Becky Lynch has been a member of the WWE Universe since 2013 when she joined NXT after moving to America from her native Ireland.
That's right, before she was “The Man,” before she dazzled fans as “Big Time Becks” and even before she won her first-ever title within the grander WWE Universe, Lynch was just another fresh-faced recruit looking to see where they fit within the greater ecosystem of Vince McMahon's promotion, with no guarantee that she would ever leave Orlando for a full-time main roster push.
And who, you may ask, was also a member of NXT in 2013? Well, that would be Bray Wyatt, who was in his second stint in developmental after dropping his NXT/Nexus moniker of Husky Harris in favor of the proto version of the character he became internationally famous for.
Discussing her relationship with Wyatt in an interview with Steve Fall ahead of WrestleMania 40, Lynch celebrated her relationship with the future WWE Hall of Famer, noting that he was as enjoyable to spend time with outside of the ring as he was compelling inside the squared circle.
“Oh man, Bray was always one of those people that you look forward to seeing because he had this, just this warmth about him and this kindness and this mischief in his eyes,” Becky Lynch explained via Fightful. “Like he had the most sparkly eyes you've ever seen and that raspy voice and his signature laugh and his hugs, like he gave you, the world's best talk, like it was, there was just nothing but love. You could just sit down and talk to him for hours about anything. I remember the first time meeting him, and he was this huge star, and I was just an extra. He just talked to me like an equal. There's not a lot of people that did that, you know, especially back then and there was just goodness in him. There was just, he was good, and he was kind. I told this story about how I didn't have a clue how to set up a table, and he spent a long time showing me. Then it was funny because I had a last woman standing match with Nia, and I couldn't set up the d**n table, and I was like, oh, if only Windham was here, you know?”
In the, goodness, almost year since Wyatt passed away, it seems like there's no limit to the number of stories of the former “Eater of Worlds” being kind to his coworkers or taking some time out of his day to offer a helping hand. In a sport that can be incredibly ego-centric and ego-driven, it's safe to say wrestling could use more Bray Wyatt, even if there will never truly be another Bray Wyatt.
Becky Lynch reflects on putting Jim Neidhart in the hospital.
Elsewhere on her cross-media promotional tour to drum up excitement for her new book “The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl,” Becky Lynch commented on the time early in her career when she was tasked with attacking Jim Neidhart before the babyfaces came out for the save.
While the segment was simple enough, an errant kick by Lynch buckled the knee of Natalya's father and ultimately sent him to the hospital, which, in an interview on Mystic Kitchen's Last Meal, “The Man” revealed made her fear for her wrestling future.
“We were all going to jump him at the beginning of the match, just attack Jim Neidhart before the babyfaces came out. I just kicked him square in the kneecap. Just the way the leg is not supposed to bend,” Becky Lynch revealed via Fightful. “He pushed me back, ‘You don’t kick people like that!’ I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s it, I’m done. My wrestling career is over. Jim Neidhart, I nearly took him out and put him in the hospital.’ I was so scared. I just stayed away from him that whole match. After, he had calmed down and he was so nice. He was a dad, three girls, he was so sweet and so lovely, and taught me how to kick. He was great. That was my first big break.”
Much like her time in NXT, Lynch's early career in WWE was a lot of trial and error, with some things she did working and others better forgotten to the sands of time. Kneecapping the late Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart should probably fall into the latter category, even if it is fun to reminisce about what happened nearly a decade ago every now and again.