[7.0] "The tournament finals match to crown the first ever Women's IC Champion, and folks, this was a really good one here. Reviewing this months later knowing Dakota Kai got released feels bad. Both these ladies are great workers, and a part of me was certainly rooting for a Dakota win here; although I can admit that Lyra winning was probably the right call. If it wasn't for the opener this would've been match of the night."
[10.0] "The match is amazing! Dakota GTK was very good! The suplex was awesome! The back & forth sequence was amazing. Their chemistry is undeniable. I hate that I need to write a lot, for my rating. I think Dakota deserved it more. And Dakota's stomp looked very painful. The Suplex!"
[8.0] "Such an amazing match, this was by far Dakota MR best match, highly competitive and had some great moments such as the Fisherman Suplex on the floor. The winner was easily the right choice too"
[7.0] "A super solid match to crown the first WWE Women's Intercontinental Champion. I was thinking they would get more time, considering the rumors of this being moved from the Netflix debut episode in order to give it more time. I really think the time used for the match between The Miz and Sami Zayn following this could have been used here, but I would rather have this then the probably microsecond they would have gotten the week prior."
[6.0] "I've been a fan of Lyra since her incredible performance at King of the Ring, where she practically carried Nia Jax on her back, and once again, she did well here. Dakota is also a solid worker, so the match was well-executed, but at the same time it didn't quite feel like the finals of a tournament."
[10.0] "I liked this fight. It was very good and I didn't feel like I was bored while watching it. I was curious and very impatient. I wanted to know who would win the fight. Both wrestlers showed very good strategies to take down their opponent. Although they are not my favorites, they were really fun to watch. Fight 10/10"
[7.0] "This was a really good match... I just wish Dakota won but that's neither here nor there. There were some really cool moments in this match like Lyra rolling out of the ring after Dakota's finisher and the insane suplex to the outside of the ring. Overall, I loved this, I just wish they got some more time too."
[6.0] "They've put in a few nice spots, especially as these are two performers who really know what they're doing. Unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact that the match doesn't have enough structure for me to give it a higher rating. And that in turn can easily be broken down to the rather short match time. It's okay, but there was potential for more."
[7.0] "What a match between Dakota and Lyra. Both proved why they deserve to be the first Women's IC Champion. That duplex on the floor was insane and hurt my back just watching it. Lyra winning was the right choice honestly, no hate on Dakota Kai, but sooner or later, she'll win the title."
[7.0] "A really solid match and great look for Lyra, but the crowd seemed somewhat flat for the moment. The bump from the apron to the floor was nasty and the spot of the match in my opinion. Great performance from both and no less than 3.5 stars."
[7.0] "***.75 Banger of a sprint, still holds up as one of the better women's watches this year as well. Unfortunately HHH hasn't followed up on Lyra's win very well so far"
[7.0] "I'm a bit that Kai had to be on the losing side but on the bright side, it was great to see Lyra go over and win beating Shirai and Kai back to back. That is one hell of an achievement and worth boasting about. I liked the technical aspect of the match, it had hard-hitting element too. The pace was steady and the flow was natural and soothing. Enjoyed the match ***3/4"
[5.0] "The crowd didn't treat this match as anything important, which was unfortunate because both wrestlers have their fans and it had important stakes - there's only one chance to crowd the first champion. The match itself was about big moves and near-falls with not a whole lot between the moves, Kai bumped really well for Valkyria, but her offense isn't as explosive as it used to be, father time is still undefeated. **3/4"
[6.0] "Would not have minded a longer match as it felt empty. Props for the massive spot from the apron to the floor! It got the attention and response it deserved. But that was the only big highlight. It's a shame that Lyra does not have any charisma. Her body language and facial expressions are so off during the match, but she is technically a lot better than Dakota, so I'm happy with the result."
[8.0] "This was one of the best Women's matches I have seen in ages. Great match, they made the I.C title feel big and important, can't wait to see where they go next!"
