Becky Lynch Strep Throat Match - "The Man" Turns in an Amazing Performance Despite Illness

Night 1 of WrestleMania 40 Started off Hot with Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley

Michael Jordan had the “Flu Game” in game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, CM Punk had the “Flu Match” on Monday Night Raw in February of 2013, and now “The Man” Becky Lynch turned in the “Strep Throat Match” at WrestleMania 40.

Jordan went on to put up 38 points, CM Punk piledrove John Cena, and Becky Lynch delivered a physical and memorable performance alongside Rhea Ripley with the Women’s World Championship on the line. Like Punk, Lynch came up short in her match. Although she didn’t have her hand raised, Lynch (along with Ripley) gave WrestleMania 40 a red-hot start on a cold Philadelphia Night.

Becky Lynch’s “Strep Throat Match”

The Buildup

Bayley won the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble Match in January of 2024, granting her the option to challenge for the Women’s World or WWE Women’s Championship. She chose the latter, setting up a match with Damage CTRL stablemate Io Sky.

This left Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley in need of an opponent for the biggest show of the year. The number one contender would be determined in Ripley’s home country of Australia in an Elimination Chamber match.

It was there that Lynch, who entered last in the match defeated Naomi, Tiffany Straton, Raquel Rodriguez, Bianca Belair, and Liv Morgan to earn the shot at Ripley.

The Conditions

Philadelphia is not known for having great weather in late March/Early April. This was constantly brought up by commentator Michael Cole who constantly gave those watching at home, a rundown of the chilly air in Philadelphia. At bell time the weather was around 50 degrees with the wind chill making things feel about 5 degrees colder. This is less than an ideal scenario to wrestle in for anyone.

As Lynch made her way to the ring with quotes from her book integrated into her ring gear, she had to not only combat Ripley and the weather but illness as well.

Lynch reportedly had a fever of up to 102 degrees as part of a brutal strep throat infection. Walking into a chilly wind open-air stadium surely did not make her feel better. Regardless of her illness, Becky went on to take Ripley to the limit.

The two had a physical match that consisted of hard falls, lots of striking, and multiple submission attempts. The match alone was a pleasure to watch. Adding Lynch’s illness into the equation made the performance all the more memorable.

The Match

Things did not get off to an ideal start for Lynch as she was quickly shoved into a corner by Ripley. The two then fought for control of the match early as Lynch hit a dropkick to take Ripley out to the floor of the stadium. Becky brought things back into a ring where the two countered each other’s strikes until Ripley slammed Becky down to the mat. Ripley took control of the match here with a flurry of hard-hitting strikes and suplexes, wearing down a hurting Lynch.

“The Man” was down but not out, as Ripley attempted to go to the top tope, Lynch sprung from the mat and sent Rhea crashing down to the mat from the top rope. The two traded hard-hitting strikes in the center of the ring, reminiscent of the famous Rocky movies that famously were set in the “City of Brotherly Love”.

Lynch once again took things outside the ring after delivering a leg drop from the top rope on a staggered Ripley who was laid out on the middle rope. She hit a “Becksploder” into the barricade to wear Ripley down, further cementing her control of the match. From there she worked to weaken the arm of Ripley to set up for a future “Dis-arm-her” arm bar.

After a short power flury from Ripley, Lynch locked the “Dis-arm-her” in on Ripley. The champ looked to be in trouble but utilized her power to get out of the hold. Lynch, proving how tough she is, held onto the hold through multiple power slams. The two went back to trading blows in the ring until Ripley went shoulder-first into the ring post. This allowed Lynch to drop a leg onto Ripley from the top rope.

This came back to bite Lynch as Ripley caught Lynch’s legs and locked her in the “Prism Trap” submission. Lynch was able to counter this into a pin and counter a “Riptide” attempt into a “Manhandle Slam” for a near fall. Ripley would hit a “Riptide” moments later for a near fall of her own. From there, the two battled for position on the top rope which ended with Lynch superplexing Rhea to the mat and quickly locking in the “Dis-arm-her”.

Rhea had a creative counter as she propped Lynch onto her shoulders in an electric chair attempt. The two fell out of the ring with Lynch still on Ripley’s shoulders leading to Ripley dropping Lynch onto the ringside floor. Ripley rolled Lynch back to the ring and hit a frog splash from the top rope for a near fall.

This was the beginning of the end for Lynch. Ripley attempted to superplex Lynch from outside the ring down to the mat. Lynch countered and nearly hit a “Manhandle Slam”, but Ripley reversed and hit her with two “Riptides (one on the top turnbuckle) for the win.

It Takes Two to Tango

Lynch showed her true toughness on the first night of WrestleMania 40. Being slammed in a wrestling ring always hurts. Doing so while having a fever in less-than-ideal weather conditions makes everything hurt even more. Despite this Lynch didn’t miss a beat and delivered a physical and memorable match at the “Showcase of the Immortals”.

Ripley deserves credit as well. She had great chemistry with Lynch and matched and even surpassed Lynch’s physicality at some points in the match. She extended her year-plus title reign in a match that set the tone for the two-night epic event alongside Lynch.

The match received praise from fans and critics alike and with good reason. It may have been a cold Philadelphia night, but these two heated things quickly under the bright lights of WrestleMania.

What did you think of the match? Sound off in the comments below.