Well, Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria were WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions for a little more than 24 hours. After their success at WrestleMania 41, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez were able to get their revenge and take the titles back the next night. But what followed was easily predictable, but also the best move for the women’s division.
Immediately after dropping the championship, Becky Lynch turned on Lyra Valkyria, leaving her on her back. That sets things in motion for Lynch to become the top challenger to Valkyria’s WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship. This is the move that will help elevate the women’s division, even if the way WWE reached this point shines a light on how bad the promotion’s booking can be.
Becky Lynch vs Lyra Valkyria should have had a months-long build
On January 30, Fightful Select reported that Becky Lynch was under contract, after spending some time away from the promotion when her last contract expired. WWE elected to keep Lynch off television for nearly three months, bringing her back as the surprise partner for Valkyria.
That booking decision negatively impacted Bayley, who was removed from the show, and Roxanne Perez, who was slated for a major feud against Bayley but that plan was nixed and she was sent back to WWE as many push for her main roster run. Even Gigi Dolin and Tatum Paxley, the number one contenders to the title, would have benefited if their win at Stand & Deliver led to a match at WrestleMania.
The WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship needed a big-name opponent for Valkyria. Both the women’s midcard titles have lacked in-depth angles, and this will hopefully correct the matter for one of them. Lynch versus Valkyria shines a light on both that title and the women competing for it which is what the midcard division needs at this time.
WWE booked Gunther in a strong fashion when he was the WWE Intercontinental Champion. So much so, he was seen as a main-event competitor, and that title was as well. That build translated to Bron Breakker during his run with the belt. Becky Lynch versus Lyra Valkyria has the potential to kick off a similar run for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship, better positioning that title to have a positive impact for more women down the line.