The host was very unimpressed as the wrestler defended her sport.
Tommy Tiernan received backlash from viewers after a particularly uncomfortable interview with Irish WWE superstar Becky Lynch.
The chat show host, who is usually praised for his curiosity, seemed entirely uninterested in what the professional wrestler had to say about her sport. He also scoffed at wrestling fans, labelling them “eejits”.
As Lynch, who has wrestled for WWE since 2013, listed off her credentials, Tiernan replied, “but it isn’t really a competition, is it?”
The 36-year-old went on to describe the skills involved in wrestling, saying, “it’s a craft, it’s an art. It’s the art of telling a story.”
However, Tiernan again disagreed with the athlete, saying, “but it’s not really though. It isn’t.” He went on to say that there wasn’t any nuance to the storylines, calling them “obvious.”
Persistently picking holes in the sport, Tommy also took shots at the fans. “The audience, they’re not smart,” he said. “They just seem like eejits.”
However, the wrestler was having none of it and defended her fans.
“They’re invested and they love this because it’s storytelling. It’s not just grown men roaring,” Lynch explained, pointing to the growing audience of women in the sport.
Many viewers took issue with how Tiernan handled the interview, with some Tweeting that it was “excruciating” and “condescending.”
Becky Lynch’s interview with Tommy Tiernan is one of the most excruciating things I’ve ever watched. She has the patience of a saint. The highlight is like three quarters of the way in Tommy runs out of things to ask and there’s just ten seconds of dead air.
— Garrett Kidney (@garrettkidney) March 26, 2023
Becky Lynch’s WWE career
Since joining the WWE ten years ago, Lynch has gone on to become one of the most recognizable and highest-paid wrestlers in the sport.
In 2019, she won a Royal Rumble match, and at WrestleMania 35 won both the Raw Women’s Championship and SmackDown Women’s Championship, making her the first woman to hold both titles simultaneously and a four-time WWE women’s champion.
In 2023, she became WWE’s Sixth Women’s Triple Crown Champion.
Lynch is among a group of Irish wrestlers which have made huge names for themselves on the international stage, including Sheamus and Finn Bálor.
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