Becky Lynch bests Rousey, Flair in historic WrestleMania 35 main event

MANILA, Philippines – Irish wrestler Becky Lynch etched her name in the history books after winning it all in the first-ever women’s main event at WrestleMania 35 on Sunday, April 7 (Monday, April 8, Manila time).

The WWE superstar known as “The Man” bested both Charlotte Flair and UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey to take both the Raw and SmackDown women’s titles at the promotion’s biggest annual event.

Rousey looked to be in control late into the match after Flair was tossed through a table set up in the ring, but Lynch countered her “Piper’s Pit” finisher to a pinfall that secured the stunning victory.

Including the women’s titles, a total of 8 championships changed hands in the 16-match card, highlighted by Kofi Kingston’s first-ever WWE Championship victory after defeating four-time titlist Daniel Bryan.

Seth Rollins also ended Brock Lesnar’s 156-day reign as WWE Universal Champion in an unprecedented opening match. Before his second reign, Lesnar once held Raw’s main title for 503 days, the longest in WWE history.

In other non-title matches, Triple H defeated Filipino-American wrestler and movie star Batista in a brutal No Holds Barred match. Had Triple H lost, he would have been forced to retire from in-ring competition.

While the veteran Triple H saved his legendary career, the same could not be said for 1996 Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle, who lost his farewell match against former United States champion Baron Corbin.

In the pre-show card, Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder defeated the team of Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder to capture the Raw Tag Team Titles. 

The upset win marked the end of Hawkins’ personal 269-match losing streak spanning nearly 3 years.

WWE announced that WrestleMania 35 sold out, drawing in a staggering 82,265 fans at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The event also grossed $16.9 million in revenue, the second highest gross in WWE history behind WrestleMania 32 in 2016. – Rappler.com