Becky Lynch Discusses Sharing The Ring With The Rock In 2019 On WWE SmackDown
Despite not wrestling a match since 2013, The Rock has made sporadic appearances to engage with some of his younger peers — Rusev/Miro, Bo Dallas, The New Day, The Wyatt Family, and most recently, Austin Theory. While most of those cameos ended with The Rock laying the smackdown on the heels, his appearance on the blue brand's 20th-anniversary show in October 2019 was for the purpose of shining a light on Becky Lynch — and beat up Baron Corbin in the process.
In a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Lynch thanked "The Great One" for taking time away from his busy schedule to give her the proverbial rub on WWE TV. While reflecting on the experience, "The Man" noted how comfortable The Rock made her feel during the impromptu segment that wasn't completely planned beforehand.
"I mean, look, when you're working with Dwayne, it's, well, one, it's so easy because anything you do gets a reaction and he's so good," Lynch said. "And he's so in tune with the energy of everyone, the entire universe — I think you can see that by how he's just, you know, taken over the world. But he also makes everybody feel so comfortable. And he wants everything to be the best. And he takes care of everybody that's around him."
'I want people to react to me that way'
"The Man" was admittedly a bundle of nerves during the segment, seeing as she had never shared the ring with a star of The Rock's magnitude, and knew she couldn't afford a misstep with the eyes of the wrestling world glued onto her. "...You are just so wracked with nerves because you're going toe-to-toe with The Great One," Lynch recalled. "He's The Great One who's got, you know, more charisma in his pinky than, I mean, him and Roux could compete maybe, yeah. But it is like a bit of a nerve-wracking experience because you want to hold your own and you have to hold your own. Because he's giving you the torch, he is saying, 'Here you go. Let me give you the rub, kid.'"
The segment also proved to be a teachable moment for Lynch, who revealed she picked up traits from The Rock that she continues to utilize in her interactions with the WWE Universe.
"...Getting to work with him and being out there and feeling the energy of the crowd. And then you go, 'That's what I want. I want people to react to me that way.' And that's a very cool thing. Because you get to experience it and you go, 'Okay, I knew I was hot. This is a different level of hot. How do I get this level of hot?'"
Lynch has continued to ascend to greater heights since October 2019, recently becoming a Grand Slam Champion by capturing the "NXT" Women's Championship.