It’s been a match in the making since WrestleMania 41, and Evolution II will provide the perfect background for the culmination of an intricate rivalry in the women’s division.
The surprise return of Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 41 to team with her Irish compatriot Lyra Valkyria provided one of the highlights of the weekend, as they went on to dethrone the tag team champions, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez.
But that WrestleMania moment soon soured into the beginnings of a bitter rivalry. The following night on WWE Raw, Lynch and Valkyria dropped the titles back to Morgan and Rodriguez. And rather than console a heartbroken Valkyria, the veteran Lynch snapped, turning on her now former ally.
The friends-to-enemies narrative led to an Intercontinental title match at Backlash a month later, with Valkyria claiming victory and her biggest scalp yet as champion. But the feud didn’t end there, as Lynch sought one more opportunity to steal the gold via a Last Chance match. Defending at Money in the Bank, Valkyria became the victim of one of her signature plays.
Earning a reputation for securing surprise roll-up pinfall victories, Lynch turned the tables on Valkyria, using a handful of the champion’s tights for leverage to secure the win. The victory stopped Lyra Valkyria’s inaugural reign at 145 days.
With Lynch and Valkyria occupying the spotlight, fans might’ve forgotten how Lynch got her WrestleMania 41 moment in the first place. Valkyria was originally scheduled to team with Bayley in a match for the women’s tag team titles at WrestleMania before she was injured by a mystery attacker later revealed to be Lynch.
Returning to screens for the first time since mid-April, Bayley was out for revenge against her long-time rival, Lynch. And the four-time world champion got her wish. The June 23rd episode of WWE Raw saw Lynch defend her title for the first time against an enraged Bayley, but it wouldn’t be the Role Model’s fury that cost her the title.
A similarly vengeful Valkyria intervened in an attempt to help Bayley win the title, but instead caused a DQ in Lynch’s favor.
The move has understandably put strain on her relationship with Bayley, while also leaving the rightful heir to that no.1 contender spot unclear. The former tag team partners locked horns on WWE Raw this week to decide who would challenge Lynch next. And in an incredibly well-matched battle, the singles bout threw up a rare result: a draw.
Attempting to pin one another, both Valkyria and Bayley’s shoulders were pinned to the mat simultaneously for a full three-count. Although it proved indecisive, it presented an exciting and creative solution for WWE Raw General Manager Adam Pearce.
Given the genesis of the rivalry and the unresolved animosity among the three superstars, it only made sense to use Evolution II as a platform for resolution. Pearce announced earlier today that the triple threat championship match would take place at Evolution II.
The event, which takes place on July 13th, will be the second edition of WWE’s women-only PLE. WWE held the inaugural Evolution event in 2018, and since then, the women’s roster has grown exponentially across the company’s three brands, prompting a long overdue revival of the PLE.
Lynch and Bayley both wrestled at the 2018 event, emerging victorious from their respective matches. Valkyria, still only 28, will be looking to pull off the biggest win of her career so far as she takes on two veterans with 11 world championships between them.
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