A Look at the Final Four in the Women's Intercontinental Championship Tournament

One of the best moments in WWE in 2024 was the long overdue announcement of midcard titles for their women's division. We were introduced to the Women's United States and Intercontinental Championships, and we are a few weeks removed from the crowning of the first ever Women's United States Champion in Chelsea Green. We are also closing in on the final steps of crowning the first ever Women's Intercontinental Champion, as the tournament, which started on December 2, is now down to the Final Four.

Let's take a look at the Semifinalists, shall we?

Semifinalist #1: Dakota Kai

Women such as Dakota Kai were why midcard titles were introduced. It still amazes me that the very woman I watched on SHIMMER Wrestling DVDs as Evie is actually in WWE, which--like it or not--is considered the big time. 2025 will mark ten years she's been in WWE, and in that time, Dakota Kai has made a lot of amazing memories; from her villainous turn at WarGames against Tegan Nox, to her alignment with Raquel Gonzalez, and now as part of the Damage CTRL faction, which recently went from villainous to heroic. Dakota Kai is a four-time champion overall in WWE, but they've all been tag titles. She's looking to finally get some singles gold in WWE, and this is a good opportunity.

Dakota Kai defeated Shayna Baszler and Katana Chance in the Quaterfinals on December 2.

Semifinalist #2: Lyra Valkyria

Lyra Valkyria has had quite the interesting tenure in WWE. She was given the nod by her fellow countrywoman, Becky Lynch, which resulted in Lyra actually dethroning The Man as NXT Women's Champion. She would have a massively long reign and later move on to the Raw roster, where she has continued to shine and show her immense talent and abilities. With a New Year coming, I can't help but sense big things for Lyra Valkyria in 2025.

Lyra defeated Zelina Vega and Ivy Nile in the Quarterfinals on December 9.

Semifinalist #3: Zoey Stark

Zoey Stark's main roster run has been very interesting and spectacular. She was boosted from the get-go; being aligned with Trish Stratus in a feud with Becky Lynch is definitely a big deal. Even bigger was Zoey actually betraying the Hall of Famer to go her own path. Since then, Zoey had spent a good bit of time teaming with Shayna Baszler, but once Sonya Deville appeared and approached the duo, it became a very amazing alliance that would later be known as the Pure Fusion Collective. We've seen the trio run roughshod in the Women's Division for several months, and two of them were in the tournament.

Zoey Stark defeated Kayden Carter and Raquel Rodriguez in the Quarterfinals on December 16.

Semifinalist #4: Iyo Sky

After Zoey's victory, PFC decided to brutally attack Kairi Sane, who was set to compete in her own Quarterfinal match. When the latest edition of Raw commenced, PFC approached Raw GM Adam Pearce and demanded that Sonya replace Kairi Sane, only for Pearce to announce that Kairi's replacement would be Iyo Sky, which upset PFC. So Iyo Sky entered this bout against Alba Fyre and Natalya, and Alba Fyre actually approached Lyra Valkyria two weeks prior and said that she would be seeing her in the Semis. I remember reading WWE wanted Natalya to win this whole thing. Looks like it was just a rumor because Iyo Sky ended up winning and completing the Final Four.

Out of the Final Four, Iyo's the most accomplished. She's been NXT Women's Champion and NXT Women's Tag Team Champion, and on the main roster, she's a former WWE Women's Tag Team Champion, she won Money In the Bank, and captured the WWE Women's Championship. Iyo now stands two wins away from being the first to complete a more traditional version of the Women's Triple Crown.

The Semifinals will take place on the final Raw of 2024, with one match pitting Dakota Kai against Zoey Stark, while the other will pit Lyra Valkyria against Iyo Sky. The two Finalists will most likely face off on the following week, the highly anticipated first Raw of 2025 which will mark the show's debut on Netflix.