10 Amazing Comparisons Between Becky Lynch And Stone Cold Steve Austin
How 'The Man' finally filled a hole left by 'The Toughest S.O.B'
Disclaimer - this list is not an effort to undermine, underwrite or underwhelm the 2018 run that has transformed Becky Lynch's career and the continuing perception of women's wrestling by suggesting it's simply taken elements already established by a man.
Debates finding parallels between the pair have flared in the sprawling comments sections underneath Becky's straight fire tweets, with some audiences choosing to to lazily suggest she has begged, borrowed or stole her incredible form from 'The Texas Rattlesnake', but this of course couldn't be further from the truth. She's not the second Stone Cold Steve Austin, she's the first Becky Lynch, and she's the entire reason - unconditionally so - why she could be heading from the Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal to the 'Show Of Shows' headliner within a single year.
Lynch's work, particularly post-SummerSlam, has been transformative and transcendent. Vince McMahon infamously scowled towards his "millennial" roster in a 2014 interview with Austin himself, using the cash cow across from him as an example of how he'd rather they act than how are they actually do. This, despite the fact that he created a culture of job fear by shooting for an industry monopoly and over-scripting his talent into early creative graves.
He wanted them grabbing "brass rings" still, despite CM Punk shrewdly castigating them in his Las Vegas sit-down several years earlier. Lynch, like Austin, didn't grab one - she stole one, and brilliantly isn't prepared to give it back. And that's the bottom line.
10. Winning & Losing
1996: Stone Cold Steve Austin defeats Savio Vega at WrestleMania, but his victory is a Pyrrhic one, particularly in the interminable feud with the 'Caribbean Legend'. The match is a justifiably-forgotten bore, but the pair do a far better job at May's Beware Of Dog 2. Austin loses a Caribbean Strap match but implies that he meant to in order to shed himself of manager Ted DiBiase. His King Of The Ring win is the first positive return from his decision to cut the cord. He wasn't initially earmarked for it, but got the nod after planned winner Triple H was removed entirely.
2018: After losing out on a Money In The Bank golden ticket in a last gasp battle with Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch becomes Number One contender to the SmackDown Live Women's Championship with a non-title win over then-Champion Carmella. The win looks assured for Becky until her best friend Charlotte is also added. 'The Queen' is ultimately successful, but Lynch's loss triggers a stunning post-match heel turn. Buoyed by the switch (and some electric post-turn promos), an even-more-over-than-before Becky defeats Charlotte just a month later in their singles rematch.