Becky Lynch, aka 'The Man,' gears up for WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Banners strung up on Philadelphia City Hall didn't feature photos of the mayor or city councilmembers on Tuesday.
They showed the faces of WWE superstars like Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns, who are preparing to take over the city for WrestleMania 40.
The four-day event officially kicks off Friday, with the biggest matchups happening Saturday and Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
One of the superstars who will be fighting for a title is Becky Lynch, also known as "The Man." She'll be fighting for the Women's World Championship.
First, though, she stopped by the 6abc studios to meet up with Action News' resident wrestling superfan, TaRhonda Thomas.
WATCH: TaRhonda Thomas sits down with Becky Lynch, aka 'The Man'
The two sat down to talk about WrestleMania and Lynch's climb to the top as depicted in her new book, "The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl."
"I keep getting back up again, and you can't keep me down," said Lynch. "That's why I'm the man!"
Known for her relentless fighting spirit and her flaming red hair, Lynch promises a good fight against defending WWE Women's World Champion, the dominant Reah Ripley.
"I ain't no joke," Lynch said. "She ain't never faced anybody like me. She might be big, she might be strong, she might be a natural, but I'm relentless."
The Lynch vs. Ripley matchup is just one of the draws for WrestleMania 40, which could bring around 200,000 people for the four days of festivities and fights in Philadelphia.
"What I love so much about being in Philadelphia is that Rocky Balboa spirit. I call myself Becky Balboa! It's the fighting spirit," said Lynch.
As much as Lynch loves Philadelphia, the city loves her right back. If you need proof, just go to Taqueria Amor in Manayunk. They've created a drink named after Lynch, topped with orange zest as a nod to her signature hair color.
"We have crafted a whole Tacomania menu! We have cocktails from a lot of nostalgic WWE guys," said Shayna Karl, social media manager and server at Taqueria Amor.
She's already seen fans from as far as Florida come to town for WrestleMania. They've stopped in to enjoy the restaurant's WWE-inspired decorations, which come from the personal collection of restaurant owner Tim Spinner who is a huge wrestling fan.
"Oh my gosh, we have to do a wrestling theme. It just makes perfect sense," he said of the decorations which include an wall projection of classic wrestling matches.
WrestleMania, the biggest event in sports entertainment, is expected to bring big business to Philadelphia.
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"I'm telling you Philly has no idea what they're in for as this thing comes to town," said Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Gregg Caren.
The Convention and Visitors Bureau has seen stats that indicate WrestleMania could ring up more than $215 million for the city.
"They're using three of our venues. They're using the Convention Center, they're using the Wells Fargo Center Arena, they're using Lincoln Financial Field, and they're going to fill those venues every day on and off for the next four or five days," said Caren, adding that the airport is expecting 30,000 travelers to fly in for WrestleMania.
While the city's preparing for big numbers, Lynch is focused on her big fight.
As Wrestlemania prepares to lay the smackdown on Philadelphia, she says she'll show no "brotherly love" to her opponent.
"Bring that Philadelphia energy," she said, "because I'm an eagle, and I've been flying with a bunch of turkeys."
