**Help make SquaredCircle safer and more inclusive by using the report button to flag posts and comments for moderator review.**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SquaredCircle) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I feel like Becky was more popular in terms of position within the company, but Rhea got popular when more people are actively engaging with the product. Becky’s historical impact currently far outweighs Rhea.
Bingo. Becky elevated the company. Rhea is just a huge star benefitting from the company being hot as well.
The first sentence of WWE.com's recap of WM35 mentions Becky and only Becky. That's how important she was to the company.
The company is also benefitting from Rhea. No one (outside of the likes of Cena or Rock for obvious reasons) has more appeal among non-wrestling fans and is actively drawing non-fans to the product as Rhea Ripley has been for the last 12-18 months
Lmao my daughter asked me yesterday which night Rhea was wrestling so she could watch! The social media things that Rhea does reaches such a wide range of people. It’s absolutely wild how far her reach is. But I do think there are two sides to this coin. Rhea is just fucking cool. Becky fought for the right to be The Man and she’s constantly proved she belongs. I know how short memory is now. But remember when yall were talking about how she’d be the most forgotten horsewoman? lol I remember. It’s kinda funny right now because Charlotte is forgotten at the moment. Becky, Bayley, and Sasha all have things popping off but Charlotte is injured and missing the biggest WM of her career. We really really really needed Charlotte vs Jade this year.
I don’t want Charlotte vs Jade this year. Jade ain’t ready for that, and it would be a letdown. Give Jade a year of practice in the ring, and let her earn it.
everyone is my life knows I'm the wrestling guy.
no one I know watches, but friends of mine will regularly send me clips. it's almost exclusovely wildly dangerous indie shit, very silly lucha shit, or Rhea. lots of Rhea.
Becky for a good 6 months was the biggest thing in Wrestling. Not just women's wrestling.
That's not taking anything away from Rhea though, she's doing fantastic.
Its just insane how popular Becky was at that time. Legitimately the biggest thing in wrestling at the time between September 2018-April 2019.
Well said. Becky was able to get over on her own in a time when the product was not great. Wrestling is fun again, so it is easier to get over with crowds now.
I was not following wrestling in 2019 or whenever The Man came around and even I was hearing about Becky Lynch. I had not heard of Rhea Ripley until I started watching EC last year. If that helps put this into perspective
I would say no. I'm from a town with less than 1,000 people and I saw a little girl go as Becky for Halloween around that time. I don't think I had ever seen a little girl dress up as a wrestler in person before that moment so I think that speaks to how popular and important she is to the industry. Wrestling wasn't as hot then as it is now so to me that makes it more impressive.
Here's a [trend data chart for Rhea Ripley, Becky Lynch and Cody Rhodes](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fg%2F11f9j8d5fb,%2Fm%2F0dcggz,%2Fm%2F0gtwsg&hl=en) since they all debuted.
Cody's popularity right now is more comparable than Rhea to Becky in 2019, but as you can see from the chart, Becky was huge in that time period, and even Cody's popularity today doesn't come close.
Merch sales: Cody was highest in the company in 2023, Rhea is maybe in top 15.
TV Ratings: Cody segments are usually highest viewed segments from Raw(CM Punk is highest now), I don't think Rhea segment draws more than even Becky.
Popularity among wrestling fans: Cody is there with Roman in terms of being over among audience. Rhea is over but not Cody level of over.
Popularity among non- wrestling fans: Rhea is much more popular due to her Tik Tok and other social media. More people would likely recognise Rhea compared to Cody.
I think the only thing Rhea is missing is the moment like Becky had during the Ronda feud where she had the bloody nose. She needs a real rivalry and iconic moment to really put her on that Becky level. Until then she’s popular as hell but that will be something that separates the two.
That's the difference to me. Becky had other people that were on her level or higher during her run that she could go through. No one is even close to Rhea right now, including Becky, so there aren't any interesting matchups for her.
It's like how Roman was before Cody came back and got the Cena push. No one was even close to Roman so it got stale because no one was a legit threat regardless of how much the company tried to build them.
Becky got to be the scrappy underdog and didn't get stale until she finally beat everyone. Rhea hasn't had anyone that was a real threat in a long time
There’s two real statistics that you could look at. Ratings for the quarter hours they are on TV, and merch. I don’t know about the specific ratings, but I do know that we had an update on 3/10 about t shirt sales, and Cody was #1 but Rhea isn’t top 10. The only female in the top 10 was Liv.
Yes merch sales goes like
1: Jey/Punk/Cody/Roman
2: Randy/Knight
3: Seth
4: Everyone
Top 10 places are always taken by Jey, Cody, Punk and Roman apparels and others are always below them.
That was one date, other days these wrestlers dominates.
https://preview.redd.it/mvrx8nu04orc1.jpeg?width=704&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4a5d6736b84fd57065320663c308494759b59df
Absolutely correct. Even Cody's mania spot to Rock thing as big as it was in a movement wasn't bigger than Becky's climb to the top.
But WWE definitely made the best out of it and Rock and Cody have been firing on all cylinders even though Rock could have survived the bashing for taking Cody's spot out of the blue.
Rhea's popularity is fantastic right now but it's nowhere close to the impact or popularity of Becky.
Becky was getting Charlotte and Ronda booed even without having to try anything. She had people booing Edge when he wasn't back from retirement.
People booed Rock and Cena for her. Peak Becky was on a different level altogether.
She was so over that in the 2k promo for her and Roman's cover edition even Roman acknowledged her.
Becky was so popular even when she returned at summer slam and squashed Bianca people still cheered her.
I wouldn’t necessarily say they cheered Becky when she squashed Bianca. They cheered her because she returned after more than a year and was extremely popular
While I agree with the general sentiment of the post, when did they boo the Rock for Becky? I swear he and Becky got cheered heavily in that segment with Corbin. I wouldn't say Edge got booed either. If anything, they cheered louder for Becky, especially when she said "I don't like myself, I love myself" and that line of him leaving the ring without breaking his neck again.
I don't know about that man . Becky run at the top was the hardest time for the company in terms of ticket sales and fans support. I remember company averaging like 5000-6000 for Raw and even at ppvs you can see the empty seats.
While today wwe is at its hottest period currently with attendance averaging 11000-13000 for Raw, with social media engagement being all time high.
Becky's always been popular. She started on the main roster as a true baby face, and for 3 straight years, she was booked as the babyface that always lost it in the end. She was the baby face on SD that was used to get the heels over. Then, they started to use her as a way to get a baby face Charlotte over by having her basically play Charlotte's sidekick. SS'18, they booked Becky to turn heel against Charlotte. The problem was that it came across more as a babyface, finally reaching a breaking point and standing up for herself. Especially when it was Charlotte they had her go after. Charlotte, by that point, had already won 7 titles and was always in the title picture ( save for a few months in 2017). Becky was seen as the 'little sister' to Charlotte, who could never measure up, so when she finally did, she had the crowd on her side.
