WWE: Becky Lynch Is Ready To Be The John Cena Replacement

On New Year’s Day 2019, WWE kicked off the new year in style. On the first SmackDown of the year, we got the onscreen return of John Cena, but shortly after entering the ring, The Man came around to pay him a visit.

When Becky Lynch and John Cena came face to face for the first time ever in a WWE ring, the entire crowd was electric and on their feet. Cena has always been praised as one of WWE’s best promo guys, but tonight, The Man ate him up on the mic with zinger after zinger. Her quip about dropping Cena like Nikki Bella especially got the crowd hot and on their feet.

Even during their ensuing Mixed Tag Team match-up against Zelina Vega and Andrade Cien Almas, Becky Lynch was the talk of the town. John Cena was the one who spent most of the time in the ring, yet the whole time, the crowd were cheering – begging – for Lynch to tag in. When Cena finally made the long awaited hot tag to Lynch, the crowd erupted like a volcano. Even louder than that was the crowd’s reaction to seeing Lynch toss Cena out of the ring and take his space in it.

How symbolic.

During her promo staredown with the 16-time World Champion, one thing that really caught our eye was when Lynch said she was gunning for Cena’s spot “on the posters and the billboards.”

“It’s time for someone new to step up, step in and fill your shoes, and there’s only one person for that job and I think these people would agree with me that that person is me.”

As Becky Lynch’s voice practically became engulfed and overtaken by a sea of cheers, it was clear that the crowd agreed with her. Quite frankly, we’re inclined to agree as well.

It’s no secret that WWE have been struggling these past few years to generate a new face of the company to replace Cena. Then again, most of WWE’s contenders to take over that mantle have been men. Maybe the next man in line isn’t a man at all. Maybe it should be The Man.

Long before her SummerSlam “heel turn,” The Lass Kicker consistently received unanimous cheers from the crowd even while she struggled to maintain relevance on the undercard. By time she made her official transition into The Man, crowd response to Becky Lynch became overwhelming.  In developing her Man persona, Becky Lynch has successfully created an onscreen character that has crossover appeal and a tight connection with audiences.

Even with the SmackDown Women’s Championship no longer around her waist, Lynch hasn’t lost an ounce of steam or crowd support. Which was evident by her segment with Cena.

A small list of wrestlers on the WWE roster have a strong enough presence and character to stand next to The Face That Runs The Place and still appear on equal footing. Lynch can now be added to that short list. Usually, when someone claims a spot on such a prestigious list, they’re usually primed for greatness atop the mountain of WWE’s upper echelon. Lynch is no different.

I understand that John Cena’s shoes are big ones to fill and labeling anyone as “the next John Cena” could only create false expectations that set them up for failure. However, agree or disagree, think of this piece as a conversation starter for a larger sentiment surrounding the possibility of Becky Lynch as the top star.

The larger sentiment being that it’s time that WWE put all their chips on the prospect of making a woman their top star for the first time ever.

Keep in mind that no one thinks that WWE should push any woman to the top of their food chain simply because they’re a woman. We do think that the top star should be someone who connects with the crowd best, who has the best in-ring presence as a character and wrestler, and who has the most buzz surrounding them. For a long time now, that sentiment has applied to several women on the roster.

For years, when discussing who WWE’s next top star could be, everyone has been looking at WWE’s male roster for possible contenders. As it turns out, everyone’s been looking in the wrong place for their next face.

Over the past year, the wrestlers who have been receiving the loudest reactions have been the women. The women were killing it in 2018. If not Lynch, women like Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair, Asuka, etc, all have reasonable stakes to the top crown of WWE.

Even in the past, there were women who could have believably helmed WWE as their top star. Trish Stratus’s 03-06 run easily could have positioned her a top candidate for the top WWE star. Mickie James was hot with the crowd in 2006 strongly enough to take that mantle. Lita was popular enough in 2004 to state the same claim. Point is there were plenty of women who could have easily been WWE’s first female top marquee attraction, but WWE never entertained pulling the trigger.

Maybe it’s time WWE finally took their shot.

The future is now and the future is female. It’s a future worth investing in for WWE.