2024 was a monumental year for the world of professional wrestling, from the WWE exit of Vince McMahon to huge signings in AEW. With 2024 officially at an end, many in the world of wrestling are looking back at the year that was.
On X, WWE NXT Tag Team Champion Nathan Frazer reflected on teaming with Axiom, adding that the pair have become like brothers.
2024… it’s been a year that neither of us could have ever predicted.
Somehow we stumbled upon being one of, if not the best tag team in the world right now. And through it all, we’ve legitimately become brothers.
IYO SKY had an impressive 2024, including walking into WrestleMania as Women’s Champion. The Damage CTRL star also competed outside WWE and is ready to do even bigger things in 2025.
2024 was a great year with many of my dreams coming true! I will continue to fly even higher in 2025!????
NXT Superstar Arianna Grace ended 2024 with a party of her own, and hopes that 2025 proves to be as beautiful as the Beauty Pagent queen.
Watching NXT on CW is the best way to bring in the new year. Get your champagne popping to the show, that is also my home, NXT! ???? happy new years my little beauty queens. May your year ahead be as beautiful as me, I love you all so much! @WWENXTpic.twitter.com/oEhohCNseZ
Michin shared that she can’t wait to see what 2025 brings for everyone and included a photo of herself and her husband Keith Lee. The Limitless One has been out of action since December 2023.
Thank you for an incredible 2024! Can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store for us all. Manifesting success !!
This week’s episode of WWE Raw continued the Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament with an intense triple-threat match. Natalya, Alba Fyre, and IYO SKY clashed in the final first-round bout, originally scheduled to include Kairi Sane. However, Sane was sidelined after an attack by Pure Fusion Collective, and SKY stepped in as her replacement.
IYO SKY secured a decisive victory, making Sane proud by defeating Natalya with her signature moonsault. With this win, SKY advances to the next round of the tournament, where she will face Lyra Valkyria. The date for their semi-final matchup has yet to be announced.
On the other side of the bracket, Dakota Kai is set to take on Zoey Stark in another semi-final bout, bringing fans closer to discovering who will be crowned the inaugural Women’s Intercontinental Champion.
WWE has not yet confirmed when the first Women’s Intercontinental Champion will be crowned. In contrast, the finals for the Women’s U.S. Title Tournament took place at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 14, with Chelsea Green becoming the inaugural champion.
The card for Saturday Night’s Main Event continued to grow during this week’s episode of Raw, with two huge title matches announced for the show. In our first match of Raw, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez defeated Damage CTRL’s IYO SKY and Kairi Sane. After the match, Rhea Ripley arrived and attacked Rodriguez, but officials quick came out to break up this post-match brawl.
It was confirmed during Raw that IYO SKY will face Liv Morgan for the Women’s World Championship at Saturday Night’s Main Event next week. SKY won a Battle Royal last month to earn the coveted title shot against the Judgment Day member.
No matter who leaves Saturday Night's Main Event as Women's World Champion…
Raw also saw Finn Balor questioned about attacking Damian Priest at Survivor Series: WarGames, and Finn said he’d take care of Priest since Dominik Mysterio couldn’t. Later in the night, GUNTHER defeated Mysterio, only to be attacked by Balor after the match, with Finn telling Mysterio to watch how things are done.
Backstage, Finn Balor asks Adam Pearce for his title match against Gunther. The Raw General Manager told Balor that they’ll face each other at Saturday Night’s Main Event with the title on the line.
? IT IS OFFICIAL:
GUNTHER will defend his WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP against FINN BALOR at Saturday Night's Main Event! ??#WWERawpic.twitter.com/0RgevN14b4
The 37th Saturday Night’s Main Event will take place on December 14, 2024, from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The show will be WWE’s first SNME televised event since July 2008.
The card for the show so far is as follows:
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Kevin Owens (Undisputed WWE Championship)
Liv Morgan (c) vs. Iyo Sky (WWE Women’s World Championship)
Gunther (c) vs. Finn Bálor (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
Finals Of the WWE Women’s United States Championship Tournament
Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest from Saturday Night’s Main Event, including breaking news and live results from the show.