[8.0] "[****] a good fight to crown Lyra Valkyria as the new women's intercontinental champion, a fight that started quickly, lost a bit of rhythm going into the middle of the fight, but managed to find itself again, congratulations to Lyra Valkyria, and we can't underestimate Dakota Kai's great work either"
[7.0] "An all-action sprint, this babyface shootout kicked off the IC Title lineage in style. Mechanically, Valkyria really is terrific and Kai's offence appears to be sharper by the week, aggressively accompanying her already magnificent bumping. While I understand the calls for something longer, I thought this actively benefitted from the length, trimming all the fat and emphasising excitement. ***1/2"
[7.0] "While watching this match I at first was questioning why the rating was lower than expected and then the match ended so quickly. What a travesty. This match could have been something but if they aren't going to give it time than it doesn't deserve a high mark. A do need to point out how great some of the spots were. That bump to the outside was fantastic."
[6.0] "*** (06/10) I'm happy for Lyra, but (much like the finals to the Women's U.S. title), the match was too short for it's own good! I'm just nitpicking right now, but the reason may be a valid one, since we're at a time when we want for equality to be the societal norm, but it's still evident that there's ways to go when it comes to leveling the playing field between the Men and Women of Pro-Wrestling."
[6.0] "Good match here, the only thing I really don't like about it is that it was too short, but it was still very enjoyable to watch, congrats to Lyra to becoming the inagural champion."
[7.0] "3.75/5. Another great match on this show and really great sprint here. These two packed a lot into their time and it was awesome. Real glad Lyra won."
[9.0] "This was a great final match to crown the first ever WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship. Lyra and Dakota delivered big time here. It was an amazing competitive match and any of them could win the match."
[7.0] "That apron back drop to the floor was insane. Valkyria's mat work is impressive, as is Dakota's stomp that causes Valkyria to roll outside. Valkyria gathering some fight after rolling outside was impressive. In all I'd put this in that 7 category where I feel like it's great, but not an 8 level where I'm actively looking at it and not wanting to miss a single moment because it's so exhaustively amazing. Still a great way to get a new mid-card belt started."
[7.0] "(Grade:C/***1/2) The first ever women's intercontinental championship match & it was quite enjoyable! Both women are both deserving to be in this position, Lyra has that rising stock being the fresh newcomer and Dakota being the more long-tenure star often overshadow in stables & tag teams. they wrestled this match at a swift pace and kept the momentum going especially after that nasty looking suplex from the apron onto the floor! Lyra working over Dakota back and sort of launched her up in the air whilst doing a hold which was neat! Both women fought valiantly and I was rooting for Dakota to get the victory. However, Lyra becoming the 1st Women's IC Champion is good to see. my only complaints is which the match could've gotten a bit longer."
[8.0] "This was a really good sprint. I this both women are great, so I was thrilled to see them get this spotlight. The superplex from the apron to the outside was an obvious highlight, but the entire closing stretch was fire. Kai-ropractor. Liger bomb. Leg drop. GTK. Then the finish. Terrific stuff. I wish the announce team did a better job of telling us why it was so fast-paced though as it would've added to the match. Run it back."
[8.0] "I hollered loudly when the floor suplex happened. I mean, goodness gracious that was brutal. Both ladies really sold that this title was something worth fighting for."
[7.0] "Strong performance from both women. The quality of the match shows why women's midcard belts were necessary. Either winner would of been very deserving."
[7.0] "I was not expecting Dakota Kai vs. Lyra Valkyria to be this good but man they absolutely delivered. I was not expecting to see an Outside superplex during this match but man that shocked me and it looked absolutely painful. Great counters and great back and forth between these two women. Just fast and constant action. This should be the workrate Women's belt and now that it is in Lyra's hands. It should be treated that way. [***1/2]"
[7.0] "[3.25*] Very good match, but way too short for my taste. It is impressive that the match is a 7/10 for me with only 8 minutes, but it really could have been a TV MOTYC with 15+ minutes. Wrong winner imo."
[8.0] "Now Lyra Valkyria and Dakota Kai put on a good show. Now if the Damian Priest match didn't happen this would have been the best match on the card."
[9.0] "I knew deep down they were going to go with Lyra as the winner, but I held out hope for it to be Dakota. I fully understand why they chose Lyra, and I think she will be able to be a fighting champ with this belt. Back to the match itself, both women were sharp and deliberate with their offense. It had to be tough being on the same card as the red hot Penta vs Gable match, and the spectacle the street fight between Finn and Damian turned into. The suplex from the apron to the floor was very much the highlight for me."
