I’ve been accused of being a Becky Lynch super-fan, and I’ll own that (but I won’t wear the other ‘s’ word... I stan no one, not even The Man). I say that to make it clear this is not a post designed to tear down Lynch the performer, but to point out a trend in how WWE presents her which is becoming increasingly clear.

It’s been going on since last year’s WrestleMania, but it’s most evident in the way she and Shayna Baszler have been booked since Survivor Series.

See if you recognize the following: Standing tall after a match you weren’t even pinned or submitted in with a heelish attack despite being a babyface; Cycling back to a feud with a reliable, frequent rival who you beat multiple times; Your next challenger emerges with an outlandish attack to make you look vulnerable, which you then proceed to more or less no sell in often nonsensical ways; Talk a lot of trash with a mix of braggadocio and underdog messaging.

That’s Becky now. And it was John Cena from roughly 2006 - 2015.

It makes sense. They’re both wrestlers Vince McMahon didn’t initially tap to be his top draw, but once he’s convinced, he goes all in. They’ll get a dash of Hogan, a smidge of Austin, and a touch of Rock thrown into their characters every once in a while, but they’re Superman with a chip on their shoulder. And they’re gonna be on TV, and win, A LOT.

This means there will be backlash. We don’t have an LOLBECKYWINS meme yet, but something is coming. Some of it will be justified. WWE loves to overdo things... if a little of it is good, they try to give us more than anyone can handle. A three hour episode of Raw with 45 minutes worth of screen time dedicated to getting to a match most of us knew was coming such as the one we got last night is a good example.

And you know what? I’m fine with it.

If you’re not a super-fan like me, you’re probably less fine with it. But if it’s gonna be someone in the role — and as long as Vince has the final say, someone will be in the role — it might as well be someone who’s a gifted storyteller & salesperson within a match, on the mic & on social media, who can be entertaining while working from a script or dealing with the media, and who’s proven to be safe in the ring. It’s also no small thing that it’s a woman in this spot for the first time in company history. With pro wrestling, overexposure comes with equality.

Just brace yourself for a lot of Lynch, and probably talk of her being “polarizing” as adult fans decide to jeer her for WWE’s booking.

The good news is, in a few years, as she gets older & outside opportunities call, Becky will be around less. Then everyone will remember how good she is, and wish she was around more.

Wrestling fans may be fickle, but we’re predictable.