Lyra Valkyria is in the finals of the Queen of the Ring tournament this weekend, and I find that absolutely fantastic. I loved Valkyria in “NXT,” and I think she was a solid, yet somewhat surprising, addition to the main roster. She proved herself against Becky Lynch down in the company’s developmental brand, winning the NXT Women’s Championship from her, so putting her in the tournament up against some heavy hitting “Raw” stars seemed like a no-brainer to me. I was hoping she’d come out against IYO SKY victorious tonight, but I wasn’t convinced that she would, so seeing her hand raised at the end of the match was a pleasant surprise to me.

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SKY has had her time in the spotlight, and she’s so good, it’s certain to come around again. Her putting over a new star like Valkyria didn’t make SKY seem weak in the slightest, to me. Honestly, I’ll probably soon forget who she toppled to get in to the final in Jeddah, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The two former “NXT” stars had a great match, one of my favorites of the night, that absolutely deserves to be applauded. Valkyria pulled out a few newer moves – like a wicked submission – that I don’t think I’ve seen before, so I was even more impressed with her work in her biggest main roster match to date.

Valkyria is now set to face one of two powerhouses from “SmackDown” in the tournament final, either Bianca Belair or Nia Jax. If we’re speculating here, I personally hope she’s fighting Belair, but Jax has improved so much in her return to WWE, I wouldn’t mind seeing Valkyria face either, either. Between either “SmackDown” competitor, I don’t think Valkyria is destined to win it all and wear the crown, but I think she’s had a hell of a showing thus far. For anyone who wasn’t familiar with her work on “NXT,” the Queen of the Ring tournament has been a fantastic showing for her.

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I also love the fact Valkyria won on the women’s side of things, because Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov, also both “NXT” call-ups in the 2024 Draft, didn’t advance to even the semi-final of the tournament. While I love both Hayes and Dragunov, I was certain he’d be the one to defeat Jey Uso and go on to face GUNTHER in a huge match, but that wasn’t the case. I think many of us were expecting that, and for one of the “NXT” guys to be the star of the tournaments, so it’s all the sweeter for a huge fan of women’s wrestling to see Valkyria come out as the surprise from the developmental brand.

All in all, even if she’s not going to win the Queen of the Ring crown, though we may very well be surprised once again, I think the tournament has been nothing but good for this young star. With Lynch still putting her over in backstage segments, as well, I don’t think there’s a limit to how bright Valkyria’s star can shine in the weeks, months, and years to come.

Written by Daisy Ruth