Opinion: Comparing Becky Lynch's popularity to Attitude Era Superstars is not justified
Becky Lynch is the hottest star in WWE right now. The Man has been able to capture the imagination in a big way. The ending to last week's RAW which saw Lynch being stripped (in storyline) of her WrestleMania opportunity and being replaced by Charlotte Flair. This drew the ire of a lot of fans with many criticizing the decision and threating to cancel their WWE Network subscription. While it is was glaringly obvious that the segment was part of a storyline, the fan backlash goes on show the Irish Lasskicker's connection with the fans.
But Lynch has had her share of detractors too. Many feel that Lynch isn't the star everyone is making out of her as her presence on a show doesn't automatically guarantee an increase in TV viewership and live attendance. The above assumption isn't right, in our opinion and here are some reasons why.
First of all, it isn't the 1990s anymore, where wrestling was at the peak of its popularity. The advancement in technology has meant a lot of fans consume WWE programming via mediums other than Cable Television. In addition, WWE upload short clips of their TV programming on social media platforms which garner millions of views daily. So, to say that TV viewership is the sole criteria of gauging a wrestler's success is not justified.
Secondly, the business has changed a lot over the years. During the Monday Night Wars, there was a lot of competition between the WCW and WWE which saw both the companies put forth their best product. That isn't the case, at least for now. Besides, Lynch has been the highlight of every show she has been over the past few months and she has delivered on the big stage.
Lastly, the kind of response that Lynch receives once she enters an arena is proof enough of how over she is with the fans. We aren't saying that she is the female Steve Austin but she is certainly come close to replicating the biggest anti-hero in professional wrestling.