Ahead of their Women\'s Intercontinental Championship match at today\'s Clash in Paris premium live event, Nikki Bella has offered high praise for her opponent, Becky Lynch, calling her \"one of the greatest superstars ever.\"
Speaking with Sports Illustrated\'s The Takedown, Nikki Bella reflected on Lynch\'s career. She admitted that while she saw potential in \"The Man\" early on, her talent was often \"overshadowed\" by other stars of that era.
“You couldn’t help but see what Charlotte Flair was doing, and then Sasha Banks. They were such standouts,\" Nikki said. \"Sasha was coming off of that iconic match in NXT with Bayley, so your eyes were really on her. And then Charlotte Flair came in… and there was a lot of focus on her for the Divas Title.”
Nikki believes that being held back initially gave Lynch the \"fire to prove\" herself, and she sees parallels between her own journey to becoming \"Fearless Nikki\" and Lynch\'s transformation into \"The Man.\"
“I didn’t start as Fearless Nikki. She came over time and the minute I became her, that’s what took me to the next level,\" she explained. \"Same with The Man. When Becky Lynch finally became The Man, that just took off.”
She also spoke about the \"Divas Era\" and credited Triple H for providing the opportunities for Lynch\'s generation that her own era lacked.