[7.0] "[***3/4] Both women break grabs and are generally athletic, mostly countering drivers, stomps and more. Dakota intercepts Valkyria's dropkick through the rope until Valkyria DOES A SUPLEX ONTO THE FLOOR? Lyra works Dakota's back and leg presses her like 5 feet away from her. Dakota does a kick to the corner and does a...destroyer backstabber? Lyra hits a smooth sit-down powerbomb and just pieces up Dakota. Dakota Kai has just been surviving throughout this match. Dakota hits the stomp AND the GTK, but can't pin Lyra for the win as Lyra rolled to the outside. Lyra counters Dakota's kick and hits the Nightwing to win the title. Dakota's booking was honestly fantastic here as she wasn't made to look weak as she had Lyra beat until she rolled out of the ring. Fun match."
[7.0] "Swift pace to this one, fast, constant action for the first three minutes of this. The break spot is an insane suplex from the apron to the floor. Both girls hit hard. There's a crazy backbreaker spot an then a stout powerbomb. Interspersed in these throws are some clever counters. A little clunkiness to this, but it's pretty impressive. These two sure like to scream. Kai hits her finish but bird lady rolls out of the ring. Not soon after this and another clever counter, Kai eats Lyra's finish and it's all over. There were some really clever sequences in there but transitions between spots had the aforementioned clunkiness. Nonetheless, it had a lot of clever moves in it and was a good face-on-face matchup. Big win for the inaugural women's IC champ."
[5.0] "I swear, I am trying so, so hard to get in the collective hype for Dakota Kai but I just can't. I don't care about her character one bit, I think the majority of her moveset is soft and sloppy (Like that horrible «helluva kick» type of kick) and she's always injured. So I was already not interested when the match started. And I have to call the poor booking decision, even if I'm really not a fan of Kai like I said, and I understand that it would have been risky to put the title on her, since she is so injury prone, still everybody besides me like her and wanted her to win. Please papa H read the room."
[7.0] "I wish this match could've happened as seamlessly as Penta/Gable just because of the historical significance it holds, but from what was conspired, I enjoyed it so much. Both women deserved to be in that position, and it could've been anyone's ball game. Lyra needed to steer her profile to the higher ranks and Dakota wanted to prove her worth as a solo prospect, hence I would've felt happy irrespective of the result. 3.5 out of 5 stars!"
[8.0] "A short but very good match! Lyra definitely showed how she is the right choice for the first woman to win the traditional workhorse belt. Also, pretty funny seeing people trying to downplay both her and the match because she won."
[8.0] "Very good match, both women knew how to turn 8 short minutes into something memorable. The suplex to the outside of the ring, the Kai-ropractic, the facial expressions--everything was on point. I feel like people don't properly rate this because of the result, as many were expecting Kai to win; however, I believe the outcome was also the right one."
[5.0] "This wasn't anything special and was actually a disappointment. 8 minutes for the first Women's Intercontinental Champion and everyone just laps it up. Mostly a highlight reel of each women's movesets. Also the wrong person was chosen in Lyra Valkyria. She had no build going into the match evidenced with the dead crowd and the crowd wanting Dakota to win."
[8.0] "The Suplex on the floor early looked brutal. This was a big spot type of matchup. That being said most of the transition worked really well. They packed a ton of action into 8 minutes."
[8.0] "Ladies and Gentlemen, history has been made. I personally believe that WWE made the right choice with this finals, and an even better choice in their first Women's Intercontinental Champion in Lyra Valkyria. Both women absolutely showed out tonight even though their match was JUST 8 minutes. Lyra and Dakota provided a worthy glimpse of what to expect in the IC Title division for the women, and I'm kind of excited. Some of the spots and moments in the match were nail-biting such as the Suplex off the apron, as well as Lyra rolling out from the GTK. A great match, congratulations to Lyra Valkyria and shoutout Dakota Kai for a great performance and personally one of my favorites of hers in WWE. ***3/4."