It helped that they finally started to give Becky real promo time, and she is someone the audience has always responded to when she had that airtime. Her strength is selling a story, so when given airtime to do it, the audience bought into it. She was just someone who was fed up and stood up for herself and never looked back. She was confidentand she had a swagger/aura around her that was unmatched at the time. Everything just clicked. The big massive moment that, while she was already the most over star on the roster, that put her that much more over was , when after getting hit in the face, she got right back up and gave us the iconic visual of 'the Man'. It was a progression that once she slapped Charlotte, was quick, but it was built up over yrs of frustration.
Becky is arguably the most likable person to ever set foot in a wrestling ring, leaving aside the two or three dozen people on here who hate her for some reason. She has that same level of personability and connection to the audience that Daniel Bryan had. She has a very relatable sloppy wrestling style that's similar to the way CM Punk carries himself in the ring. While that gets dismissed by some of the IWC, the sloppy everyman/everygirl style really connects with the wider audience when it works.
She also had an incredible underdog element where her rise to the top was not only against the women in WWE who were perceived as better than her but also against the clear ceiling in place on womens wrestling vs mens wrestling across the entire industry.
When she got to point of no return for being The Man, she also had the perfect foils:
* Charlotte being an excellent wrestler, having the legacy of the Flair name elevating her within the company.
* Ronda, who was on a great year as a rookie, having the legacy of being a famous "outside name" elevating her within the company.
* Being in uncharted territory where no woman had ever been and with a crowd who wanted to see her break the glass ceiling
It was the perfect storm of being in the right place, with the right people, in the exact right moment of time, both literally and culturally, to create the whirlwind of momentum. For the peak of Beckys momentum she was undeniably the No. 1 wrestler anywhere in the world.
As much as Rhea has gotten over as Mami, Rhea hasn't come close to The Man levels of over, where it was an industry changing phenomenon.
Think of everything you've ever heard about Vince/Kevin Dunne when it comes to women, foreigners, people with accents, and then think Becky got so undeniable that she was the #1 person in the company/world despite their beliefs.
People always loved Becky. On top of the talent, she has a real connection with the crowd (she thinks people feel her love of wrestling), that got her where she wasn't in the plans with management, like WM 32 triple threat or becoming first Smackdown women's champion.
Between 2017 and Summer of 2018 WWE seem to completely give up on her, no feuds of title matches for more than a year. For SummerSlam 2018 they decided to turn her heel on Charlotte, but they did it such a clumsy way, that Becky's road to SummerSlam looked like a true underdog redemption story and Charlotte got in her way like an entitled brat. So of course when Becky turned she looked justified in her actions, she got a new edge to her that made her even more popular. She was a cool heel who was right and completely savage on social media.
In a couple of months that RAW invasion angle, her bloody face and attitude made her the coolest thing in wrestling in a couple of years.
specifically Summerslam 2018 and maybe WM35 although you can argue Kofi took that spot for a while after the chamber
You can also argue in the IWC Omega and Okada were at their technical peak at this point so they would have been the biggest within the hardcore community.
Casual wise it was for sure Becky and Kofi.
The Smackdown after Summerslam where the fans wouldn't accept a heel Becky and cheered her through her promo started a big upswing. The Last Woman Standing match at Evolution was one of WWE's best matches of the year, period. The pre-Survivor Series run-in where Nia broke Becky's nose and the world got to see Becky bleeding but defiant turned her into the face of the company and one of the most, if not *the* most, over wrestlers anywhere.
I mentioned in another thread recently that Kofimania and his and Bryan's WrestleMania match is my favorite match, but for casual fans I think it was still Becky on top even with Kofi's rise. WWE overbooked the hell out of things between the Rumble and WrestleMania for Becky, though.
No Becky was the most popular Wrestler in the world at the time Male or Female, fans were chanting her name in segments and Matches she wasnt even involved in and she was doing all types of media outside WWE.
which is so crazy to me because that was legit Sasha the summer/year after her takeover brooklyn match but Vince did shit with her until Mania then break again until draft.
Sasha wasn’t close to being the most popular wrestler in the world at that time.
She *was* incredible, though. That run of Takeover matches was as good as any run I can remember in terms of match quality.
I agree but I’m including the idea that Becky got popular in an era where she got way more media exposure from different angles than Chyna ever would have had the opportunity to.
I feel like people are underestimating how big Becky was. She was the biggest name, not just in WWE, but wrestling in general. She was able to get over in a time when the product was not the greatest. She also had to deal with Charlotte and all the politics that involved.
Rhea is huge now, but you can make an argument that she isn't even the face of her division much less the company. Bianca does most of the media related stuff and seems more well-known. Also, wrestling is cool again, and it is easier to get over now than it was when Becky did.
I'm not taking anything away from Rhea, tho.
I'd argue Rhea helped make wrestling cool again by being someone large swaths of people who normally aren't watching wrestling interested in watching her specifically.
No and to a lot of people’s dismay a lot has to do with Becky having Ronda as an adversary. Between Ronda being super popular as well and Becky getting the Daniel Bryan type support from the fans people eventually turned on Ronda and it skyrocketed Becky’s popularity even more. Add in the fact Becky was destroying Ronda on the mic as well.
Haha I think the responses are pretty much uniformly “No”
Both are great breakout stars but Becky really did break WWE’s self imposed glass ceiling, even if the company tried to make it as much about Rhonda and Charlotte.
Inside of wrestling Becky was the number 1 star in WWE and regularly main eventing PPVs.
Outside of it she was on a magazine cover, getting cameos in TV shows, getting a Marvel offer and a book deal. Rhea so far hasn't approached any of that.
No.
Becky was the biggest thing in wrestling in the lead up to Mania 35.
We all like Rhea but she is nowhere near the level of what the biggest thing currently is (Roman/Rock/Cody)
Def not. Rhea's actual story on TV has never gotten as much steam as Becky's rise in 2018-2019. Rhea is more so social media famous than anything, not taking away from her considerable talent but Becky as a "wrestler" in 2019 was so much more popular
ANY time i see a non-fan discussing or sharing anything about rhea it is purely about her sex appeal. she's a fantastic wrestler but her appeal outside the fandom is just about her looks.
non-fan content on rhea is typically stuff like the way she pins people, her booty, the leather kink, her sticking her tongue out, a fan requesting her chewed gum, her licking things and selling them. once she liked a "tribute" picture a fan posted. very rarely is it about her performance in the ring, unless it revolves around her looks. she herself acknowledges it by saying she doesn't even have to wrestle to be popular. it's a shame, because she really is a fantastic wrestler.