WWE is setting up a new rivalry on Monday Night Raw between Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan and IYO SKY!
On this week’s episode of Raw, a new number one contender for the Women’s World Championship was crowned, with IYO SKY winning a battle royal to earn the title shot. Bianca Belair was the final competitor eliminated, marking an exciting finish to the match.
Morgan has held the Women’s World Championship since May, after Rhea Ripley was forced to vacate the title due to an injury she sustained in a prior feud with Morgan. Although Ripley and Morgan were embroiled in a heated rivalry, that storyline has been paused for now due to Ripley’s injury.
As of this writing, WWE has yet to announce an official date for the title bout between SKY and Morgan, though potential events include Survivor Series: WarGames on November 30 or Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 14.
WWE NXT No Mercy 2024 is officially in the history books and proved once again to be another exciting night from WWE’s gold brand. Not only were titles on the line and the partnership with TNA Wrestling on full display, but the show also saw the long-awaited NXT arrival of Giulia!
Giulia’s arrival has had the wrestling world talking and for good reason. On Twitter, Kairi Sane, who has worked with Giulia in the past, made clear she’s keeping a close eye on WWE’s newest signing.
NXT General Manager Ava shared a photo of herself, WWE SVP of Talent Developmental Shawn Michaels, and Giulia. A single handshake emoji shows that fans can expect plenty of Giulia in NXT.
Damage CTRL’s IYO SKY is also pleased to see Giulia join WWE. The former WWE Women’s Champion shared a photo of herself and Giulia following the latter’s debut. Judging by the attires, this photo was taken at the Marigold Summer Destiny show SKY was a part of.
And Giulia herself has gotten in on the reactions. In a tweet of her own, the new signing made clear that she sees Roxanne Perez and the NXT Women’s Championship.
The first-ever WWE Speed Women’s Champion will be decided in a tournament. This week, fans got their first look at the Superstars who have the chance to etch their name in the history books.
Fans at this week’s SmackDown didn’t have to wait long to see WWE Speed women’s division matches. During a dark match, Lyra Valkyria took on IYO SKY. The tournament will begin airing on X on September 4.
WWE Speed consists of three-minute matches meaning Superstars have to waste no time in order to score a victory over their opponent. Matches for the Men’s WWE Speed Championship are granted a five-minute limit. Ricochet was the first WWE Speed Champion but he has since lost the gold to current champion (and longest reigning champion) Andrade.
WWE’s Fastest Matches
Three minutes may not seem like a lot of time, but there are some matches that more than fit this time limit. On the September 4, 2000, episode of Raw, Chris Jericho and Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler defeated Tazz and Mideon, with Lawler getting the roll-up over Tazz and his team winning in three seconds.
Aliyah scored a 3.17-second win over Natalya during a January 2022, edition of SmackDown. WWE would lean heavily into the win, with the now former Superstar receiving an ‘Aliyah 3:17’ shirt to celebrate her victory. Aliyah was released from WWE in 2023 though, so don’t expect her to be racking up wins on WWE Speed.
Both AJ Styles and IYO SKY were successful in this week’s matches that took place outside of WWE as the company continues to work with other promotions.
For Styles, he defeated Naomichi Marufuji at Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Destination 2024 event. This match marked Styles’ first non-WWE match in eight-and-a-half years and his first time ever competing for NOAH. Styles had quite the entrance that saw him don a black mask; a staple of his time competing in Japan.
— ?????????? ?PRO WRESTLING NOAH (@noah_ghc) July 13, 2024
Despite a valiant effort by Marufuji, a three-time GHC World Champion, it was Styles who got the win with his Styles Clash. After the match, Styles and Marufuji shared a sign of respect in the ring by bowing to each other.
Styles wasn’t the only top WWE name in action outside of the company today. IYO SKY competed in her first non-WWE match since 2017 at the Marigold ‘Summer Destiny’ event. At the show, SKY defeated Utami Hayashishita.
