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A little over a year ago, IYO SKY made her return to WWE at The Biggest Party of the Summer. She was still sort of a new face in the eyes of the wrestling world, despite a run in developmental previously. Cut to the summer of 2023 – the Japanese star is the Women's Champion.
On the August 25 edition of SmackDown, which was the tribute show to Bray Wyatt and Terry Funk, IYO SKY stepped into the ring to defend her title against Zelina Vega. The champion won the six-minute contest.
Speaking on Our Daily Show, Vega reflected on her chemistry with IYO SKY. The LWO star revealed that both of them went backstage and were convinced that they had put on a show that night:
"When I was in STARDOM in 2016, I wanted to wrestle IYO so bad because I remember watching her thinking, man, she’s so good, she’s so cool and I never got to do it when we were in STARDOM. I never got to do it so, fast forward, we actually got to have our match during the tribute show to Bray Wyatt and we both came back from that like, ‘Wow. That was really amazing’ and obviously, the gravity of it with doing it for Bray but, I also realized it in that moment, like wow, we work really well together and I can’t wait to do it again." [h/t POST Wrestling]
IYO SKY will once again defend her title on SmackDown, this time against The Empress of Tomorrow, Asuka. The two are scheduled for a massive clash on the September 22 edition of the blue brand. Read more here about the plausible return at the show of another Japanese WWE star.
Zelina Vega on Rhea Ripley and former WWE star Andrade El Idolo
Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley also defended her title against Zelina Vega in Puerto Rico earlier this year. The two are even close friends in real life.
Vega recalled an interview the Aussie did post-Backlash, during which the latter detailed her excitement because she knew what their title match meant to her opponent. The LWO star had this to say on the matriarch of The Judgment Day:
"I can read her like no other person. I can feel her movements and she doesn’t even have to do or say anything. I know what she’s doing right away. I can look in her eyes and I know what she’s going for and the only other person that that’s really happened with was Andrade (El Idolo)," Vega said.
She then discussed her time with Andrade. The duo were a pair on WWE television between 2017 and 2020.
"I knew from the second that he moved a certain way or looked a certain way, I knew what he was going for and I knew what I had to be there for and with her [Rhea Ripley], it’s the same thing. It’s the yin and yang, you know? And I feel like she’s my perfect opposite.”
The LWO is one of the biggest attractions on Friday nights as the faction's default leader - WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio - is the current United States Champion.
Should Zelina Vega be pushed towards WWE Women's title contention on SmackDown? Sound off in the comments section below.
