Becky Lynch just dropped a pretty wild piece of WWE history. According to Lynch, she was never supposed to become the first SmackDown Women’s Champion in 2016, because that spot was originally intended for Nikki Bella.
Lynch opened up about the scrapped championship plan during an appearance on the No-Contest Wrestling Podcast, while discussing how long it took before she felt WWE truly viewed her as someone they could build around.
The conversation turned to the period before “The Man,” when Lynch felt like she was constantly getting close to the top without actually being WWE’s chosen woman. She said that frustration was very real because she kept seeing opportunities go elsewhere.
“It was one of those things where it was just—I was sick of taking a backseat, and that was kind of real. That angst was real. Always almost getting the shot and then never being the one that was picked, never being the one that they were going to hand the ball to and say, ‘Yeah, this is our girl. Go run with it.’”
That’s when Lynch brought up the creation of the SmackDown Women’s Championship in 2016. Becky won the title at Backlash that September, becoming the first woman to hold the championship. According to Lynch, however, WWE initially had someone else in mind.
“Even the first time that I won the SmackDown Women’s Championship—first ever, right? That wasn’t the plan. It wasn’t the plan. No, but it was, I think it was meant to go to Nikki Bella, actually. Who, by the way, had just come back from her broken neck, but the audience kind of liked me, you know, and they just, once it was revealed, they just started chanting ‘Becky.’”
Lynch believes that fan reaction changed everything. Once WWE unveiled the new championship and fans immediately rallied behind her, she felt the company had little choice but to reconsider the direction.
“And so kind of the office had to take notice of that and go, ‘Well, yeah. All right. I guess, kind of guess we got to go with her.’”
Even after getting that historic win, Lynch said she still didn’t believe WWE had completely changed its perception of her. In her mind, winning the first SmackDown Women’s Championship didn’t mean the company suddenly planned on making her a long-term centerpiece of the division.
“But I don’t think the plan was ever going to be to give it to me again unless I took it.”
That mindset eventually became a huge part of what fueled Lynch’s transformation into “The Man.” She stopped waiting for WWE to hand her another opportunity and decided she was going to force herself into the top position.
“And so that was that opportunity of like, all right, I’m not sitting around. I’m going to make this as interesting as I possibly can.”
Lynch went on to explain that by the time her massive 2018 run arrived, she had learned from watching other stars take advantage of their opportunities. Instead of simply being happy to be there, she was ready to treat the next opening like it belonged to her.
“I watched other people take it and be like, ‘This is my time. This is my shot. I’m going to run with it.’ And now I had gotten to a point where I was like, when it’s my time, I’m going to take it and I’m going to run with it.”
It’s a pretty crazy alternate history considering what followed. Becky Lynch becoming the inaugural SmackDown Women’s Champion helped establish her as one of the brand’s top stars, but according to Lynch herself, WWE originally had Nikki Bella lined up for that piece of history before the fans changed the equation.
Had WWE stuck with its original direction and made Nikki Bella the first SmackDown Women’s Champion, Becky Lynch’s road to becoming “The Man” could have looked very different. Instead, the crowd made its choice clear, WWE changed course, and Lynch walked out of Backlash 2016 with a championship she says she was never originally supposed to win.
What do you think WWE history would have looked like if Nikki Bella had become the first SmackDown Women’s Champion instead of Becky Lynch? Let us know your thoughts and leave your feedback in the comments.
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.
