Becky Lynch & 9 Other Wrestlers Who Were "The Man" In WWE

Becky Lynch adopting the moniker of “The Man” was meant to signify her role as the face of WWE. Every wrestler to hold that distinction before her was a male wrestler based on how much WWE prioritized their male wrestlers over the women. The spot is essentially the most successful role in WWE since only one person can claim it at a time.

Other wrestlers to hold such a title have had mixed results in WWE. Vince McMahon typically wants one true face of the company while others challenge for the title. Some names are removed from that role with the hopes of elevating someone else for a change. WWE took a bet on several stars to be "The Man" but not all panned out as planned.

10 Becky Lynch

WWE never expected Becky Lynch to become the face of the company after years of lackluster use. Lynch decided to take actions into her own hands when fans still cheered her following a heel turn against Charlotte Flair.

The edgier style was used for Becky to play into a more natural character. Fans made Lynch the people’s choice and she became “The Man” in both nickname and in her role on the roster.

9 Roman Reigns

The journey of Roman Reigns saw him thrust in the top spot in 2015 before fans were ready for him in such a role. WWE viewed The Shield as a tool to get Reigns to the role of face of the company even though they viewed Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose on the same level.

Roman was forced to deal with intense crowd hatred due to many fans realizing how much WWE was pushing him at the expense of others. The position never fit Reigns and he’s doing a much better job in the heel role right now.

8 Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan was the first wrestler to truly become “The Man” for WWE in the ‘80s. Bruno Sammartino thrived as a face of the company in prior years, but Hogan was the performer Vince McMahon selected to build his vision of wrestling around.

The success of WWE with Hogan leading the way made him a pop culture phenomenon for almost a full decade. Hogan’s stepping away from the company caused a huge issue for WWE trying to figure out which wrestlers deserved a chance to fill his spot.

7 Diesel

Vince McMahon elevated Kevin Nash into the biggest possible position for WWE as Diesel. The WWE Championship win of Diesel gave Vince a new big fan favorite who would represent the company in the top spot for about a full year.

Various numbers for WWE from live attendance to ratings to PPV buy rates went down with Diesel proving to not be a draw at the time. Nash leaving WWE in 1996 came a few months after he lost the title and seemed unlikely to get another shot at the top spot again.

6 Bret Hart

Bret Hart wasn’t the prototypical choice of Vince McMahon to represent WWE as “The Man.” McMahon took a risk by having a smaller wrestler (compared to prior main eventers) become the biggest star in the company.

The WWE Championship win of Bret at WrestleMania X made him the wrestler with the most impact on the roster. Hart did a great job making the title feel important and introduced fans to a new approach to a main event wrestler after the Hulk Hogan era ended.

5 Shawn Michaels

The in-ring work of Shawn Michaels always made him a great performer for WWE. Vince McMahon finally decided to give the ball to Michaels during a crowning moment at WrestleMania XII, with HBK defeating Bret Hart for the WWE Championship.

Michaels defeating the prior established successful top superstar gave him an even bigger push than most wrestlers in this spot. The run of Michaels as “The Man” did not work out as well as most hoped with lackluster box office results and many fans turning on him.

4 Brock Lesnar

WWE was forced to pick someone for the ultimate top spot when Steve Austin and The Rock both left the company from full-time roles in the early 2000s. Brock Lesnar’s rise started in 2002 when he won the WWE Championship as a heel.

However, the face run of Brock was when WWE wanted him to step into the role of “The Man” as the star to build around. Lesnar flopped as a face and reverted to his heel character before leaving WWE in 2004. The return saw Brock receiving an even bigger push in 2012 despite not working a full-time schedule.

3 Steve Austin

Steve Austin was expected to be a strong mid-carder for WWE when Vince McMahon signed him to a contract. However, the popularity of Austin grew so much that he ended up becoming an immortal figure of pro wrestling.

Austin became the most successful draw in WWE history as the face of the Attitude Era. WWE television reached new heights in mainstream entertainment when Austin was “The Man” who led the charge. The company is still trying to find a star as effective as Austin was in the role.

2 The Rock

WWE was going to risk a full year without Steve Austin when he left at his peak in 1999 to get neck surgery. The Rock was thriving as the second most popular face and was ready to seize the opportunity during Austin’s time out.

2000 was the year of Rock emerging as “The Man” for WWE without Austin there to share the duties. Rock grew as a performer and became a catchphrase machine. WWE lucked out by having another top star ready and Rock could have thrived in the role for as long as he wanted to.

1 John Cena

John Cena was the wrestler who WWE wanted to fill the most important role in the company when the spot was vacant. WWE gave Cena the role of “The Man” when moving him from SmackDown to Raw trading places with fellow world champion Batista.

Cena hit a home run for WWE by becoming a reliable top star who always gave his all. Many of the fans turning against Cena ended up working out with the polarizing run giving his matches a hot crowd at all times. WWE has witnessed various business numbers going down without Cena leading the way in recent years.

NEXT: 5 Legends Who Deserve Another WWE World Title Run (& 5 Who Should Never Get Another One)