{"id":152567,"date":"2026-02-12T07:00:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T12:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=152567"},"modified":"2026-02-12T03:09:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T08:09:03","slug":"becky-lynchs-3-toughest-challenges-ahead-of-wwe-wrestlemania-42","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/02\/12\/becky-lynchs-3-toughest-challenges-ahead-of-wwe-wrestlemania-42\/","title":{"rendered":"Becky Lynch\u2019s 3 Toughest Challenges Ahead of WWE WrestleMania 42"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span>Sports Illustrated is saying it. Bleacher Report is saying it. Now, Last Word on Pro Wrestling (LWOPW) is saying it. Becky Lynch is undoubtedly the best in WWE today. Lynch is so immaculate as IC Champ that she sometimes feels like the World Champ on Raw. <\/span><span>As a true locker room leader should, she elevates all of her challengers to entirely new levels and pushes them beyond their limits. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Her ability to break young stars, like Lyra Valkyria and Maxxine Dupri, out of their shells and highlight Hall of Famers, like Nikki Bella and AJ Lee, to show the world they still got it, should not go unnoticed. After winning the IC Title back from Maxxine Dupri on Raw in January, the big red target is on her back on the road to Mania. Here are three major threats to Becky Lynch&#8217;s title reign.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>AJ Lee<\/h2>\n<p><span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/02\/09\/aj-lee-returns-to-wwe-raw-setting-up-first-singles-match-in-over-a-decade-at-elimination-chamber\/\" target=\"_self\">AJ Lee<\/a> started having beef with Becky Lynch after Becky slapped her husband, CM Punk, in the face. Ever since then, AJ has had Becky\u2019s number, making her tap out on two separate occasions. <\/span>AJ Lee made Becky tap out at WrestlePalooza in their mixed tag match with their respective husbands. She also made Becky tap out at Survivor Series inside War Games with their respective teams.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_142189\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-142189\" style=\"width: 240px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/WrestlePalooza-Punk-and-Lee-240x300.jpeg\" alt=\"A graphic for the WWE Wrestlepalooza review.\" width=\"240\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-142189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/WrestlePalooza-Punk-and-Lee-240x300.jpeg 240w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/WrestlePalooza-Punk-and-Lee-819x1024.jpeg 819w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/WrestlePalooza-Punk-and-Lee-768x960.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/WrestlePalooza-Punk-and-Lee-1229x1536.jpeg 1229w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/WrestlePalooza-Punk-and-Lee.jpeg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-142189\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the interim, she screwed Becky out of the IC Title against Maxxine Dupri as a way to stir the pot. Now that Becky has the title back, AJ has a good case to challenge for the title and has now officially challenged Becky for the IC Title at Elimination Chamber in her hometown of Chicago, Illinois. This is AJ Lee&#8217;s first one-on-one bout in over ten years, and the bets are in her favor to dethrone Becky.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Maxxine Dupri<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/02\/10\/was-maxxine-in-her-first-match-after-their-split-on-2-9-raw\/\" target=\"_self\">Maxxine Dupri<\/a> should not win the IC Title back. However, it should be noted that she was screwed out of her rematch for the title by Natalya. Dupri had the match won against Becky Lynch in Ireland, but Nattie put Becky&#8217;s foot on the bottom rope. Dupri was shocked by this double-crossing. At that point, she lost focus in the match due to the disbelief that her own teacher would blatantly betray her.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_150585\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-150585\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/01\/20260112_RAW_Netflix_Match_LynchDupri_TITLE_16x9_Monday_0-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"wp-image-150585 size-large\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/01\/20260112_RAW_Netflix_Match_LynchDupri_TITLE_16x9_Monday_0-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/01\/20260112_RAW_Netflix_Match_LynchDupri_TITLE_16x9_Monday_0-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/01\/20260112_RAW_Netflix_Match_LynchDupri_TITLE_16x9_Monday_0-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/01\/20260112_RAW_Netflix_Match_LynchDupri_TITLE_16x9_Monday_0-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/01\/20260112_RAW_Netflix_Match_LynchDupri_TITLE_16x9_Monday_0.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-150585\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Once Dupri gets her revenge on Nattie, there is no doubt that she will go right back on the hunt for the IC Title. Despite the five matches that already took place between them, she has unfinished business with Becky Lynch. Since she lost her tag partner and has no business wrestling in the main event scene, the mid-card title is her only outlet to stardom on the flagship show.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Natalya<\/h2>\n<p>Natalya eliminated Becky Lynch in the Royal Rumble. That was a shocking yet defining elimination that has set the stage for the road to Mania. Afterwards, Nattie battled Maxxine Dupri on Raw. That match ended in a double countout since Nattie was only focused on &#8220;decimating,&#8221; rather than &#8220;elevating,&#8221; Maxxine. AJ Lee came to rescue Maxxine (again) until Becky attacked AJ Lee for good measure.