It remains to be seen what companies WWE will work with next, though many feel it is likely under the post-McMahon administration. In the meantime, WWE NXT will continue to welcome TNA talent and don’t be surprised if we see Superstars appearing outside the Sports Entertainment juggernaut.
It’s a new era for women’s wrestling in WWE and a ‘fun fact’ about this year’s Queen of the Ring tournament shows exactly how far we’ve come: one match from this year’s tournament lasted longer than the sum of all of the matches in the entire 2021 competition.
Since taking over WWE from Vince McMahon, Triple H has made significant strides in advancing the company, particularly the women’s division. While McMahon’s era initiated the Women’s Revolution, Triple H has amplified its momentum. The 2024 Queen & King of the Ring tournament exemplifies this progress, capturing fans’ attention.
This week on WWE RAW, fans witnessed an intense match where IYO Sky faced Lyra Valkyria. The bout was a highlight, as Lyra emerged victorious, setting her up to face the winner of Bianca Belair and Nia Jax on SmackDown for the Queen of the Ring crown.
The match between IYO Sky and Lyra Valkyria captivated audiences and achieved a significant milestone. It was longer than all the matches from the 2021 Queen of the Ring tournament combined. The IYO Sky vs. Lyra Valkyria match lasted approximately 19 minutes, surpassing the 18 minutes total of the 2021 tournament matches.
2021 Queen of the Ring
In the 2021 Queen of the Ring tournament, Zelina Vega emerged victorious over Doudrop, celebrating her win after a 5:55 match with a crown and scepter. She also briefly adopted a British accent. Unfortunately, Vega couldn’t participate in the 2024 tournament due to injury. However, the current tournament reflects a renewed focus on the women’s division, providing more time and spotlight than ever before.
This renewed emphasis on the women’s division under Triple H’s leadership is evident. The 2024 Queen & King of the Ring tournament showcases the talent and potential within the division, promising an exciting future for WWE’s female Superstars.
2021 Queen of the Ring tournament bracket via Wikipedia
WWE will get closer to crowning a new King and Queen of the Ring on the May 20 edition of WWE RAW. Tonight’s edition of Raw from North Carolina’s historic Greensboro Coliseum will see a continuation of the men’s and women’s tournaments. If you’re in the area, tickets for the show are still available at Ticketmaster.
The King and Queen of the Ring Tournaments tournaments began on May 6 and will conclude this Saturday at at the Jeddah Dome in Saudi Arabia. This will be the first Premium Live Event to be named after the tournaments since WWE King of the Ring 2002.
On the men’s side of things, GUNTHER will take on Jey Uso for a place in the finals in Jeddah. GUNTHER reached this spot with victories over his old rival Sheamus as well as Kofi Kingston. Jey reached the semi-finals with wins over Finn Balor and Ilja Dragunov.
Jey Uso vs. Gunther in the King of the Ring Semifinals
For the Queen of the Ring Tournament semi-finals, Lyra Valkyria will take on IYO SKY. The recently called-up Valkyria reached this spot in the tournament with wins over Dakota Kai and Zoey Stark. SKY has rebounded from her loss at WrestleMania 40 by advancing with wins over Natalya and Shayna Baszler.
In non-tournament action, we’ll see Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn battle Chad Gable in a non-title match. These two and Bronson Reed will compete for Zayn’s title this weekend.
Other top feuds headed into the PLE include Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. United States Champion Logan Paul and Liv Morgan challenging Becky Lynch for the Women’s World Championship.
Keep checking back to SEScoops for more coverage of tonight’s WWE Raw, including all the news coming out of the show afterwards.
Catch up on the Top 10 moments from last week’s show:
Rossy Ogawa is hoping to bring some of the top women of WWE to his new Marigold promotion in what could be the start of a long-term partnership.
Marigold was officially launched earlier this week and comes mere months after Ogawa’s departure from STARDOM, which he also founded. Ogawa has denied the claim from STARDOM’s parent company Bushiroad that he was ‘poaching’ talent from the all-female promotion.
