Lyra Valkyria Ambushed After First WWE Women's Intercontinental Title Defense On Raw

On Monday's episode of "WWE Raw," Women's Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria defended her title for the first time against a familiar face in Dakota Kai. By the time her entrance smoke cleared, Valkyria had retained her title, but she did not leave the ring unscathed, thanks to one Ivy Nile.

Kai found her feet early on in the match, and slammed Valkyria into the apron before following it up with a Senton to the outside. The challenger continued to lay on offense, and even after Valkyria attempted a Northern Lights pin cover, Kai showed Cincinnati her resilience with a kick-out. A back and forth contest led to an extended top rope fight between the two, and the ring rumbled as Valkyria delivered a stalling Superplex onto Kai from the middle rope.

Things nearly unraveled for the champion after Kai caught her middle-rope dive with a Superkick. A subsequent Helluva Kick and Kairopractor failed to score the pinfall victory, but Kai quickly regrouped and delivered a resounding kick to a top-rope bound Valkyria. Kai attempted another Superplex to dethrone the champion, but Valkyria slipped through to cinch in the Nightwing onto Kai to retain the title.

Following the match, Valkyria attempted to hold Kai's hand up in victory, but Kai quickly embraced Valkyria and left. As she was walking up the front ramp, Nile struck and quickly dispatched the Damage CTRL member before making a beeline to the champion. Nile tore Valkyria from the rope she was celebrating on before landing a brutal suplex onto her. The segment ended with a shot of Nile holding the title with a hungry look on her face.

Valkyria has held the Women's Intercontinental Championship for 43 days, having won the title after winning the inaugural Women's Intercontinental Championship tournament on the January 13 episode of "WWE Raw."