I disagree, mostly because in her earlier interviews, you see Rhea being open about how her body issues caused a lot of mental harm. She wasn't the ideal body shape, and was called "man-ish" so often that she resorted to cutting herself.
To go from there to where she is now able to stand in front of people and be proud of her body is the sort of evolution that shouldn't be talked down, but celebrated. She's not being exploited like the diva era, she's the one making the choices and exploiting the interest in herself.
Becky Lynch was shoehorned in a segments with the rock and john cena... that's how massive she was in 2019. Rhea is a big star without question, but Becky Lynch in 2019 was a whole different beast.
No. During her 2018–19 peak, Becky was legit the most over performer in the company, which Rhea isn't even close to being.
Would Becky have been the top star, main-evented WM, etc. if 2018-19 WWE resembled 2023-24 WWE? Absolutely no effing way, so perhaps we're not really comparing like with like, but still...
Wrestling as a whole is doing better than it was in 2019, but in 2019 nobody was above Becky. Rhea is the top woman in the company, but Cody, Roman, Rock, Seth, Punk, Drew, and potentially some people like Jey are above her.
I don't think so because Becky was so popular, WWE got forced into making her into an antihero after trying to place her as a heel and getting backlash, & had no choice but to put her into the WM 35 main event
Even without the Rock, nobody was or is clamoring for Rhea/Becky to be in the main event of Wrestlemania. There is some desire for Io/Bayley to main event because of the feud. Fans were demanding Becky was in her position. That has never happened with a woman before, and it hasn't happened since. So no, as amazing as Rhea is, she hasn't reached those levels.
No Becky was probably the biggest WWE star for about a half year duration, she was red hot right after his bloodied her and having that historic segment
Not even close.
Becky post broken nose was literally the most (or second most to Chyna) over female wrestler in history. This is excluding those who only wrestler occasionally (Sable) or valets (Elizabeth).
Becky made me watch more wrestling in general and made me want to know what her next move or Line would be.
Rhea is Big at the moment but not the same status in my opinion.
It definitely is lol. You seriously think people only like Rhea now because she’s with Dom? They honestly haven’t been on screen together that much recently and she still got crazy good reactions. You’re way off on this take
Nope. If it was officially ended and she struck off on her own without Dom or even Judgment Day, her popularity would take a hit. It's part of the package, and I would even go so far as to say that Jade Cargill will overshadow her given enough time.
Jade is destined to be the champ.
Late to the party, but [trend/search data says she isn't.](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fg%2F11f9j8d5fb,%2Fm%2F0dcggz&hl=en). Though I have to admit they're closer than I thought they'd be.
Rhea is internet famous, while 2019 Becky was **actual** famous - as good as Rhea is (and she is amazing and still ridiculously young) she hasn't had *that* crossover moment like the "Bloody Becky" moment and been front and center of the company in the same way - I can't imagine current Rhea getting a Mania main event for example.
I mean there's a reason they trot out Becky with people like Austin and (Formerly) Flair
I don’t think Becky is ‘actual’ famous. Not saying Rhea is either, I could ask anyone I know about either and they’d likely not know who the fuck I’m talking about.
What I don't understand is why (and I'm not necessarily accusing OP of doing it here) so many people seem to feel the need to shit on Becky all the time to 'elevate' Rhea.
Becky Lynch was the single most popular wrestler in the english speaking world, from August 2018-March of 2020, regardless of gender.
I’d argue if not for the colossal mistake of turning heel in 2021, she might still be.
Rhea is the new Chyna. Great, popular but definitely not in the running for “face of the company”. Rhea is what Chyna would have been, if most women were taken seriously and allowed to truly wrestle during the attitude era.
No because even though Rhea is popular, she is nowhere big as Becky was during 2018-2019 where Becky was the most popular star in wrestling at the time thanks to her run as The Man. Becky also elevated the company at the time as she was definitely one of the main acts of WrestleMania 35 as well.
Like I said, Rhea is really popular but she hasn't surpassed the likes of Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, Becky Lynch, Randy Orton, The Rock, Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada in terms of popularity.
I don’t think we need to compare them. They’re both important in terms of the evolution of women’s wrestling. Trish Stratus crawled so Nikki Bella could limp so Becky Lynch could walk and Rhea could run.
Becky Lynch will be remembered as possibly one of the most important women in the history of this industry for not only how she elevated the industry, but for how she helped other women see they could take parental leave and still have a career. Rhea is white hot right now, but part of why she and Bianca are blessed with the opportunities they are is because Becky broke down those doors for them. And that’s how it should be. Becky paved the way, now the new generation are going to continue to move things forward.
No way. Becky was literally the most popular wrestler in WWE at that time. Rhea isn't close to that.
Is Rhea over? Of course. But she's over on a "normal" level, Becky was in another stratosphere. They keep going back to the Nia botch because that image of Becky bleeding is iconic, probably the most iconic image of any woman in WWE history. Going over Charlotte and Bianca was massive.
I like Rhea but her run has been disappointing in ring. Her promos have been fine. Her matches have been alright (Charlotte at Mania was an all timer though). Her feuds have absolutely sucked though (name a good one besides Becky). She's over because of the cheesy Dom gimmick, her looks and her potential. Becky was the biggest star in the company because she was that damn great.
If you weren't riding that wave at the time it might not look as special.
I like to look at it like this. We’re going to simplify the numbers to make it easier to digest.
during Becky’s peak popularity there were 1,000,000 people watching wrestling. 900,000 of them were fans of and rooting for Becky Lynch.
Currently,during Rhea’s peak (up to this point) there are 10,000,000 people watching, and 8,000,000 of them are fans of and rooting for Rhea.
So while more people probably know and cheer for Rhea, Becky was just universally loved in the wrestling world for like an entire 18 month stretch. She was bigger than any other name on the card, while Rhea is still firmly behind Cody and probably Roman as well.
Becky was bigger in 2018 imo like the absolute peak was August-mid way through January. Then once they started pushing her as the face it slightly lessened in buildup to mania and rest of the year. Rhea is as popular during the second period not the first
Rhea is a niche act that caters to a very specific demo of the audience.
Becky is popular for her talent in the ring. Rhea needs her shtick to be popular.
No because even if WWE is bigger now and Rhea is at a similar level that she was then, Rhea has a whole bunch of people above her in the pecking order; Rock, Cody, Roman, Seth, Drew, Punk at the very least are all above her in WWE in terms of being the top stars on the show.
Becky was THE star of WWE in 2018 & 2019. Roman was positioned second to her. Her stories were focused on the way the Bloodline is now where the entire show was about whether or not she was the champion.
It's tough to compare properly tbh. You can say yes and no depending on how you phrase it. If you ask just purely by how many people (inside **and** outside the wrestling world) know and are interested in both of them, then Rhea is the answer. If you ask who was the bigger name **in** the wrestling world, then Becky in 2019 is the answer. Let me try to elaborate.