In an interview with Tokyo Sports, Ogawa spoke about WWE and how the company is host to some of the names he worked with in STARDOM including Kairi Sane and IYO SKY. Ogawa added that he’d like to invite names from WWE to do something with MARIGOLD down the line. WrestleMania week was not kind to SKY or Sane as the former lost the WWE Women’s Championship to Bayley while the latter was on the losing-side of a six-woman tag-team match.
Ogawa even went on to tease that Marigold could become a feeder system for WWE in the future. He stated that perhaps Marigold will be a “ranch” for talent ahead of a move to WWE.
The idea of WWE and Ogawa working together isn’t all that farfetched. After all, Ogawa was present at WWE NXT Stand & Deliver and was seen alongside Giulia, who shared a photo of herself shaking hands with Triple H backstage. The former NJPW Strong Women’s Champion is expected to join WWE, but she will be appearing for Marigold first to help the company get off the ground.
For decades, WWE was vehemently against working with other promotions but that attitude has considerably softened in recent years. From Mickie James and Jordynne Grace being in Royal Rumble matches to talent like Charlie Dempsey, Shayna Baszler, and Shinsuke Nakamura being allowed the chance to compete outside of WWE’s confines, there is certainly a new stance on working with other companies.
WWE President Nick Khan is said to be seriously considering potential collaborations with other promotions, though nothing has been publicly confirmed just yet. Even AEW President Tony Khan isn’t against the idea as he told ComicBook.com that collaborating with WWE is an “interesting thought” and would “depend on the circumstance.”
Bayley’s revenge on Damage CTRL saw the Role Model capture the WWE Women’s Championship at WWE WrestleMania 40: Sunday.
In the penultimate match of the night, Bayley and SKY held nothing back. Bayley would kick out after SKY hit the moonsault, but SKY would counter out of the Role Model’s Rose Plant finisher. After Bayley hit an elbow from the top rope, Bayley’s second attempt at the Rose Plant would be successful and see her get the win and the WWE Women’s Championship.
You can check out some highlights from the match below.
This match marked Bayley’s first singles match at WrestleMania, eight years after making her WrestleMania debut in 2016. The match also marked the first singles match at WrestleMania for IYO SKY.
The Road to Bayley Vs. IYO SKY
SKY had held the WWE Women’s Championship since SummerSlam 2023. The Genius of the Sky cashed in her Money in the Bank contract on Bianca Belair, who had won the title from Asuka in a triple threat that also included Charlotte Flair.
Bayley’s Road to WrestleMania 40 saw the Role Model become the seventh winner of the Women’s Royal Rumble match. Not only did Bayley win the match, but she also broke the record for the longest duration in a single Women’s Royal Rumble match.
Jade Cargill made her presence felt on this week’s SmackDown and we may be seeing more of the impressive talent as we get closer to WrestleMania 40.
During this week’s SmackDown, Dakota Kai turned on Bayley and made clear that she was on the side of Damage CTRL. This came after Bayley and Kai challenged the Kabuki Warriors for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. Kai, Asuka, Kairi Sane, and IYO SKY delivered a sickening four-on-one attack on the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble winner.
Jade Cargill Responds
Jade Cargill was also a part of this week’s SmackDown and came face to face with IYO SKY. The inaugural AEW TBS Champion once again exhumed confidence as she has throughout her wrestling career.
Taking to Twitter after SmackDown, Jade Cargill said what happened on the show was not right and said that someone like IYO SKY shouldn’t be holding a “belt” for acting this way. Moments later, the ex-AEW star corrected herself, stating that the WWE Women’s Champion held by SKY is “MY belt.”
Cargill’s comments certainly imply that she’s supporting Bayley in this feud. It isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that Cargill could get physical and back the Role Model up. It’d certainly be fitting for Cargill to have a role on the road to WrestleMania, given that WWE clearly sees her as a potential top star.
Jade Cargill on SmackDown
Cargill appeared on SmackDown shortly after signing with WWE in 2023. During her segment, she came face-to-face with Charlotte Flair. At the time, it was speculated that a feud was being planned, potentially with a match at WrestleMania. If that was the plan, it’ll have been scrapped as Flair will miss most of 2023 due to a leg injury.
