Why Becky Lynch's Historic WrestleMania Win Caused An Uproar
The main event for WrestleMania 35 was a monumental moment for women's professional wrestling, as Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey competed in a winner-takes-all triple threat match to become the first female performers in WWE history to main event "The Showcase of the Immortals." Lynch would come out victorious and would begin her run as "Becky Two Belts," but her historic WrestleMania main event win unfortunately ended in controversial fashion.
In 2019, Lynch had become one of the most popular stars in professional wrestling, and giving her the main event spot at WrestleMania 35 was absolutely deserved. However, the matchup took place after one of the longest cards in WrestleMania history, with 15 other bouts coming before it. Therefore, with the audience already beginning to feel fatigued after six hours of non-stop action, the finish of the match being botched would only provoke a negative reaction from the fans. Lynch had rolled up Rousey for the pin to claim the victory, but the former UFC star's shoulders were clearly off that mat while the referee counted to three. This caused the audience in attendance and the fans watching at home to be confused by the result, with many questioning if the roll up was supposed to happen, or if Rousey failed to kick-out in time.
WWE usually tries to send fans home happy with the main event of WrestleMania, often having the hero finally overcome adversity, or a babyface title change occur to conclude the show on a positive note. However, fans were so disappointed with the ending to WrestleMania 35, that a social media outrage ensued following the event.
Social Media Outrage Takes Place Over Lynch's Victory
Despite still being an iconic moment in WWE history, it didn't stop wrestling fans from airing their frustration about the main event on Twitter. Following WrestleMania 35, USA Today provided several examples of wrestling fans criticizing the ending to the event on social media, with fans claiming it was the "worst finish" in the history of the "Show of Shows," as well as the most awkward way to end a match. In addition, fans took the opportunity to share videos, photos, and slowed down versions of the match to prove that Rousey's shoulders were definitely off the mat, causing the WWE Universe to call out and target the performers involved for their mistake.
Becky Lynch robbed Ronda Rousey. Hand went down and counted one and both shoulders we off the canvas. They botched the ending. Goodnight everyone! #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/B6M6zi6AzE
— Ronny Pavlicek-Lusk #Heel (@RonIsWrestling) April 8, 2019
Although the main event of WrestleMania 35 would elevate the careers of both Lynch and Flair, Rousey took most of the heat for the botched finish of the match, leading fans to lose trust in her as a performer. Superstar Billy Graham specifically labelled the match as "horrible" and slammed the decision to put Rousey in the main event, as he felt she wasn't over enough with the audience to be in that position. That said, in 2021 former WWE referee Mike Chioda revealed that Vince McMahon was "furious" with referee Rod Zapata for counting to three when Rousey's shoulders lifted off the mat. According to Chioda, Zapata panicked and decided to count to three instead of breaking up the pin. Rousey hasn't been shy from sharing her disappointment over the main event as well, explaining that she thought the match was "rushed" and "slapped together."
Despite the fan backlash and harsh criticism its received over the years, the main event of WrestleMania 35 will still be remembered as an instrumental day for women in professional wrestling, as Lynch, Flair and Rousey were able to break barriers that many believed would never be broken.