<\/p>\n<p>It seems that WWE will combine Natalya and Maxxine Dupriu&#8217;s feud with Becky Lynch and AJ Lee&#8217;s feud to book a fatal four-way for the IC Title at Mania. AJ will dethrone Becky at the Chamber, but Nattie will inevitably win the title at Mania to solidify her new gimmick. AJ is a part-timer and will take a break after Mania so that the title would be in better hands with a full-time timer for the summer.<\/p>\n<p><span>If you\u2019re not down with just that and would like even more WWE Raw Coverage<\/span><span>\u00a0from\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/letthemwrestle.com\/author\/markjustice\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mark Justice<\/a><span>, check out more of his articles right here on LWOS and subscribe to his popular YouTube channel by clicking\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@MarkTBKJustice1327\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">HERE<\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/strong><amp-fx-flying-carpet height=\"600px\"><amp-ad data-block-on-consent=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"600\" layout=\"fixed\" type=\"doubleclick\" data-slot=\"\/15188745,22512265771\/FS-lastwordonsports-AMP\/AMP-FlyingCarpet\" data-lazy-fetch=\"true\" data-loading-strategy=\"1.25\" rtc-config=\"{ &quot;vendors&quot;: { &quot;t13&quot;: { &quot;TAG_ID&quot;: &quot;f502adbd-5c9b-4d6f-9ec5-b0cdc0f4827c&quot;, &quot;ACCOUNT_ID&quot;: &quot;9a3c6c23-453a-4cba-b419-30b908f39a50&quot; }, &quot;aps&quot;: { &quot;PUB_ID&quot;: &quot;600&quot;, &quot;PUB_UUID&quot;: &quot;16268e26-dabe-4bf4-a28f-b8f4ee192ed3&quot;, &quot;PARAMS&quot;: { &quot;amp&quot;: &quot;1&quot; } }, &quot;criteo&quot;: { &quot;NETWORK_ID&quot;: &quot;4905&quot;, &quot;ZONE_ID&quot;: &quot;1382491&quot;, &quot;PUBLISHER_SUB_ID&quot;: &quot;FS-lastwordonsports-AMP-FlyingCarpet&quot; }, &quot;medianet&quot;: { &quot;CID&quot;: &quot;8CU8ZT2C4&quot; } } }\"><\/amp-ad><\/amp-fx-flying-carpet><\/p>\n<p><em><i>Header photo \u2013<a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=148317909\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span> WikiMedia Creative Commons<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 Stay tuned to the<span>\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_self\"><em><u><i>Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i><span>\u00a0<\/span>for more on Becky Lynch and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the significant news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/i><\/em><amp-ad data-block-on-consent=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"600\" layout=\"fixed\" data-multi-size=\"300x250,300x600\" data-multi-size-validation=\"false\" type=\"doubleclick\" data-slot=\"\/15188745,22512265771\/FS-lastwordonsports-AMP\/AMP-2\" data-enable-refresh=\"30\" data-lazy-fetch=\"true\" data-loading-strategy=\"1.25\" rtc-config=\"{ &quot;vendors&quot;: { &quot;t13&quot;: { &quot;TAG_ID&quot;: &quot;4f799893-5665-4629-b0fc-8b97d3569fd6&quot;, &quot;ACCOUNT_ID&quot;: &quot;9a3c6c23-453a-4cba-b419-30b908f39a50&quot; }, &quot;aps&quot;: { &quot;PUB_ID&quot;: &quot;600&quot;, &quot;PUB_UUID&quot;: &quot;16268e26-dabe-4bf4-a28f-b8f4ee192ed3&quot;, &quot;PARAMS&quot;: { &quot;amp&quot;: &quot;1&quot; } }, &quot;criteo&quot;: { &quot;NETWORK_ID&quot;: &quot;4905&quot;, &quot;ZONE_ID&quot;: &quot;1382491&quot;, &quot;PUBLISHER_SUB_ID&quot;: &quot;FS-lastwordonsports-AMP-2&quot; }, &quot;medianet&quot;: { &quot;CID&quot;: &quot;8CU8ZT2C4&quot; } } }\"><\/amp-ad><\/p>\n<p><em><i>You can check out WWE programming on\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/81788927\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Netflix<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(Raw),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usanetwork.com\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>USA Network<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(SmackDown),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cwtv.com\/shows\/wwe-nxt\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>The CW<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(NXT),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/tubitv.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Tubi<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Evolve),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aetv.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>A&amp;E<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Superstar Sunday \u2013 Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments), and\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Peacock<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Main Event, as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>YouTube<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>, and catch fast-paced action on X (<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/i\/events\/1773457579022155776?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>WWE Speed<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>).<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sports Illustrated is saying it. Bleacher Report is saying it. Now, Last Word on Pro Wrestling (LWOPW) is saying it. Becky Lynch is undoubtedly the best in WWE today. Lynch is so immaculate as IC Champ that she sometimes feels like the World Champ on Raw. As a true locker room leader should, she elevates [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5747,"featured_media":141772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3,320],"tags":[163],"class_list":["post-152567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","category-wwe-women","tag-becky-lynch"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5747"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152567"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":153056,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152567\/revisions\/153056"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}