Iyo Sky Beats Asuka at WWE Backlash 2026 In Their 1st Match Since Kairi Sane's Release

After being on the receiving end of torment for months, Iyo Sky finally got payback Saturday night by beating Asuka at WWE Backlash.

Sky and Asuka were longtime stablemates in Damage CTRL, but that came to an end in September when Asuka and Kairi Sane turned on The Genius of the Sky due to her friendship with Rhea Ripley.

In the weeks and months that followed, Sky remained at odds with The Empress of Tomorrow and Sane, and she faced them in numerous singles and tag team bouts.

After Asuka and Sane became WWE women's tag team champions in November, it was Sky and Ripley who ended their reign on the first episode of Raw in 2026.

Eventually, Sky became sympathetic toward Sane because of how she was being treated by Asuka, and she seemingly tried to convince Kairi to get out from under The Empress of Tomorrow's iron fist.

However, Asuka implored Sane to face Sky in a match on the April 13 episode of Raw, and due to interference from The Empress of Tomorrow, Kairi was victorious.

One week later, Ripley returned to Raw to lend Sky a helping hand, and together they beat The Kabuki Warriors in a tag team match once again.

Later that week, Sane was one of several Superstars released from WWE, effectively taking her out of the Sky vs. Asuka storyline.

The rivalry between Sky and Asuka continued, though, as Asuka interfered in Sky's Women's Intercontinental Championship match against Becky Lynch on the April 27 edition of Raw, thus costing her the title.

After that, Sky vs. Asuka became official for Backlash, and The Genius of the Sky finally settled the score with a win, which could propel her to bigger things on Raw moving forward.