WWE: In 365 days, Becky Lynch earned her place at the top

A year ago, a history making WWE Wrestlemania 35 took place on Apr. 7, 2019 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. For the first time ever, women were the main event headliners for the Showcase of the immortals.

In a Triple Threat match which actually took place past midnight on Apr. 8, 2019, Becky Lynch beat Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair for the WWE Raw and Smackdown Women’s Championships, becoming the first to ever win both titles.

Becky has truly defied the odds in her career and her title reign represents how strong and resilient she truly is. Today marks a year since last year’s WrestleMania, but just hours shy of Becky’s historic one-year reign.

Now that Raw after Mania is in the books, The Man will officially reach 365 days as Raw Women’s Champion after midnight Apr. 8, 2020. This will make Lynch only the second woman in history to do so in WWE history.

She has had an incredible year as champion and she has truly helped the women’s division become the forefront of conversations worldwide.

Throughout her year she had some very memorable feuds, starting with rookie Lacey Evans. While some didn’t appreciate the three month feud, Becky did a great job getting Lacey’s name more widely known across the WWE Universe.

As a result, Lacey herself paid homage to Becky in the first ever women’s match in Saudi Arabia. Evans stated, “The more women out there the better. And I brought Becky Lynch out there with me [on her boot] and Natalya, because me and Becky have had some of my biggest matches. And she was out there with us tonight.”

Also, in that feud came a mixed tag match between Becky and Seth Rollins vs. Lacey Evans and Baron Corbin. They main evented at Extreme Rules where Becky made headlines again as she took Baron Corbin’s finisher End of Days like the badass she is.

It spurred a lot of conversation about mixed tag matches and women taking on men wrestlers which is not seen often in WWE programming.

Amongst Becky’s feuds was a very short but great feud with her longtime friend Natalya for SummerSlam. In which, Becky changed her tactics and played more of the antagonist in this feud. The submission match opened SummerSlam and delivered a great technical storytelling match.

One of the most talked about  and highly anticipated feuds of Becky’s reign came on the heels of her SummerSlam victory when Sasha Banks appeared on Raw after a four-month hiatus.

The face offs and match ups between the two had big fight feels. A lot of history, talent and ego created two of the best creative matches I have seen in a long time. Their Hell in a Cell match ended up being runner up for Match of the Year in 2019.

This rivalry also brought us other match ups like the WWE four horsewomen tag match at Madison Square Garden (MSG). The WWE Four Horsewomen – which consists of Becky Lynch, Bayley, Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair – until the match at MSG had not been in a ring all together since 2016.

The match received a lot of cheers and multiple “this is awesome” chants from the crowd. The four were also the opening match for the premiere episode of Smackdown on Fox last Fall.

Over the year, Becky has delivered physical, creative, and storytelling matches like her match against Asuka at Royal Rumble this year. But she has also delivered outside of the ring as well.

Becky has been nonstop as Champion and it is everything she has always wanted; to run off adrenaline, coffee and spite, as she would put it.

She has touched so many lives worldwide working with the Special Olympics, teaming up with Global Citizen, visiting the Children’s Hospital in Dubai, leading the Dubai Fitness Challenge, representing WWE at the espnW Women + Sports Summit with other amazing world class athletes and so much more.

But that’s it right? No. Becky Lynch continued all year long making history. The first woman on the cover of WWE 2K game, the first WWE Superstar to be on the cover of ESPN Magazine, first woman Superstar to be a finalist for an ESPY award, first woman Superstar nominated for an MTV Award, Sports Center commercials, and TV segments with the likes of legends The Rock and Steven Austin.

She has done so much to give back not only to the communities worldwide, but her fans as well. Countless meet and greets, taking the time to greet as many fans as she can at house shows, appreciating a drawing, a video, liking a comment, wearing the bracelets her fans gift her, using fan photos or even wearing jackets a fan makes her. She can do all of this as a champion and face of the company and still somehow stay connected to her fans in the humblest way.

The Raw Women’s Title has been seen and talked about more than it ever has all over the world since Becky has held it. She continues to break barriers, pushes for equality and consistency for women’s wrestling, and continues to always be in the conversation.

She doesn’t have a part time schedule, she is out there 4-5 nights a week entertaining us. Inspiring girls, boys, women and men in every city. Every arena chanting her name, people wearing or buying her merch.

Every person wanting to take just a little piece of The Man back home with them. The thing is, she has taught us anyone can be The Man no matter your gender, race, occupation or challenges. It’s a mindset.

In a world that is uneasy right now, we can find happiness and entertainment in her matches over the last year. Go back and watch how she reads and responds to the crowd. Go back and watch the feuds and exchanges, it will bring a smile to your face.

Has it been flawless? No. Was it booked to perfection? No, but watch how she takes what’s given to her and still finds a way to draw an incredible amount of interest and anticipation.

Like her or not, you cannot deny she has made a huge impact on the industry and has touched so many lives all over the world. I do not know how or when Becky’s current reign as champion will end, but I do know she has cemented her legacy in WWE history and she is not through yet.

Congratulations, champ.