Becky Lynch’s memoir is an exceptional look into why WWE fans connect with ‘The Man’

April 1, 2022.

It was the Friday before WrestleMania 38 and a fairly crisp spring morning in Dallas, if memory serves. I had awoken very early that day to put on my best Men’s Warehouse suit and JC Penney’s button up, ready to showcase a lack of style and flare that has haunted me since I was young child to some of the biggest names in the WWE.

I just didn’t realize how big as I stood around conversing with some of my media colleagues inside a massive ballroom at the Omni Dallas Hotel, waiting for the annual ‘Mania Press Tour to begin.

To peel the curtain back a bit, media members are given a list of talent who are scheduled to be in attendance a couple of days out. It’s much appreciated, as it gives people like myself a little bit of time to do some homework and come up with (what I believe to be) interesting questions.

On the docket that day included Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, AJ Styles, Rhea Ripley, and Charlotte Flair — all of whom had huge marquee matches on the card. Kevin Owens especially, as the Prize Fighter would be headlining night one with Stone Cold Steve Austin a little more than 36 hours after the media event.

I did not get to speak to Owens that day, as one-on-one interviews are not guaranteed due to the large swaths of media outlets who attend these things. I did not get to interview Charlotte Flair either, because — as they say in the wrestling business – the card is subject to change.

The Queen was pulled away for another obligation, or so we were told. A bummer as I have a personal goal of interviewing all of WWE’s Four Horsewomen and up until that point in my wrestling media career I was swinging 1-for-4. Little did I know that my batting average would end up doubling that day after all.

Having just wrapped up a lovely conversation with the now reigning Women’s World Heavyweight Champion Rhea Ripley, The Eradicator shook my hand, said good-bye and moved on to the next reporter eagerly awaiting their allotted 5 minutes. I turned to my left to shut off my audio recorder and that’s when I caught a glimpse of this bright, fireball orange mullet out of the corner of my eye.

Becky Lynch was standing a mere 50 feet away from me. Decked out in a two-piece Collini Milano ensemble that frankly looked like something Cruella de Vil may have skinned a sheep dog to make, but damn it — she owned the entire ballroom. A bold and unique style that only Big Time Becks (and let’s be honest, her husband) could pull off.

The Man is a major reason why I’ve been able to carry my media career into its 15^th year. At a time when self-doubt and hopelessness had infiltrated my entire body, leaving me on the brink of giving up the only job I had ever been passionate about, I found inspiration in a fiery young Lass Kicker who had battled through very similar demons and was now on the brink of taking over the entire pro wrestling industry.

Wrestling fans anxiously awaiting to read all about that battle, your long wait is finally over. Becky Lynch: The Man: Not Your Average, Average Girl is officially available on book stands across the country and you should rush out and get a copy, if you didn’t pre-order ahead of time.

Yes, that may have been the longest introduction in the history of book reviews, but if brevity is the soul of wit then consider me Forrest Gump sitting on a park bench waiting for a bus to drive me a few blocks down the road.

That’s who I am and I’ve learned over the years to stop second guessing the way I do things. Finding that trust in myself, believing that I am good enough to be in the rooms that not everyone has had the privilege to stand inside. Knowing I’m more than capable of interviewing the biggest stars in pro wrestling and telling their stories in a meaningful and memorable way.

It was not an easy road discovering that confidence in myself, but the conversation I would have with The Man amongst the near literal sea of people that were packed into that Omni Hotel ballroom that morning, would go a long way in helping put me on the right path.

Admittedly, my nerves got the better of me. I’m 90 percent sure I forgot to even introduce myself when the time finally came to speak with her. The entire conversation was a blur. A dream interview that I was unable to fully enjoy as I kept muttering to myself internally — “Don’t f—k this up” — as I also tried to navigate this conversation with the in-character Lynch.

Back to Not Your Average Average Girl, never have I felt more connected to a person that I do not know on a personal level whatsoever than I did flipping through the pages of her book, reading an internal monologue that’s riddled with language that would make a sailor blush (I cannot wait to get my hands on the audio book).

As a character in WWE, Becky Lynch knows exactly who she is and where she falls on the hierarchy of pro wrestling greatest. In her new memoir, Rebecca Quin, the woman behind The Man, has peeled back that facade. She allows her adoring fanbase to look inside the inner workings of her mind, one that — like mine on that April day in Big D — is consistently second guessing every decision and questioning the true meaning of her life’s interactions.

