World Wrestling Entertainment continued its march towards King & Queen of the Ring in Saudi Arabia later this week. After one premier women’s match peaked viewership on last week’s episode of Friday Night Smackdown on Fox, another took the crown this week on Raw.
According to the Wrestlenomics Patreon, this week’s episode of Raw averaged 1,733,000 viewers, the highest mark the show has reached since April 15. Looking deeper, just like last Friday night, another Queen of the Ring match peaked viewership on Monday night.
The match between former WWE Women’s Champion Iyo Sky and up-and-comer Lyra Valkyria pulled in significant audience numbers. They peaked viewership at the 9-9:15 p.m. quarter-hour, averaging 1,916,000. The quarter-hour also drew a P18-49 figure of 0.58 and 764,000. That figure wasn’t first, but it was still one of the top-viewed quarters of the show.
SKY and Valkyria’s match was received well online and in front of a live audience. Valkyria pulled off a massive upset win over SKY, who previously held the WWE Women’s Championship from SummerSlam to WrestleMania. Sky lost her title to 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble winner Bayley in an instant classic at WrestleMania XL. She has proven before to be a figure of attention on either Raw, Smackdown, or previously down in NXT. Earlier this year, she defended the championship in a match that earned between 2.3 and 2.4 million viewers, according to Wrestlenomics data. So, she’s already proven herself to be a noteworthy attraction.
In Valkyria’s case, the company is investing a lot in her. She defeated Becky Lynch, one of the industry’s biggest stars, last Fall at NXT Halloween Havoc in a memorable bout. That victory helped set the stage for her, and she was drafted to Raw last month. It’s taken her no time to rise the ranks, and a potential QOTR victory is now in the air. It will hinge on Friday night’s results, but this will be something to watch. Valkyria has been positioned with Lynch, which is a wise move, to be sure, and that’s given her a platform, and it’s also put a lot of eyes on her.
Whatever’s been working is working, so as WWE sets its deck for the summer, some new women’s stars are beginning to emerge. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, and between Cargill, Valkyria, and Smackdown’s Tiffany Stratton, the next tidal wave is beginning to form.
[Data cited by Wrestlenomics Patreon]
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022