Rarely has a Women’s World Championship match felt fresher and more exciting than the WWE Wrestlepalooza bout between IYO SKY and Stephanie Vaquer.
Match Point is an ongoing series at Last Word on Pro Wrestling, where we look at intriguing matchups in indie wrestling and beyond. They may be dream matches, first-time matchups, or hotly anticipated rematches. In this edition, Laurence Gibbons will focus on WWE Wrestlepalooza’s Women’s World Championship match-up between IYO SKY and Stephanie Vaquer.
The WWE women’s division has been dominated by the same handful of names over the past five years. These women have been carefully crafted and protected by WWE as the top names in the industry. Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Asuka, and Rhea Ripley deserve their place at the top of the division.
But at WWE Wrestlepalooza, the two women have made their way into the title match based on organic and genuine fan reaction. IYO SKY and Stephanie Vaquer aren’t perfect, and that’s why the WWE fans seem to love them.
SKY and Vaquer: Two Organic Pushes
In a business built on spoken promos, SKY and Vaquer have let their in-ring ability do the talking for them. Both have limited the amount of English they speak on screen, but it hasn’t hindered how much they are loved.
This has set us up for a realistic sports-style wrestling contest that hasn’t seen any need to add cheesy soap opera drama. But will the two women be given the chance to put on a wrestling classic and put themselves on the map? Or, will an old head let their ego ruin the contest for everyone?
IYO SKY & A Vacant Title
WWE crowned a fresh and exciting Women’s World Champion when Naomi cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase at WWE Evolution. She took the title from IYO SKY when she interjected in her match with Rhea Ripley.
SKY had shocked everyone by taking the title from Rhea Ripley 132 days prior.
Bouyed by overwhelmingly positive fan reaction off the back of her exceptional in-ring ability, SKY had stepped away from the heel faction Damage CTRL. She had also surprisingly overcome Ripley and Belair at WWE WrestleMania 41.
SKY’s ascent to the top of WWE was welcomed by the fans. She refused to be a background character in Damage CTRL or in Ripley and Belair’s pursuit of her championship and came away the ultimate fan favourite.
When Naomi announced she was relinquishing the title after 35 days due to her pregnancy, it offered SKY a chance to make sure she doesn’t fall back into the shadows. But to do this, she will have to overcome a female star that hasn’t garnered as much authentic love from the WWE fans since …. well …. IYO SKY.
La Primera Stephanie Vaquer
Vaquer debuted on WWE Raw the night after WrestleMania 41 when she challenged IYO SKY. That match ended in a no-contest, but made Vaquer’s intention perfectly clear. She was on the main roster to take a top spot.
Vaquer is not the first person to debut on WWE Raw with this intention. But she has gone from debut to championship match in just five months. The reason for this is simple.
She’s unique. The first Chilean WWE superstar looks, acts, and feels totally different from anyone seen on WWE TV.
Then there’s her moveset.
The Devil’s Kiss is easily the most loved move in WWE at the moment. Totally unlike anything we’ve seen before. On certain occasions, Vaquer’s finger salute to signal the move is coming has received reactions equivalent to Scotty 2 Hotty’s The Worm during the Attitude Era.
Vaquer winning the battle royal for her shot at the Women’s World Championship at WWE Evolution with this move created one of WWE’s most viral moments of the year. She should have faced Naomi at WWE Clash in Paris.
But with the title being vacant at that point, WWE Raw GM Adam Pearce wanted a few more weeks to find the perfect opponent. A minor injury nearly derailed things further but the match will happen at WWE Wrestlepalooza.
He could have gone back to one of the old faithful – Ripley, Belair, Charlotte, or even current Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch. But instead, he took the realistic route and picked who sportingly deserved the shot. IYO SKY.
With that, we are set for a one-on-one contest between arguably two of the best in-ring competitors in WWE. On a show where WWE has brought back big-name stars from the past, it is refreshing that SKY vs. Vaquer has a place to shine.
Are We Ready For Asuka?
SKY vs. Vaquer does have the potential to fall into chaos, though. We could potentially see this dream wrestling classic descend into another no-contest.
All that lies with Asuka. The biggest heel in the heel faction, Damage CTRL, Asuka has recently returned and isn’t happy to see how nice and friendly SKY is with the rest of the roster. Asuka saw Vaquer’s victory over Kairi Sane as the perfect opportunity to unleash an attack on her longtime ally SKY’s competition.
But SKY came to the rescue. SKY wants a fair, sporting contest with Vaquer without any soap opera drama. But Asuka may not give her the chance.
Asuka will almost certainly bring the chaos to Wrestlepalooza. The only question is, does she unleash it on Vaquer, or do the unthinkable and turn on SKY?
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – WWE – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on WWE WrestlePalooza and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
You can check out WWE programming on Netflix (Raw), USA Network (SmackDown), The CW (NXT), Tubi (WWE Evolve), A&E (WWE Superstar Sunday – Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments), and Peacock (WWE Main Event as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on YouTube, and catch fast-paced action on X (WWE Speed).
