The second half of 2018 has been so good for Becky Lynch that it overshadows what anyone else in WWE did in the first half. Since the transformation that began at SummerSlam (following a winning streak in the lead-up that was already getting fans excited about her), The Man has become such a phenomenon that she’s getting more and more attention from outside WWE and its usual fan base. Given all that, it should come as no surprise that CBS Sports has named her the Wrestler of the Year for 2018. Here’s what CBS Sports’ Adam Silverstein has to say on the subject:
In a year filled with stunning developments, no one shook up the world of professional wrestling more than Becky Lynch, who has turned both WWE and the business as a whole on its head over the last six months by not only winning the hearts and minds of fans across the globe but doing so while standing out as “The Man” in an industry historically dominated by men. The 31-year-old Rebecca Quinn — largely marginalized by WWE over the last two years despite being a clear fan favorite — has not only become arguably the most popular superstar in the company, she looks to have forced it to change its plans for its biggest show of the coming year, WrestleMania 35 in New York. And that is why Lynch is the 2018 CBS Sports Wrestler of the Year.
How has she done it? Quite simply by showing a renewed confidence and natural swagger that has been compared to everyone from Steve Austin to Roddy Piper to countryman Conor McGregor. In actuality, the comparisons do not do Lynch justice and hardly explain why she is now “The Man.” Lynch has quite simply become the best version of herself, a take-no-prisoners bad-ass who is defying convention by exorcising the demons created from two years of being kept out of the championship picture.
The Man herself responded on Twitter, with an inspirational message about how much changed for her this year.
https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1078047928973967360
We don’t know exactly where things are headed at the Royal Rumble and then WrestleMania (although we all have hopes, fears, and guesses), but 2019 is bound to be a hell of year for Becky Lynch, and it’s going to be exciting just to watch where she goes from here.
