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Becky Lynch’s 3 Toughest Challenges Ahead of WWE WrestleMania 42

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Mark Justice | Last updated Feb 12, 2026 7:00 AM ET

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 all of her challengers to entirely new levels and pushes them beyond their limits.

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’s title reign.

AJ Lee

AJ Lee started having beef with Becky Lynch after Becky slapped her husband, CM Punk, in the face. Ever since then, AJ has had Becky’s number, making her tap out on two separate occasions. 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.

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’s first one-on-one bout in over ten years, and the bets are in her favor to dethrone Becky.

Maxxine Dupri

Maxxine Dupri 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’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.

Photo Credit: WWE

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.

Natalya

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 “decimating,” rather than “elevating,” Maxxine. AJ Lee came to rescue Maxxine (again) until Becky attacked AJ Lee for good measure.

It seems that WWE will combine Natalya and Maxxine Dupriu’s feud with Becky Lynch and AJ Lee’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.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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