As of today, SKY has reached 200 days as WWE Women’s Champion. The Damage CTRL member has now held the title for longer than some of WWE’s top stars who held the title when it was the Raw Women’s Champion. Superstars SKY has surpassed include Sasha Banks, Nia Jax, Nikki Cross/A.S.H, Bayley, and current WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley.
IYO SKY’s Title Reign By the Numbers
Since capturing the gold at SummerSlam, SKY has defended the title 28 times. Six of these matches have taken place on TV or Premium Live Events with the rest being at untelevised live events. SKY’s most recent televised title match saw her retain against ‘Michin’ Mia Yim on the New Year’s Revolution edition of SmackDown last month.
CM Punk was on hand in the T-Mobile Arena as WWE brought their WrestleMania kickoff press conference. It was quite an event, one that concluded with a huge cliffhanger.
During his time at the event, CM Punk addressed a camera, where he let it be known that Bayley deserves more love. She wasn’t featured on promotional material, nor was she present at the T-Mobile Arena for the big event in Las Vegas. Punk believes that Bayley is more than deserving of a WrestleMania spotlight.
“I really need to, as a broadcast journalist, I really need to talk about Bayley, and how she won the Royal Rumble for the women, and she wasn’t represented on the poster, I felt like she needed a presence there. Got caught up talking about The Rock and Reigns and Cody and Seth and all that, but very much in the mix is Bayley who won the Royal Rumble and you need to put some respect on her name.”
“Very much in the main event mix is Bayley she won the Rumble don’t forget it put some respect on her name”
Bayley decided to face IYO Sky at WrestleMania 40. Rhea Ripley made reference to this during the WrestleMania kickoff show event, but she actually referenced IYO with the last name Shirai, which hasn’t been the name she’s used since her main roster call-up. We will have to see where Bayley vs IYO falls on the WrestleMania card, but CM Punk is definitely pulling for them to get a good spot.
CM Punk is injured, and he will have to set out this year’s show of shows. This is sad, but at least he is around to provide his two cents on how this year’s event is taking shape.
Bayley won the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble, and she made history in the process. This week on WWE SmackDown, she made a big decision about her WrestleMania future.
Bayley Makes A Big Decision
Bayley took to the ring along with Damage CTRL this week on SmackDown. She had a big decision to make about the showcase of the immortals, and the fans in Alabama were there to cheer her on.
After making a point that she’s done everything she can at WrestleMania, competing for both singles titles, tag team gold, and even hosting the event, the Damage CTRL member got around to making her decision. She, of course, gave credit to her Damage CTRL stable for standing by her side the whole time, through thick and thin.
She teased facing Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania, but then she turned her focus to her stable. Then Bayley confronted them for laughing at her. She spouted off a bit of Japanese at them, for all the times they talked about her behind her back.
Bayley said she just wanted Damage CTRL to be the best, to take things to the top as a stable. She asked IYO Sky what happened. Then Kairi Sane and Asuka jumped Bayley from behind. Finally, Bayley retrieved a lead pipe, and that helped her fight off the three-on-one attack.
Bayley will take on IYO Sky at WrestleMania 40. She has a story to tell, and now she has a grudge to settle after this violent breakup. She told Sky that they will meet at WrestleMania, and that drew a big response from the crowd.
In the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble match, Bayley joined from the #3 position after Natalya and the returning Naomi. Supported by her Damage CTRL allies Asuka and Kairi Sane, Bayley achieved a historic feat.
She not only emerged victorious in the match but also set a record for the longest run in a singles Women’s Royal Rumble, lasting over one hour and three minutes. Her remarkable performance concluded with the elimination of Morgan, securing her win in the match.
The dream team of WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Becky Lynch and Lita, and Trish Stratus, are looking to shut Damage CTRL up for good at WrestleMania 39.
Last month, Lita made her return to WWE to aid Lynch in a steel cage match against Bayley, which had originally been scheduled for the Raw is XXX event.