[8.0] "For an eight minute match they did amazing! Pretty good match for the title, the suplex to the outside and Lyra rolling out of the ring after de GTK by Dakota were the highlights of the match. Very intense and fast paced. ***3/4"
[8.0] "This really should've had another 10 minutes but for what it was it was very good. However in 2025, the only women's match on the card should not be that short especially when they're able to go for as long as they want on Netflix. They had great chemistry. Lyra did a brutal fisherman buster from the apron onto the floor which was beast. Incredible technical skill displayed here and I was very impressed with Dakota as I've never been high on her. The right woman won IMO and this was good stuff. ****"
[7.0] "The truth is that I liked it quite a lot, one drawback I see is that it could have been longer and that maybe putting advertising in the middle of a titular fight is not a good idea. Anyway, I liked it and I'm glad that Lyra Valkyria is the first champion, she's very good and can do great things if she sets her mind to it."
"So... They cooked big-time for this short duration of time. It's just a shame that in 2025 an inaugural women's title match still needs to be this short, just way too short + the dead crowd really triggered me a little. Other than that, I enjoyed every single second to it's fullest. But I'm damn sure it was one of the best under 10 minute matches in a decade or so. That nasty suplex bump, the back and forth which seemed non-stop and so on... Brilliant and talented women. It's just ridiculous to me to book a 20 minutes match 7 days before for Solo Sikoa to absolutely do nothing and put this much talent in an 8 minutes match. Just insulting! I'd give a 9/10 based on the cruel and unfair booking of these two."
[6.0] "Wow, I'm really surprised with the ratings here. I can understand the 7's, but that's it. This match wasn't that good and not because of the women, they did really good, but, once again, WWE keeps limiting wrestlers instead of letting them go all out, which left a bittersweet taste in me. 8 minutes for a "supposedly" historic match for a really asked for midcard title for the women? Yeah, this didn't felt like a great deal at all, just like the Women's US Title match. This just felt like a plain slightly above average random match. Both semifinals where much better than this. This just lacked better treatment, more minutes and, FFS, not limiting the goddamn wrestlers to just do their basic stuff (*** 1/4)"
[7.0] "awesome match the crown the first ever woman's ic champion. The entire match is just going move for move shot for shot which doesn't work all the time but here in a babyface vs babyface match i think it worked out pretty well. Lyra winning is the right move and i think she will have an awesome run as the champion maybe even hopefully getting a big match against becky at mania? 3.50 stars"
[8.0] "Ich kann mich gar nicht entscheiden, was hier mein Match Of the Night war, denn die Damen haben richtig abgerissen. Die Matchstory hat mir zudem echt gut gefallen. Eigentlich hätten die Workerinnen hier einen besseren Spot verdient"
[8.0] "Great work from these two, just wish they had a bit more time. Back and forth contest which could have gone either way. Strong, hard Supplex onto the outside which Dakota took like a champ! Routing for Dakota but got to give Lyra her flowers here! Hope the momentum of this championship continues."
"A fantastic 8-minute match. Both wrestlers had a great chemistry to elevate the title even before winning it. From my point of view, it was a shame that this match was not the main event of the show and giving it a deep meaning to the Women's Intercontinental and whoever came out as champion. Dakota Kai understood the assignment and had a phenomenal performance and Lyra Valkyria's victory meaningful. In addition, the story that she told within the ropes was a sustantial part of the match before succumbing once again before capitalizing her first title match victory. Nevertheless, Lyra Valkyria showed an astonishing maturity inside the ring with a solid work around Dakota Kai's back after the tremendous spot, which it added a lot of tension while it completely surprised the crowd. The only thing that the match lacked was a proper final because of time restrictions, but both wrestlers made it great from absolutely nothing."
"Such a good match dispite the time ! First, the entrace, Dakota's new theme sound good but we will see ! Next the match: wonderful match ! The spots were great, a fast pacing match but a very good one ! I want a rematch at the Royal Rumble !"
