WWE Backlash 2023 results: IYO SKY dazzles but Bianca Belair retains her Raw title

Was IYO SKY able to soar to an upset victory and claim the Raw Women’s Championship from Bianca Belair?

As the announce team points out, IYO SKY comes to the ring without her Damage CTRL teammates. That might mean something … or nothing. Both IYO and Bianca Belair hear cheers as they are introduced.

A “let’s go IYO” chant breaks out as the two women lock up, but Belair is able to take her foe to the mat. SKY returns the favor, and now the crowd seems more behind the challenger than the champ, even as Bianca hits a dropkick.

Belair hits a pair of body slams to take the wind out of SKY’s sails. IYO wriggles to the ropes and slams the champ’s arm across the top rope, then uses Bianca’s own arms to choke her in the corner. SKY continues working on Belair’s left arm, which isn’t a bad idea.

SKY takes the champ to the mat but quickly is slammed back down in return. IYO fires forearm shots with Bianca’s arm trapped behind her, then drives that left arm into the turnbuckles.

Belair needs to compose herself, which she does by dodging a pair of corner charges. But she eats a stomp to the midsection after a reversal by SKY, who covers and gets a two count.

Forearm shots are traded in both directions before Belair counters a hurricanrana attempt into a backbreaker, selling her left arm damage after doing so. Bianca hits a dropkick and a stalling vertical suplex and seems to have her swagger back.

Now in the corner, Belair rains down right hands as the fans count along in Spanish. She hoists SKY into a military press and even switches to one arm before slamming SKY down and hitting her handspring moonsault for a near fall.

Belair is really fighting with one arm now, as SKY tomahawks the left arm down across the ropes again. A springboard missile dropkick finds the target, but it also forces the champ all the way to the floor.

After knocking the challenger off the top rope, Belair tries a 450 splash and catches nothing but knees. SKY locks in a crossface, yet Belair is able to power to her feet … only to fall victim to a facebuster. IYO covers but gets just two again.

A series of counters and escapes ends with Belair being hurled through the ropes to the floor again. SKY signals for her moonsault and hits it beautifully to the outside. She slides the chant back into the ring and covers for another two count.

SKY buries her shoulder into Belair’s midsection several times but ends up crashing out to the floor. She recovers quickly and tries for a top rope hurricanrana only to have Belair counter with a sitout powerbomb. Bianca covers and finds it’s still not enough.

SKY’s Damage CTRL teammates are now ringside, but just in time to see SKY narrowly miss winning the match again. Bayley gets too close to the action and is hauled in, where she has the ref distracted. Dakota Kai kicks Belair in the head, but Bayley has Belair’s braid.

The ref sees it and it delays SKY’s moonsault. That proves costly, as Belair rolls away from it and hits the KOD to retain the Raw Women’s Championship and become the longest reigning women’s champ of the modern era.

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