Becky Lynch Loses to Lyra Valkyria in WWE IC Title Match at Backlash After Heel Turn

Lyra Valkyria defeated Becky Lynch at WWE Backlash on Saturday to retain the Women's Intercontinental Championship.

Lynch went down—but not without a fight.

After multiple underhanded tactics involving exposed turnbuckles and steel chairs, The Man pushed the limits, but Valkyria stood her ground with relentless determination.

The champion, on the brink of defeat, reversed a near-fall and caught Lynch off guard for the stunning victory.

Frustrated by the loss, The Man snapped, unleashing a post-match assault on Valkyria before being restrained and escorted out by WWE officials.

At WrestleMania 41 last month, Valkyria was originally scheduled to team with Bayley in a WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match against Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez.

However, a wrench was thrown into those plans when a mystery attacker took out Bayley, rendering her unable to compete on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

It wasn't until just before the match started that Morgan and Rodriguez learned they would be facing Lynch as Bayley's replacement.

Prior to WrestleMania 41, it had been nearly a year since The Man's last WWE appearance, but she didn't seem to lose a step, as she and Valkyria secured a victory and became the new women's tag champs.

The next night on Raw, they put the titles on the line in a rematch against Liv and Raquel, and the result was somewhat unexpected with Morgan and Rodriguez winning the championships back.

Following the loss, The Man snapped by attacking Valkyria and turning heel on her former friend.

The next week on Raw, Lynch called Lyra a loser and confessed to attacking Bayley, which led to Valkyria confronting her and getting physical, resulting in Becky getting out of Dodge.

While Lynch is far more experienced and accomplished than Valkyria, an argument could have been made for the latter having the advantage entering Backlash.

In the only previous match between them at Halloween Havoc 2023, Valkyria beat Lynch for the NXT Women's Championship, which eventually catapulted her to a main roster call-up.

Two years later, Valkyria got the better of Lynch again, as she managed to retain the women's IC title at Backlash against one of the all-time greats.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below.