Why did WWE remove Women's Intercontinental title tournament final from Raw's Netflix debut?

The tournament will crown the inaugural Women’s IC Champion

The Stamford-based promotion introduced the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship for the first time in its history in November 2024. The mid-card title was announced for the Raw brand similar to the Women’s US title which was also introduced in the same month for the SmackDown brand.

Chelsea Green is the current and the first Women’s United States Champion, she won the title after defeating Michin in the finals of the tournament which was held at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Dakota Kai and Lyra Valkyria are the finalists for the Women’s IC title, the two-stars qualified for the finals after emerging victorious in the semi-finals. Kai defeated Zoey Strak while Lyra Valkyria took out Iyo Sky to confirm her spot in the finals.

The two stars were expected to battle in the finals at Raw‘s Netflix debut episode which is scheduled for January 6 at the Intuit Dome, California. Four high-stakes matches have been announced by the promotion for the debut show.

Also Read: All matches confirmed for WWE RAW’s Netflix debut in 2025

WWE has pushed the IC title tournament finals to January 13

The Stamford-based promotion has now pushed the IC title finals to the January 13 episode of the Red brand. The second episode of Raw in 2025 will be aired live from the Sap Centre in San Jose, California.

Initially, the Women’s Intercontinental title tournament final was slated for Raw’s historic Netflix debut on January 6 but has been postponed to January 13 to avoid being overshadowed by the already-packed episode as reported by WrestleVotes.

“We are told that WWE shifted the finals of the Women’s Intercontinental Tournament off of the Netflix debut in order for the match to not get lost in the shuffle. It seems like WWE wants to get this title off and running in a big way, and felt as though having it mixed in with a show the size of Netflix premiere would not do that justice.”

Some fans online are unhappy with the decision as only a single women’s match between Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World title is set for the debut show.

Who do you think will create history and become the first Women’s IC Champion? Share your predictions in the comments section.

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