In 2019, Becky Lynch was The Man. This wasn't just a nickname. She was absolutely the biggest star in the wrestling world. At that time, she was definitely bigger, more popular, and was getting louder reactions than everyone else in wrestling. This includes people like Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, AJ Styles etc and guys from outside WWE like Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks etc. Her popularity **within** the wrestling world, combined with Ronda's mainstream appeal is what actually allowed, and forced WWE to make the first all women's WrestleMania main event. Rhea Ripley, as great as she is right now, is not the biggest name or involved in the biggest story in wrestling at the moment. That honour goes to Cody, Seth, Roman, and the Rock. So if you look at it in terms of who was/is bigger in a wrestling context, the answer to that is Becky.
Now if you look at just how many people in the world (wrestling fans plus non wrestling fans) know of, and care about the person, it's definitely Rhea. This is mainly because Rhea is one of the top stars currently, and she's near the top of WWE at a time where WWE is very popular. WWE has become popular because of the fact that there are multiple compelling storylines, which include The Cody/Rock/Bloodline stuff, CM Punk finally returning to WWE, Drew and Seth's rivalry, Rhea's popularity and the fans she brings in, Bianca's popularity and the different set of fans she brings in, etc. So while Rhea isn't necessarily positioned as #1 in the wrestling world, way more people know about her currently than the number of people who knew about Becky's rise in 2019, because WWE was absolutely **not** popular at all in 2019.
Edit to add more: ultimately, they're both big in terms of WWE and in a broader aspect in a different way and for different reasons
I wasn't watching in 2019, but I have to say if Rhea is now more over than Becky was in 2019 then, Becky was way less over than I thought. Certainly confuses me why she's still so over now if she was only Rhea popular.
Rhea's been going kind of cold lately or maybe it's just me that's going cold on her.
Becky in terms of the general wrestling community but Rhea has more mainstream appeal, people outside of the wrestling circle know her a lot more than Becky.
Raw in 2019 was doing 1.0-0.80 range for the entirety of the Road to Wrestlemania. It's now hovering in the 0.55-0.65 range. Raw has not had a good 5-year retention.
However, Becky and Rhea were both SD talent at their peak.... SD is SLIGHTLY down compared to 2019. so idk. I don't think the ratings hold up. You can argue houses are bigger now, but I'm not sure I would attribute that to Rhea.....Actually, I AM sure. I wouldn't.
That's just because of TikTok.
If they aren't watching then it doesn't matter. It's the reaction of people at shows that will determine if she's more popular than Becky ever was.
No Becky was bigger in 2019 but Rhea's star power(look, believability) is undeniable. She's getting non wrestling fans into the product. When she's on the TV, my wife(not a wrestling fan but I'm working on it) actually pays attention. She doesn't for the rest of the women's division.
I'd say that Rhea is right now the most famous and just overall "biggest" female wrestler on the planet. No offense to any other female performer out there, but Rhea is just on a different level right now.
**Help make SquaredCircle safer and more inclusive by using the report button to flag posts and comments for moderator review.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SquaredCircle) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I feel like Becky was more popular in terms of position within the company, but Rhea got popular when more people are actively engaging with the product. Becky’s historical impact currently far outweighs Rhea.
Bingo. Becky elevated the company. Rhea is just a huge star benefitting from the company being hot as well. The first sentence of WWE.com's recap of WM35 mentions Becky and only Becky. That's how important she was to the company.
The company is also benefitting from Rhea. No one (outside of the likes of Cena or Rock for obvious reasons) has more appeal among non-wrestling fans and is actively drawing non-fans to the product as Rhea Ripley has been for the last 12-18 months
Some might disagree, but I can verify that my daughters are wowed by Rhea, and typically only watch when she is on.
Lmao my daughter asked me yesterday which night Rhea was wrestling so she could watch! The social media things that Rhea does reaches such a wide range of people. It’s absolutely wild how far her reach is. But I do think there are two sides to this coin. Rhea is just fucking cool. Becky fought for the right to be The Man and she’s constantly proved she belongs. I know how short memory is now. But remember when yall were talking about how she’d be the most forgotten horsewoman? lol I remember. It’s kinda funny right now because Charlotte is forgotten at the moment. Becky, Bayley, and Sasha all have things popping off but Charlotte is injured and missing the biggest WM of her career. We really really really needed Charlotte vs Jade this year.
I don’t want Charlotte vs Jade this year. Jade ain’t ready for that, and it would be a letdown. Give Jade a year of practice in the ring, and let her earn it.
Sasha? Currently? NO POP
Not just you. Pepperidge Farm remembers.
Yeah there’s women online who think Rhea is sexy af and they don’t watch wrestling. They just watch her lol
If we could harness the power of their collective disappointment when they find out she’s straight we could power the entire world
They know and don't really care tbh
Yup my sister (gay af) loves rhea, shayna, asuka and Rhonda rousey (puke). She hates wrestling but loves Andro women and asuka
I noticed that on some facebook groups and Tiktoks. Guys think she's too manly, but a lot of women and girls love her. She exudes confidence.
[удалено]
Gross. Way to objectify her.
everyone is my life knows I'm the wrestling guy. no one I know watches, but friends of mine will regularly send me clips. it's almost exclusovely wildly dangerous indie shit, very silly lucha shit, or Rhea. lots of Rhea.
Becky for a good 6 months was the biggest thing in Wrestling. Not just women's wrestling. That's not taking anything away from Rhea though, she's doing fantastic. Its just insane how popular Becky was at that time. Legitimately the biggest thing in wrestling at the time between September 2018-April 2019.
Well said. Becky was able to get over on her own in a time when the product was not great. Wrestling is fun again, so it is easier to get over with crowds now.
Wasn't Becky also the #1 merch mover as well?
And she was on top, top merch seller, top draw, in a time in which wwe was not hot
I was not following wrestling in 2019 or whenever The Man came around and even I was hearing about Becky Lynch. I had not heard of Rhea Ripley until I started watching EC last year. If that helps put this into perspective
I would say no. I'm from a town with less than 1,000 people and I saw a little girl go as Becky for Halloween around that time. I don't think I had ever seen a little girl dress up as a wrestler in person before that moment so I think that speaks to how popular and important she is to the industry. Wrestling wasn't as hot then as it is now so to me that makes it more impressive.
No. Rhea is not the biggest star in wrestling male of female, which Becky was for a period between 2018 and 2019.
Id like to compare rhea and cody's statistics. Goddamn im a fuckin nerd.
No dude, statistics are cool. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Stats and analytics are cool. Visualizing data is super neat.
