Bianca Belair has praised Becky Lynch for carrying their lengthy storyline between SummerSlam in 2021 and WrestleMania 38.
On April 10th 2021, in the main event of night one of WrestleMania 37, Bianca Belair defeated Sasha Banks to claim the SmackDown Women’s Championship. The EST of WWE, held the title all the way up until SummerSlam where she was due to take on Banks in a highly anticipated rematch.
However, on the night, it was revealed that Banks was unable to compete, and she was replaced by a returning Becky Lynch, who had been away from WWE television for more than a year.
In the match that followed, Lynch pinned Belair in a matter of seconds to claim the title to the shock and disbelief of those watching around the world.
The rivalry between the two women continued all the way up to WrestleMania 38 where Belair finally defeated Lynch to claim the Raw Women’s Championship.
Speaking to Lucas Charpiot of VL Media, Belair reflected on the long-running storyline, praising her rival as one of the best storytellers in WWE.
Working with Becky Lynch is fantastic. She is a formidable competitor. In the ring, she is one of the best storytellers in the promotion. When you re-watch the WrestleMania match and dwell on her facial expressions, you can really feel his emotions. She carried this storyline on her shoulders from August until WrestleMania.
Most of the time, I feel like women don’t have those long-lasting storylines that lead to a purpose. We had the chance to tell that and keep the interest of the fans. At SummerSlam, people thought Becky Lynch killed my momentum. It was a hard pill to swallow, even for me. But in the end, working with Becky Lynch allowed me to grow tremendously as a talent at WWE.
I learned a lot from her in the ring, but also outside the ring. She is a huge advocate for women’s wrestling so that it stays at the top of the map. I’m grateful to have had the chance, not only to face her, but also to have been able to tell this long story that concluded at WrestleMania,”
After Sasha Banks and Naomi walked out of the May 16th episode of Monday Night Raw, the main event was hastily re-written to feature a singles match between Becky Lynch and Asuka. The match was eventually won by Asuka who will now go on to challenge Bianca Belair at Hell In A Cell.