WWE legend knew Becky Lynch had "it" in 2016: "Leaving the Vince stuff out, the girl was willing to learn the business"
These days, Becky Lynch is one of WWE's biggest stars, male or female, but even she had humble beginnings in the company. Dutch Mantell recently revealed he was convinced about her star power when he first saw her years ago.
Mantell had a brief spell in WWE as Zeb Colter, which ended in 2016, around the same time Becky Lynch got called up to the main roster.
WWE kicked off the women's revolution back then, and Becky Lynch was among the female stars from NXT who would go on to influence a generation of performers.
While speaking on his podcast, Dutch Mantell recalled how he knew Becky Lynch had the "it" factor when he was on his way out of the WWE. Mantell observed that Lynch was eager to grasp every aspect of the wrestling business and was not worried about how women were historically portrayed under Vince McMahon.
According to Dutch, Lynch stayed out of trouble and spoke to the "right guys" backstage as she rose to become a main event superstar.
"Becky Lynch got there right when I was leaving WWE, and I could tell then she had it! It's the way sometimes; it's not what they do in the ring; it's also what they do in presenting themselves outside the ring. Leaving all the Vince stuff out, the girl was willing to learn the business. Talking to the right guys, talking to them, she didn't ruffle any feathers. That's what newcomers should do; they should seek knowledge from everybody. I think Becky did a great job at that." [1:01:58 - 1:02:37]
Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell is happy about the current state of women's wrestling
The days when women struggled for TV time are long gone, as they have headlined multiple shows, including premium live events, over the past year.
The female stars are in top storylines and deservedly get the spotlight, thanks to their work behind the scenes improving their skills. Dutch Mantell noted that modern-era talents are training harder than before and, like Becky Lynch, are focused on getting better at every step.
The desire to raise their levels was what impressed Dutch Mantell the most, as he explained:
"I think a lot of the girls are doing a good job of that now. When you watch the matches, they know what they are doing and when to do it because they are in a place now, a training center, it has a few flaws in it too, I think, but they are training everyday and that's what I think they should do." [1:02:38 onwards]
Becky Lynch is slated to face Rhea Ripley for the Women's World Championship at WrestleMania 40. Given The Man's track record, a title change is a real possibility, but it would be a massive challenge against The Eradicator, who has been booked as one of WWE's most dominant women's champions.
Please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.