IRELAND’S BECKY LYNCH is set to make history on 7 April at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The 32-year-old Limerick-born star is set to be part of the main event at Wrestlemania — the biggest event on the wrestling calendar.
Lynch will be part of the Raw Women’s Championship Match, also featuring former UFC star Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair.
It is the first time ever a women’s match has been top of the bill in Wrestlemania’s 35-year history.
Part of a WWE statement read: “Becky Lynch is the 2019 Women’s Royal Rumble winner, a two-time SmackDown Women’s Champion and was named Wrestler of the Year by both Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports in 2018. She was also the first woman ever to top ESPN’s WWE Power Rankings.
“At WrestleMania 32 in 2016, WWE re-branded the Divas Division the Women’s Division and unveiled a new Women’s Championship title. Since that time, the women’s evolution has placed a greater spotlight on WWE’s female Superstars, including more prominent storylines and deeper character development that showcases their athleticism, charisma and star power.
“Last October, WWE held it’s first-ever all-women’s pay-per-view event, Evolution, in front of a sold-crowd and millions more watching on WWE Network.”
In response to the news, Lynch tweeted: “I ran my mouth, put in the miles, took the bumps and entertained the people till they couldn’t deny me any longer. It’s an emotional day just knowing I get to smash Ronnie and Char in front of the whole world on the biggest stage possible. To the people: THANK YOU.”
Lynch, whose real name is Rebecca Quin, will also be the first non-North American athlete to headline Wrestlemania since France-born André the Giant famously did so against Hulk Hogan in 1987 — the year the Irish star was born.
It continues Lynch’s remarkable rise since first joining the company on a two-year developmental deal in 2013.
“It’s almost that fight-or-flight thing where you’ve got something to prove,” she told The42 in an interview last month. “There’s always been something in me where I’ve always wanted more. I remember my ma would always say to me: ‘Why can’t you just be normal? Why can’t you just be normal? Why can’t you be like everyone else?’ She was always [saying it], it was a real Irish mammy type thing.
“It just wasn’t in me [to be normal]. I wanted more. I wanted to do something different. I wanted to do something bigger. I wanted to do something that nobody has ever done before. Luckily, WWE gave me the platform to do it.”
Murray Kinsella and Andy Dunne dissect Ireland’s disappointing Six Nations campaign, and discuss the pros and cons of rugby’s new law proposals in the latest episode of The42 Rugby Weekly:
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