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Damage CTRL arrived in WWE just over two years ago and has had several highs and lows, such as championship wins and injuries. The faction is now celebrating another piece of World Wrestling Entertainment history after losing out on a massive opportunity.
The inaugural WWE Speed Women's Championship Tournament began today. IYO SKY defeated Lyra Valkyria with 43 seconds remaining in the three-minute match. SKY will soon face Blair Davenport or Naomi in the semi-finals. That match airs next Wednesday at 12 PM on X.
Damage CTRL is also represented in the bottom bracket as Kairi Sane vs. Elektra Lopez is set for the opening round. Candice LeRae vs. Piper Niven will wrap up the quarter-finals. The semi-final winner from these will earn a spot in the finals to crown the inaugural Speed Women's Champion.
The Genius of the Sky's historic Speed win came after she and The Pirate Princess failed to win a #1 contender's RAW match against The Unholy Union. Despite the roller-coaster of emotions, SKY took to X to tout another first in her career - the inaugural Speed women's match. The full episode was also shared.
"First-ever![fire emoji x3]," IYO SKY wrote.
SKY vs. Valkyria was taped at SmackDown on August 23 in Washington, DC, and was their third-ever singles bout after trading RAW wins in the spring. Davenport vs. Naomi will be taped on Friday in Edmonton. This will also be their third-ever singles match after trading wins on SmackDown earlier this summer.
Triple H welcomes new WWE Speed era
The WWE Speed women's division officially launched on X today. The eight-woman tournament is set to wrap sometime between late September and mid-October, and the first Speed Women's Champion will be crowned.
IYO SKY defeated Lyra Valkyria in the first round. The episode airing next Wednesday will feature Naomi vs. Blair Davenport. Triple H promoted the action on X to officially usher in a new era of Speed.
"A new era of #WWESpeed is here. Lyra Valkyria and IYO SKY compete in the first match of the first-ever WWE Speed Women’s Championship Tournament, exclusively on @X," Triple H wrote.
Andrade is the current Speed Champion after dethroning inaugural champion Ricochet in June before his departure. El Idolo retained over Pete Dunne on last week's Speed episode to wrap the men's division for now. He previously retained over Baron Corbin and Xavier Woods.
