Monday, Lyra Valkyria took on one of her toughest challenges on the main roster yet in the form of former WWE Women’s Champion and main event scene frequenter IYO SKY. The two of them clashed in the semifinals of the inaugural Women’s Intercontinental Championship tournament, and Ireland’s finest was put up against a woman who many consider the pinnacle of Japanese wrestling, if not wrestling entirely. With SKY’s immense talent, the chances of Valkyria dropping out in the tournament semifinals were high.
After a hard-fought match full of great wrestling, Valkyria propped herself over SKY and pinned “The Genius of the Sky” for one, two, three. Valkyria bested all odds to overcome a former world champion to progress to the tournament finals. She spread her wings to soar through the SKY, towards victory.
Everything about this match was great. SKY is, as previously mentioned, one of the best female wrestlers the world has to offer, and Valkyria isn’t lagging far behind in the in-ring technique category. Things were a bit awkward between them at first, but things quickly smoothed out between them as both of them spared no expense in making the other woman look like a hundred bucks. Houston was so behind both women, and their match was just a great piece of women’s television wrestling.
The only gripe I have with this match is the poor finish. In theory, Valkyria’s crazy pin seems cool and is a testament to her expertise in technical wrestling. I’m not the biggest fan of surprise pins, but even if I was, this one was kind of messy. That messiness cost the match its climatic immersion. By the end of a match, we are supposed to be at the edge of our seats, hearts in our throats, with our disbelief fully suspended so we can savor that final one, two, three. However, Valkyria’s messy pop-up pin took the wind out of my sails, prompted my heart to settle down into my chest, and caused me to focus, briefly, on the messiness of the pin.
Still, I’m more than pleased with the results of this match. SKY was a favorite going into this for sure — and I’ll be dead in the ground before I complain about a SKY victory — but Valkyria was the right choice to go with her. Much like the Women’s United States Championship, this mid-card title is set up to be a pathway for “Raw” women to elevate their wrestling game. SKY has frequented the main event scene, but Valkyria hasn’t had that opportunity in the limelight just yet. There is also a point to be made about how odd a Damage CTRL infighting arc would’ve been. No faction lasts forever, but there is no reason to split Damage CTRL up now, especially over a brand-new midcard title.
Between the logic of putting Valkyria over and the overall quality of the match itself, there is hardly anything to be disappointed in. Dakota Kai and Lyra Valkyria will be a contest to remember.
Written by Angeline Phu
