First Women’s Intercontinental Champion Crowned on Raw
The WWE Women’s Division continues to make waves in 2025 by crowning new champions and setting new precedents for their division. Tonight on Raw, was another history-making night as Lyra Valkyria became the first ever Women’s Intercontinental Champion. Raw general manager Adam Pearce introduced the new belt on the November 25th episode of Raw and a tournament to determine the inaugural champion started on December 2nd. After seven weeks of hard-fought action, Valkyria defeated Dakota Kai in the tournament finals to etch her name in the record books. Now, with a division that is stacked with talent, it will be interesting to see where the Raw Women’s Division goes from here.
Valkyria defeated Zelina Vega and Ivy Nile in the tournament's first round and Iyo Sky in the semifinals. The former NXT Women’s Champion has tried to find her footing since being called to the main roster after Wrestlemania XL. She competed in the Queen of the Ring Tournament but lost in the finals to Nia Jax. Valkyria then began a rivalry with the Pure Fusion Collective as they tried to bully the rest of the division. Now she finds herself as one of the top champions on Raw with plenty of challengers such as Sky, Raquel Rodriguez, and Natalya vying to take the title from her.
Kai defeated Shayna Baszler and Katana Chance in the first round and Zoey Stark in the semifinals. She represented Damage CTRL well in this tournament and will no doubt be looking for a rematch with Valkyria soon. Kai has been on the shelf due to injuries throughout her time with WWE and was looking for her first big win on the main roster. She will have to regroup and look for opportunities as they come. By being a part of a group she could always go after the Women’s Tag Team titles with Sky while Asuka and Kairi Sane are injured, but she showcased that she could make it on her own as a singles star through her hard work and her persevering attitude.
The WWE did a good job of showcasing these two with vignettes and their overall performances in the tournament. Valkyria is a great choice for the inaugural champion as she is fairly new to the audience and this is a great opportunity to showcase her on the red brand. It was also a smart move to put this match on the second episode of Raw on Netflix as it probably got lost in the shuffle on the debut episode. The introduction of this new belt helps to elevate the division and gives more superstars opportunities to shine just like the Women’s United States Championship does on SmackDown.
