take matters into her own hands. After years of frustration, Becky Lynch finally snapped. And the crowd loved it. She was, once again, the most over performer of the night. One would say that this was a heel turn, but the crowd said otherwise.
The nickname Irish Lass Kicker is finally making sense now, as we are seeing a different side of Becky Lynch. She is the same lovable and talented lass who earned her flattering fanbase, but now we have a reason to get behind her.
WWE tried to portray Becky as the villain, but the overwhelming crowd reactions towards her have forced their hand into keeping the alignments open for interpretation. The casuals would get behind the Queen, while everyone else is on Becky's side. It is hard to think of any female who was this over in the WWE, a true testament to the Irishwoman.
She cut the promo of her life on the SmackDown after SummerSlam, showing just how good her mic skills are. Becky Lynch is finally getting the spotlight and recognition that her incredible talent wanders. WWE has done a great job in possible weeks by drifting away from Becky being a complete heel and allowing us to cheer for her. She deserves it. After all that she has gone through. This is her time to shine.
This feud with Charlotte Flair already feels like an incredibly big deal, possibly the biggest women's rivalry in this current era of female wrestling. They will face each other at Hell in a Cell, and at Super Show-Down in Australia. It would be safe to say that it will blow off at Evolution.
The day will come when Becky Lynch dethrones the Queen and reclaims her place at the top of the SmackDown women's division. Here's hoping that it will come soon. She has all the tools and all the support to do so. It truly will symbolize her incredible rise to become the best thing on the Blue brand today.