Nikki Bella praises Becky Lynch as ‘one of the greatest’ ahead of WWE Clash in Paris
Nikki Bella believes Becky Lynch is “one of the greatest superstars ever.”
Bella will challenge Lynch for the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship at today’s Clash in Paris event. She spoke with Sports Illustrated ahead of the PLE and praised her upcoming opponent, but noted that when Lynch was first rising up in WWE, her talent was overshadowed by stars like Charlotte Flair and the former Sasha Banks.
Bella said:
“I did see potential, but I’ll admit it was definitely overshadowed. You couldn’t help but see what Charlotte Flair was doing, and then Sasha Banks. They were such standouts. Sasha was coming off of that iconic match in NXT with Bayley, so your eyes were really on her. And then Charlotte Flair came in… and there was a lot of focus on her for the Divas Title.”
Bella continued:
“Don’t tell her this, but I think she’s one of the greatest superstars ever. When some of us are overshadowed and held back, it gives us a certain kind of fire to prove ourselves… It’s almost like you need that story to give you a certain drive and motivation, because when you’re already proven out of the gate, where do you go from there?”
Bella continued to say that she sees similarities between her becoming the Fearless version of her character and Lynch becoming The Man and riding a surge in popularity to the main event of WrestleMania 35.
“I didn’t start as Fearless Nikki. She came over time and the minute I became her, that’s what took me to the next level. Same with The Man. When Becky Lynch finally became The Man, that just took off.”
Bella also spoke about the Divas Era lacking the opportunities that were given to Lynch’s generation, and said the athletes they had in the division at the time would have “knocked it out of the ballpark” if they had. She credits Triple H with providing those opportunities for Lynch’s generation.
Bella’s full interview with Sports Illustrated is available here.
