Becky Lynch Reflects On Unique WWE SummerSlam History
Becky Lynch finds herself in another huge title match at WWE SummerSlam, which is not a new situation for “The Man.”
The first-ever two-night edition of WWE SummerSlam will see Becky Lynch defend the Women’s Intercontinental Title against Lyra Valkyria, who is the former champion.
Lynch and Valkyria were friends until Lynch turned heel on her younger fellow Irishwoman. Since then, Lynch captured the Women’s IC Title and retained it against Lyra, but Lyra earned another shot by beating Bayley in a match on Raw.
This time, when Lynch faces Valkyria, there will be no countouts and no disqualifications in their match, which means they’ll be able to use weapons and fight all over the arena.
After debuting on the WWE main roster in the summer of 2015, Lynch has been creating memories at SummerSlam. While speaking to The Takedown on Sports Illustrated, Lynch mentioned some of her SummerSlam history while also remarking that it’s been three years since she competed at the event.
“It was my first PLE. It was where the infamous slap happened that really catapulted my career. It was also where I came back after I had my daughter and beat Bianca Belair in 26 seconds. And then a year later we were tearing the house down and then fighting side-by-side… I’m kind of blown away that it’s been three years since I wrestled at a SummerSlam.”
Becky Lynch Loved Her Rivalry With Bianca Belair Built Around SummerSlam
One of the most memorable rivalries of Becky Lynch’s career kicked off at SummerSlam 2021 when she returned after a lengthy layoff (she gave birth to her daughter in late 2020) and beat Bianca Belair for the SmackDown Women’s Title in just 27 seconds. That booking decision angered many fans.
At WrestleMania 38 in 2022, Belair beat Lynch to become the Raw Women’s Champion, to finally get revenge on Lynch, who had become “Big Time Becks” as a top heel character. They ran it back in another great match at SummerSlam 2022 that saw Lynch hurt her shoulder, but the two women became allies one year after the SummerSlam 2021 shocker. Lynch remembers Belair’s big win fondly.
“I remember the eruption when Bianca won and she won in such a cool way. Not the slickest victory of all -time, but maybe like one of the slickest victories, you know, she back flipped out of the Rock Bottom [Manhandle Slam] into the K-O-D. That was pretty special too.”
Lynch also explained why people shouldn’t look at the SummerSlam 2021 match unfavorably because of the story that developed over the next year.
“It was the exact outcome you wanted. You wanted to root for Bianca, you wanted to hate me, you wanted to feel like she was robbed and had something to come back from. And she did. And we had a wonderful story for a full year. I think if you’re still looking back at (SummerSlam 2021) as unfavorable, you kind of missed the story of it, you know?”
It’s the perfect example of letting a story play out before rushing to judgment.
As for this year’s SummerSlam, Becky Lynch’s match with Lyra Valkyria for the Women’s Intercontinental Title will take place on Sunday, August 3rd, which is night two of SummerSlam.