WWE

WWE Cancels Major Plans for New Championship

A behind-the-scenes photo has revealed that the original booking for the inaugural WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship tournament was different.

Leonardo Cunha
WWE Cancels Major Plans for New Championship

Recently revealed behind-the-scenes footage has shed new light on the inaugural WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship tournament, indicating the original plans were significantly different from what transpired on screen. The eventual winner and first-ever champion, Lyra Valkyria, apparently had a different path planned for her historic victory.

A photo from the upcoming WWE Unreal docuseries, shared by Triple H, displays an internal tournament bracket. In this version, Valkyria was slated to face Alba Fyre in the semi-final round. This was a notable deviation from the broadcasted tournament, where Valkyria actually faced and defeated IYO SKY to advance to the final.

The change suggests that the original creative direction would have seen Fyre advance from her side of the bracket, which also included SKY and Natalya. In the tournament that aired, SKY—who was a replacement for an injured Kairi Sane—defeated both Fyre and Natalya before losing to Valkyria.

Ultimately, Valkyria’s journey saw her overcome SKY in the semi-final and then defeat Dakota Kai on the January 13 episode of WWE RAW to become the inaugural champion.

Valkyria held the championship for 145 days, establishing its legacy before recently losing the title to Becky Lynch at Money in the Bank on June 7. The rivalry between the two continues, as Valkyria is now scheduled to compete in a Triple Threat Match against champion Becky Lynch and Bayley at the upcoming WWE Evolution event in an attempt to reclaim the gold.

Meanwhile, Alba Fyre, the wrestler at the center of the revealed alternate plan, is currently a member of the SmackDown roster as part of the Secret Hervice stable with Chelsea Green and Piper Niven.