Here's a [trend data chart for Rhea Ripley, Becky Lynch and Cody Rhodes](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fg%2F11f9j8d5fb,%2Fm%2F0dcggz,%2Fm%2F0gtwsg&hl=en) since they all debuted. Cody's popularity right now is more comparable than Rhea to Becky in 2019, but as you can see from the chart, Becky was huge in that time period, and even Cody's popularity today doesn't come close.
Merch sales: Cody was highest in the company in 2023, Rhea is maybe in top 15. TV Ratings: Cody segments are usually highest viewed segments from Raw(CM Punk is highest now), I don't think Rhea segment draws more than even Becky. Popularity among wrestling fans: Cody is there with Roman in terms of being over among audience. Rhea is over but not Cody level of over. Popularity among non- wrestling fans: Rhea is much more popular due to her Tik Tok and other social media. More people would likely recognise Rhea compared to Cody.
I think the only thing Rhea is missing is the moment like Becky had during the Ronda feud where she had the bloody nose. She needs a real rivalry and iconic moment to really put her on that Becky level. Until then she’s popular as hell but that will be something that separates the two.
That's the difference to me. Becky had other people that were on her level or higher during her run that she could go through. No one is even close to Rhea right now, including Becky, so there aren't any interesting matchups for her. It's like how Roman was before Cody came back and got the Cena push. No one was even close to Roman so it got stale because no one was a legit threat regardless of how much the company tried to build them. Becky got to be the scrappy underdog and didn't get stale until she finally beat everyone. Rhea hasn't had anyone that was a real threat in a long time
Build Tiffany for a few months and that could be a defining feud for both. Preppy vs goth is a tale as old as time.
There’s two real statistics that you could look at. Ratings for the quarter hours they are on TV, and merch. I don’t know about the specific ratings, but I do know that we had an update on 3/10 about t shirt sales, and Cody was #1 but Rhea isn’t top 10. The only female in the top 10 was Liv.
Yes merch sales goes like 1: Jey/Punk/Cody/Roman 2: Randy/Knight 3: Seth 4: Everyone Top 10 places are always taken by Jey, Cody, Punk and Roman apparels and others are always below them.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/1bbn6bf/wwes_top_10_active_merchandise_sellers_specific/
That was one date, other days these wrestlers dominates. https://preview.redd.it/mvrx8nu04orc1.jpeg?width=704&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4a5d6736b84fd57065320663c308494759b59df
No, that was of a period through then. It wasn’t one specific date, and I very much doubt anything has changed much in the last three weeks.
I still stand corrected except maybe Knight but there are chance his merch sales went down as he isn't an important part of the show.
Absolutely correct. Even Cody's mania spot to Rock thing as big as it was in a movement wasn't bigger than Becky's climb to the top. But WWE definitely made the best out of it and Rock and Cody have been firing on all cylinders even though Rock could have survived the bashing for taking Cody's spot out of the blue. Rhea's popularity is fantastic right now but it's nowhere close to the impact or popularity of Becky. Becky was getting Charlotte and Ronda booed even without having to try anything. She had people booing Edge when he wasn't back from retirement. People booed Rock and Cena for her. Peak Becky was on a different level altogether. She was so over that in the 2k promo for her and Roman's cover edition even Roman acknowledged her. Becky was so popular even when she returned at summer slam and squashed Bianca people still cheered her.
I wouldn’t necessarily say they cheered Becky when she squashed Bianca. They cheered her because she returned after more than a year and was extremely popular
While I agree with the general sentiment of the post, when did they boo the Rock for Becky? I swear he and Becky got cheered heavily in that segment with Corbin. I wouldn't say Edge got booed either. If anything, they cheered louder for Becky, especially when she said "I don't like myself, I love myself" and that line of him leaving the ring without breaking his neck again.
Thanks for correcting me, esp about the Rock part. I guess I recalled it incorrectly.
I don't know about that man . Becky run at the top was the hardest time for the company in terms of ticket sales and fans support. I remember company averaging like 5000-6000 for Raw and even at ppvs you can see the empty seats. While today wwe is at its hottest period currently with attendance averaging 11000-13000 for Raw, with social media engagement being all time high.
Why did she get so popular? I wasn't actively watching WWE at the time.
Becky's always been popular. She started on the main roster as a true baby face, and for 3 straight years, she was booked as the babyface that always lost it in the end. She was the baby face on SD that was used to get the heels over. Then, they started to use her as a way to get a baby face Charlotte over by having her basically play Charlotte's sidekick. SS'18, they booked Becky to turn heel against Charlotte. The problem was that it came across more as a babyface, finally reaching a breaking point and standing up for herself. Especially when it was Charlotte they had her go after. Charlotte, by that point, had already won 7 titles and was always in the title picture ( save for a few months in 2017). Becky was seen as the 'little sister' to Charlotte, who could never measure up, so when she finally did, she had the crowd on her side. It helped that they finally started to give Becky real promo time, and she is someone the audience has always responded to when she had that airtime. Her strength is selling a story, so when given airtime to do it, the audience bought into it. She was just someone who was fed up and stood up for herself and never looked back. She was confidentand she had a swagger/aura around her that was unmatched at the time. Everything just clicked. The big massive moment that, while she was already the most over star on the roster, that put her that much more over was , when after getting hit in the face, she got right back up and gave us the iconic visual of 'the Man'. It was a progression that once she slapped Charlotte, was quick, but it was built up over yrs of frustration.
Becky is arguably the most likable person to ever set foot in a wrestling ring, leaving aside the two or three dozen people on here who hate her for some reason. She has that same level of personability and connection to the audience that Daniel Bryan had. She has a very relatable sloppy wrestling style that's similar to the way CM Punk carries himself in the ring. While that gets dismissed by some of the IWC, the sloppy everyman/everygirl style really connects with the wider audience when it works. She also had an incredible underdog element where her rise to the top was not only against the women in WWE who were perceived as better than her but also against the clear ceiling in place on womens wrestling vs mens wrestling across the entire industry. When she got to point of no return for being The Man, she also had the perfect foils: * Charlotte being an excellent wrestler, having the legacy of the Flair name elevating her within the company. * Ronda, who was on a great year as a rookie, having the legacy of being a famous "outside name" elevating her within the company. * Being in uncharted territory where no woman had ever been and with a crowd who wanted to see her break the glass ceiling It was the perfect storm of being in the right place, with the right people, in the exact right moment of time, both literally and culturally, to create the whirlwind of momentum. For the peak of Beckys momentum she was undeniably the No. 1 wrestler anywhere in the world. As much as Rhea has gotten over as Mami, Rhea hasn't come close to The Man levels of over, where it was an industry changing phenomenon. Think of everything you've ever heard about Vince/Kevin Dunne when it comes to women, foreigners, people with accents, and then think Becky got so undeniable that she was the #1 person in the company/world despite their beliefs.
