This episode of Smackdown saw IYO SKY in her first WWE Women's Championship defense against one of her most recent rivals Zelina Vega who held two pinfall victories over the champion to earn the title opportunity.
IYO and Zelina traded fast-paced offense throughout the match showcasing their respective gymnastics and athletic backgrounds. Zelina would land a devastating meteora before IYO evened the odds with her patented springboard dropkick. As the challenger looked to score the win and capture the championship with an impactful Code Red, IYO would instinctively roll out to ringside with her Damage CTRL teammates to catch a breather.
After evading Vega's attack by throwing her into the steel steps, SKY secured the win with a running meteora of her own before finishing off her opponent with the moonsault.
Writer's Thoughts: This was an entertaining match! The WWE Universe has been looking forward to fresh championship matchups featuring newer stars, so to see IYO and Zelina deliver a competitive championship bout was refreshing. Both women were able to shine with the time given, and it was the right decision to provide Zelina with a championship opportunity while IYO took the win without interference from Bayley and Dakota. I look forward to seeing what lies ahead of IYO's reign as WWE Women's Champion, but I do wish we could have seen this match at the upcoming Payback Premium Live Event instead.
For further coverage on this episode of Friday Night Smackdown, you can watch Women's Wrestling Talk's official Smackdown Post-Show Live Stream below!
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