Becky Lynch retained the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship at Clash in Paris, defeating Nikki Bella by pinfall in a hard-fought contest. The finish came when Lynch managed to maneuver out of Bella’s attempt at the Disarm-her submission hold, transitioning it directly into a pin to secure the victory.
The match featured significant back-and-forth action. After an initial offensive flurry from Bella, Lynch took control, aggressively taking the fight to the ringside area. Bella mounted a strong comeback, slamming Lynch’s head against both announce desks and later hitting the champion’s own Manhandle Slam for a near-fall before the concluding sequence.
This was Nikki Bella’s first championship match in seven years and was set up in late August after the WWE Hall of Famer took issue with Lynch’s dominance and “vicious verbal jabs” as champion. The victory marks Lynch’s sixth successful title defense since capturing the championship from Lyra Valkyria 85 days ago at Money in the Bank.
Despite the clean finish, speculation has arisen that the match could be the starting point for a new storyline. On his “Notsam Wrestling” podcast, Sam Roberts suggested the bout may serve as a catalyst for the return of Nikki’s sister, Brie Bella, to form a tag team.
This theory is consistent with Nikki Bella’s own recent comments confirming she was actively trying to persuade Brie to return for a final run at the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. However, Brie mentioned in July that a potential return is complicated by her husband, Bryan Danielson, being a prominent figure in AEW, which she said creates a “discomfort” within WWE.