Last month, WWE introduced a Women’s Intercontinental Championship for the Raw brand, complementing SmackDown’s recent addition of the United States Title. The tournament to crown the inaugural champion began on the December 2 episode of Raw and features 12 competitors.
The tournament includes Dakota Kai, Shayna Baszler, Katana Chance, Zoey Stark, Raquel Rodriguez, Kayden Carter, Lyra Valkyria, Zelina Vega, Ivy Nile, Alba Fyre, Kairi Sane, and Natalya. So far, Dakota Kai and Lyra Valkyria have advanced, with remaining matches including Zoey Stark vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Kayden Carter and Alba Fyre vs. Kairi Sane vs. Natalya.
According to WrestleVotes on a recent edition of Backstage Pass Q&A, there is internal support for Natalya as the potential first champion. However, this doesn’t guarantee her victory.
“We spoke last week on this show about how I’d like it to be Natalya. I did hear some feedback with some sentiments that were similar from sources that said they would like it to be Natalya as well. Now, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be her, but there is some favoritism maybe that would like to see her win the Intercontinental Championship.”
With several matches still to go, the tournament continues to generate excitement as fans eagerly await the crowning of the first-ever Women’s Intercontinental Champion.