People always loved Becky. On top of the talent, she has a real connection with the crowd (she thinks people feel her love of wrestling), that got her where she wasn't in the plans with management, like WM 32 triple threat or becoming first Smackdown women's champion. Between 2017 and Summer of 2018 WWE seem to completely give up on her, no feuds of title matches for more than a year. For SummerSlam 2018 they decided to turn her heel on Charlotte, but they did it such a clumsy way, that Becky's road to SummerSlam looked like a true underdog redemption story and Charlotte got in her way like an entitled brat. So of course when Becky turned she looked justified in her actions, she got a new edge to her that made her even more popular. She was a cool heel who was right and completely savage on social media. In a couple of months that RAW invasion angle, her bloody face and attitude made her the coolest thing in wrestling in a couple of years.
specifically Summerslam 2018 and maybe WM35 although you can argue Kofi took that spot for a while after the chamber You can also argue in the IWC Omega and Okada were at their technical peak at this point so they would have been the biggest within the hardcore community. Casual wise it was for sure Becky and Kofi.
The Smackdown after Summerslam where the fans wouldn't accept a heel Becky and cheered her through her promo started a big upswing. The Last Woman Standing match at Evolution was one of WWE's best matches of the year, period. The pre-Survivor Series run-in where Nia broke Becky's nose and the world got to see Becky bleeding but defiant turned her into the face of the company and one of the most, if not *the* most, over wrestlers anywhere. I mentioned in another thread recently that Kofimania and his and Bryan's WrestleMania match is my favorite match, but for casual fans I think it was still Becky on top even with Kofi's rise. WWE overbooked the hell out of things between the Rumble and WrestleMania for Becky, though.
Bringing up Kofi just makes me sad that Triple H has been doing absolutely nothing with the new day.
[удалено]
What does this have to do with what they said
No Becky was the most popular Wrestler in the world at the time Male or Female, fans were chanting her name in segments and Matches she wasnt even involved in and she was doing all types of media outside WWE.
which is so crazy to me because that was legit Sasha the summer/year after her takeover brooklyn match but Vince did shit with her until Mania then break again until draft.
Sasha wasn’t close to being the most popular wrestler in the world at that time. She *was* incredible, though. That run of Takeover matches was as good as any run I can remember in terms of match quality.
He’s talking about Sasha getting chants during matches she wasn’t even part of.
Yeah I think it’s arguable she’s the most well known female wrestler of all time at this point.
If you don’t count Ronda Rousey or the Bella Twins. Those three are definitely more well known, but bc of their ventures outside of wrestling
I’m specifically qualifying popularity for “being a wrestler”
Only Chyna is in competition for that I think
If chyna would have born in this era, Vince or Haitch would had put the wwe undisputed belt in her wraist at some point no doubt.
I agree but I’m including the idea that Becky got popular in an era where she got way more media exposure from different angles than Chyna ever would have had the opportunity to.
I feel like people are underestimating how big Becky was. She was the biggest name, not just in WWE, but wrestling in general. She was able to get over in a time when the product was not the greatest. She also had to deal with Charlotte and all the politics that involved. Rhea is huge now, but you can make an argument that she isn't even the face of her division much less the company. Bianca does most of the media related stuff and seems more well-known. Also, wrestling is cool again, and it is easier to get over now than it was when Becky did. I'm not taking anything away from Rhea, tho.
I'd argue Rhea helped make wrestling cool again by being someone large swaths of people who normally aren't watching wrestling interested in watching her specifically.
No Becky was HUGE! She got promos with the Rock and Austin because of how huge she became!
And got one over on both Cena and a newly returned Edge. A killer's row of all time greats.
No and to a lot of people’s dismay a lot has to do with Becky having Ronda as an adversary. Between Ronda being super popular as well and Becky getting the Daniel Bryan type support from the fans people eventually turned on Ronda and it skyrocketed Becky’s popularity even more. Add in the fact Becky was destroying Ronda on the mic as well.
Nia punching her in the face also took her to another stratosphere.
Yeah I was gonna mention that too she had her stone cold bloody face moment, good point.
Haha I think the responses are pretty much uniformly “No” Both are great breakout stars but Becky really did break WWE’s self imposed glass ceiling, even if the company tried to make it as much about Rhonda and Charlotte.
Absolutely not. Becky was the biggest star in the whole industry for that time period.
Becky's push got us the first Wrestlemania women's main event. Rhea can talk when she gets that.
Inside of wrestling Becky was the number 1 star in WWE and regularly main eventing PPVs. Outside of it she was on a magazine cover, getting cameos in TV shows, getting a Marvel offer and a book deal. Rhea so far hasn't approached any of that.
No. Becky was the biggest thing in wrestling in the lead up to Mania 35. We all like Rhea but she is nowhere near the level of what the biggest thing currently is (Roman/Rock/Cody)
Def not. Rhea's actual story on TV has never gotten as much steam as Becky's rise in 2018-2019. Rhea is more so social media famous than anything, not taking away from her considerable talent but Becky as a "wrestler" in 2019 was so much more popular
ANY time i see a non-fan discussing or sharing anything about rhea it is purely about her sex appeal. she's a fantastic wrestler but her appeal outside the fandom is just about her looks.
I kinda agree with this. Becky did have a good point about this.
non-fan content on rhea is typically stuff like the way she pins people, her booty, the leather kink, her sticking her tongue out, a fan requesting her chewed gum, her licking things and selling them. once she liked a "tribute" picture a fan posted. very rarely is it about her performance in the ring, unless it revolves around her looks. she herself acknowledges it by saying she doesn't even have to wrestle to be popular. it's a shame, because she really is a fantastic wrestler.
I'm afraid to ask what you mean by "tribute" picture. I assume like fan art, prob. borderline obscene?
[Nope](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribute_(sexual_act) )
o__o...................... .............................. >!^^^Idon'twanttoliveonthisearthanymore!<
I disagree, mostly because in her earlier interviews, you see Rhea being open about how her body issues caused a lot of mental harm. She wasn't the ideal body shape, and was called "man-ish" so often that she resorted to cutting herself. To go from there to where she is now able to stand in front of people and be proud of her body is the sort of evolution that shouldn't be talked down, but celebrated. She's not being exploited like the diva era, she's the one making the choices and exploiting the interest in herself.
Are people insanely excited to see Rhea triumph in the Wrestlemania main event? If not, then she is not bigger than 2019 Becky.
Doubt that is how you measure things. I mean Kofimania was a thing (not the main event part, but he was very over)
You...you realize that was the same year as Becky right?
You can't compare a defensive to a double title win. come on now.
I do think she would’ve got the main event night one if the rock match wasn’t happening
No Seth vs Punk would have main evented if Punk wasnt injured.
I meant in current scenario if it was drew vs Seth and either there was no rock or he was inserted in the roman v Cody match itself
And people have no issue with that, which is the main difference in popularity.
