Credit: WWE.com

The sudden rise in stature and popularity of Becky Lynch was threatened this week by an injury that forced her to withdraw from a scheduled match against Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series.

That injury, though, could provide The Irish Lass Kicker with the spark she needs to elevate her star even higher and become the antihero of a new era, not unlike WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

However, her role of the attitudinal rebel is not the only comparison to the Texas Rattlesnake. As it turns out, her path to greatness and acceptance by fans is eerily similar to the former WWE champion.

The Comparisons Are There

Whether it was in NXT or as part of the main roster, Lynch developed a cult following as one of the more underrated and underappreciated female stars in WWE.

She was a wrestler's wrestler in that she was technically sound and an above-average worker. Unfortunately, she was not as flashy as a Charlotte Flair or a Sasha Banks and that led to her often being shoved aside in favor of those two.

Even when she was the first woman drafted to SmackDown in 2016 during the brand extension, she was quickly overshadowed by Alexa Bliss' natural charisma and flashy Harley Quinn-esque ring attire.

That was a position Austin found himself in, both as part of WCW and early in his WWE tenure.

He, too, was overlooked and undervalued until a breakthrough moment, the Austin 3:16 speech at King of the Ring, began his journey to the top of the industry.

Lynch had hers over a period of time following a heel turn at SummerSlam. She cut promos that were engaging and believable, thanks to the conviction with which she spoke.

Austin had a breakthrough bout that cemented him as a top star at WrestleMania 13 with his classic Submission match against Bret Hart. Lynch defeated Flair at Evolution in a legitimate Match of the Year contender to retain her SmackDown Women's Championship.

In that match, Austin bled—a lot. Or, as Jim Ross would say, like a stuck pig. The image of him fighting through the pain of Hart's Sharpshooter, blood pouring down his face, is an iconic one that added to the perceived toughness of Stone Cold.

Monday night on Raw, Lynch had her own gory moment, with her face caked in blood after her nose was broken by Nia Jax following a stiff right hand to the face.

In both cases, the visceral images allowed fans to connect with the Superstars in a way they hadn't to that point. No longer were their attitudes the only reason to get behind them and want to see them succeed. They were not just cool.

No, they had graduated from cool to the toughest on the roster, and in a day where there were (and are) men and women whose characters are nondescript and maybe even a little soft, they stood out from the pack as legitimate badasses.

Unfortunately, as they built confidence in themselves and connections with the audience, both suffered injuries that set them back and threatened to unravel all of their hard work and growth as characters.

Ill-Timed Injuries

In the summer of 1997, Austin suffered a neck injury that nearly ended his career. One piledriver-gone-wrong nearly altered the face of wrestling history. While it could have halted all of his momentum and left WWE scrambling to find another savior, it was a blessing in disguise.

The audience felt sympathy for its resident ass-kicker, and when he came back to reclaim his throne, he was as over and as popular as ever. He was fearless and never let that injury change who he was or how he approached a fight.

That same scenario faces Lynch in 2018.

Though her broken nose and concussion is not as severe an injury as Austin's was, it does threaten to diminish the roll she was on and hurt her status within the company.

The right hand from Jax was irresponsible, not unlike the piledriver from Owen Hart that left Austin unable to feel his limbs. It did not have to happen but it did, and Lynch is now faced with a recovery period and coming back better than ever.

If the reaction she received from the WWE Universe on Tuesday's episode of SmackDown Live is any indication, she will be met by a fanbase eager and excited to accept her as their champion and chosen one.

Don't Call it a Comeback

When Lynch returns to action, be it three weeks or three months from now, she will have the opportunity to capitalize on a genuine excitement to see her succeed. Fans have bought into her heel persona, the attitude she conveys and, most of all, her work ethic.

Fans sided with The Lass Kicker before the heel turn and latest adaptation of her character because she was a workhorse for the SmackDown women's division. Like Austin, she busted her ass to ply her trade and did so to little or no reward.

Now that she is on the receiving end of that push and has not rested on her laurels, developing a new "The Man" moniker that will undoubtedly earn her merchandise money for days and an edgier persona that is clicking with audiences, the backing is stronger and more passionate than ever before.

Chants of "Becky" rain down from the stands in arenas around the world.

Throw in two ready-made rivalries with Jax and Rousey upon her return and you have all the reason to believe Lynch can go on an Austin-like run when she sets foot back inside the squared circle.

That is not to say she should start flipping the bird and chugging Steveweisers, though.

Austin was a generational performer whose character and success will never be replicated, nor should Lynch and WWE Creative try. The Irish-born competitor has gotten over by being herself, speaking her mind and voicing her real frustrations with where she was in the pecking order despite being one of the best in the world at her job.

The world does not need another Stone Cold. The world needs the first The Man, and if that means learning from Austin's journey and capitalizing on those special moments, so be it.

Building on that and not dragging her into the realm of caricatures will help her maintain the following she had ahead of her injury and catapult her to the biggest and best things of her career.

And in the process, it will allow her to achieve the type of fanfare and success the last frustrated, self-assured badass did some two decades ago.