Champions collide as WrestleMania 41 plans remain uncertain for the IC title
Summary
– Lyra Valkyria defeated Bayley to retain the Women’s Intercontinental Championship
– Match featured strong back-and-forth action and a show of respect post-match
– No WrestleMania 41 match announced yet for the Women’s IC Title
WWE RAW rolled into the Target Center in Minneapolis on April 7, with Lyra Valkyria defending the Women’s Intercontinental Championship against Bayley in the night’s opening bout. The match came moments after Adam Pearce confirmed a triple threat for the Women’s World Title at WrestleMania 41.
Lyra and Bayley, scheduled to be tag partners later this week, set that aside as they went all-in for the gold. The match started with grappling and pin attempts before becoming a physical contest. Bayley landed a stiff knee to the face and kept the pressure on through a commercial break.
As the action resumed, Lyra rallied, but Bayley caught her mid-dive with a Bayley-To-Belly on the outside. They narrowly beat the count back into the ring, where the intensity only increased. Lyra survived a sunset flip bucklebomb and a running knee to the face while Bayley kicked out a Nightwing and a fisherman’s buster.
Fans chanted, “this is awesome,” as the match reached its peak. Lyra nearly tapped to a Boston Crab but reversed out, dodged a Rose Plant, and rolled Bayley up for the win.
After the bell, Bayley refused a handshake but returned to hug Lyra, showing mutual respect between the top stars. With WrestleMania 41 fast approaching, the Women’s Intercontinental Title still awaits its official placement.
