In an exclusive conversation with The Mirror ahead of the release of her book The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl, one of WWE's biggest stars weighed in on the celebrity part-timers who are bringing new eyes to the franchise
Irish star Becky Lynch has written a deeply honest and fascinating book about her life.(
WWE's Wrestlemania XL is less than two weeks away and with big name matches confirmed for Logan Paul and The Rock, there are already plenty of stars looking to upstage the fan-favorite workhorse wrestlers. But as celebrity appeal sees WWE continue to break social media video view records as guest star segments go viral, one of the industry's biggest names has warned of the dangers of getting involved names go hand in hand.
Becky Lynch spoke exclusively to The Mirror about the release of her new bestseller and opened up about the frustration in the dressing room at these part-time stars coming in and taking big spots.
With the characteristic honesty that makes the book a must-read, she told us: “It's easy to be special when you just show up every four weeks or however often, and then your creativity is focused on that to make you feel important.”
“Whereas if you're on TV every week, you're at every live event, then you do the work to make these people seem important, and you do the grunt work so they can come in and say, 'Hello, let me.' 'Wave majestically to everyone.'
“It used to be something that wrestling fans made fun of, but now they seem to adore it more. Like, “Oh yeah, this person came by and graced us with their presence.” So that gets frustrating.
“It used to be that the champion would make his rounds around the territories, bragging about the title and being front and center. Now this model is changing and I don't know if it's for the better. You learn by constantly being in front of the crowd, and when you're with someone who has learned by being in front of the crowd, you get better. So it moves the company forward.”
As someone who, in her book and despite her current on-screen feud with her husband Seth Rollins, describes WWE icon and movie star Dwayne Johnson as “the damn best” after he gave her permission to use his finishing move ” Rock Bottom” to apply to her upon her return from injury, she wants to highlight the difference between wrestlers who are no longer on a full-time schedule and part-time celebrities.
“Roman and rock are an exception because they’ve been there before. But when we start relying on these celebrities, the part-timers, the people who don't really know how to do it, who don't understand the craft, then we're in trouble.
“We need leaders, people who care about this, who think about stories, who think about their character, who want to take it forward.” Yes, it's great to get the attention of celebrities and them to draw attention to that product, but we can’t rely on that.”
Lynch spoke to us as part of a busy pre-release press schedule between appearances on WWE programming and the inevitably must-see match between her and Rhea Ripley at the biggest Wrestlemania of all time next weekend in Philadelphia.
Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley will compete at Wrestlemania XL(
It's the kind of overwhelming multitasking that anyone who read the book expected.
While everyone else was spending lockdown learning how to bake banana bread and watching Tiger King, Lynch was writing the first draft of her thoroughly honest autobiography. Early in the process, she openly cites her childhood hero, hardcore legend and best-selling author Mick Foley, as an influence, and the comparison is all the more striking given that the end result, Not Your Average Average Girl, may just be the best wrestling autobiography since his iconic one Have a nice day.
There are no ghostwriters – she actually took a writing course with author Neil Strauss for a year before putting pen to paper – and this is not published by a WWE imprint. Make no mistake, Lynch is going mainstream. “Becky Lynch: The Man” is already a bestseller for Sphere Books, whose other authors include Tom Clancy, Val McDermid and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
She tackles everything from dealing with postnatal depression to headlining Wrestlemania, and some amazing asides, like what led her to call Charlotte Flair the C-word after a disastrous stretch on Smackdown, the Describing Lynch as one of the worst in the show's 25-year history, this is essential reading for both fans and casual readers who just want an inspirational story about a woman who balances real life with achieving her dreams Hat brings.
Her openness is all the more striking since Lynch, whose real name is Rebecca Quin, clearly rejects appearances on WWE's various reality shows and keeps her true personality largely a secret from fans.
She tells us: “I ask people to sit down and take the time to read it. I want to give you an honest account of everything I've been through. It has to be real. I think that’s why I’ve always stayed away from reality TV, because it’s not always real and honest, you know?”
Becky Lynch The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl is exactly that. It's available from Amazon today for £22.06.
Alternatively, you can listen to Rebecca Quin tell her own story completely free on Audible with a free trial, or take advantage of a special 99p offer for a three-month free membership to the audiobook and podcast service. The 99p deal gets you one audiobook a month for three months, perfect for lining up some other autobiographies written and read by wrestlers and industry greats after listening to ten hours of Lynch in her own words.
For wrestling fans looking to spend extra credits, we also recommend Positively Unstoppable: The Art of Owning It by Diamond Dallas Page, There's Just One Problem by former WWE writer and longtime Dwayne Johnson collaborator Brian Gewirtz, and Nitro by Guy Evans, an almost forensic story about the rise and fall of WCW.
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