On last week’s Raw, Lynch and Lita dethroned Dakota Kai and IYO SKY to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, the first title for Lita since 2006.
While Bayley tried to interfere in that match, the returning Trish Stratus (who had been scheduled for the previous week’s Raw but didn’t appear) neutralized the Role Model.
WrestleMania 39
On this week’s Raw, the new champions and Stratus celebrated the victory but were quickly interrupted by Damage CTRL
Stratus then challenged Damage CTRL to a six-woman-tag team match and made it clear that she wanted to shut Bayley up once and for all.
Bayley accepted the challenge on behalf of her team.
The WrestleMania match will mark Stratus’ first match since SummerSlam 2019, when she lost to Charlotte Flair in Canada.
Surprisingly, this will mark the second in-ring WrestleMania appearance for Lita, after she challenged for the WWF Women’s Championship at WrestleMania X8.
Double-Booked?
The announcement of Lynch, Lita and Stratus against Damage CTRL at WrestleMania is an interesting one, given that this isn’t the match many expected.
It has been reported that WWE’s plan initially was for Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships at the two-night event in April.
Despite Rousey aggravating an injury (which is why she was in a sling on last Friday’s SmackDown,) she is expected to be fully healed in time for WrestleMania.
There is the possibility that the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions could compete on both nights, a feat Tamina Snuka and Natalya achieved at WrestleMania 37 in 2021.
A long-asked question about IO Shirai’s name change may have gotten answered.
WWE surprised wrestling fans with the return of IYO Sky (FKA IO Shirai) at Summerslam on July 30, 2022. She made her return alongside Bayley and Dakota Kai to confront Becky Lynch and Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair. At the time, the commentators referred to Sky by her former name. However, the next night she had her name changed to what it is today.
The company has yet to share why it wanted Sky to change her name publicly. Name-changing in WWE happens on a case-by-case basis for new talent. However, Sky’s name seems to result in WWE wanting to own her IO Shirai, according to wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer.
Meltzer was asked a question on Twitter about why WWE changed Sky’s name, which he answered, “They wanted to own her WWE name, and she had used the name Io Shirai her entire career, so they couldn’t own it.” Someone also asked why Chelsea Green, who returned at the Royal Rumble on Jan 28; however, Meltzer has yet to respond.
What’s Next For IYO SKY?
(WWE)
It seems that Sky is headed for a big match alongside her tag team partner Kai at WrestleMania 39. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter on Feb. 6 reported that Sky and Kai would defend their Women’s Tag Team Championship against Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler at the event.
While this is the reported plan WWE has, the company hasn’t acknowledged or hinted that the match will happen. Rousey is also not involved in any storylines at the moment. She lost the Smackdown Women’s Championship to Charlotte Flair at the Friday Night Smackdown episode on Dec. 30, 2022. Although WWE could’ve had Rousey challenge Flair in a rematch, it doesn’t seem like it will happen.
If Sky and Kai are defending their titles against Rousey and Baszler, WWE fans should expect a build to the match soon.
Dakota Kai made her shocking return to WWE at Summerslam 2022 as part of Damage CTRl, but plans for the group were originally much different.
Damage CTRL, consisting of Kai, IYO SKY, and Bayley, debuted at the July 30 event, in Bayley’s first appearance on WWE TV in over a year.
Since debuting, the group has captured the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships twice and Bayley has challenged for the Raw Women’s Championship.
Original Plans
Bayley had planned on a stable for years, but the Role Model’s plans were only realized earlier this year.
Appearing on the Getting Over podcast, Kai explained how the original line-up for the group had many different members.
“When she [Bayley first mentioned it to me a couple of years…it was myself, Candice LeRae and Tegan [Nox.] Those were the ones that were from the start. And obviously things that happened from then until now, everything changes.”
Dakota Kai.
Kai later explained how a more recent roster for Damage CTRL included herself, SKY, Alba Fyre, and Raquel Rodriguez.
The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion said that this group would have been “epic” but she is equally pleased to team with Bayley and SKY.
What’s Next for Damage CTRL?
