Lyra Valkyria’s loss to Sol Ruca on the August 17 episode of WWE RAW sparked criticism from some fans, who questioned WWE’s decision to have Valkyria lose while she is beginning her new heel run.
The match gave Ruca an important victory, but the result quickly shifted the focus toward Valkyria’s character direction. Some viewers felt that WWE should have protected Valkyria more carefully if the company is serious about establishing her as a heel.
Valkyria worked aggressively throughout the match and repeatedly targeted Ruca’s neck. She used a scissors kick and later drove a knee into the back of Ruca’s neck. Ruca managed to withstand the punishment and eventually fought back.
The match turned in Ruca’s favor when she connected with a superkick and DDT. She then finished Valkyria with the Sol Snatcher to secure the three-count.
Lyra Valkyria Heel Run Draws WWE Fan Criticism
Following the match, several fans took to social media to question the booking. One viewer specifically wondered how losing the match was supposed to help establish Valkyria’s new heel character.
“How y’all made Lyra lose this is supposed to be her heel run”
Another fan stressed that the criticism was not directed at Ruca. Instead, the issue was the timing of Valkyria’s defeat while WWE is attempting to build her new character.
“Love sol but You can’t have Lyra lose there in her first raw match if your really trying to get this character over….”
Other reactions focused on what some fans believe has been a lack of momentum behind Valkyria since her character change. One fan argued that WWE should be doing more to establish the former NXT Women’s Champion.
“If you are to push Lyra at least push her better. We all know she needed this win very much!”
Another viewer was even more critical of WWE’s booking decisions and questioned whether the company has a clear plan for Valkyria’s heel character.
“This show has been filled with terrible booking decisions. Did you seriously have no plans for heel Lyra?”
The match itself also received criticism from some viewers. One fan questioned several of the exchanges during the closing portion of the contest and felt the sequence did not present Valkyria in a strong way.
“Lift Sol and she jumps out is all okay but after that dude wtf is going on Lyra just gave her face to get kick from her and after kick SOL failed her flip so Lyra came to help her then her stupid finisher Looks so bad And feels so bad for Lyra give her proper chance”
Despite the criticism surrounding Valkyria’s booking, Ruca picked up an important win and continues to build momentum on WWE RAW. The bigger question now concerns what WWE plans to do with Valkyria following the defeat.
If WWE intends to establish her as a serious heel, the company will need to give her direction and meaningful momentum. For some fans, the loss to Ruca created concern that Valkyria’s new character could lose momentum before it has a chance to properly develop.
RELATED: Lyra Valkyria Turns On Bayley After WWE Women’s Tag Team Title Loss on RAW
WA on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wrestlingattitude/
WA on Facebook (Women's Wrestling) - https://www.facebook.com/WrestlingDivas/
WA on X/Twitter - https://x.com/wa_wrestling
WA on Instagram (Women's Wrestling) - https://www.instagram.com/wa_wrestlingattitude/
WA on Google News - https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMJf3owsw2oG8Aw
WA on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/wrestlingattitude.bsky.social
