Becky Lynch was one of WWE’s biggest stars when she found out she was pregnant, but telling Vince McMahon she was leaving still had her shaking. Lynch has now revealed exactly how that conversation went down, and McMahon’s reaction wasn’t anything close to what she feared.
During the 2026 espnW: Women + Sports Summit, Lynch was asked whether professional wrestling has enough systems in place to support women who become mothers.
Lynch said she can only speak from her own experience, but WWE was incredibly supportive when she became pregnant. The stakes were especially high because Lynch wasn’t simply another wrestler on the roster at the time. She was champion and described herself as one of, if not the biggest star in WWE. That’s why walking into the conversation with McMahon was so nerve-racking.
“Look, I think wrestling’s particularly tricky. I can only speak for myself and say WWE were amazing to me. Like when I told them, and I was the champion at the time, I was a huge star. I was one of, if not the biggest star in the company at the time. And I had to tell Vince McMahon, ‘Hey, I’m leaving. I’m gonna go have a kid.’ And I was shaking.”
Whatever Lynch expected to happen disappeared almost immediately. She said McMahon didn’t hesitate before congratulating her and telling her how happy he was about the news.
“He didn’t miss a beat. And he was like, ‘Oh my God, congratulations. That is the best news that I’ve ever heard. I’m so happy for you.’”
Lynch was actually the person trying to figure out how she could continue providing something for WWE while she was away. She even started throwing out ideas for projects she could work on during her pregnancy. McMahon wasn’t interested in putting that kind of pressure on her.
“And I kept trying to pitch him ideas like, ‘Here’s how I can be useful. I can make a documentary. I don’t know.’ I was just trying to give him something, you know, and he was just like, ‘Oh, no. This is the best. This is amazing.’”
That same attitude carried over to Lynch’s eventual WWE comeback. According to her, the company never gave her a deadline or pushed her to return to training before she felt comfortable.
“And there was no pressure of, ‘You have to be back. Come on, let’s get back in the gym. Let’s go.’ They were very much like, ‘Whenever you feel ready.’ And I was the one like, ‘I’m ready. I’m ready. Let’s go. Get me back in there, coach.’”
Lynch announced her pregnancy on WWE television in May 2020 and relinquished the RAW Women’s Championship before stepping away. She ultimately returned to WWE at SummerSlam in August 2021 and quickly found herself back in the championship picture.
Considering how nervous Lynch was before telling McMahon, his immediate reaction clearly stuck with her years later. Instead of being treated like WWE was losing its biggest star, Lynch says she was treated like someone who had just received some of the best news of her life.
What do you think about Vince McMahon’s reaction when Becky Lynch told him she was leaving WWE to have a child? Let us know your thoughts and feedback.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