On several occasions throughout reading this book I would catch myself thinking,“Damn man… she’s no different than me.”

Becky Lynch is a larger than life persona who always delivers in the big moments. Rebecca Quin is an everywoman whose relatability and connection to her audience may be unmatched in the history of WWE.

This memoir comes at you in short episodic bursts that makes for an incredibly easy read. You will not be able to put it down as the 7-time Women’s Champion takes you for an emotional ride from her early days growing up in Dublin, Ireland to the main event of WrestleMania 35 and a little bit beyond.

By now you’ve surely read similar comments from way more famous and interesting people who had the opportunity to dive into this book before its release date (if not, check the “Raves and Reviews” section here), and you likely noticed that words like “raw”, “powerful”, “vulnerable”, “emotional”, and their synonyms were all common adjectives used throughout those reviews.

Somehow they all undersold it. Not Your Average Average Girl will make you feel all the feels, as many of my millennial friends would say.

There’s no hyperbole when I say that Lynch’s words would have me laughing out loud one moment, and then a few pages later, I’m not too ashamed to admit that some tears would begin to well up in my eyes.

In many ways it felt as though I was reading parts of my own life story. I remember being the chunky kid in school and hearing the whispers and laughs behind my back. To this very day I still struggle with a very unhealthy relationship with food and body image.

My own parents were not on board with the career choice I made at a young age. The shouting matches we had about my future have been seared into this brain of mine that can barely remember what I ate for breakfast on a given day. In hindsight, maybe my Dad was right. I probably should have gone to engineering school.

The recent loss of my father, who only ever met my son once due to restrictions in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, is a pain that still stings on a daily basis.

And then there was that day in Dallas, where I couldn’t get out of my own head to fully enjoy a moment that I didn’t ever expect to experience. By the time our conversation came to an end, Lynch thanked me and complimented my interview skills.

Did she really mean it, or was she just being nice?

I couldn’t help but think the latter as I watched the video and picked apart everything I did wrong. But it was a great learning experience and one I can now look back on fondly, when I used to look at failure (or at least my work not living up to my own lofty expectations) with regret and embarrassment.

I’ve definitely grown over the last two years. Maybe more so than the first 13 of my career.

My Dad may have been wrong after all. Perhaps I’m right where I need to be. I look forward to the day when I’m able to actually sit down with Becky one more time and have that nerve-free, fun conversation I first envisioned when I set out into this crazy landscape of pro wrestling media.

It’ll happen one day. I’m sure of it.

Her meeting with me is obviously not one of them, but as you’d expect, Lynch’s memoir is chock full of behind-the-scenes stories from her time in WWE and wrestling abroad.

While The Man was fighting to finish her dream of headlining the biggest wrestling show in world, Rebecca Quin was facing a number of battles in her personal life. Her chronicle of the events leading up to the night of WrestleMania 35 will give you a new found respect for both Quin as a person and what she was going through that year.

Expect to learn more about her tumultuous relationship with Charlotte Flair, intimate details behind the budding relationship with the Visionary who would become her husband and the father of her daughter, the fear of telling Vince McMahon about her pregnancy, and a promise made to Bianca Belair following their controversial match at SummerSlam 2022.

As I write this review, however, I keep getting drawn back to two things — relatability and connection.

Not Your Average Average Girl transcends pro wrestling. You don’t have to be a fan of the business to find inspiration in Lynch’s powerful story of battling through chronic self-doubt, an eating disorder and depression to become the woman very few believed she could be.

At our core we are all human beings. Whether you’re the biggest celebrity in the world or a waitress at Joe’s Crab Shack, we all fight through our own personal tragedies, problems and insecurities.

We are who we are. And who we are is good enough. Don’t let anyone, especially yourself, tell you otherwise.

The journey of little Rebecca Quin growing up to become Becky Lynch should teach us all to take those big risks. Failure is only part of the journey, so keep swinging for the fence. As cheesy as it sounds, you only get one life and you can transform it into whatever you so desire with hard work and unbridled (insert your expletive of choice) determination.

Make sure to go out and get your copy of Becky Lynch: The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl. You will not regret it.

You can follow Rick Ucchino on X/Twitter and stay tuned for more in depth interviews with WWE and AEW talent here on Cageside Seats.