After the group’s debut, Bayley set her sights on Bianca Belair, but failed to dethrone the Raw Women’s Champion.
At Survivor Series: WarGames, Team Damage lost to Team Bianca, seemingly marking the end of the feud.
On this week’s Raw, IYO SKY and Dakota Kai brawled with Becky Lynch, starting the group’s newest feud.
Lynch returned to WWE after four months away as the fifth member of Team Bianca and scored the pinfall for her team inside WarGames.
It looks like IYO SKY may have to take some time off from in-ring action.
Team Belair (Bianca Belair, Asuka, Alexa Bliss, Mia Yim & Becky Lynch) beat Team Bayley (Bayley, IYO SKY, Dakota Kai, Nikki Cross & Rhea Ripley) in the first-ever Women’s WarGames match on the main roster at this past Saturday’s Survivor Series event.
During this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw, it was stated that SKY was not cleared to compete although she did appear on the show for a brawl segment by the concession stands. As seen below in the video, WWE was very careful with her, and she did not take any bumps or shots to the neck.
The Shot
SKY did wear a neck brace during the segment. The company didn’t say whether SKY will be off TV or what the severity is of her neck issues. If it was something very serious, she likely would not have been out there for the backstage brawl segment.
IYO formed the group with Kai and Bayley at this year’s SummerSlam event after Belair retained the Raw Women’s Title over Lynch.
We wish SKY a speedy recovery and look forward to her in-ring return.
Posted November 29th, 2022 in WWE, News. Tagged: IYO SKY.
Nikki Cross may be aligned with Damage CTRL, but the group isn’t ready to welcome her as a member just yet.
Cross returned to WWE programming on the October 24, 2022 Raw, reverting to the unhinged persona she had used in NXT.
The former Raw Women’s Champion has ditched her Superhero character and the Nikki A.S.H. name.
Damage CTRL
Despite attacking Bayley during her return, Cross has been on the same side as the Role Model and Damage CTRL since then.
At WWE Crown Jewel, Cross interfered to help Dakota Kai and IYO SKY recapture the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships from Alexa Bliss and Asuka.
Fightful Select reports that on WWE’s internal listings before this week’s Raw, Cross was not listed as a member of the stable.
On this week’s Raw, IYO SKY defeated Dana Brooke, while Bayley, Kai, and Cross were ringside, though Cross did not seem interested in what was going on in the ring.
WarGames
Cross is not an official member of the Damage CTRL stable, but she will soon be entering WarGames with Bayley, Kai, and SKY.
On Raw, it was confirmed that Rhea Ripley will be joining the four for WWE’s upcoming Premium Live Event.
The group will face Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim, and one final teammate yet to be named.
While it is believed that Candice LeRae will be the final member of the group, that has yet to be confirmed on TV.
Dakota Kai and IYO SKY are once again the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions as they dethroned Alexa Bliss and Asuka.
The title change happened at the WWE Crown Jewel premium live event from Saudi Arabia. This was a rematch that saw Kai and SKY dominate the major of the match until Bliss got the hot tag and cleared house.
It looked like Bliss was on her way to retaining the titles, but Nikki Cross appeared from nowhere to hit a DDT from the top rope to Bliss, allowing Kai to pin her for the win. The referee didn’t see the outside interference because the referee was busy dealing with a brawl between Asuka and SKY.
Bliss and Asuka won the titles during this week’s Raw, in what was Asuka’s first televised match in close to two months. It marked an important milestone for Asuka and Bliss as it was both women’s third reign as Tag Champions (albeit with different partners) and the third partner for Asuka, who previously held gold with KAIRI and Charlotte Flair.
Kai and SKY were champions for 49 days before the title change happened on Monday’s Raw.
What are your thoughts on Kai and SKY winning back the Women’s Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
New WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Asuka and Alexa Bliss won’t have long to savor their win, as the titles will be up for grabs at this Saturday’s Crown Jewel.
Bliss and Asuka won the titles during this week’s Raw, in what was Asuka’s first televised match in close to two months.
This marks both women’s third reign as Tag Champions (albeit with different partners) and the third partner for Asuka, who previously held gold with KAIRI and Charlotte Flair.
