Becky Lynch Defeats Trish Stratus in Steel Cage Match at WWE Payback 2023
September 3, 2023
In what was perhaps the finale of their long-running rivalry, Becky Lynch beat WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus in a steel cage match at Payback on Saturday.
Lynch hit Stratus with the Manhandle Slam off the top rope to get the pin. She previously hit the veteran with a superplex off the top of the cage:
Zoey Stark had attempted to interfere on behalf of her mentor but failed to prevent Lynch winning, and she ended her alliance with Stratus following a disagreement between the two after the match:
WWE @WWE<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThankYouZoey?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThankYouZoey</a> 😲<a href="https://twitter.com/ZoeyStarkWWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZoeyStarkWWE</a> has ended her alliance with <a href="https://twitter.com/trishstratuscom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@trishstratuscom</a> at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWEPayback?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWEPayback</a>! <a href="https://t.co/qnymMJbQdO">pic.twitter.com/qnymMJbQdO</a>
Lynch and Stratus have been at odds since shortly after WrestleMania 39, and it has been a long time coming for them to clash in a one-on-one match without any distractions.
During the build toward 'Mania, Stratus made her WWE return by helping Lynch and Lita beat Damage CTRL for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships, and she teamed with The Man and Lita in a winning effort against the group at The Show of Shows.
Just a couple of weeks later, Lita was attacked backstage prior to a scheduled title defense against Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, prompting Stratus to step in as her replacement.
Lynch and Stratus dropped the tag team titles, and the veteran then shocked the WWE Universe by attacking The Man.
That led to a match between Lynch and the newly villainous Stratus at Night of Champions in May when an unexpected figure got involved and cost The Man the match.
Just weeks after getting called up to the main roster for NXT, Stark emerged from under the ring to take out Lynch behind the referee's back, allowing Stratus to pin her.
Over the next several weeks, the Irish Superstar scratched and clawed to get another crack at Stratus, and she finally did so by beating Stark in a singles bout.
That set the stage for an encounter between Lynch and Stratus on the Aug. 14 episode of Raw, but they fought to a double count-out, necessitating a stipulation that would determine a clear-cut winner in the rematch.
WWE official Adam Pearce booked Lynch and Stratus in a steel cage match for Payback, and it was there that The Man got her long-awaited revenge.
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