[4.0] "The match was alright. I think the Womens US Title Match got the crowd hotter even though the match was much worst. I still stand on the fact that Dakota really needed and deserved this win and Lyra still has time but once again they shafted Kai which gives this a very bad taste for me"
[9.0] "Expected to be the best match on this RAW. Yes, there was an unfortunate landing after a vertical suplex, it was noticeable that both girls received major damage to their backs, but, nevertheless, they finished the match to the end. And we find a lot of beautiful reversals, competitiveness, pleasant timing. Probably Dakota's best match in a very long time. And I'm also very happy for Lyra, how she got this title! ****1/4"
[8.0] "This was as great as a 8 minute match can be. Both women showed great aggressivity and that supplex to the outside looked sick, and they had a nice story going with Lyra working on Dakota's back, but didn't had enough time to really sell it to the extent that was needed. Also, loved the showing of desperation on Kai's face after letting Lyra roll under the ropes. Great match, hope to see more of these two now that we have a title made for this type of match (with, hopefully, more time to it. I mean the show litterally finished early ...). 8/10."
[7.0] "Normally I wouldn't be happy that Dakota Kai lost another big match, and one for a new title too, but I've been a fan of Lyra Valkyria for a long time, and if anyone else was going to be the first Women's Intercontinental Champion, I'm glad it was her. Good effort, if not the epic I was hoping for."
"(8.0) Have high hopes for Valkyria, her timing and technical skill is subtle but real good. Early highlight was Valkyria suplexing Kai off the apron onto the floor leading into the first commercial break. Both wrestlers' moves were hitting with big impact and getting good response from the crowd. This was good from the beginning and really could've and maybe should've been longer, it being the inaugural Women's IC title match. But I think the booking was right in the end: Lyra represents a potential shift in WWE's brand of women's wrestling, focusing more on technically sound, emotion-building champions that are athletically on a kind of classical pro wrestling feel. Like an evolution of Bret Hart. We'll see, congrats to Lyra."
[10.0] "For the short time given for one of the most important matches in women's history, this match was non-stop, showing a summary of the best of the arsenal of each. Both adapted their time, left their nerves backstage and gave a great lecture. Great spots like the suplex from the apron to the ringside floor and the false finish with Dakota Kai doing her finish. A match that had me nervous and, the winner was definitely the right one, Lyra Valkyria is the future of WWE. Great chemistry and spectacular direction. I hope the next wrestling match is longer because they showed they can give a lot more."
[7.0] "The finals of the inaugural women's intercontinental title were good; both women showed off why they both deserved a chance. A lot of back-and-forth momentum and potentially should have gotten more time. That suplex outside the ring was a beautiful move. I have to respect Valkyria on her moveset; she has some very unique and innovative moves. I think I would have preferred Dakota Kai to win, considering she's my favourite female wrestler, and she has already got some feuds boiling over with Pure Fusion Collective, but this was one of those matches where it was a win-win situation since Valkyria is up there too."
[7.0] "This was the finals of the first Women's Inter-continental championship tournament. I was really rooting for Dakota Kai here, but I was destined to be disappointed. Lyra Valkyria is someone I haven't seen a ton of, but I never saw anything particularly special about her. Pat McAfee's facial expressions at ringside lowkey cracked me up, but he was selling the excitement pretty well. This was a pretty good match, but it was too short to be anything other then above average. Lyra Valkyria is your first women's Inter-Continental Champion, which is a bit perplexing to me."
[10.0] "Bro ok, I'm just saying, there's Charlotte vs. Rhea...and then there's THIS. Back and forth until the finish. I thought for sure after that suplex spot that Dakota would make the comeback and pull it out, but they kept me guessing more than any match I've seen in a long time. For WWE standards, this was one of the best women's matches in Raw history. I dare say one of the best women's matches, full stop. I can't help but feel overcome with joy watching today's women wrestle. Y'know? After decades of mistreatment, they finally have a division to themselves that is taken just as seriously as the men's. Fucking dope."
"They obviously chose the right person to win, since Dakota has no crowd interest. Really missed an opportunity to have Lyra get on the microphone after and call out someone like the world champion or even express her gratitude for the fans. They just treated it like your standard historic moment with post match pyro. Match was not good, despite a stiff suplex to the outside before the commercial."
[7.0] "This was a very fun final round match. I wish this match was the main event because in my opinion it would've made more sense because how it's a final round match. But the chemistry between both ladies was good. Lyra Valkryia is the great first choice for the WWE Women's Intercontinental Champion. She can definitely make that title a work - horse championship. Dakota Kai I feel like should get a rematch at Saturday's Night Main Event but she will eventually hold that title in the future. But overall very happy with the outcome."