The Rematch
Just five days after winning the titles, Asuka and Bliss will put the Women’s Tag Team Championships on the line against Damage CTRL.
Bliss and Asuka will face former Champions Dakota Kai and IYO SKY, who had a 49-day reign before it was ended this week.
On Twitter, Damage CTRL’s Bayley added that she will “stop at nothing” to make things right for the group.
Bayley will also compete at Crown Jewel, where she will face Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair for the gold in a Last Woman Standing match.
Crown Jewel 2022 will mark the first time Asuka, SKY, and Kai have competed at a Saudi Arabia event.
Crown Jewel 2022
In addition to these two title matches, WWE Crown Jewel will see Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defend against Logan Paul.
The O.C. will be in action against the Judgment Day while Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley will have their long-awaited rematch from January.
Drew McIntyre will face Karrion Kross inside a Steel Cage, as the Scottish Warrior seeks to finally defeat his nemesis.
The Usos will put the Undisputed WWE Tag Titles on the line against the Brawling Brutes while Braun Strowman will have a meeting of the giants with Omos.
At Summerslam 2022, Io Shirai received her call-up to WWE’s main roster, appearing alongside Bayley and Dakota Kai.
Upon her call-up, Shirai was given the name IYO SKY, and has picked up tag-team victories so far on Monday Night Raw.
The Name Change
When WWE changed Io Shirai to IYO SKY, some fans were confused as to why the change took place.
Given that the Raw Superstar’s real name is Masami Odate, it is certain that the change wasn’t due to WWE’s policy of banning real names, which has led to Gunther, Butch and others having their names altered.
“I think that the image of the former ‘Shirai’ is conveyed in kanji to Japanese people, but that’s not the case in the United States. I think it’s a good name because the image is conveyed by adding ‘Sky’ there.”
SKY added that changing Io to IYO also makes things easier for those reading her name.
“Some people misread it because it looked like a lowercase letter L and O (lo), or it looked like a number. I think it became easier to understand with ‘IYO’ in all capital letters.”
What’s next for IYO SKY?
Earlier this year, it was reported that SKY (then Shirai) was expected to leave the company when her contract was set to expire.
Now, not only is that not the case, but she and Dakota Kai will face Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez on next week’s Raw to crown the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Bayley, SKY, and Kai will face Alexa Bliss, Asuka, and Raw Women’s Championship Bianca Belair at WWE Clash at the Castle next week.
It appears that the stable of Bayley, IYO SKY (Io Shirai), and Dakota Kai has a name.
SummerSlam Shakes Up The Women’s Division
Last night, at SummerSlam, Becky Lynch challenged for Bianca Belair’s Raw Women’s Title in the opening match. Belair picked up the win after 15 minutes of back and forth action.
Last night after SummerSlam, WWE posted a post-show interview with Bayley, Dakota Kai, and IYO SKY after their surprise return. However, the trio did not say much about their actions last night.
Bayley’s Stable Name Revealed?
This afternoon, Bayley tweeted out a photo of the group with the caption “CONTROL.” The tweet was retweeted by the official WWE account. The name is not confirmed but we might not have to wait too long to find out more because the trio is scheduled to appear this Monday night on Raw so we should know more in just over 24 hours.
Bayley followed up that tweet by quoting Janet Jackson.
Here is the Janet Jackson quote she included in a follow-up tweet:
"This is a story about control
My control
Control of what I say
Control of what I dp
And this time, I'm gonna do it my way
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do
Are we ready?
I am
'Cause it's all about control
And I've got lots of it” -
@JanetJackson
@WWE"
“This is a story about control My control Control of what I say Control of what I do And this time, I'm gonna do it my way I hope you enjoy this as much as I do Are we ready? I am 'Cause it's all about control And I've got lots of it” – @JanetJackson@WWE
As noted earlier, it looks like Bayley’s faction will feud with Lynch, Belair and possibly one other woman but a possible injury may force WWE to change their plans.
What do you think the faction should be name? Let SEScoops know here!
