This week we continue with the quarter-finals of the Queen of the Ring tournament! After the volume of content WWE is dishing out for the women I’ll be taking a different approach on my weekly recaps. I’ll still include some general highlights of the match.
QOTR Semi-Finals Match: Shayna Baszler vs. Iyo Sky
Match was action packed right out the gate with Shayna attacking Iyo during her entrance on the ring apron! A few of the commenters in the live thread noted how Shayna was displaying the same level of intensity that guided her reign when she stood on top of the NXT Women’s Division which was refreshing to see. Really snug match, both women took a beating here and the crowd responded in kind with a deserved “This Is Awesome” chant as the match came to a close. Iyo hits a picture perfect moonsault, advancing to the next round!
Winner: Iyo Sky
After Iyo’s victory over Natalya last week, Sky became my pick to win the whole damn tournament and this match with Shayna only further cemented that Iyo should be the next Queen of the Ring. Iyo’s star power has ascended to the same status as that of the 4HW imo.
Lilian Garcia appeared on Raw to guest announce! She sounded great!! She introduced Kofi Kingston while Samantha did her traditional Gunther intro.
Kiana James makes her Raw debut backstage interrupting a conversation between Adam Pearce & Awesome Truth. It’s a brief interaction, and I had to look up what adjudication meant but I’m really looking forward to seeing how Kiana is booked on the red brand.
Lyra Valkyria was backstage for an interview, Becky Lynch passes through early on in the segment thanking Lyra for the help last week. Valkyria is grateful for the support but before she can answer about her match vs. Zoey Stark later tonight, Liv Morgan interjects and welcomes Lyra to Raw. Morgan immediately followed up her greeting by asking if Becky was always such a bitch?! Well, surprise Liv! Cause Becky’s right behind ya! Though I wish the punch Becky threw looked a little bit better, still enjoyed the segment.
QOTR Semi-Finals Match: Lyra Valkyria vs. Zoey Stark
Important bout for both women as this is Lyra’s second match on the main roster after a strong debut defeating Dakota Kai last week. And while Zoey has been used semi-regularly on Raw, she really hasn’t had a breakout moment after her high profile pairing with Trish.
This is another fresh matchup produced by the QOTR tournament and to my delight, the crowd was very much into it! Zoey’s missile dropkick is absolutely killer and Lyra, in her second main roster match, has already established a connection with the crowd. She’s a very emotive performer, so no shocker there. Lyra got the victory here after a competitive match, so we’ll be getting Lyra vs. Iyo in the finals on the Raw side of things.
Winner: Lyra Valkyria
Interview in the ring with the winner! Genuine promo here with Lyra getting caught up in the moment.
Becky Lynch vs. Dakota Kai
I’m never going to complain about a Becky Lynch match on Raw, I just wish Dakota was getting an actual championship opportunity. Going into this match excited bc I love both performers, and I do think it delivered but you could tell both Lynch and Kai were noticeably holding back. The exchange leading up to the Dis-Arm-Her was freaken great but as soon as the match feels like it’s going to pick up, Kairi and Iyo attack for the DQ.
Winner: Becky Lynch
WWE is furthering the story of Damage Control taking over the Raw with Lyra Valkyria ultimately making the save for Becky during the beatdown. After clearing the ring, Liv sneaks in an attack against Becky to close out the segment and women’s action for the week.
Solid week from the Raw Women’s Division as we’re gearing up for the King/Queen of the Ring. I’m not sure what the inclusion of Damage Control means for the outcome of Becky vs. Liv at Clash of the Castle but I’m still rooting for Morgan to be our next World Women’s Champion.
