01/05 Raw Sees Major Shakeup Two Title Changes During the Show

A couple of title changes happened during the first Raw of 2026, with Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky winning the tag team gold and Becky Lynch regaining the Intercontinental Championship.

01/05 Raw Sees Major Shakeup Two Title Changes During the Show

Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley on Raw [via- WWE]

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Apart from this week’s Raw being critically acclaimed for its Stranger Things crossover, which was heavily reflected in the show’s aesthetic production, it was also the 1-year anniversary of the red brand on Netflix. WWE kicked off the night with the women’s tag team title match, where Asuka and Kairi Sane were defending their gold against Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky.

The bout picked up steam as it progressed, and the champs never looked out of wits even against two of the most accomplished singles wrestlers opposing them. The Kabuki Warriors did a great job of isolating the babyfaces from each other for the most part, but, as they say, the cream always rises to the top.

The ending sequence saw Sky breaking a near pinfall attempt by Asuka on Ripley, who was down and out with a double-team maneuver. ‘The Genius of the Sky’ German-suplexed Sane and then took the gauntlet to Asuka as well. Sky stomped ‘The Empress of Tomorrow’ and followed it up with a running double-knee attack.

She then tagged ‘Mami’ in, who put Asuka through a Riptide. Sky landed her over-the-moonsault on the longest-reigning NXT Women’s Champion. The erstwhile Io Shirai did a suicide dive on ‘The Pirate Princess’ to the outside while ‘The Eradicator’ went for the cover and pinned Asuka. And just like that, team RHIYO became the brand-new WWE women’s tag team champions on Raw.

Iyo Sky has previously won the doubles silverware twice partnering with Dakota Kai as part of The Damage CTRL, whereas Rhea Ripley had held that strap once before with Liv Morgan. With the women’s tag team division arguably more stacked than it’s ever been, it’d be interesting to see which duo has what it takes to take the title belts off RHIYO.

Becky Lynch topples Maxxine Dupri to win her second IC title on Raw

In another women’s championship match of the night, Maxxine Dupri defended her Intercontinental title against a deranged-cum-paranoid version of Becky Lynch. And speaking of the outcome, the veteran walked out of Brooklyn with gold around her waist. In a match where Dupri kept up with Lynch as far as the in-ring aspect was concerned, the product of the Alpha Academy succumbed to her own naivety.

Becky Lynch became new women's IC Champion on Raw
Becky Lynch became new women’s IC Champion on Raw [via- WWE]

‘The Man’ rolled Dupri up, taking assistance from the bottom rope in such a way that had the referee blindsided as he counted to three. Lynch quickly exited the ring, knowing oh-so-well that she’d finally nabbed the tyro in Dupri. The look of disbelief on the latter’s face was palpable as she realized in the moment all the hard work she’d squandered.

The former MMM manager’s transformation by putting in the work in the Natalya-owned Dungeon facility might’ve done wonders for Dupri. However, there’s only so much one could learn about in-ring IQ from afar rather than being on the receiving end of a wrongdoing. Since Dupri has learned it the hard way, the ball is in her court to pick herself up from here.

‘The Big Time Becks’ is at the top of the food chain once again, and she’s not expected to repeat the same mistakes that cost her the women’s IC title in the first place. Shortly after kicking off her 2026 in the best way possible, Lynch launched a blitzkrieg of social media posts trolling Maxxine Dupri.

She hailed the match referee for excellent officiating, which obviously could’ve gone either way had the ref been in a better vantage point.

She mocked her opponent by calling her “DEFUNCT DUPRI” and even took a shot at her TikTok videos from her wedding, which took place last week. Once this feud is done and dusted, the Irishwoman is expected to move on to a much bigger assignment. Lynch has yet to get her lick back on AJ Lee, who has been a thorn in the side for ‘Big Time Becks’ since returning to WWE in September 2025.

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