SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated to promote her Triple Threat with Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
While Brock Lesnar vs. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns or Drew McIntyre vs. WWE Champion Big E will likely main event the show, Lynch said it would be a very powerful statement if WWE put the Women’s Title match on last as it’s the biggest match you can have in pro wrestling right now.
“It would be very powerful if we headline the show,” Lynch said. “This is the biggest match you can have in pro wrestling right now, regardless of gender.”
Crown Jewel will mark Lynch’s first trip to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and just the third WWE women’s match to take place in the country. Natalya defeated Lacey Evans in a historic match at Crown Jewel 2019, and then Bayley retained the SmackDown Women’s Title over Naomi at Super ShowDown 2020, in what was the first-ever women’s title match in the Kingdom. Lynch said it’s very important to show women what’s possible in a place like Saudi Arabia.
“I think what’s very important, in a place like Saudi Arabia, is to show the women what’s possible,” Lynch said. “Maybe pro wrestling catches a young girl’s eye. If we can have that effect on even one person, it’s huge. Maybe it’s not now, but for the future, you can dream and you can achieve. Now more than ever, that’s so important.
“Even when I think about myself, I remember how I felt growing up when I first saw Lita come into WWE. She was a badass, and she could hang with the guys. She wasn’t the typical cookie cutter at the time. When I saw her, it showed that you don’t always have to be blonde and look like a Barbie doll to make it in wrestling. That meant a lot to me. Obviously, I’m not a girl that grew up in Saudi Arabia; I had a very different upbringing. But this is an opportunity to show them what girls can do, and that’s very powerful.”
Last Friday’s Supersized SmackDown on FS1 featured Banks defeating Lynch in a non-title match. Lynch commented on the match and said it meant a lot.
“Coming back, I had a mantra in my head: ‘Better than ever,’ ” Lynch said. “My goal was [to] come back better than ever. That’s what I trained for and worked toward. Win or lose, I believe I proved that on Friday.
“So that match on SmackDown meant a lot. Any time Becky Lynch steps in the ring with Sasha Banks, it’s magic. That’s two of the best in the world going head-to-head. And let’s be honest, if it weren’t for that meddling Bianca Belair, I wouldn’t have lost that match anyway.”
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