Irish wrestler Becky Lynch has said she is "only getting started" after winning the WWE Raw Women's Championship and the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship in the historic unification bout at Wrestlemania 35 in the US on Sunday night.
The Limerick-born and Dublin-raised star saw off the challenge of Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair to take the belts in the 'triple threat' match-up at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
EXCLUSIVE: @BeckyLynchWWE admits to being overwhelmed after achieving her ultimate dream of prevailing in the main event of #WrestleMania. pic.twitter.com/t9wLZZafNo
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2019
NEW #RAW #WomensChampion.
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2019
NEW #SDLive #WomensChampion.@BeckyLynchWWE just made HISTORY! #WrestleMania #BeckyLynch pic.twitter.com/thDQ3KUDMz
Writing on Twitter on Monday morning, Lynch said: "Unthinkable to think what was once unthinkable. Those 3 seconds last night were a lifetime in the making. Thank you to all of you who have been on this crazy whirlwind journey with me. We're only getting started. #becky2belts."
Unthinkable to think what was once unthinkable. Those 3 seconds last night were a lifetime in the making. Thank you to all of you who have been on this crazy whirlwind journey with me. We’re only getting started. #becky2belts pic.twitter.com/OHDYTxsYQd
— The Man (@BeckyLynchWWE) April 8, 2019
Congratulations to @BeckyLynchWWE on becoming the first unified #WWEWOMENSCHAMPION Yo Becky, you did it..Again #Irishpride 🍀🍀🍀 pic.twitter.com/soJrrD5rqy
— Sheamus (@WWESheamus) April 8, 2019
Lynch, who goes by the nickname 'The Man', had said before the showdown: "Tonight is the night where The Man finally comes around to collect. Tonight is the night where we change how this business works, thinks and progresses. I. Am. Ready. For. This."
Speaking to The Irish Times at the weekend, Lynch, whose real name is Rebecca Quin, said: "In the top level of any sport and in so many walks of life, the top person has always been called 'the man'.
"Up until now, those top people have always been men. Right now I'm saying I'm the man. It's not about gender, I'm just the top dog."
A wrestling fan since childhood, Lynch began wrestling in her teens and left University College Dublin to follow her dream.
At 19 she suffered a head injury and stopped wrestling for a number of years. In her time away from the squared circle Lynch worked as cabin crew for Aer Lingus and later studied drama at the Dublin Institute of Technology. She joined World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2013 and has since gone on to become a four-time women's champion.
She described her rise to the top of sports entertainment as "surreal".
"I think one day when I get a little bit of time to sit down and take stock of everything that happened, I think that's when it will hit me," she told The Irish Times. "Right now it's like, 'What's the next thing?'"
