{"id":218527,"date":"2026-06-26T13:58:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T18:58:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=218527"},"modified":"2026-06-26T13:58:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T18:58:24","slug":"womens-wrestling-digest-processing-this-weeks-episode-of-wwe-raw-featuring-lyra-valkyria-iyo-sky-and-maxxine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/06\/26\/womens-wrestling-digest-processing-this-weeks-episode-of-wwe-raw-featuring-lyra-valkyria-iyo-sky-and-maxxine\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s Wrestling Digest: Processing This Week\u2019s Episode of WWE Raw, Featuring Lyra Valkyria, Iyo Sky, and Maxxine"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-2722014082\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>Welcome to the first edition of Women\u2019s Wrestling Digest, a bite-sized spin-off of the more encompassing Week in Women\u2019s Wrestling. Each column will feature a look at developments in the women\u2019s division of a given show, processing the major and minor angles that appeared.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ll kick things off with a look at this week\u2019s episode of Monday Night Raw, which featured one major development along with several intriguing storylines beginning to take shape.<\/p>\n<p>First, Lyra Valkyria is finally a heel. We got to see shades of this during the lead up to WrestleMania and it worked so well then, that I\u2019m really excited to see where Lyra can take it from here. It was something that\u2019s been teased for weeks in the form of her mounting frustration with losing. When she and Bayley cut a promo prior to their match (interviewed backstage while their opponents are already in the ring; very old school SNME vibes), it was the tip off that something was afoot. Things were played really well, though, where you didn\u2019t know who would be turning.<\/p>\n<p>Bayley has flipped back and forth so often in recent years that I was hoping if they couldn\u2019t both be heels that it would be Lyra making the turn. That fell into question once Lyra actually ate the pin. As she and Bayley remained in the ring while Brie and Paige exited, a couple thoughts raced through my mind: 1. If the camera continues following the champs until we move onto the next segment, I\u2019ll be disgusted with the lack of payoff. They\u2019d essentially be telling us in that moment that none of this really matters. 2. They are still in the ring. Someone is turning!<\/p>\n<p>From here, I do worry a bit about Lyra\u2019s ability to stand alone as a loathed heel. I wonder if a reunion with Becky Lynch might be in the cards &#8211; not so much as a team, but as a pair of conniving fellow countrywomen. Lyra\u2019s heelish ways shined brightest when she was bending the rules with Bayley in a slightly mischievous way. She was best playing off of a cohort and I think such a pairing might help her get where she needs to go. In the end, she could even be the one double-crossing Becky and sending her back on the babyface path she\u2019s destined to eventually find.<\/p>\n<p>Iyo Sky was given an in-ring interview segment. You knew it would be short-lived, but it was effective in portraying her as a main event star. Her charisma is off the charts and makes the language barrier feel insignificant. In fact, I think it even serves to help from time to time. Take, for example, her \u201cdad joke\u201d of the crown being too small for Liv\u2019s head. It\u2019s a line that could\u2019ve been delivered by 2018 Roman Reigns to a sea of groans. But when Iyo dropped it here, it was so unexpected that it popped the crowd.<\/p>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Podcast weekly Tuesday Flagship: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/new-flagship-keller-heydorn-on-pros-cons-of-kotr-qotr-outcomes-aew-forbidden-door-nxt-gab-heyman-quotes-on-lesnar-retirement-moment--72658973\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to stream (or search \u201cwade Keller\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NEW FLAGSHIP: Keller &amp; Heydorn on pros\/cons of KOTR &amp; QOTR outcomes, AEW Forbidden Door, NXT GAB, Heyman quotes on Lesnar retirement moment\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=72658973&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>As things stand, we don\u2019t need to overcook the storyline: Iyo beats Liv, Liv is so flustered, she attacks Iyo afterwards and we get two excellent matches, the latter at SummerSlam for the title. However, if you\u2019re into making things more complicated than they need to be, it\u2019s also easy to see issues between Liv and Roxanne come to a head, while the Rhiyo MegaPowers explode. I feel any match between Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky, however, deserves a more organic build with plenty of time to unfold, ideally at WrestleMania.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1695225097\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>For months now, we\u2019ve watched things develop between Maxxine and Austin Theory, first in tiny background doses and more recently in fleshed out backstage segments. It all came together beautifully on this episode, taking this new version of Maxxine to the next level. Now that most of us love and forgive Chad Gable (including Otis for a second there), it\u2019s so perfect for her to take the lead as someone who isn\u2019t buying it. It\u2019s a role not unlike that of Sami Zayn\u2019s where she feels she\u2019s acting in the right and can\u2019t understand the way everyone else is forgiving Gable. I mean, as she articulated, he did put her through some nasty stuff. Now she gets to flourish as an increasingly volatile leader who it seems will eventually feed her guys in the Alpha Academy to her new friends in the Vision, only for the heroic Gable to arrive for the save. Again, just a beautiful development of character for Maxxine.<\/p>\n<p>Vignettes are an effective way to bring Sol Ruca along at this point and the one we saw last night showed us a very human side of someone known for moving in superhuman ways. It\u2019s only too bad she wasn\u2019t rolled out this way before winning a title. That said, I wonder how long it will take for Lyra to cash in on Sol\u2019s offer at a title shot from a few weeks back. Its a whole new world in the women\u2019s division on Raw.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks so much for reading and, of course, for supporting women\u2019s wrestling. Feel free to leave a comment or drop a line via email at jeffp.rush@gmail.com or on Twitter\/X @nottherightjeff.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wade Keller Post-show (6\/22) - WWE Raw w\/Keller &amp; Radican\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hz-CvSX1iTc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1806677698\"><div id=\"pwtor-363094665\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Welcome to the first edition of Women\u2019s Wrestling Digest, a bite-sized spin-off of the more encompassing Week in Women\u2019s Wrestling. Each column will feature a look at developments in the women\u2019s division of a given <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/06\/26\/womens-wrestling-digest-processing-this-weeks-episode-of-wwe-raw-featuring-lyra-valkyria-iyo-sky-and-maxxine\/\" title=\"Women\u2019s Wrestling Digest: Processing This Week\u2019s Episode of WWE Raw, Featuring Lyra Valkyria, Iyo Sky, and Maxxine\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":218528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,52,27,8,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-218527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prowrestlingnews","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists","category-news_women","category-news_wwe"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-26-at-1.56.42-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218527"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":218529,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218527\/revisions\/218529"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/218528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}