Before Becky Lynch became "The Man" and presented herself as one of the most badass women's wrestlers of the last decade, the WrestleMania main eventer initially struggled to discover her identity during the early days of her WWE career. After signing a developmental contract with the company, Lynch made her debut on "WWE NXT" playing the character of an Irish dancer. The Women's Intercontinental Champion would appear dressed in green from head to toe, walk out to the ring doing an Irish jig, and dance through her matches. The character was far from how Lynch presents herself today, and it is still a period of time during her career that she doesn't like to remember.
Lynch reflected on her first gimmick with the promotion during her WWE Network collection, "Becky Lynch: Straight Fire,"explaining that she went along with the idea because she was desperate to be featured on TV.
"For me, it was just wanting to be in there so bad, and thinking, 'Oh, well, I'm Irish. Let's not ignore the fact ... But of course, we didn't have to display the fact."
In 2022, Lynch claimed in an interview with "Courtside Club" that portraying the Irish dancer was "one of the most shameful debuts in wrestling history," but believed fans would connect with her dedication and love for professional wrestling.
"I was just so glad to be on TV, and what it was was work and being able to connect with the crowd. Because no matter how bad and how awful I was ... there is this intangible thing that the audience knows when you love this business and they rally behind that."
Thankfully, Lynch would quickly pivot to her iconic "Irish Lass Kicker" persona in "NXT," which would kickstart her journey into becoming one of the Four Horsewomen, and eventually be one of the most successful WWE main roster stars of the modern era.