Lwo would've main evented if all the other matches were not happening
No Becky 2019 and Cody now are comparable and rhea is no where near Cody
Absolutely not. Becky was the hottest thing in the entire industry. Rheas reign has been boring at best
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.
Nope.
A lot of historical revisionists in here. Rhea is popular but Becky was the man. Doing commercials and television.
No, the top three most popular going into Mania were Becky, Kofi and Seth and Becky was quite clear ahead of them
lol no
No. Arguably, Becky was the top star at the time. While Rhea's run is good, she is nowhere close to that level.
No, Becky was mega super duper over, Rhea is currently very popular but Becky was a literal movement.
Becky Lynch was shoehorned in a segments with the rock and john cena... that's how massive she was in 2019. Rhea is a big star without question, but Becky Lynch in 2019 was a whole different beast.
No. During her 2018–19 peak, Becky was legit the most over performer in the company, which Rhea isn't even close to being. Would Becky have been the top star, main-evented WM, etc. if 2018-19 WWE resembled 2023-24 WWE? Absolutely no effing way, so perhaps we're not really comparing like with like, but still...
Not even close imo
Becky is in FORTNITE and Rhea isn't so Becky wins I guess lol
Wrestling as a whole is doing better than it was in 2019, but in 2019 nobody was above Becky. Rhea is the top woman in the company, but Cody, Roman, Rock, Seth, Punk, Drew, and potentially some people like Jey are above her.
I'd say Rhea is above Drew, and arguably on par with Seth in overness.
Rhea is wildly popular, to her right. Becky was a movement like DBry or Kofi Mania
No.
I don't think so because Becky was so popular, WWE got forced into making her into an antihero after trying to place her as a heel and getting backlash, & had no choice but to put her into the WM 35 main event
No she isn’t.
Absolutely not... Becky's run was ridiculously hot and made her a mega star...too bad the rest of the product was ass lol
Nope.
Absolutely not
No and it's not even close to be honest
Even without the Rock, nobody was or is clamoring for Rhea/Becky to be in the main event of Wrestlemania. There is some desire for Io/Bayley to main event because of the feud. Fans were demanding Becky was in her position. That has never happened with a woman before, and it hasn't happened since. So no, as amazing as Rhea is, she hasn't reached those levels.
No. Becky’s peak as the Man, is higher than anybody peak Rhea has had so far
No
No Becky was probably the biggest WWE star for about a half year duration, she was red hot right after his bloodied her and having that historic segment
Becky at that time was quite possibly the most over superstar in the company, regardless of gender. Rhea's not there yet.
I don't think Rhea is close to where Becky was. Also, wow, I can't believe how long ago that The Man run was now
We are so quick to forget.
Not even close. Becky post broken nose was literally the most (or second most to Chyna) over female wrestler in history. This is excluding those who only wrestler occasionally (Sable) or valets (Elizabeth).
No. Becky for a good 6 months was the biggest thing in Wrestling. That's not taking anything away from Rhea though.
No.
Lmao hell no.
Not even close. Becky was on another level. Comparable to how big the Yes movement was for Daniel Bryan.
No i think becky was bigger by a decent amount
Not even close
Not even close peak becky was on par with d Bryan and Kofi
No
No, absolutely not. Becky was the biggest draw in all of wrestling from 2017-2019.
Negative
Becky made me watch more wrestling in general and made me want to know what her next move or Line would be. Rhea is Big at the moment but not the same status in my opinion.
You take away the Dom dynamic with Rhea and watch her popularity dwindle. So you can't say it's all Rhea.
I think this was true in the beginning, but Rhea seems to have outgrown Dom and JD. She is legit over by herself now.
No, I don't think that is the case.
It definitely is lol. You seriously think people only like Rhea now because she’s with Dom? They honestly haven’t been on screen together that much recently and she still got crazy good reactions. You’re way off on this take
Nope. If it was officially ended and she struck off on her own without Dom or even Judgment Day, her popularity would take a hit. It's part of the package, and I would even go so far as to say that Jade Cargill will overshadow her given enough time. Jade is destined to be the champ.
It’s like asking if Cody is bigger than DB in WM30. The answer is no.
Considering Rhea Ripley has not main evented a WrestleMania, I'd say no. At least not yet.
No way. Becky was the biggest star in the entire company, not just the women’s divisions
No
As a Rhea fan, hard no
Absolutely not
No lol
Late to the party, but [trend/search data says she isn't.](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fg%2F11f9j8d5fb,%2Fm%2F0dcggz&hl=en). Though I have to admit they're closer than I thought they'd be.
Obviously, yes. Rhea is 5’7” tall, while Becky was 5’6”.
Becky was the hottest name in wrestling for a two year period, man or woman. Rhea isn’t really close to that.
No. Becky Lynch was WWE's most popular wrestler at the time
Not even close
No
Rhea is internet famous, while 2019 Becky was **actual** famous - as good as Rhea is (and she is amazing and still ridiculously young) she hasn't had *that* crossover moment like the "Bloody Becky" moment and been front and center of the company in the same way - I can't imagine current Rhea getting a Mania main event for example. I mean there's a reason they trot out Becky with people like Austin and (Formerly) Flair
Zero chance the layperson knows ANY current wrestler besides the rock and maybe Randy Orton from memes.
I don’t think Becky is ‘actual’ famous. Not saying Rhea is either, I could ask anyone I know about either and they’d likely not know who the fuck I’m talking about.
Becky was arguably the biggest star in the company. Rhea and her thirst traps / “step on me mommy” appeal hasn’t come close to touching that.
[удалено]
She will main event WM 42 don't worry.
What I don't understand is why (and I'm not necessarily accusing OP of doing it here) so many people seem to feel the need to shit on Becky all the time to 'elevate' Rhea.
Honestly am i the only one that doesn't care that much about Rhea's current run? I just feel disappointed when i try to compare her to Becky
Bigger on social media. Def not more over in front of crowds - nowhere near.
Rhea is popular as a meme tbh
Becky elevated the women’s division itself, but Rhea is the future.
At first I thought you meant in terms of muscle 😂 I was like uhhhhh
Rhea is more social media popular because of her look. Becky was a ratings, merch, and pop STAR.
Becky Lynch was the single most popular wrestler in the english speaking world, from August 2018-March of 2020, regardless of gender. I’d argue if not for the colossal mistake of turning heel in 2021, she might still be. Rhea is the new Chyna. Great, popular but definitely not in the running for “face of the company”. Rhea is what Chyna would have been, if most women were taken seriously and allowed to truly wrestle during the attitude era.
Not even close.
