Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch is called The Man these days without anyone batting an eye. However, in the afterglow of her main event triumph at WrestleMania 35, it can be easy to forget that Lynch’s career was in an entirely different place less than a year ago. So how did she become The Man? Let’s take a look.

Summer sets. The Man rises.

Becky Lynch refuses to comment about her shocking assault of Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam 2018 as she looks for an exit from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Becky Lynch walked into SummerSlam 2018 beloved as ever by the WWE Universe as she prepared to take on then-SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella and Charlotte Flair with the title on the line. For weeks (years, really), Lynch had been constantly reminded of her shortcomings, both in terms of her own accolades and compared to her best friend, Charlotte. The Triple Threat Match was seemingly a chance for The Irish Lass Kicker to erase any doubt that others had casted upon her.

It wound up being a lot more.

In the contest’s closing moments, Lynch appeared to be nearing victory as she had Carmella locked in the Dis-arm-her. Charlotte pounced from behind, though, and dropped Lynch with Natural Selection for a sudden victory. After the match, it first appeared that Charlotte and Becky were going to embrace, but then, at the drop of a dime, Becky absolutely unloaded on The Queen with an ambush that was years in the making. The savage attack was a shocker for the WWE Universe, but not quite unsettling. The fans embraced Becky’s shift in attitude as quickly as Lynch herself, setting the stage for an eight-month journey the likes of which the WWE Universe had never seen.

A hellish ascension

New SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch is more confident than ever after dethroning Charlotte Flair at WWE Hell in a Cell.

Following her headline-stealing and attention-grabbing outburst at SummerSlam, Becky Lynch landed on a one-on-one collision course with Charlotte Flair with the SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line at WWE Hell in a Cell 2018. The two former best friends, now entrenched in a rivalry defined by its unyielding animosity, squared off in a match where The Irish Lass Kicker showed that she was no longer the same happy-go-lucky competitor the WWE Universe once knew.

Clearly more aggressive, a hyper-focused Lynch looked to exorcise her prior demons against The Queen like it was a PE class in Dublin. Channeling all her rage that stemmed from being continually overlooked, Lynch countered an attempted Spear from Charlotte and turned it into the three-count. Lynch could once again be called the SmackDown Women’s Champion, but she would soon assume another title following this victory: The Man.

Raw raider

The Irish Lass Kicker brings the fight to Ronda Rousey and the entire Raw Women's division.

Going strong as SmackDown Women’s Champion, Becky was fast approaching the biggest match of her career, a clash with then-Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey, as Survivor Series 2018 drew near. Lynch and Rousey quickly got into a heated war of words in the leadup to their much-anticipated showdown. All the verbal jousting laid the groundwork for The Man to lead the SmackDown LIVE women in a raid of Raw, with The Irish Lass Kicker’s sights specifically set on Rousey.

Lynch made an unforgettable statement against The Baddest Woman on The Planet, locking her in the Dis-arm-her in the backstage area. Not content, The Man then ventured into the ring, and amid a raucous melee, ate a stiff right hand from Nia Jax that literally broke her face.

Contusions and a crimson mask wouldn’t stop The Man, though, and Lynch continued her attack on Ronda, creating a moment that will stand the test of time. The injuries Becky sustained during the brawl might have taken her out of the Survivor Series match, but little could anyone have known (especially Lynch) that her raid of Raw would lead to WrestleMania becoming WrestleMANia.

Rumble, The Man, Rumble

Becky Lynch takes matters into her own hands and finds her way into the Women's Royal Rumble Match when Lana is unable to compete: Courtesy of WWE Network.

“This is where you fall, this is where you get up — this is where it all begins,” Hunter Hayes sings alongside Lady Antebellum in their 2015 track, “Where It All Begins.” Now, we have no way of knowing if Becky listened to that tune prior to Royal Rumble 2019 (or if she even likes country music), but when it fits, it fits.

Unbeknownst to everyone (including Lynch), The Man would pull double duty at the annual event, first taking an L in an instant classic of a title fight against SmackDown Women’s Champion Asuka. Most Superstars would be doubly crushed by such a defeat, given that Becky was not slated to compete in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match, thus making her Road to WrestleMania incredibly murky. However, the ever-resourceful (and resilient) Lynch inserted herself into the Royal Rumble Match when Lana was unable to compete due to an ankle injury.

Despite her knee taking a hellacious beating during the match, The Man persevered, taking on (and throwing out) all comers until she finally eliminated Charlotte Flair to pave her own distinct Road to WrestleMania.

The Grandest Stage

With Ronda Rousey entangled upside-down in the ropes, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch briefly team up to send the Raw Women's Champion crashing painfully to the floor: Courtesy of WWE Network.

After months of buildup, countless twists and one of the most chaotic brawls in Raw history, Lynch walked into WrestleMania’s first-ever women’s main event with the opportunity to leave as both Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champion in a Winner Take All Match. But first, she just had to top Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair in one of the most pressure-filled spots imaginable. No big shakes.

With all eyes on her, Lynch did not shy away in the slightest from the moment she helped create. Matching Rousey and Flair blow for blow in a hard-hitting contest that took a toll on all three competitors, The Irish Lass Kicker thrived under WrestleMania’s bright lights, withstood a beating and finally caught Ronda with a rollup that secured her the victory, two championships, a historic accomplishment and the sweet satisfaction of being The Man.