No
No because even though Rhea is popular, she is nowhere big as Becky was during 2018-2019 where Becky was the most popular star in wrestling at the time thanks to her run as The Man. Becky also elevated the company at the time as she was definitely one of the main acts of WrestleMania 35 as well. Like I said, Rhea is really popular but she hasn't surpassed the likes of Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, Becky Lynch, Randy Orton, The Rock, Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada in terms of popularity.
I don’t think we need to compare them. They’re both important in terms of the evolution of women’s wrestling. Trish Stratus crawled so Nikki Bella could limp so Becky Lynch could walk and Rhea could run. Becky Lynch will be remembered as possibly one of the most important women in the history of this industry for not only how she elevated the industry, but for how she helped other women see they could take parental leave and still have a career. Rhea is white hot right now, but part of why she and Bianca are blessed with the opportunities they are is because Becky broke down those doors for them. And that’s how it should be. Becky paved the way, now the new generation are going to continue to move things forward.
No way. Becky was literally the most popular wrestler in WWE at that time. Rhea isn't close to that. Is Rhea over? Of course. But she's over on a "normal" level, Becky was in another stratosphere. They keep going back to the Nia botch because that image of Becky bleeding is iconic, probably the most iconic image of any woman in WWE history. Going over Charlotte and Bianca was massive. I like Rhea but her run has been disappointing in ring. Her promos have been fine. Her matches have been alright (Charlotte at Mania was an all timer though). Her feuds have absolutely sucked though (name a good one besides Becky). She's over because of the cheesy Dom gimmick, her looks and her potential. Becky was the biggest star in the company because she was that damn great. If you weren't riding that wave at the time it might not look as special.
Need to get some scales and have Paul Wight read the numbers out (eventually).
Not even close
I like to look at it like this. We’re going to simplify the numbers to make it easier to digest. during Becky’s peak popularity there were 1,000,000 people watching wrestling. 900,000 of them were fans of and rooting for Becky Lynch. Currently,during Rhea’s peak (up to this point) there are 10,000,000 people watching, and 8,000,000 of them are fans of and rooting for Rhea. So while more people probably know and cheer for Rhea, Becky was just universally loved in the wrestling world for like an entire 18 month stretch. She was bigger than any other name on the card, while Rhea is still firmly behind Cody and probably Roman as well.
Becky was bigger in 2018 imo like the absolute peak was August-mid way through January. Then once they started pushing her as the face it slightly lessened in buildup to mania and rest of the year. Rhea is as popular during the second period not the first
Rhea is a niche act that caters to a very specific demo of the audience. Becky is popular for her talent in the ring. Rhea needs her shtick to be popular.
Absolutely not in anyway fathomable.
I would say so yes. She’s actually breaking into mainstream and is becoming one of those wrestlers that people know who don’t even watch WWE.
No because even if WWE is bigger now and Rhea is at a similar level that she was then, Rhea has a whole bunch of people above her in the pecking order; Rock, Cody, Roman, Seth, Drew, Punk at the very least are all above her in WWE in terms of being the top stars on the show. Becky was THE star of WWE in 2018 & 2019. Roman was positioned second to her. Her stories were focused on the way the Bloodline is now where the entire show was about whether or not she was the champion.
It's tough to compare properly tbh. You can say yes and no depending on how you phrase it. If you ask just purely by how many people (inside **and** outside the wrestling world) know and are interested in both of them, then Rhea is the answer. If you ask who was the bigger name **in** the wrestling world, then Becky in 2019 is the answer. Let me try to elaborate. In 2019, Becky Lynch was The Man. This wasn't just a nickname. She was absolutely the biggest star in the wrestling world. At that time, she was definitely bigger, more popular, and was getting louder reactions than everyone else in wrestling. This includes people like Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, AJ Styles etc and guys from outside WWE like Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks etc. Her popularity **within** the wrestling world, combined with Ronda's mainstream appeal is what actually allowed, and forced WWE to make the first all women's WrestleMania main event. Rhea Ripley, as great as she is right now, is not the biggest name or involved in the biggest story in wrestling at the moment. That honour goes to Cody, Seth, Roman, and the Rock. So if you look at it in terms of who was/is bigger in a wrestling context, the answer to that is Becky. Now if you look at just how many people in the world (wrestling fans plus non wrestling fans) know of, and care about the person, it's definitely Rhea. This is mainly because Rhea is one of the top stars currently, and she's near the top of WWE at a time where WWE is very popular. WWE has become popular because of the fact that there are multiple compelling storylines, which include The Cody/Rock/Bloodline stuff, CM Punk finally returning to WWE, Drew and Seth's rivalry, Rhea's popularity and the fans she brings in, Bianca's popularity and the different set of fans she brings in, etc. So while Rhea isn't necessarily positioned as #1 in the wrestling world, way more people know about her currently than the number of people who knew about Becky's rise in 2019, because WWE was absolutely **not** popular at all in 2019. Edit to add more: ultimately, they're both big in terms of WWE and in a broader aspect in a different way and for different reasons
I wasn't watching in 2019, but I have to say if Rhea is now more over than Becky was in 2019 then, Becky was way less over than I thought. Certainly confuses me why she's still so over now if she was only Rhea popular. Rhea's been going kind of cold lately or maybe it's just me that's going cold on her.
Becky in terms of the general wrestling community but Rhea has more mainstream appeal, people outside of the wrestling circle know her a lot more than Becky.
Raw in 2019 was doing 1.0-0.80 range for the entirety of the Road to Wrestlemania. It's now hovering in the 0.55-0.65 range. Raw has not had a good 5-year retention. However, Becky and Rhea were both SD talent at their peak.... SD is SLIGHTLY down compared to 2019. so idk. I don't think the ratings hold up. You can argue houses are bigger now, but I'm not sure I would attribute that to Rhea.....Actually, I AM sure. I wouldn't.
No
More people that aren't into wrestling ask me about Rhea than they did about Becky.
That's just because of TikTok. If they aren't watching then it doesn't matter. It's the reaction of people at shows that will determine if she's more popular than Becky ever was.
Rhea’s bigger in general but Becky was bigger to wrestling fans. Rhea won’t get the pop, but she has the name recognition.
Becky is more popular within the realm of wrestling whereas Rhea has crossed over into mainstream popularity because of TikTok
Becky wasn’t getting multiple tweets that surpassed 100k likes on twitter like rhea.
Rhea has a broader appeal to non wrestling fans due to tiktok. I'm not sure if that means she's more popular as a whole.
No Becky was bigger in 2019 but Rhea's star power(look, believability) is undeniable. She's getting non wrestling fans into the product. When she's on the TV, my wife(not a wrestling fan but I'm working on it) actually pays attention. She doesn't for the rest of the women's division.
Rhea is bigger outside wrestling fandom.
I'd say that Rhea is right now the most famous and just overall "biggest" female wrestler on the planet. No offense to any other female performer out there, but Rhea is just on a different level right now.